Time difference New Zealand

Depending on the season and the changeover to summer or winter time, there is a time difference of between 10h and 12h between France and New Zealand.

When France is in summer time and New Zealand in winter time, there is a 10h time difference; when France is in winter time and New Zealand in summer time, there is a 12h time difference. However, as the time shifts (we call them "daylight savings" rather than "jet lag") don't occur at the same time, there are always a few weeks/days when the difference is 11h.

NZ summer time: late September to early April; French winter time: late October to late March.

NZ winter time : from early April to late September; French summer time: from late March to late October.

If we go into detail, this means: 11h time difference in October, 12h from November to the end of March, a few more days at 11h time difference until the switch to New Zealand winter time at the beginning of April, then 10h until the end of September.

Opening hours New Zealand

To see / To do New Zealand

In New Zealand, life mostly takes place between 9am and 5pm. These are classic office hours, and the times that stores, museums and cultural structures generally follow.

Guided tours that take you out for the day will usually start a little earlier (8am), and some shops may close a little later (5.30-6pm), but generally speaking, 5pm is the time when the day turns to evening: stores and museums close, and bars open!

As in Australia, people here tend to be early risers: even if work doesn't start until 9am, we get up early to go to the gym, go jogging or surf a few waves. Cafés are therefore open early (often as early as 7am-7.30am) to welcome early risers, and early-morning cities are teeming with energetic morning motivation, which is very pleasant. It's a far cry from sad, wide-awake people dragging themselves off to work! In the evening, on the other hand, things die down very quickly as everyone quietly returns to their homes. For us Europeans, it's often disconcerting to see a city center asleep from 4-5pm!

Enjoying yourself New Zealand

New Zealand's rhythm of life can be a bit confusing for us Europeans!

Here, we get up early and go to bed early. The typical working day runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (the famous "9 to 5"), and everyone goes home quietly after that.

Lunch is eaten in a hurry, usually somewhere between 12 and 2:30pm. After 3pm, there's no one left in the cafés, which consequently usually close between 3 and 4pm.

In the evening, you may linger to eat or have a drink, but the establishments empty out by 8.30/9pm, and you are then gently pushed out so that they can close their doors, even if this doesn't correspond to the closing times indicated.

"Go with the flow" is one of the country's mottos! And it applies to everything. In this case, if the flow of customers dries up, we close earlier. It's rarer, but on the other hand, if the flow is greater than usual, we sometimes stay open longer than indicated. So be careful not to take the times quoted at face value, as they can fluctuate. Many establishments don't even bother with a closing time, simply indicating that they're open until "late". In other words, "if no one's there, we close, no matter what time".

Take a break New Zealand

For cafés, the classic opening times are 7am-3pm.

Bars generally open around 4-5pm, with a happy hour between 4pm and 6pm. On weekdays, they close very early! Between 9pm and 10pm, depending on how busy they are.

Many establishments are open 7 days a week, but some close one or two days a week, usually somewhere between Sunday and Thursday.

Some stores, the aptly named "Night 'n Day", are open day and night (24/7 in the big cities, but "only" from 6am to 11pm in the more isolated corners), and you'll be able to find something to nibble on at any hour if you're feeling peckish at an unlikely hour. French fries, fried chicken, pies, milkshakes, ice cream... nothing fantastically healthy, but it'll tide you over!

(To) please yourself New Zealand

The stores have fairly standard opening hours: from 9-10am to 5-6pm. Some are open 7 days a week, others close one day a week.

No big malls in New Zealand, the shopping culture is not very widespread. A few shopping centers here and there regrouping the biggest brands, but nothing crazy.

Get out New Zealand

If you want to party late into the night, Auckland, Wellington or Queenstown are the places to go. Queenstown is known as the world's biggest party town during the festive season, especially on New Year's Eve. The rest of the year, it vibrates to the rhythm of backpackers and adapts to their sense of celebration.

Auckland and Wellington will be more populated by locals, and therefore more attuned to the New Zealand rhythm.

If you want to go out and get carried away into the night, aim for a Friday or Saturday night. Bars generally open from 5 p.m. to midnight-1 a.m., but nightclubs and bars will go on until 2, 3 or even 4 a.m. for the last bastions.

Auckland has less of a problem, but if you're going to party in Wellington, plan ahead! The late-night establishments are all located on the same street (Courtney Place); when the regular bars close, everyone rushes in, and there can be looooong queues.