Food Import Restriction (commercially packaged, unopened, non-perishable):
Liquid food (for example sealed fruit juice boxes, tinned soup) – up to 10 litres. Concentrated liquid food (for example concentrated juice boxes) – up to 2 litres. Solid food – up to 10 kilograms. Moisture reduced foods (for example freeze dried tramping meals) – up to 2 kilograms. Spices – up to 1 kilogram.Limited variety. Fresh meat and egg.
Camping Gear
Clean your hiking boots and wear them when going through customs.
Tents and spare boots will go through sanitation, that's at least 10 minutes extra wait.
Fuel canister is available in many outdoor stores, like Macpac, Bivouac Outdoor.
Price. NZ$1 ~ US$0.7
Gasoline: NZ$2/litre (about US$5/gl). Car rental: NZ$100+ per day with minimal insurance. Contact lens saline solution: NZ$10 for 60ml. Local cherry in season: NZ$16/kg Hotel is about the same as in US.
Time. 21 hours ahead of PST.
Flight: 12 hours straight San Francisco - Auckland. 80K miles + US$75 purchased 10 months ahead, or ~$2000 later.
Internet: not as widely available as in US, even at airport, it comes in a single 30 minute free session low bandwidth. Most hotels don't have free wifi.
Transportation: long distance buses are quite convenient. Shuttles to trailheads. If you are flexible, can do without a car. Driving on the left side. Lots of curvy roads.
Hiking permit: national parks are free to enter and park. Only permits are camping and hut permit. Milford Track is hard to book. Routeburn has limited spots late in time. Other huts are easy to book last minute.
