Travel Technology - Prepaid / Pay Per Use Cell Phones for use in NZ?

Does anyone know if there are any cheap prepaid / pay per use cell phones for use in NZ?

for example, here in the US I use Virgin Mobile. and only pay for the few calls i make. (no contract or monthly fees)

http://www.virginmobileusa.com/

i see Virgin sells'em in OZ but not in NZ.

I'm just looking for a cheap and easy way to make calls w/i NZ while I'm there.

When i google all i get are hits for NZ SIM cards but since i don't own a phone that uses a SIM card, that's not really gonna work <s>

TIA

I think you can rent a phone from Vodafone at AKL airport. I bought a pre-paid SIM there that worked with my phone, but I believe they also had phones for rent (more expensive, though). Your best bet may be to try and get a cheap unlocked phone and just buy a pre-paid SIM.

The prepaid SIM is definitely the best way to go. With only one carrier, mobile calling is a bit more expensive in NZ than most countries. Save money by buying your phone first.

Vodafone has an office right next to the exit from AKL (outside baggage claim, by the taxi door), or you can buy the SIMs all over the country from company or convenience stores.

There is only one GSM carrier in NZ?! How much are SIM cards and time typically going for?

There is only one GSM carrier in NZ?! How much are SIM cards and time typically going for?

The GSM carrier:

http://www.vodafone.co.nz/

The (non-GSM) competition:

http://www.telecom.co.nz/content/0,8748,200863-1005,00.html?link=hp

ok so i guess there's no cheap Virgin like pay-per-use type phone for NZ, right?

now on to the unlocked phone & pre-paid SIM card idea....

i just found an old Motorola V60i phone (that i think was originally bought from TracPhone)

Pardon my ignorance but is it possible to use this in NZ?

do i need to buy some sort of unlock code?

or am i better off buying an unlocked phone (from ebay i guess??) Thing is I really don't know how much use i'll have for a phone after this trip.

Thanks again!

Just came back from NZ and had a Vodophone prepaid, which was around $50-ish or so with some minutes. The usage is expensive, I think calling the US was the same cost as calling around NZ.

I used Jajah on my blackberry to call the US since incoming was free and it was cheaper to use this web-based callback service instead of dialing direct.

Service was also sketchy outside the bigger cities.