visa and travel documents for AU, NZ and points south.

[2MeterTroll]

Erica and I have a bunch of workshops down south this winter. I have never traveled with out merchant marine documents so i dont actually know what all i need to do to get visas and papers and such.

We have our passports but who else do we need to contact to get the papers to visit AU for 3 months and NZ for 3 months?

Any of you fine folk that has done this; would you please give some guidance?
thanks in advance

[Chip-skiff]

We went to NZ on a freighter and lived there a while, and have been back several times since. You need to contact a NZ consulate in the US (you can Google it) and apply for visas. A tourist visa is quite easy to get. If you'll be doing work for payment, you need a different visa that (I think) requires some documentation from your potential employers or sponsors in NZ. Generally, work visas for temporary stuff (Kiwi fruit picking, etc.) are easier to get than those permitting trade, technical, or professional work. Given the cost of travel to and from NZ, they are quite wary of people coming with hopes of getting work who end up being stranded. So have your round-trip travel booked in advance and start early.

Another aspect is that NZ has the strictest bio-security rules on earth, so if you intend to take any tramping and camping gear, it must be painstakingly cleaned (seeds or mud in bootsoles, tent seams, etc., inflatable boats and fishing gear must be scrubbed) because it will be inspected when you enter, and if they need to clean it, your gear will be held for a few days and they can charge you a hefty fee for the cleaning. There's a link to the regs on the NZ Govt. website.

Once you're there, NZ is very friendly to travellers: good public transport, plenty of public toilets, budget accommodations (called backpackers). Kiwis are mostly welcoming and very sociable, if you are decent and not a Yankomaniac. We were invited on all sorts of fun capers, made many friends, and keep in touch with them.

I'd love to get back there— envy you.

[Zane Lewis]

As a Kiwi, thanks for that Chip-skiff.
As you said, tourist visa's are easy, but if you plan on working in any way get in contact with your nearest consult well in advance. We recently sponsored a gent from SA to work for us. A lot of medical checks and police checks required. Stay away from emagration consultiants. The one he had been put onto was a was of time and money. We ended up doing it for him? Once he had the documents etc together it took about 2 weeks to get aproval and his passport back with the work visa.
Re food. Coming in declare every little thing that's possibly eadable and put it in the bin, even food given to you on the plane gets binned. same for camping or tramping equipment. If you declare it then good on you and every thing goes OK.
If not and it's found then you get fined.
Zane