crellston

We arrived into Christchurch airport on a Quantas flight from Sydney. Onboard we were asked to complete the usual immigration forms which asked a lot of questions regarding foodstuffs and vegetable matter we may be carrying, also whether we had done any hiking in the last month.

We answered the questions truthfully as we were carring food (had been campervanning) and we had been hiking. At the baggage carousel we were approached by a security guard and asked a few questions about what we were carrying. On passing through immigration we were asked a few more specific questions and asked to list what foods we were carrying, which we duly did to the best of our recollection. Our baggage was then scanned and the operative noticed a small tub (50cc) on the screen and asked if we were carrying any tiger balm. My wife said no so the bag was open and he discovered a small pot of honey we had forgotten about and had not declared. Apparently this is a controlled substance in NZ.

We were told to wait for his supervisor who came and took us away to his office and proceeded to give us a telling off and warned that we faced a $200 fine but would have to wait whilst he dealt with an Indian gentleman on our flight who had been found in possession of two illegal bananas! He was fined $200 - The bananas, which had been handed out free to everyone on board the Qantas flight, did prove a tad expensive at $100 a shot! We were given a formal caution and sent on our way.

I fully accept that a country like NZ is right to protect its biolgical integrity particulary as its economy is based upon agriculture but be warned and either do not take foodstuffs in or declare EVERYTHING.
Finally, surely Quantas should issue an onboard warning about their (very expensive) bananas!

Bokhara2

I haven't been to Christchurch for a while, crellston; but I think you'll find most airports have large signs saying fruit is to be dumped before entry to the arrivals area before the customs & quarantine checkpoints. In Sydney there are bins along the walkway underneath these signs.

It is easy to forget that you've put a piece of fruit in a bag to eat later; I've done it, too - luckily the signs & bins prompted me to check before I got to the Quarantine people.

I agree - it would be a good idea if all airlines included a warning to leave all foodstuffs on board in their "take all personal items & thanks for flying XYZ airlines" announcements.

BTW - it's QANTAS (Queensland & Northern Territory Air Service)

mlgb

Yes there certainly are signs and bins at the airports about disposing of foodstuffs.

You probably got off with a warning because you declared some of the other foods and could claim forgetfulness. I'll bet the fined Indian didn't declare anything.

When in doubt, declare.

About the shoes, what did they do with them? I know to clean my shoes and they do inspect them, as well as my golf equipment.

Diamantina

This is a useful site:
http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/perso...z/other-things
Here's another site for Australian quarantine:
http://www.daff.gov.au/aqis/travel/e...alia/cant-take
And here's one for entering the U.S.:
http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/va...restricted.xml
Regarding honey. New Zealand has some of the finest honey in the world and the country does all it can to prevent honey (and associated bee diseases) from entering the country, even if the
honey originally came from New Zealand. Also, world bee populations are declining, which, considering they are a major pollinator, could cause food shortages.
About five years ago, my husband and I were traveling through the North Island and had plans to spend a week in the Dunedin area, but we had to change our plans when storms blanketed the Dunedin area with snow and ice. So we decided to visit Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast of Australia instead. The problem is I had already purchased four and a half kilos of New Zealand honey. I knew that if I brought it along with me to Australia and tried later to bring it back into New Zealand (where we would be spending a few more days before flying back home to the US), it would just end up in the trash
bin. So I paid to store it at the Auckland airport for 8 days until our return! It did add to the cost of the honey, but it was worth it.
On another trip to New Zealand my husband and I brought hiking boots. Mine were fairly clean, but my husband's had mud encrusted soles, so customs and immigration took his boots away and brought them back some minutes later newly cleaned!
New Zealand isn't the only place that prohibits travelers from taking in honey. Plenty of places won't allow you to bring in honey. On another occasion we traveled from New Zealand to New Caledonia and took some manuka honey along. It was confiscated by customs and placed in quarantine (they gave it back to us when we left New Caledonia more than a week later).
You can't bring honey to Australia's Kangaroo Island either, though I didn't notice anyone checking our bags for honey or bee products. The island produces an exceptional honey from their Ligurian bees, which are believed to be the last remaining pure stock of this bee in the world. In fact, the island was declared a bee sanctuary in 1885, and no other bees have since been imported to the island.
Western Australia will also confiscate your honey.
http://www.agric.wa.gov.au/content/p...ey_DLsheet.pdf
Whenever I come back to the US with honey, customs will always ask me if I have honey combs. I've never had honey combs, but I think I would steer clear of bringing these back to the U.S.

Melnq8

On my first visit to Australia years ago, I was made so paranoid by all of the warning signs posted about agricultural inspection, that I dumped every food item I had in an airport bin, most of which would have been perfectly acceptable.

These days I write down every food item I pack, so I won't inadvertently forget to declare anything when I arrive at the airport exhausted and incoherent after a long flight. I also wash my hiking boots and pack them on top, so they're easy to access in my luggage.

We're in the process of moving to Australia, and we've had to declare every single food item, medicine, wood item, etc for our entire household shipment. Now there's a challenge...

For what it's worth, upon landing, Singapore Air instructs passengers to leave all airline food on board as it's not allowed into Australia and NZ.