1. Entry Requirements

(At time of writing, 11/07) New Zealand Customs require 48 hours notice of yacht entry to New Zealand. Visit the website www.customs.govt.nz for up-to-date information. There is a form on the site to be completed and sent prior to entry. Contact can be made while on passage either by voice radio (SSB) to Taupo Maritime Radio or by email yachts@customs.govt.nz . Further instructions for docking will be given by VHF as yachts approach a Port of Entry.

On arrival, Customs officers also deal with immigration. Foreign yachts are given temporary import entry (TIE) certificates, which defer any customs charges for 12 months. The TIE certificate specifies a value on which GST (sales tax) and importation duty will be paid if the yacht is imported or sold. The TIE Certificate allows owners to purchase equipment and some services (even marina berthing) for the yacht free of GST while in New Zealand. Importation of cash sums greater than NZ$10,000 must be declared.

All yachts will also be inspected by an official of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry on entry. All fresh meat, eggs, vegetables and fruit will be confiscated on entry, as well as most frozen meat. Tinned stores will be inspected and may also be subject to confiscation, though most are not. Honey, seeds and live plants are prohibited. Pesticides, antifouling paints and some woven products are restricted and may be prohibited. Please go to the appropriate website www.quarantine.govt.nz for a full list of prohibited and restricted goods. Accumulated rubbish will be taken by the MAF Officer for disposal. There are severe penalties for attempting to import prohibited or restricted goods to New Zealand.

Live animals are subject to lengthy quarantine at the owner’s expense.

There are restrictions on firearms, which will be taken and held pending departure. Import of other aggressive weapons is also prohibited.

There are no charges for Customs, Immigration or MAF services in New Zealand.

2. Visa Requirements

Most nationalities (52) will be issued with a three month Visitor’s Visa on entry. British Nationals and permanent residents are allowed six months, as are the owners and crew of super-yachts (a privately owned yacht, sail or motor, over 20 metres). Visitor’s Visas can be renewed for further periods of three months, usually up to a maximum of nine months or a year. However, special circumstances may allow slightly longer extensions if the yacht is undergoing extensive work or cyclone season would make departure dangerous. Make enquiries about applications for extensions in plenty of time. A Visitor’s Visa does not allow the holder to work or study in New Zealand.

Please note that technically anyone staying longer than 182 days in any one year in New Zealand becomes a tax resident and is subject to New Zealand income tax. However, at present, those becoming tax resident in New Zealand for the first time generally have no tax obligation on foreign source income for the first four years.

3. Cruising Permits and Restrictions

There are no cruising permits in New Zealand. Foreign yachts may cruise on the same basis as New Zealand yachts. There are some environmentally sensitive areas for which permits are required for visits by any yacht.

There are environmental restrictions for the discharge of sewage in coastal waters. These effectively require holding tanks. Details of the requirements are available on arrival in New Zealand or from www.mfe.govt.nz .

4. There are no requirements or restrictions when moving from port to port around the country. Reporting movements to the Coastguard is optional. There are local cruisers radio nets, which may also be used as an option, particularly Russell Radio in the North and Bluff Fishermen’s Radio in the South.

5. Recommended Cruising Guides

Unfortunately there is no single cruising guide for New Zealand and there are areas which are covered by no guide. The following, however, cover most of the likely areas visited.

Royal Akarana Yacht Club Cruising Handbook – East Coast of the North Island

New Zealand Cruising Guide Central Area – Marlborough Sounds, Cook Strait, Tasman Bay

The latter two guides are excellent and essential for cruising these two challenging cruising areas.

6. Web Links

There are lots of yachting and tourism related websites for New Zealand, but none are specifically orientated to cruisers of New Zealand. However, the Island Cruising Association organises a wide variety of cruising orientated events and rallies based from New Zealand. Go to www.islandcruising.co.nz

7. Some Ports of Entry

Opua, Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Wellington, Lyttleton, Nelson, Bluff. There are others.

8 & 9. Weather, Climate Tidal and other Information

New Zealand has a highly efficient Metservice, whose website is excellent www.metservice.co.nz In addition it also delivers a comprhensive weatherfax service, for New Zealand and adjacent ocean areas, by SSB as well as regular voice weather forecasts on both VHF and SSB. In areas such as Auckland and the Bay of Islands there is also ‘Nowcasting’ on VHF (20,21,22,23 depending on area) which gives weather reports, warnings and forecasts on a continuous basis. Local Radio nets, such as Russell Radio and Bluff Fishermen’s Radio also re-broadcast weather forecasts.

Metservice’s ‘weather ambassador’, Bob McDavitt, offers a free weekly radiogram giving his view of likely weather conditions across the southern Pacific region on www.pangolin.co.nz/yotreps/postings.php?tab=weathergrams&title=Bob%20McDavitt's%20Weathergram Bob’s services can also be obtained cheaply for a yacht specific five day passage forecast. He can be contacted through the Metservice. Bob is also the author of a useful booklet on Southern Pacific weather and climate.

For yachts actually cruising in New Zealand, the New Zealand Nautical Almanac is very useful. It contains all tidal information for the country, as well as a light list, radio communication, weather source and other information.

10. SAR

Rescue services are co-ordinated by the New Zealand Coastguard. This is a voluntary organisation, similar to the RNLI in the UK or the NSRI in South Africa. The Coastguard liases with national radio communication services and other national services such as the Navy and Air Force. The Coastguard coast radio stations monitor VHF Channel 16. Taupo Maritime monitors the HF distress channels. The SAR area covered by New Zealand services covers a large area of the South Pacific.

11. Radio Communications

Radio Communications around most of New Zealand are excellent, with a network of local VHF stations as well as Taupo Maritime Radio on SSB. It is only in the far south where there is virtually no population and interference from high mountains where VHF communication is ineffective. However, SSB communication is good everywhere.

(We consider Taupo Maritime to be the best and most efficiently operated maritime radio network we have experienced anywhere in the world.)

12. Emergency Health Care

All Visitors to New Zealand have available emergency health care free of charge, so long as the health problem results from an accident of some kind – including those on boats. Visitors must pay for non-emergency, general health care. Generally, the standard of care in New Zealand is very good, but like all countries with national health systems funded by the tax payer, resources are over-stretched and waiting times can be long, unless you go private. Dental care is private.

13. Importing Spares

In general, importing spares is not necessary as most nautical items are available in New Zealand. However, if necessary, the TIE Certificate should allow the importation of items without GST or Duty, so long as the items will be re-exported with the boat. Please check with Customs, however. Shipping to and from New Zealand is generally straightforward.

14. Most cruisers need little encouragement to travel around New Zealand. It is a varied and beautiful country, which is mostly still empty. There are wonderful walking tracks everywhere, as well as numerous opportunities to risk life and limb in more adventurous pursuits. Car rental is relatively cheap as are second-hand cars.

The vast majority of foreign cruisers do not cruise in New Zealand. This is sad as it has wonderful cruising areas in the Bay of Islands, Marlborough Sounds/Tasman Bay, Fiordland and Stewart Island. However, New Zealand does have a volatile maritime climate and much of the country is in the 40’s, so cruisers do have to be prepared for challenging conditions even in summer. Some areas, such as the eastern part of Cook Strait and Foveaux Strait can be very challenging indeed.

15. Safety and Security

Though New Zealand has some of the problems of all industrialised societies, in general it is an extremely safe place. Outside certain small areas of the major cities, there is very little crime. However, normal security procedures should be followed. There are still occasional thefts of dinghies, usually for the outboard if it is over 10 hp. Cars should be locked and valuable items kept out of sight, etc.

New Zealanders are generally extremely helpful. If you look even slightly confused about where you are going, someone will offer to help. We have been repeatedly offered the names of competitors when asking for unavailable items in shops. In many cases the assistant will even ring to find out if the competitor has the item you need!