International visitors

New Zealand

New Zealand is a great place to visit. On the one hand it has an exotic and beautiful nature, on the other hand it has a western-minded society and culture. It is an island at the end of the world, so take care not to fall off the edge of the Earth.

You will find many peaceful as well as wild places here. Lama Ole thought it's a perfect location for a retreat centre, and we have already started building the Glentui retreat centre.

Immigration guidelines

New Zealand has visa-free agreements with a significant number of countries. This means you can enter the country and stay for 90 days, provided you've got a return ticket and appropriate amount of funds available.

• The list of countries covered with visa-free regulations
• Funds and character requirements

You can also apply for extension of your visa for up to 9 months (and then for another 3). Local immigration offices are decently quick with processing visitor's visas.

There are also other options. One worth noting for a "frugal traveler" is the working holiday scheme. It lasts for 1 year and allows you to work in New Zealand. The best place to get immigration information is Immigration NZ.

Warning!

You will probably be travelling to New Zealand via Australia, which means you will most likely need a transit visa. Make sure you check out Australian travel regulations.

Destinations

There are sanghas in the biggest cities in the country: Christchurch, Wellington and Auckland, as well as in the popular tourist destination - Golden Bay. Soon there will also be a place to stay at Glentui retreat centre.

If you like to drive around, you can hire a camper van from numerous local businesses that specialise just in that. If you like to walk, check out the Great Walks.

You can also bungy jump and skydive all around the place, walk the caves and ski on the volcanoes. Reserve some time to visit the hell and the paradise.

Need more help?

If you need some help with the immigration regulations, or if you want to know where to go first, send an email to contactus@buddhism.org.nz.