Terms of use

Effective 14 October 2026

Kiwimap is run by Jolene NZ Limited. It is free to use. There are no accounts, no advertising and no subscription, and nothing is sold through it. Using it means accepting what is below.

It is not an official service

Kiwimap is an independent product. It is not operated by, affiliated with, or endorsed by any transport authority, council or transport operator, or by any other organisation it names, such as weather or surf lifesaving services. It shows their published data, and it uses their route numbers and colours so the map is readable, but it is not their app. If you need an authoritative answer, use the operator's own service.

What we can and cannot promise

The timetable and live vehicle information comes from public transport open data feeds. We pass it on as we receive it. Feeds go down, vehicles stop reporting, and positions can be a little behind. Where a vehicle is not reporting, Kiwimap may show where the timetable says it should be rather than where it is.

So: do not rely on Kiwimap alone for anything that matters. Catching a last bus, making a connection, getting to an appointment or reaching a hospital are all things to confirm with the operator. We do not guarantee that the service is available, accurate, complete or uninterrupted, and we may change or withdraw any part of it at any time.

Surf forecasts and water safety

The surf ratings and forecasts in Kiwimap are worked out by a computer from weather and ocean models. They are estimates of what the waves might be like, made in advance, often for a point many kilometres out to sea. Nobody from Kiwimap has looked at the beach. Real conditions can be very different: bigger, smaller or rougher, or dangerous in ways a forecast cannot show, such as rips, currents, rocks, tides, sudden changes in the weather, water quality and other people in the water.

A rating such as Good, Great or Pumping describes how good the waves might be for surfing. It is not advice that it is safe to go in, and it says nothing about whether a beach is safe for you. A higher rating often means bigger, more powerful waves, which can be more dangerous, not less. Kiwimap does not know your experience, fitness or equipment.

Before you go in the water, look at the conditions yourself and read the signs. At a lifeguarded beach, swim between the red and yellow flags, keep boards out of the flagged area, and ask the lifeguards. Check official forecasts and warnings, such as those from MetService and Surf Life Saving New Zealand. Never swim or surf alone, and if in doubt, stay out.

You decide whether to go in the water, and you take the risks of doing so. Kiwimap does not make that decision for you and does not accept responsibility for it. See Our responsibility to you.

Fishing forecasts and safety

The fishing ratings in Kiwimap, such as Hot, Good, Fair and Slow, are worked out by a computer from tide predictions, sunrise and sunset, the moon, and weather and sea forecasts. They are estimates made in advance, often for a point some distance from where you would stand. Nobody from Kiwimap has been to the spot to check it. A rating describes how good the fishing might be. It is not advice that a place or the conditions are safe, and it is not a promise that you will catch anything.

Fishing from rocks is one of the most dangerous things people do on the New Zealand coast. A wave much bigger than the ones before it can arrive without warning and sweep people off rocks, ledges and wharves, the rocks can be slippery, and a rising tide can cut you off. Watch the sea for a good while before you go near the edge, never turn your back on the waves, wear a lifejacket and shoes with grip, never fish alone, and tell someone where you are going and when you will be back. If in doubt, do not fish there. In an emergency, call 111 and ask for the Police.

The fishing rules shown in Kiwimap, such as size and daily limits, marine reserves, protected areas and closures, are a short summary to help you plan. They can be incomplete or out of date, and the rules change. Kiwimap is not Fisheries New Zealand or the Department of Conservation. Check the official rules before you fish, for example with Fisheries New Zealand's fishing rules and the Department of Conservation's marine reserve maps, and follow local signs and any rāhui. Shellfish from some beaches, especially in the city, can make you ill, so check public health and biotoxin warnings before you gather any. A spot's pin is a guide to the area and may not mark the exact place to fish.

You decide whether, where and how to fish, and you take the risks of doing so. As far as the law allows, Kiwimap does not accept responsibility for that decision or for what happens as a result. See Our responsibility to you.

Times are estimates, and your safety is your own

Bus, train and ferry times in Kiwimap, including the "likely" arrival times, are predictions worked out from timetables and live feeds. A vehicle can arrive earlier or later than shown, change route, be cancelled, be full or not stop. Live positions, alerts, reminders and Lock Screen updates can be late or not arrive at all, for example if a feed is down, your phone is offline or notifications are turned off.

So do not rely on Kiwimap alone when missing a service would matter, such as the last service of the night, a connection, a flight or an appointment. Allow extra time, be at the stop before the time shown, and check with the operator if you need to be sure. We cannot promise you will catch any service.

Walking routes, walking times, stop locations and directions come from public map data. They have not been checked for safety or accessibility, and they can be wrong or out of date. A route may cross busy roads, pass through unlit or isolated places, or be closed. Use your own judgement about where you walk and wait, especially at night. Kiwimap is not an emergency service. If you are ever in danger, call 111.

Some walking and driving directions come from Mapbox's Directions API, and Mapbox asks us to pass on its policy. Driving can be dangerous, and use of the directions is entirely at your own risk. The directions are not intended to replace the information presented on the road. If the information on the road (for example traffic lights, traffic signs or police officers) differs from the directions, do not rely on the directions. You must observe all traffic laws.

Everything else Kiwimap shows, including ferries, planes, tides and weather, is information to help you plan. It is not a promise or professional advice, and it must not be used to navigate a boat or an aircraft.

Children

Kiwimap is a general app, not one made for children. If a child uses it, a parent or caregiver should decide whether it is suitable, and should still supervise children near water and when they travel.

Our responsibility to you

Kiwimap is free, and it is built from public data and forecasts that we do not control. So we need to be clear about what we can take responsibility for.

Your rights under New Zealand consumer law come first. If you use Kiwimap as a consumer, you have rights under the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 and the Fair Trading Act 1986 that cannot be taken away, and nothing in these terms tries to.

Apart from those rights, and as far as the law allows:

• we make no promise about Kiwimap beyond what these terms say;
• we are not responsible for loss caused by a vehicle, data feed, forecast or anything else we do not control, or by a decision you make about travelling, walking, waiting or going in the water;
• we are not responsible for indirect loss, such as lost income, lost opportunities or the cost of changed plans; and
• if we are responsible for anything else, our total responsibility to you is limited to NZ$100.

None of this limits our responsibility for anything we do deliberately or dishonestly, or any responsibility that the law does not allow to be limited. These limits also protect our directors, employees and contractors, and they can rely on this section.

If something goes wrong, please tell us first at ant@jolene.nz and we will try to put it right.

Using it sensibly

• Do not use the app, including Lock Screen trip updates, while driving, cycling, riding a scooter or crossing a road. Set up your trip before you set off.
• Do not attempt to break, overload or work around the service, or use automated tools to harvest data from it.
• Do not present Kiwimap, or anything derived from it, as an official transport service.

Who owns what

The application, the map styling, our own 3D models and artwork, the building pipeline and the photography are owned by Jolene NZ Limited. Some 3D models are used under licence from their makers; see the credits page. The underlying transport, mapping and elevation data belongs to the agencies that publish it and is used under their licences. Those licences, and the credits they require, are listed on the credits page.

Kiwimap is a trading name of Jolene NZ Limited.

Your information

How location, session reports and notification tokens are handled is set out in the privacy policy.

Changes

If these terms change, the new version appears at this address with a new effective date. New Zealand law applies, and the New Zealand courts have jurisdiction.

If you downloaded Kiwimap from the App Store, Apple's standard licence terms also apply. Apple is not responsible for Kiwimap or its content.

If any part of these terms cannot be enforced, the rest still applies.

Contact

Privacy policy · Credits and licences