Time difference between New Zealand and the UK or Europe
- Last Updated: 16 Jul 2025
- Publish Date:
- Tanya
- Before you visit NZ, NZ Travel Info
A guide for travellers to work out the time difference between New Zealand and the UK or Europe.
If you’re visiting New Zealand from the UK or Europe, one of the biggest things to deal with is the time difference.
There’s no easy way to get round it, times in New Zealand are pretty much the exact opposite to the UK and Europe. Breakfast time in Auckland is dinner time in London, mid-afternoon in Nelson is the middle of the night in Amsterdam. It’s all upside down!
This guide gives you a summary of the time differences between New Zealand and the United Kingdom and Europe, including the best time to call and a few handy hints on how to handle that time difference once you’re here.
Kia Ora, we’re MoaTrek, family owned and operated, and we’ve been running our New Zealand small group tours since the 1970s. Over the years, we’ve shared our favourite holiday spots with plenty of travellers from Europe and the UK. We’re well used to helping travellers plan their dream trip to New Zealand, even if there is a 12-hour time difference!
Contents
- Time difference between New Zealand and the UK or Europe
- What’s the time in New Zealand now?
- What is the best time to call New Zealand from the UK or Europe?
- What is the best time to call the UK from New Zealand?
- What is the best time to call Europe from New Zealand?
- Time zones in New Zealand, the UK and Europe
- Does New Zealand have Daylight Saving time?
- Travel Tips to help you deal with the time differences
What is the time difference between New Zealand and the UK or Europe?
- The United Kingdom is 11 hours behind New Zealand
- The Central European Time Zone is 10 hours behind New Zealand (France, Germany, the Netherlands)
- The Eastern European Time Zone is 9 hours behind New Zealand (Finland)
Remember: New Zealand adopts Daylight Saving Time over summer, so from October to April the time difference will be 1 hour more than the above figures.
What’s the time in New Zealand now?
The easiest way to work out the time difference is to look at the time in New Zealand right now and compare it with the time where you are.
The current time in New Zealand is:
Visiting New Zealand from the UK & Europe
Back in the 1960s the Beatles, on their tour of the far east and Australasia, had this to say about New Zealand: “When we were flying into New Zealand it looked like England, like Devon, with cows and sheep. But in those days, we were looking for some action and there was absolutely nothing happening.”
But modern New Zealand is different and The Beatles’ comments about the level of ‘action’ are outdated. You will never be short of things to do in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s cities and way of life are literally a world away from the UK and Europe. There isn’t an inhabitable spot on the planet further from the UK than the islands of New Zealand. Once you go past us it means you’ll be on your way back home again.
What does this mean for travellers to New Zealand? It means adjusting to a change in seasons and a complete reversal of the clock.
- Morning in the UK and Europe is evening in New Zealand.
- Midday in London is Midnight in Queenstown.
- Winter in the Northern Hemisphere is summer in New Zealand.
What to know about time differences when planning your trip to New Zealand
The internet is a mine of information on everything you’ll need to know about a country before visiting. You can perform thorough research by reading blogs like this one.
That said, many of our travellers still prefer speaking with someone directly before booking their tour – which often means picking up the phone and calling from the other side of the world. Before you make that call, though, it’s worth checking the time difference between your home country and New Zealand to make sure you catch us at the right time.
The sailing company in the Bay of Islands you’ve been wanting to talk to won’t be answering their phone during office hours in England. They’ll be getting ready for bed just as you’re having your morning coffee.
If you want to connect to people working business hours in Auckland or Wellington as they arrive at the office, try calling at 9 pm or 10 pm from London.
MoaTrek Travel Tip – When to call New Zealand from the United Kingdom or Europe?
The best times to call during office hours in New Zealand from the UK or Western Europe are:
- Sunday to Thursday from 9 pm to midnight, you’ll be calling people in New Zealand just as they start their workday.
The best times to call someone in New Zealand outside of office hours from the UK or Western Europe are:
- Any day from 7 am to 10 am – you’ll be calling people in New Zealand during their evening, just after dinner.
Remember New Zealand is a day ahead, so if it’s Sunday night in the UK or Europe, it’s Monday morning in New Zealand.
What is the best time to call the UK from New Zealand?
One of the joys of travelling to New Zealand is calling your friends and family to tell them all the fun you’re having discovering mountains, volcanic hot pools, whales, and strange flightless birds.
When you’re in New Zealand, you’ll be around 12 hours ahead of everyone back in the UK and you’ve got a few hours of overlap to make the call.
The best times to call the UK from New Zealand are:
- Monday to Friday from 9 pm to 11 pm to catch office workers at their desks in the morning.
- Any day from 7 am to 11 am to call people during the evening after dinner.
New Zealanders are early risers, but many activities and tours start later than 8 am or 9 am. If you get up early (you could even start at 6 am) you’ll have time to call home for a good chat before the day’s events begin.
Calling home from your MoaTrek tour
On MoaTrek New Zealand tours you’ll have time to yourself to relax, run personal errands, and catch up with friends and family back home. On certain days we kick off a bit later, so you’ll have a few hours free to yourself. These are ideal moments for arranging a call home.
We’re here to help so don’t hesitate to ask us for advice on calling home. Many of our travellers are from the UK and we’ve got lots of experience helping travellers like you to arrange calls with friends & family on the other side of the world.
What is the best time to call Europe from New Zealand?
Whilst here in New Zealand, you’ll be around 10 hours ahead of people in most of Western Europe and there’s a window of 2-3 hours each day which work nicely for both parties to take a call.
The best times to call the Western Europe from New Zealand are:
- Monday to Friday from 9 pm to 11 pm to catch office workers at their desks before lunch.
- Any day from 7 am to 9 am to call people in the evening before it gets too late.
Understanding Time Zones in New Zealand, Europe and the UK
New Zealand has one main time zone, known as New Zealand Standard Time, so everywhere in the whole country is on the same time.
The United Kingdom also has just one time zone, known as British Standard Time (BST), this keeps things simple as the time difference between New Zealand and the UK is the same wherever you are in the UK.
Europe covers 4 main time zones so remember to add an hour or two to UTC when calculating the time in your country.
- Western European Time (same as GMT and UTC): United Kingdom, Ireland, Portugal
- Central European Time (UTC +1 hour): France, Germany, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden
- Eastern European Time (UTC +2 hours): Finland, Romania, Greece
- Russian Time (UTC +3 hours): Russia, Turkey
Travelling all the way to New Zealand from Europe or the UK is a big trip and once you arrive it will take a day or two to get used to the time difference, there’s no way around that. But once you’re here enjoying all the amazing New Zealand scenery and fresh air out on the road with your Kiwi Guide and new friends it will all be worth it!
Daylight Saving time in New Zealand
Here’s what you need to know about daylight saving time in New Zealand for people in the UK and Europe:
- Daylight Saving Time starts in New Zealand on the last Sunday in September (clocks go forward 1 hour) and finishes on the first Sunday in April (clocks go back 1 hour)
- Over the New Zealand spring and summer, from October to March, the time difference between New Zealand and Europe / UK is 12 – 13 hours (New Zealand is 12 – 13 hours ahead).
- From April to September the time difference is 11 – 12 hours.
MoaTrek Travel Tip: NZ time is 12 hours ahead of the UK and Europe
As a rule of thumb, add twelve hours to the time in New Zealand, then include an extra hour in either direction as a margin error.
If you’re calling New Zealand at 10 pm from the UK and at any time of the year, it’s at least 9 am down under.
Just make sure you don’t call on a Friday or Saturday night from the UK or Europe. In New Zealand, it happens to be Saturday and Sunday morning.
Check the businesses website to see what times they’re open and use this Time Zone Converter tool to help you find the best time to call.
Travel tips to manage the time difference in New Zealand
Jet lag when travelling to New Zealand
It’s a long way to New Zealand and the journey will leave you a little tired and it will take you a day or two to get your body clock on local time.
Plan on at least one full day of rest to adjust once you arrive. If you land in the daytime, try to stay awake until the evening so you can better adjust to the day-night pattern.
If you’re truly exhausted, a nap of a few hours followed by a brisk walk in the sunshine before winding down for the night will do you more good than sleeping right through. The sooner you get on New Zealand time the better.
Most visitors from the UK and Europe fly into Auckland as it’s the biggest airport and main gateway city to New Zealand. Auckland is a wonderful city with plenty to see and great weather, so it’s the perfect place to spend a day or two to help your body acclimatise. If you’ve come from the northern hemisphere winter, the sunshine and fresh air will help you sleep better and get over the jet lag quicker.
Take your time and enjoy the Kiwi hospitality. Take a stroll along Auckland’s waterfront and enjoy being in New Zealand!
Which direction should I fly to New Zealand from the UK & Europe?
Flying east is harder on the body than flying west. Most flights to New Zealand from the UK and Europe will fly east over Asia so prepare for some tiredness in the first few days.
If you really suffer from jetlag and want to avoid it at all costs, schedule your flights to go via North America on the way to New Zealand, that may help.
Don’t go hiking, kayaking, or doing any kind of strenuous activity within 1-3 days of arriving. Keep active as this will help with the jet lag but make it gentle exercise: walking, cycling, and easy swimming.
How long is the flight from the UK or Europe to New Zealand?
New Zealand Small Group Tours with MoaTrek
At MoaTrek we’ve been showing visitors around on our New Zealand small group tours since 1971, and over that time have helped lots of travellers get over jet lag and organise important phone calls back home.
Even though everyone knows New Zealand is on the other side of the world, in a different time zone and season, it still feels strange to talk to someone back home and you can’t help but ask “what time is it there?” It’s all part of the fun of exploring the wonderful world we live in.
Having someone to ask questions and help get things done, both before you leave home and once you’re here, is one thing travellers on our tours always tell us they love.
Our tours are the perfect way for you to experience the very best of New Zealand with all the support you need, in a small friendly group led by one of our expert Kiwi Guides.
Find out more about our New Zealand tours here or get in touch now to talk to one of our friendly team.
- Tanya
- Before you visit NZ, NZ Travel Info
