As a traveler to New Zealand there are two types of insurance that you may be interested in, they are -
1) Travel insurance. 2) Motor vehicle insurance.
Why do you need New Zealand travel insurance? There are alot of things that can go wrong while overseas. You may have a medical emergency, or need money to replace lost luggage, or have to make un urgent trip home.
Check that the policy you're considering purchasing includes the following cover:
Loss of deposits due to cancellations. Medical treatment costs. If your going to an isolated place for something,like scuba diving that the insurance includes medivac costs, ( the costs incurred to evacuate you to a country with appropriate medical facilities to treat you adequately). Loss of luggage and personal items. The costs of returning home in emergecies. Personal liability.
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Tips on New Zealand travel insurance.
Purchase your New Zealand insurance before you leave home, because it's unlikely you'll get insurance after you've left your country of origin. If you want cancellation cover you will have to buy your travel insurance when you book and pay for your tickets.
Check the exclusions in the policy before you purchase it to make sure it's appropriate for your needs. Some policy's don't cover loss of unattended personal items. Or the insolvency of a service provider such as an airline. Your policy may not cover you for losses due to acts of terrorism.
Winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding activities need to be advised to your insurer when taking out insurance as some policies may not cover you for these activities.
Hazardous activities such as bungy-jumping, scuba diving, hang-gliding, motorcycling and water skiingmay not normally be covered, however, so you should ask your insurer when purchasing the insurance policy if you intend to do any of the above activities there are specalised policies that cover scuba diving.
Declare any pre-existing medical conditions, both for yourself, and close relatives at home.
Tell your insurer if you are going to be purchasing or taking high valued items such as jewelery or cameras on your holiday.
Keep the details of your insurance emergency assistance provider with you when traveling. In the event of an emergency you may need to contact them for emergency medical treatment or advice on other travel emergencies.
If you are traveling to a high risk country check with your insurer any specific advisories about security and health issues, that country may have before you buy your insurance.
Generally travel insurance policies do not cover liability for renting a motor vehicle in another country. So you should purchase full motor vehicle insurance in the country that you hire the motor vehicle.
New Zealand Motor Vehicle Insurance.
Many different types of New Zealand insurance policies are available, so be careful that you understand the options before purchasing.
There are three basic options:
Third party property damage. - Covers your legal costs and your liability for damage to the property of others and for damage done to another person. It does not include repairs to your own car if you caused an accident.It is the least expensive type of car insurance.
Third party, fire and theft. - Covers you against the events covered above, as well as fire and theft. It also insures against damage caused if your car was stolen.
Comprehensive. - Covers you for all of the above plus accidental loss of, or damage to, your motor vehicle. It also covers you for any damage to other people's vehicles or property, regardless of if it was your fault or someone else's, and for other costs,including salvaging your car from the accident scene and having it towed to a repairer.As well as the standard policy, companies offer a wide variety of options and benefits. Generally, the more extensive the cover, the more expensive the policy. If you're buying a car on an installment basis, financiers will usually insist on this cover.
If you are going to rent a vehicle, discuss insurance with the rental company, as they usually have their own policy.
