Travel health ยท New Zealand
The one trip where the vaccine list is almost empty โ and the things that actually put travellers in hospital are the jet boat, the sun and the road.
The short version
Most travellers to New Zealand need 3 vaccines, and two weeks is enough time to do it properly.
Leaving sooner? Most of it can still be done โ we prioritise what matters for your route. Nobody gets turned away for booking late.
Recommended for essentially everyone going to New Zealand.
This is genuinely the main event. CDC asks every traveller to be current before every trip and asks all international travellers to be fully vaccinated against measles; the Government of Canada says the same, listing measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella and meningococcal disease. Measles is the one that actually circulates โ there is a standing travel health notice for it.
Tetanus if it has been more than ten years. Measles at least two weeks before you fly.
The Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers, and CDC for unvaccinated travellers under 60. Not because of New Zealandโs water โ because of what happens if you need medical or dental care, or decide on a tattoo. Most Canadians already have it from the school programme, so this is usually a records check rather than an injection.
The standard course runs over months. If you already had it at school, nothing to do.
CDC words this one carefully: consider hepatitis A vaccination for most travellers, with the case stronger for higher-risk activities. The Government of Canada does not list it for New Zealand at all. That is a real difference and we would rather show it to you than average it away.
Any time before you fly, if you decide to have it.
The honest answer to โam I too late?โ depends on the date. Put yours in and weโll work backwards. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Worth a conversation โ the answer changes with where youโre going and what youโll be doing.
The full list for New Zealand. Most people need the first two or three; the rest depend on where you are going and for how long.
CDC asks travellers to be up to date on routine vaccines before every trip and asks all international travellers to be fully vaccinated against measles with MMR. The Government of Canada lists measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, varicella and meningococcal disease. For New Zealand this is the substance of the appointment rather than a preamble to it.
Called out separately because it is the routine vaccine that actually circulates internationally, and because CDC asks for it specifically before international travel. There is a standing measles travel health notice. Two weeks before departure is the ask.
The Government of Canada recommends it for all travellers; CDC recommends it for unvaccinated travellers younger than 60. The route is blood and bodily fluids โ unplanned medical or dental care, tattoos, piercings. Many Canadians already have it from the routine school programme, so we check the record first.
CDC advises all eligible travellers to be up to date with their COVID-19 vaccines.
CDC says to consider hepatitis A vaccination for most travellers to New Zealand, with a stronger case for higher-risk activities. The Government of Canada does not list it for this destination. Where the two sources differ this plainly, we show you both and decide with you rather than for you โ a long stay, rural work or a food-focused trip tips it one way; a two-week hotel-and-hire-car holiday tips it the other.
CDC notes that dogs infected with rabies are not commonly found in New Zealand and treats pre-exposure vaccination as optional. The Government of Canada says vaccination may be recommended if you will be working directly with wildlife. For a normal holiday, no.
Not recommended and not required for New Zealand โ both sources agree. The only way it enters the conversation is if you arrive from a country where yellow fever occurs, so bring the whole itinerary if New Zealand is one leg of a longer trip.
Honest about the risks, and specific about what prevents each one.
The Government of Canada states plainly that serious accidents have occurred in New Zealand and that tour operators may not always meet international standards, advising travellers to hire an experienced guide from a reputable company. This is the risk that sends Canadians to hospital there โ not an infection.
Prevention Check your travel insurance covers the activity BY NAME โ bungee, heli-skiing, canyoning and jet boating are commonly excluded. Ask the operator about their safety record and their emergency plan before you pay.
CDC lists sun exposure among the risks for New Zealand. Burn times are short, and cloud is not protection.
Prevention Broad-spectrum SPF 30+ reapplied every two hours, a hat, and cover up in the middle of the day. Bring your medication list to the appointment โ several common prescriptions increase how fast you burn, and we will tell you which of yours do.
The Government of Canada calls road conditions and safety very good, but notes roads can be narrow, winding and hilly. New Zealanders drive on the left, and the combination of a jet-lagged Canadian, a rented campervan and a one-lane bridge is a genuine hazard.
Prevention Do not drive the day you land. Build far more time into each leg than the map suggests โ an hour on a New Zealand road is not an hour on Deerfoot Trail.
CDC names it: a bacterial infection picked up from water or soil contaminated by animal urine. Relevant to farm stays, caving, river swimming and long tramps after rain.
Prevention Cover cuts before going into fresh water, and mention any fever after a trip involving rivers or farms to your doctor โ including that you were in New Zealand.
CDC lists cold-weather injuries. Alpine weather changes fast in both islands, and the Tongariro and Routeburn crossings catch people out in summer clothing.
Prevention Layers, a windproof shell and a plan for turning back. The same rules as the Rockies, on a mountain range you do not know.
The Government of Canada notes earthquakes and tsunamis occur, that cyclones usually run November to April, and that Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park is at alert level 2 for volcanic gas emissions.
Prevention Nothing to take. If you have asthma, keep your reliever with you on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and check the alert level the morning you go.
The things that prevent most travel illness are not medical.
There is no malaria in New Zealand. Yellow fever is neither recommended nor required. CDC does not raise typhoid. The Government of Canada rates the whole country "take normal security precautions" โ the same wording it uses for travel inside Canada โ with no regional advisories, and describes health care as good and available throughout. So the honest answer is: bring your routine vaccines up to date, check your hepatitis B, and have a conversation about hepatitis A. That is most of it. We would rather tell you that than invent a list.
The Government of Canada is unusually direct here: serious accidents have occurred, and tour operators may not always meet international standards. It advises hiring an experienced guide from a reputable company. New Zealand is where Canadians bungee, skydive, canyon, jet boat, heli-ski and tramp alpine passes โ often for the first time. Two practical things follow. Check that your travel insurance covers the specific activity by name, because many policies exclude exactly what you flew there to do. And ask the operator what happens if something goes wrong, before you hand over the money.
CDC lists sun and UV exposure among the risks for New Zealand. This matters more for a pharmacy visit than it sounds: several things we might send you with โ doxycycline among them, though you are unlikely to need it for this trip โ make skin burn faster, and so do some everyday prescriptions including certain antibiotics, diuretics and acne treatments. If you take anything regularly, bring the list to the appointment and we will tell you which ones need a hat rather than just sunscreen. Reapply, cover up between 10am and 4pm, and treat a cloudy day as no protection at all.
The Government of Canada describes road conditions and road safety as very good, but notes roads can be narrow, winding and hilly โ and New Zealanders drive on the left, which is where most Canadian mistakes start. It also notes that earthquakes and tsunamis occur, that cyclones usually run November to April, and that Mount Ruapehu in Tongariro National Park is at alert level 2 for volcanic gas emissions. If you have asthma, that last one is worth knowing before you book the Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Most people booking a travel consult with us are sorting out a household, not just themselves. A few things are different for children.
Bring the whole household to the same consultation. For New Zealand this is usually short: we confirm each personโs routine schedule is complete and talk through the sun and the activities. Tell us how many people when you book.
CDC asks all international travellers to be fully vaccinated against measles with MMR, and there is a standing travel health notice. For children mid-way through the routine schedule, this is worth checking properly before a long-haul trip.
CDC lists sun exposure among the risks. Burn times are short and children are outdoors all day on this kind of holiday. Hats with brims, shade in the middle of the day, and sunscreen reapplied rather than applied once at breakfast.
The Government of Canada notes tour operators may not always meet international standards. Check age and weight minimums before you promise a teenager a bungee jump, and check that your family policy covers it.
Any immunisation records you can find, for each traveller. Alberta records we can often look up; out-of-province and overseas records we cannot. A photo of a yellow card is plenty.
Very few, and we will say so rather than pad the list. There is no malaria, yellow fever is neither recommended nor required, and CDC does not raise typhoid. What we do is bring your routine vaccines up to date โ measles especially โ check your hepatitis B, and talk through hepatitis A, which CDC suggests considering and the Government of Canada does not list for New Zealand at all. For many people the appointment is a records check and a tetanus booster.
For the vaccines alone, sometimes barely โ and we would rather you heard that from us. It is worth it if you take regular medication (several common prescriptions make you burn far faster in New Zealand sun), if you are doing adventure activities and want to think through the insurance and the emergency plan, if you are unsure what you had as a child, or if New Zealand is one leg of a longer trip. It costs nothing either way.
CDC lists sun and UV exposure among the risks, and burn times are short. The part people miss is medication: certain antibiotics, diuretics, acne treatments and others increase photosensitivity. Bring your list and we will tell you which of yours count โ that is a five-minute conversation that saves a ruined week.
This is the most useful thing on this page. The Government of Canada notes serious accidents have occurred and that tour operators may not always meet international standards. Many travel policies exclude bungee jumping, canyoning, heli-skiing and jet boating by name โ the exact things people fly to New Zealand for. Read the exclusions, not the brochure, and get the activity named in writing.
It can. New Zealand asks nothing of you, but a stop elsewhere may โ and if any leg is in a country where yellow fever occurs, a certificate can be required further along. Bring the whole itinerary and we will look at it as one trip rather than four.
Later than almost anywhere else on this site. Two weeks is comfortable, mostly so a measles dose has time to work. A tetanus booster can be given the day you come in.
Yes. For New Zealand it is largely a matter of confirming their routine schedule is complete, which is quick. Tell us how many are travelling when you book.
Nothing. The travel consultation is free โ a full itinerary review, every recommended vaccine discussed, and advice for your particular trip. You pay only for the vaccines actually given.
Bring your travel dates. A pharmacist will go through what you need for New Zealand, give what can be given that day, and book anything that needs a second dose. No doctor referral, no wait list.
Written from current CDC and Government of Canada guidance, checked 30 July 2026. Advice for your particular trip comes from our pharmacist, in person.
Imagine Health Pharmacy & Travel Clinic โ #4120, 15 Sunpark Plaza SE, Calgary, Alberta. In Sunpark Plaza, off Macleod Trail, serving Sundance, Midnapore, Shawnessy, Chaparral and the rest of south Calgary.
No doctorโs referral is needed. In Alberta a pharmacist can assess you, prescribe what your trip needs and give the vaccines in the same visit โ so for most travellers this is one appointment, not a clinic queue and then a pharmacy.
The vaccine guidance on this page follows the official recommendations below, read and applied by a pharmacist. Where the two differ we say so rather than pick one.
Checked against both sources on 30 July 2026. Official advice changes โ if your trip is months away, check again or ask us.
