All about Ngaruawahia

Here you will find all sorts of useful information about visiting Ngaruawahia, or New Zealand in general.

The centre of the known universe is Christian Youth Camps, Ngaruawahia, New Zealand.  Ngaruawahia is a small town of 6000 people, one hour south of Auckland International Airport and 20 minutes north of the city of Hamilton.

If you have seen the Lord Of The Rings, you will know the New Zealand is Middle Earth.  To see what the scenery is like, here are some posters by one of NZ's best photographers.

The information below gives an brief overview of 

You might like to learn to speak Kiwi before you arrive, as well as a little bit of Maori.

Accommodation

CYC is 2km from Ngaruawahia, which is a small town but big enough to have a supermarket, restaurant, and motel.  

Transport

There are plenty of tourist sights within a day trip of Ngaruawahia, and we can easily give you ideas and point you in the right direction.

All of the major car rental firms are in NZ, such as Avis, Hertz and Budget.  Rental motorhomes are also available, for example, Maui.

Weather

February is the last month of summer, and is usually the most settled month for weather.  Although it can rain in NZ at any time of the year, it is likely to be fine and warm, with maximum temperatures averaging 23degC (73degF), although it could reach 30degC (86degF).  At night it may drop as cold as 10degC (50degF), but usually will be around 15degC (59degF).

Check Weather Online for more detailed weather information.

Tourism

Ngaruawahia is one hour from the beaches on both the West and East coasts of NZ, Auckland, Rotorua, and Waitomo Caves (where you can go Blackwater Rafting!), and only three hours from Taupo and the Central Mountains.  

The following links will give you a start on finding out more information about New Zealand  

Driving

If you plan to drive, remember that we drive on the left hand side of the road!  Have a look at the AA driving guide

Electricity

The electricity supply is 230V 50Hz, using a 3-pin plug looking like this

Many shaving outlets also have a 110V socket which fits the US plug

Money

The New Zealand dollar (NZ$) is currently trading at around US$0.65.  In other words, US$1 = NZ$1.54.  A useful site for finding the exchange rate and doing currency conversion is http://discovernz.co.nz/currency.html

The Big Mac Index will give you an idea of the cost of living in NZ! A Big Mac costs NZ$3.95 (US$2.60)

  • Tipping is not expected in New Zealand
  • All major credit cards are accepted

Darren Harrison © 2000-2005 Comments