NZ Customs

[Alan Wheeler]

I was watching a TV programme the other night about our NZ Customs officers. The programme involved two situations of boarding oversea's visiting vessels. The first was a French Yacht and they had undecleared cigaretes and fresh vegetables. Any unproccesed food must be decleared and it is then destroyed. The smokes over a certain quantity, and this was a huge quantity, has to be decleared and have a duty paid. The fine was NZ$500 and all those items were confiscated. They were well hidden, but our officers new where to look for hidden items.
So just a word of warning to any coming down this way, declear everything. Don 't hide anything. We may be a small country, but our customs people are very good at their job and will find it.

[Jentine]

I am sorry that your Customs officials are no brighter there than they are here. Don't they get it, these vessels are peoples homes. It is no different than the police showing up at your house and asking if you have any contaband and demand to look through every nook and cranny until they find something. I can understand the prohibition against bringing agricultural and animal products into the country, but what is the harm if it never leaves the confines of the boat.
A case in point: A good friend and his wife live aboard a CSY 44, based in Florida for the past seven years and during those years, they wandered about the Caribbean. On one particular trip, they sailed to Nova Scotia via Bermuda and landed in Halifax. Upon landing in Halifax, they called Customs and the officer on the other end of the line asked; "How many bottles of alcohol do you have on board?". To which he answered; "I don't know". She demanded an answer of a specific number. After several minutes of wrangling, he said " eight ". When the Customs officers boarded the boat, they searched every nook and cranny until they came up with 54 bottles (beer, wine, liquor). They were left with the 8 bottles he said they had and confiscated all the other bottles. Following a years worth of letters to Canadian officials, the 46 confiscated bottles were returned.
I could not tell you how many cans of peas I have in the larder.

[BC Mike]

When it comes to agricultural products NZ is going to be cautious as they do not have some of the bugs and viruses that are overseas. When the country relies so much on their agriculture they have every right to protect it. The rules may not always make sense but when you go to another country it is best to follow their rules not the ones of your home port. Taking beer to NZ would be a waste of effort. BC Mike C

[Alan Wheeler]

Exactly right BC Mike.
Jentine, NZ has fought hard for many years to keep the country free of many pests and deseases. We have species of flora and fauna not seen anywhere else in the world. And our native plants and animals are usually very poor at protecting themselves against overseas infiltraters. The Possum and Rabbit have been the greatest testiment to the destruction that can be done to our fragile Native forests. We have flightless birds, The famouse Kiwi being one of the many that face extintion because some lame brain idiot brought a foreign animal into NZ for sport and then it breed rampantly because it has no preditor here. Then there is the Forestry and we are fighting desperatly to iradicate a moth that somehow got into the country. Most likely in a piece of fruit that illegally got through. We had a Bee industry that is threatened because of a pest that got here illegally. The list goes on. We have a fragile environment here and we have to protect it. So I am sorry, but if visiters can't declare what they have and do everything they are asked, I have no simpathy for them. We aren't a police state and our officers are probably the most polite you will ever come across, but they will also remain diligent to our laws.
And yes it maybe your home, but you are still a visitor to another country. The Passport and Visa only show you are a guest. You don't have a right. So part of being a guest means you are asked to follow the rules. We have a saying here in NZ. "I don't swim in your toilet, so don't pee in my pool".
What I was trying to say in the first post, was that if you think you can hide something, whether it be food, contraband or arms, it will most likely be found by our custom officers. So just be honest and declare it. Apart from food which is destroyed, the other items will be returned upon your departure, including firearms. But hide it and you could be in trouble.
Oh and also remember that there is a small minority that ruins it for the rest of us. We have cases of drugs being brought into the country hidden in the most amazing ways, with all the most honest sounding excusses. So unfortunatly, all are treated as suspect.

[delmarrey]

Just let it be known that JK doesn't speak for us all here in the US of A. Here in the Pacific NW we keep a good eye out for our environment. Although, I'm sure it's not as fragile as the Islands. We're just getting our eagles and otters back after a century of bad stewardship. As well as the lakes, steams and rivers are clean again.

As for unprocessed food, I agree. If you were to look at that stuff under magnification you'd find all kinds of stuff. As for the cig's, why hide them? Unless you were worried about pirates, then cig's would be my last worry!

Some Americans have never been out of this country and can't understand that they don't have the liberal rights that they have here. Some of US are spoiled like children, screaming, kicking and scratching until they get their way, weather it be right or wrong to the rest of the world. This country is over run with lawyers making every attempt to change the meaning of our Constitution and then try to shove it down the throats of the rest of the world.

There is an old saying, "When in France, do as the Frenchman do." Even if you don't agree with them!

That's my $.02