New Zealand promotes itself heavily and enthusiastically abroad through the New Zealand Tourism Board
, where enquiries will trigger a deluge of glossy brochures. Much of it comprises inspirational, if rose-tinted, images of the country but is of limited practical use; specific requests can prove far more fruitful.
Many of the information centres listed below, as well as some cafés, bars and hostels, keep a supply of
free newspapers
and
magazines
orientated towards backpackers and usually filled with promotional copy, but informative nonetheless. Two of the best are the
New Zealand Backpackers News and TNT
(which has stacks of information available on their Web site at
www.tntmag.com.au
).
New Zealand tourism board offices
The
New Zealand Tourism Board
head office can be contacted at PO Box 95, Wellington, New Zealand (tel 04/917 5400, fax 915 3817,
www.purenz.com
).
Australia
8/35 Pitt St, Sydney, NSW 2000 (tel 02/9247 5222, fax...
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Visitor centres
Once you arrive you'll soon be weighed down with leaflets advertising just about everything in the country. Every town of any size will have an
official visitor centre
, signified by the green Visitor Information Network (VIN) logo. These are...
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Maps
Specialist booksellers
should have a reasonable stock of
maps of New Zealand
. The best available is the two-sided 1:1,000,000 edition produced by
International Travel Maps
, with all the important roads, and an...
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New Zealand on the net
Perhaps because of its geographical isolation, New Zealand has embraced the
Internet
with a vengeance, so a little time spent surfing is a good way to familiarize yourself with the place, book transport and accommodation, and gather travel...
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