Thanks for shopping with Hot Like A Mexican. We dispatch from Wellington, New Zealand, to addresses across Aotearoa using a courier aggregator service. Below is everything you need to know about how, when, and where we ship.
We need a minimum of 1 working day to prepare and pack your order before it goes to the courier. We do not dispatch on weekends or New Zealand public holidays — orders placed on those days will be processed on the next working day.
Non-frozen orders are dispatched Monday to Friday. Orders placed from Thursday evening through Sunday will be dispatched the following Monday morning (or the next working day if Monday is a public holiday).
Frozen orders — or any order containing one or more frozen items — are dispatched Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday only. This is so your parcel is never sitting in a courier depot over the weekend. To have your order shipped in the same week, please place it by Tuesday evening. Frozen orders placed from Wednesday through Sunday will be dispatched the following Monday.
Transit times are working days from dispatch (not from when you place the order). They are estimates provided by our courier partners and are not guaranteed.
| Destination | Estimated transit |
|---|---|
| North Island — urban | 2–4 working days |
| North Island — rural (RD) | 3–5 working days |
| South Island — urban | 3–6 working days |
| South Island — rural (RD) | 4–7 working days |
Frozen orders are sent on an overnight courier service to protect the cold chain.
| Destination | Service |
|---|---|
| North Island — urban | Overnight |
| South Island — urban | Overnight (1–2 working days to the lower South Island) |
| North Island — rural (RD) | Not available |
| South Island — rural (RD) | Not available |
We do not ship perishable or temperature-sensitive products to rural addresses, as rural transit times cannot be guaranteed and we will not risk the quality of your food. Rural addresses are identified automatically at checkout.
Frozen orders include a $5.00 NZD frozen handling fee to cover insulated packaging, gel ice packs, and the additional handling required to keep your order cold in transit. This fee is added automatically at checkout when your cart contains a frozen item.
We ship to residential and business addresses throughout the North Island and South Island of New Zealand, subject to the frozen restrictions above.
We do not ship to:
If your address is in one of these areas, please get in touch before ordering and we’ll let you know if we can find a workaround for non-frozen items.
Our courier partners do not operate on weekends or public holidays. Orders placed on or near a public holiday should expect an extra working day or two for both dispatch and transit.
Rural Delivery (RD) timeframes above are best-effort estimates, not guarantees. Final delivery is handled by the local rural contractor and can be affected by weather, distance, and contractor schedules. If you’re in a remote rural area, please allow extra time.
Once your order is dispatched you’ll receive an email with your tracking number. Please allow up to 24 hours for tracking information to update with the courier.
If your order has not arrived within the estimated timeframe, or arrives damaged, please email us at sales@hotlikeamexican.com within 7 days of dispatch and we’ll sort it out.
For any shipping questions, contact us at sales@hotlikeamexican.com or via our contact page.