• Neomiressi •

At first, most people would probably say that the main reason is its isolation, and that it is one of the safest places to be during a nuclear war. While that may be true, there are many other reasons why New Zealand consistently earns its reputation as one of the safest countries in the world.

Even as I landed in New Zealand, it became clear how seriously the country takes both security and the protection of its natural environment. Once your visa has been approved, you must complete a detailed declaration before entering the country, answering extensive questions about everything you are bringing with you. Particular emphasis is placed on prohibited substances, food, plants, seeds, and products of animal origin.

At first glance, this may seem excessive. However, once you understand that New Zealand is an isolated island nation with a unique ecosystem, it becomes much easier to see why the rules are so strict. Its natural environment has evolved over thousands of years without many of the pests and diseases found elsewhere in the world, meaning that introducing certain plants, seeds, or organisms could pose a serious threat to both its environment and its agriculture.

Several times during the entry process, I was asked whether I had hiking boots. If you do, they must undergo an additional inspection, and if even the smallest trace of soil, mud, or dirt is found on them, you are not allowed to bring them into the country until they have been cleaned.

Their commitment to biosecurity is not merely a formality at the border—it is something that is visible in everyday life as well. During my stay, authorities were conducting a search for Asian hornets, and warning posters could be seen almost everywhere, urging residents to report any sightings to the relevant authorities.

Friendly People and a Sense of Ease Everywhere

By my second day in New Zealand, I already had a clear sense of the kind of place it was. My first stop after Auckland was the town of Whangārei, in the Northland region. I was walking along the waterfront when I asked a woman how long it would take to reach the nearby beach. Before answering, she apologised in case she was bothering me, and then kindly offered to drive me there. I thanked her and explained that I did not actually need a ride, I simply wanted to enjoy the walk. In the end, we stood there chatting for another half an hour.

One of the best drinks I tasted was Ginger Beer, which I had in the centre of Whangārei at an old-school biker pub overlooking long, sun-baked streets, pickup trucks, and tall palm trees swaying in the wind. It felt like a scene from a Hollywood film, except this was no movie set, everything seemed completely natural, unhurried, and authentic. The waitress, who was about my age, started asking where I was from and how long I would be staying. She was incredibly relaxed and positive. Afterwards, I walked to the other side of town in search of my favourite Korean fried chicken, crossing the car park of Pack’nSave, the well-known New Zealand supermarket chain. Along the way, several complete strangers smiled at me, greeted me, and one couple even wished me a lovely day.

In the meantime, I also visited the famous Hundertwasser Art Centre. I spent around fifteen minutes talking to one of the curators, followed by another half an hour on the rooftop with a staff member who told me she had visited Split as a child and still remembered that holiday with her parents as one of the happiest experiences of her life. That openness and approachability were genuinely beautiful, and I mentioned as much during our conversation. I do not want to sound hypocritical or become one of those people who constantly criticise the place I come from, but it is difficult not to notice the warmth, calmness, and the absence of unnecessary drama. Instead of dwelling on problems, people focus on finding practical solutions. I think we can all agree that this has become increasingly rare where I come from. There are many reasons for that, but I would highlight two.

A Vast Country with a Small Population

New Zealand is geographically a very large country. To put it into perspective, it is roughly the size of the United Kingdom, yet it has just over five million inhabitants, compared with around sixty million in the UK. Much of the country is sparsely populated, which, as a visitor, is actually wonderful, and this becomes obvious the moment you leave any of the larger towns and head onto the motorway, particularly in the far north.

For many young people, this makes New Zealand feel somewhat quiet, and the country has only recently begun recovering from its economic downturn. All of this has contributed to population decline and created a certain sense of uncertainty among those who remain. Perhaps that is one reason why people value one another so highly. At the same time, it would be unfair to overlook the fact that courtesy is simply embedded in New Zealand culture.

I heard the story of a Croatian family who moved to the outskirts of Auckland thirty years ago. On their second day there, their New Zealand neighbours gave them an older car so they could commute to work in the city centre.

Another thing I noticed was that, unlike many places back home, New Zealand has not been overwhelmed by mass tourism. While many destinations struggle with overcrowding, congested streets, packed beaches, and city centres that are increasingly difficult to navigate, visitors in New Zealand are welcomed warmly, patiently, and without any sense of rush.

Perhaps more than anything else, what I remember most is the openness people showed towards those they had only just met. During my time in New Zealand, I heard the phrase, “If you need anything, just let me know,” so often that it eventually started to feel unusual. People invited us to dinner, offered to help with anything we needed, recommended places to visit, and explained how to sort things out. It never felt like rehearsed politeness, but rather a genuine desire to make others feel welcome.

Organisation and Feeling Safe at Night

I was also particularly impressed by how well organised everything was. While this may not seem directly related to safety, it certainly contributes to an overall sense of comfort in everyday life. Public transport, for example, is simple and easy to navigate. People move around cities without unnecessary stress, and the whole system gives the impression of having been designed to make life easier rather than more complicated. Every driver I encountered was courteous and helpful.

Even my late evenings in Auckland remain among my favourite memories. As someone exploring the city alone, I paid close attention to how I felt walking back at night. The streets were lively, the atmosphere relaxed, and I genuinely felt safe. Of course, it is always important to stay cautious wherever you travel, but the fact that I could walk through a city on the other side of the world with such peace of mind became one of the most memorable experiences of my journey. The same was true of my late-night walks through quiet neighbourhoods beneath New Zealand’s star-filled skies.

Auckland itself is a busy city, but the people filling its streets are not just tourists. There are shopkeepers, workers, schoolchildren, university students, people going about their daily lives. Everyone seems to be heading somewhere, yet they do not appear tense or burdened by worry. Quite the opposite: they smile, they seem relaxed, and if your paths cross, they will often smile at you or even say hello.

Hitchhiking Is Perfectly Normal

Leaving aside the country’s dangerous beaches, which visitors should certainly educate themselves about, one thing that truly amazed me, and which is perfectly normal in New Zealand, was hitchhiking.

While I was in Rotorua, a city located in one of the world’s most active geothermal and volcanic regions, I discovered through conversations with locals that many of them had arrived there by hitchhiking. To me, that seemed unimaginable, but to them it was completely ordinary. During my stay in Rotorua, I met an amazing group of easy-going young people, cycled around the city on my own, was offered help countless times, and experienced remarkable hospitality, not only from local residents but also from the Māori community.

New Zealand Is Nothing Like Australia

There is another interesting aspect of safety in New Zealand. Contrary to the common misconception that New Zealand is much like Australia, the country has no native venomous snakes or other dangerous indigenous land animals. The list of venomous species is very short and includes the katipō spider, the Australian redback spider, and the grey side-gilled sea slug.

There are no giant spiders, boas, or the many dangerous creatures for which Australia is famous.

One Thing You Should Never Underestimate

There is, however, one significant danger in New Zealand that deserves particular attention: the sun.

The weather is highly changeable, and it is possible to experience three seasons in a single day. Natural hazards such as earthquakes and volcanic activity are always a possibility. Perhaps the most important thing visitors should know, however, is that the sun is exceptionally strong, making protection against ultraviolet (UV) radiation essential.
Although New Zealand does not sit directly beneath the ozone hole, it has a naturally thinner ozone layer and is exposed to UV radiation levels that can be up to 40% higher than those experienced at equivalent latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere. As a result, even spending just a few minutes in the sun without proper protection can lead to severe sunburn.

Verzija na hrvatskom/Croatian Version

Kako sam na Novom Zelandu shvatila zašto ga smatraju jednom od najsigurnijih zemalja svijeta

Na prvu će većina pomisliti da je glavni razlog njegova izoliranost i da ono najsigurnije mjesto u slučaju izbijanja nuklearnog rata. To jest istina, ali puno je razloga zašto Novi Zeland nosi zavidu titulu jedne od najsigurniih država na svijetu.

Već pri slijetanju na Novi Zeland postalo mi je jasno koliko ozbiljno shvaćaju sigurnost, ali i očuvanje svoje zemlje. Nakon što vam odobre vizu, prije ulaska u državu potrebno je ispuniti opsežan obrazac u kojem vas detaljno ispituju o stvarima koje unosite sa sobom. Poseban naglasak stavljen je na unošenje nedopuštenih tvari, hrane, biljaka, sjemenki i proizvoda životinjskog podrijetla.

Na prvi pogled možda djeluje pretjerano, ali kada shvatite koliko je Novi Zeland izoliran otok s jedinstvenim ekosustavom, postaje jasnije zašto su toliko strogi. Njihova priroda razvijala se tisućama godina bez mnogih štetnika i bolesti koje postoje drugdje u svijetu, pa bi unošenje određenih biljaka, sjemenki ili organizama moglo ozbiljno ugroziti njihov okoliš i poljoprivredu.

Nekoliko puta tijekom ulaska u zemlju pitali su me imam li gojzerice. Ako ih imate, one moraju na dodatni pregled, a u slučaju da na njima pronađu i najmanji trag zemlje, blata ili druge prljavštine, ne možete ih unijeti dok se ne očiste.
Ta njihova posvećenost biosigurnosti nije samo formalnost na granici, već nešto što se vidi i u svakodnevnom životu. Tijekom mog boravka ondje trajala je potraga za azijskim stršljenovima, a gotovo posvuda mogli su se vidjeti plakati s upozorenjima građanima da se jave nadležnim službama ako ih primijete.

Raspoloženi ljudi i osjećaj ugode na svakom koraku

Drugi dan po dolasku u Novi Zeland bilo je jasno o kakvom se okruženju radi. Moja prva postaja iz Aucklanda bio je gradić Whangarei u regiji Northland. Hodala sam uz obalu, upitala ženu koliko mi treba do obližnje plaže, a ona mi se, uz prethodno ispričavanje ako me uznemirava, ponudila da me odveze. Zahvalila sam joj se i rekla da mi nije potrebna vožnja nego da sam se samo htjela prošetati. Na koncu smo ćakulale još pola sata.

Jedno od najfinijih piva, Ginger Beer, probala sam u centru Whangareija, u nekakvom old school bajkerskom kafiću, s pogledom na duge užegle ulice, kamionete i visoke palme koje se njišu na vjetru. Kao u nekakvom Hollywoodskom filmu, samo što ovo nije bio set i sve se doimalo tako prirodno i usporeno. Ondje me je konobarica, otprilike godina kao i ja, počela ispitivati odakle sam, koliko ću biti ovdje… Bila je strašno opuštena i pozitivna. Nakon toga sam se prošetala s druge strane grada u potrazi za meni najdražom korejskom piletinom, pa sam prešla preko parkirališta Pack ‘N, Savea, poznatog novozelandskog supermarketa, gdje me nekoliko potpuno nepoznatih ljudi pozdravilo, nasmiješilo mi se, a jedan par mi je čak i zaželio ugodan dan.

U međuvremenu sam posjetila famozni Umjetnički centar Friedricha Hundertwassera. Ondje sam sigurno 15 minuta pričala s kustosom, a onda još narednih 30 minuta na vrhu zgrade s jednom od zaposlenica, koja je kao dijete bila u Splitu i taj odmor s roditeljima pamti kao jedan od najljepših u životu. Pristupačnost je tako lijepa, što sam i njoj kroz razgovor spomenula. Ne želim biti licemjerna, niti dežuran pljuvač područja iz kojeg dolazim, ali primijetiti srdačnost, smirenje i ne dramljenje oko problema, već učinkovito savjetovanje za njihova rješenja, složit ćemo se, sve je rjeđa pojava kod nas. Ima tu više razloga, a ja ću izdvojiti dva.

Izolirana država s manjkom ljudi

Novi Zeland je površinski zapravo jako velika država, usporedbe radi, veličine je Ujedinjenog Kraljevstva, a ima tek nešto više od pet milijuna stanovnika, dok ih UK ima 60 milijuna! Područje je poprilično pusto (što je jako lijepo nama posjetiteljima!) i to je vidljivo izlaskom na autocestu iz svakog malo većeg grada, a posebice na krajnjem sjeveru. Zbog toga je mnogim mladima Novi Zeland dosadnjikav, a još se, uz to, tek počeo dizati na noge nakon ekonomske krize.

Sve to dodatno je smanjilo broj stanovnika, ali i unijelo svojevrstan strah među one koji su ostali. Zbog toga cijene svakoga. S tim da ne smijemo umanjiti i činjenicu da je pristojno ponašanje jednostavno dio njihove kulture. Čula sam priču Hrvata koji su se prije trideset godina doselili u okolicu Aucklanda. Drugi dan su im susjedi Novozelanđani poklonili jedan svoj stariji automobil kako bi mogli ići na posao u centar grada.

Ono što sam također primijetila jest da Novi Zeland, za razliku od naših krajeva, nije razvaljen masovnim turizmom. Kod nas se ljudi lome s ogromnim dolascima turista, prekomjernim gužvama i nakrcanim plažama i centrima gradova koji sve češće postaju problem, dok su ondje, srdačno dočekani sa strpljenjem, bez žurbe.

Možda najviše od svega pamtim tu njihovu otvorenost prema ljudima koje su tek upoznali. Tijekom boravka na Novom Zelandu toliko sam puta čula rečenicu: “Ako ti nešto treba, samo reci”, da mi je u jednom trenutku gotovo postala neobična. Ljudi bi nas pozivali na večere, nudili pomoć oko svega što nam je potrebno, savjetovali gdje otići, što vidjeti i kako nešto riješiti. Nije to djelovalo kao neka naučena ljubaznost, već kao iskrena želja da se čovjek pored njih osjeća dobrodošlo.

Organiziranost i sigurnost u kasnim noćnim satima

Posebno me se dojmila njihova organiziranost, nešto što se možda na prvu ne povezuje direktno sa sigurnošću, ali itekako utječe na osjećaj ugode u svakodnevnom životu. Gradski prijevoz, primjerice, funkcionira jednostavno i pregledno, ljudi se bez puno stresa kreću gradovima, a cijeli sustav ostavlja dojam da je napravljen kako bi ljudima olakšao život, a ne dodatno ga zakomplicirao. Svaki vozač s kojim sam komunicirala bio je susretljiv i pristojan.

Čak i kasni izlasci u Aucklandu ostali su mi u lijepom sjećanju. Kao osoba koja je sama istraživala grad, bilo mi je važno kako se osjećam kada se vraćam kasno navečer. Ulice su bile pune ljudi, atmosfera opuštena, a osjećaj sigurnosti prisutan. Naravno, uvijek treba biti oprezan, bez obzira na destinaciju, ali činjenica da sam se mogla bezbrižno kretati gradom na drugom kraju svijeta za mene je bila jedna od najljepših spoznaja tog putovanja. Isto je bilo i u kasnim noćnim šetnjama kroz kvartove, pod novozelandskim zvjezdanim nebom.

Auckland, primjerice, vrvi ljudima, no nisu na ulicama centra u gradskoj žegi isključivo turisti. Naprotiv, tu su prodavači, ljudi koji su došli raditi, učenici, studenti… svi oni negdje žure, ali nisu zamišljeni i lica im nisu zabrinuta. Upravo suprotno, nasmiješeni, su, opušteni, a susretom s vama, nasmiju se pa i pozdrave.

Autostopiranje je na Novom Zelandu sasvim normalna stvar

Na stranu opasne plaže (treba se educirati!), jedna stvar koja me ostavila bez teksta, a koja je sasvim normalna za Novom Zelandu je – autostopiranje. Kada sam bila u Rotorui, gradu obilježenom kao jedno od najaktivnijih vulkanskih područja, kroz razgovore s ljudima saznala sam da ih je većina ondje došla autostopom. Meni je to bilo nezamislivo, a njima sasvim normalna stvar. Za vrijeme boravka u Rotorui upoznala sam odličnu ekipu, opuštene mlade ljude, vozila se sama biciklom posvuda, toliko puta mi je ponuđena pomoć, a o gostoprimstvu lokalnog stanovništva i Maora da i ne pričam.

Novi Zeland nije ni nalik Australiji (a mnogi ih poistovjećuju)

Ima još jedna zanimljivost oko sigurnosti na Novom Zelandu. Naime, suprotno uvriježenom mišljenju i poistovjećivanju Novog Zelanda s Australijom, ondje nema zmija otrovnica ni ostalih opasnih autohtonih životinja. Popis otrovnih životinja je vrlo malen, a obuhvaća pauka katipōa, australsku crnu udovicu i sivog morskog puža.

Nema džinovskih pauka, boa i kojekakvih ostalih strašnih i opasnih životinja, u Australiji koja njima vrvi.

Na ovo ipak treba obratiti pozornost

No, ipak je na Novom Zelandu važno obratiti pozornost na jednu veliku opasnost – a to je sunce. Ondje je vrijeme vrlo promjenjivo, pa se u jednom danu mogu izmijeniti i po tri godišnja doba. Moguće su i prirodne nepogode poput potresa i vulkanske aktivnosti. No, ono najvažnije – sunce je izrazito jako, stoga je zaštita od UV zračenja obavezna.

Novi Zeland, naime, nema direktnu ozonsku rupu iznad sebe, ali ima prirodno tanji ozonski omotač i izložen je razini ultraljubičastog zračenja koja je do 40% veća nego na istim geografskim širinama sjeverne hemisfere. Zbog toga onima koji i par minuta budu na suncu bez zaštite prijete ozbiljne opekline.