Before you arrive

Whether it's your first time overseas and away from home or your tenth, there are always a lot of common questions about everyday life that you will need answered.

Where am I going to live?
How do I get from the airport to my new home?
Can I buy the kind of food I'm used to?
How do I get around Auckland?
How do I open a bank account?
Am I allowed to drive?
Where can I worship?

For the answers to these questions and more, have a look at Living in Auckland and New Zealand.

Once you have decided when you're going and which programmes you want to study, there is a lot to organise and prepare. The checklists below will help you to get ready.

• Acceptance of your offer (this can be done online)
• ‘Next of kin’ form
• Accommodation application form and deposit, if you have applied for University accommodation
• If you are not using University accommodation, have you arranged alternative accommodation and transport from the airport?

• Student visa
• Health and travel insurance. Usually this is included in your first year's fees and covers you from the moment you leave your home country
• Flights to Auckland
• Airport pick up if you're coming to University-administered accommodation
• Picked up or downloaded the International Orientation Programme

The Immigration New Zealand website also has a useful checklist of things you should think about before you leave home.

The Ministry of Education has also put together a guide for international students (also available in Chinese). There's advice on how to prepare before you leave home, arriving in New Zealand, living, working and studying here. Some of the information is focused for Chinese students, but a lot of it is useful no matter what country you're from.

For a pre-departure checklist, go to Immigration New Zealand.

For a guide to living and studying in New Zealand, go to Ministry of Education.