If you fly over land, you do need the owners permission. If that is council land, you need their approval.
That said, a lot of councils have given blanket approval as long as you follow the legal requirements. There is a list of those on the Airshare website, but it is not complete - for example, Dunedin City Council is missing, but have blanket approval.
Yes, it certainly would be tricky while travelling. And the local was right, you can't fly at night.
Other main points for NZ are that you must have a visual on the bird at all times, it must be daylight, and if you are in restricted space you can only fly in sheltered airspace - in other words, below the tallest object within 100 metres.
Generally, it seems as long as you are behaving responsibly, most people will be ok with you.
Enjoy your travels!
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