Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific - Customs restrictions upon entering New Zealand? Good duty free at SYD?

A fellow FTer, ecaarch, has informed me of Australia's strict customs restrictions and quarantine proceeds for, among other things, plant products. He doesn't recall similar restrictions upon entering New Zealand, though he arrived on a trans-Tasman from MEL.

We and a friend of ours will be arriving in AKL on American Thanksgiving, thanks to the UA fare deal, mmmmkay?

I'm considering buying a Cuban cigar or two and a nice bottle of Australian wine while in transit at SYD. Will I have any problem importing a tobacco product from SYD to AKL? What about wine, with the (increasingly remote) possibility of a real cork?

As for duty-free at SYD... do any of the shops sell high-quality wines? I'm thinking of picking up a nice Torbeck for Thanksgiving dinner. Some of the shops at SIN have great wines. Curious if SYD is similar. I would expect so, at least for Australian wines.

Thanks in advance!

I don't believe there're specific restrictions on Cuban cigars as such. In terms of allowance, try this:

http://www.dutyfreestores.co.nz/Allowances
http://www.customs.govt.nz/travellers/Arriving+in+New+Zealand/default.htm

Alternatively, ask our friend Google.

In terms of food and stuff like that, NZ is the same as Australia in many aspects. Any food, plants, etc, declare it. Anything you aren't sure, declare it.

You can also buy duty free on arrival in AKL. I suspect most items will be cheaper in AKL than in SYD. Having said that, the range on arrival is likely to be smaller than at departure. Again, ask our friend Google.

Customs at AKL is much stricter than OZ. All bags are screened for food, plants, seeds, wood products etc and fines are compulsory. In Oz they are able to issue warnings and don't necessarily X-Ray every piece of baggage.

From memory I believe you can bring in 6 bottles of wine to NZ and upto 50 cigars so you should be fine. You should also be able to find good NZ (and Oz) wines at DF in AKL; spirits seem to be a few dollars cheaper in AKL, haven't checked wine prices though.

Thanks, folks.

I had a sniff around the Duty Free Shops for SYD online. The items available for pre-order were okay but nothing grand. I'm hoping they have better stuff in the shops. The DFS24 at Changi has some very basic stuff available online for pre-order, but I know they have much better bottles in the store. So that gives me hope for SYD.

Syd duty free is a Macquarie Bank benefit -avoid at all costs. Duty free in AKL has a reasonable selection at much better prices than SYD. If you are having Thanksgiving in NZ treat yourself to a selection of fine NZ wines. Try both pinot noir e.g Ata Rangi and sauvignon blanc e.g. Cloudy Bay. Both varieties are world class.

Do not buy any wine before arriving at SYD, you won't be able to transit with it (unless it's in 3oz bottles and they all fit together into a Quart baggie).

www.dutyfreestores.co.nz allows you to join a 'frequent buyers club (http://www.dutyfreestores.co.nz/Frequent%20Buyer%20Club)', this gives a 20% discount on pre-ordered duty free items on arrivals and departure.

That web site also has good information on what you can bring in.

Syd duty free is a Macquarie Bank benefit -avoid at all costs. Duty free in AKL has a reasonable selection at much better prices than SYD. If you are having Thanksgiving in NZ treat yourself to a selection of fine NZ wines. Try both pinot noir e.g Ata Rangi and sauvignon blanc e.g. Cloudy Bay. Both varieties are world class.

Never fear, we'll be scouting for wine in NZ. And we'll be bringing back plenty (in cargo, not 3 oz. bottles ;) ). But I'm anxious to try one of these big Torbeck cabs and figured SYD would be a decent place to pick one up. I can get them at my neighborhood grocery, but I would rather not have to take it with me when I can buy at the source, so to speak, and avoid duty.