While planning to move to NZ for the past few years I started out wanting to set myself up with the opportunity to apply for jobs in NZ before actually arriving. I thought i’d have a better chance if the recruiters weren’t looking down the barrel of an Australian mobile number when considering my applications.
After looking into the big players, 2Degrees, Spark, Vodafone it seems the only good option was Spark.
At the time 2Degrees did not offer esim (they do now).
Vodafone still don’t offer esim, nor will they send a sim outside NZ to a customer
Spark don’t send sim card overseas either but you can sign up for a new plan and get an esim instead.
So Spark was my network of choice and within 15 minutes I was signed up with a prepaid plan and had an esim setup on my phone.
The only trouble I have had is when I got a new phone and needed a new esim to be sent out. Spark reps told me I needed to go instore which was not an option from overseas but eventually someone directed me to the roaming support staff which after some identification checking were able to email me a new esim and got me up and running again in no time.
Will I shop around later for a different plan? Maybe, I am happy enough with Spark as I don’t use the service too much and the credit lasts for a long time. The convenience of an esim also is a big plus for me and while Vodafone don’t support esim and 2Degrees won’t allow you to sign up without a NZ address I am happy to stay with the network without the hurdles to overcome.
If you’re planning on visiting NZ for a holiday I would suggest picking up a sim card at the airport on your arrival. All carriers have great deals on offer for tourists.
There are sim cards available for sale online which are advertised as tourist sims but some of these services are just global data sims which do not include a local number or even calling ability or may have other limitations such as short expiry time. Do your research up front.
Keep the discussion going in the forums