New Zealand has embraced the World Wide Web with a zeal and enthusiasm.

Cyber cafes are widely distributed throughout the country to enable visitors to keep in touch with friends and relatives back home. Many hostels and backpackers have Internet rooms or booths, which are usually available 24/7 at reasonable rates. Charges vary considerably between hotels, cyber cafes and hostels but you can generally expect to pay between $5 and $10 per hour.

Visitors with laptop computers may find it worthwhile to join a New Zealand Internet Service Provider that offers a national connection, e.g. ihug, xtra or clear.net. Many hotels and motels have telephone jacks for dial up connections, which are charged at local call rates. Note:- not all Internet cafes will allow you to connect a laptop to their network.

If your current Internet company supports iPass (www.ipass.com) then you can access the Internet in New Zealand and the costs will be charged back to your Internet Service Provider. The iPass global virtual network has dial-up and broadband locations in over 150 countries providing connections for PCs, Macs and PDAs.

Many accommodation places will have Cardphones, a convenient means of booking lodgings or tours if you can’t get an Internet connection for any reason. Phone cards can be purchased from many bookshops, dairies and other outlets. Calling codes are listed in the front of regional telephone books.

When planning your New Zealand visit you can seek out bargains and obtain firm bookings for accommodation, transport and tours via the internet. Popular sites for obtaining advance information on facilities and services in New Zealand are set out below.

www.doc.govt.nz
Information on national parks, tramping etc.

www.govt.nz
Government services

www.newzealand.com
Tourist information and itineraries

www.nzaa.co.nz
Automobile Association services

www.newzealandnz.co.nz
General visitor information