The Friends Reunion has just been announced for a 27th of May release on HBO Max. If you’re in NZ, you probably know that HBO Max isn’t available here. Don’t worry! There’s a simple way to get HBO Max in NZ, so you can watch the Friends Reunion the day it’s released.
To get HBO Max in NZ, all you need is a reliable VPN.
In this article, I’ll show you how you can use a VPN to get HBO Max and be ready to stream the Friends Reunion on the 27th of May.
See also:
- How to watch HBO Max outside the US
- HBO Max not working with VPN? There’s an EASY workaround!
- How to watch Nomadland in NZ
How to watch the Friends Reunion in NZ: Quick Guide
To watch the Friends Reunion, you’ll need to create an HBO Max account. HBO Max is only available in the US. To gain access to HBO Max in NZ, you need to fool it into thinking you’re accessing the service from inside the US. A reliable VPN will allow you to do this.
To gain access to HBO Max in NZ, follow these simple steps:
Total Time: 2 minutes
Create a new account with NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month)
Download and install the new VPN app
Open your new app and connect to a server in the US
Go to HBO Max
Create an HBO Max account (see more below)
Watch HBO Max in NZ
How to make an HBO Max account in NZ
If you try and access HBO Max without a VPN, you’ll run into an error saying, “HBO Max is not available in your region.”
After you’ve made an account with NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) and connected to a US server, you’ll no longer come across that error. However, you’ll still need to make an HBO Max account.
HBO Max only allows accounts to be made using a US form of payment. There are a few ways you can get around this:
- You can ask a friend or family member in the US to create an HBO Max account for you
- You can use an American Express card
- You can purchase an HBO Max gift card from mygiftcardsupply.com and create an account from anywhere in the world. (Mygiftcardsupply is a trusted and reliable website where you can purchase a variety of gift cards from anywhere in the world.)
Many people don’t have a friend in the US or an American Express card, so the best way to create an HBO account is with gift cards. Follow these steps to create an HBO Max account using gift cards:
- Go to mygiftcardsupply.com
- Search for HBO Max cards
- Choose between a USD$25, USD$30, USD$50 gift card (note that standard HBO Max costs USD$14.99/month)
- Select if you want to make a one-off purchase or a repeat purchase every few months
- Proceed to checkout and confirm your purchase with your email address
- You’ll receive an email with a link. Click on that link, and that will give you access to your HBO Max gift card
- Connect to a US server on NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month)
- Create an account at www.hbomax.com
- Go to HBONOW.com/gift and enter the 10 or 12 digit code from the back of your gift card.
- Choose your State or Territory, enter your ZIP Code (you can do this by googling) and then choose Continue.
- Click I have an account: Choose the Sign in link. Enter your account email and password. Then, choose Sign In and Redeem
- Return to www.hbomax.com
- Enjoy watching HBO Max in New Zealand
Why do you need a VPN to watch HBO Max in NZ?
HBO Max isn’t available in NZ. This is because it only has the rights to broadcast its content in the US.
HBO blocks anyone outside the US from accessing its service to protect itself from potential copyright and licensing issues. These blocks are why you’re running into the “HBO Max is not available in your region” error.
To get around this, you need to make HBO Max think you’re accessing its content from within the US. To do that you need a US IP address.
Reliable VPNs like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) are very good at this. They work very well with HBO Max and have reliable US servers that will provide you with a US IP address. This will unblock HBO Max and will allow you to watch the Friends Reunion when it’s released.
How does a VPN unblock HBO Max?
The way HBO Max blocks your connection is all to do with your IP address. Whenever you go online, you’re allocated a unique IP address. This IP is like an area code on a landline phone number. It contains information disclosing your location.
When you connect to HBO Max, it scans your IP address to determine whether or not you’re within its US broadcast zone. If you aren’t, HBO Max will block your connection.
When you use a VPN, all of your internet data will be encrypted. This will give you an anonymous internet connection so your location cannot be tracked. This encrypted data will then be sent to one of the VPNs servers (that you can choose), where it will be decrypted and sent to a local internet service provider.
This process not only makes it impossible to track your location when going online, but it also provides you with a spoof IP address from the country where the server is located.
Basically, once you’ve downloaded NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) all you need to do is connect to a US server, and HBO Max will be unblocked.
Will any VPN work?
No, not all VPNs will work with HBO Max.
VPNs have been around for a while, and it’s well known that they allow customers to watch streaming services outside their broadcast zones. HBO Max knows this and, to protect itself from potential copyright issues, it tries to block VPNs from accessing its service.
For lesser VPNs, especially free VPNs, these blocks can be hard to get around. To watch HBO Max reliably in NZ, you need a good VPN with measures to get around HBO’s VPN blocks. You need a VPN like NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month).
HBO Max blocks VPNs by monitoring for an abnormal amount (more than an average household) of connections coming from the same IP. Lesser VPNs have more customers than IP addresses, and this results in customers having to share IPs. When HBO Max sees hundreds of connections coming from the same IP address, it knows this is a VPN, and it blocks it.
This simple method can be an issue for a lesser VPN because IP addresses are expensive, and lesser VPNs don’t have many of them. Over time, HBO Max is able to block all of the lesser VPNs IP addresses, and it will no longer work with the streaming service. This means you won’t be able to watch the Friends Reunion, and even worse, you could waste money on a subscription for a VPN that doesn’t work.
The VPNs that work with HBO Max are the ones that have measures in place to get around these blocks. NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) play a game of cat and mouse with HBO Max. When the streaming service identifies and blocks an IP address provided by these VPNs, NordVPN ($3.49/month) or Ivacy ($1.33/month) will close that IP and open a new one. This allows them to stay one step ahead of HBO Max’s blocks, and it will enable you to watch HBO Max anywhere in the world reliably.
The best VPNs to watch HBO Max in NZ
1. NordVPN
The BEST VPN of 2021
Pro
- Fast servers
- No logs
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 6-simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- No refunds for purchases from iTunes/App store
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2. Ivacy
The BEST low-cost VPN
Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- Dedicated streaming servers
- 5-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Only 5 devices
- Sometimes runs slow
- Occasionally blocked by streaming sites
SPECIAL OFFER: 7-DAY TRIAL ($0.99)
3. ExpressVPN
A very reliable and fast VPN
Pros
- Fast servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 10-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Expensive
SPECIAL OFFER – 3-MONTHS FREE!
4. Private Internet Access
The BEST mid-range VPN for streaming!
Pros
- Fast and reliable servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 10-simultaneous connections
- 24/7 Live Chat
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Cons
- Only 48 server locations
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5. CyberGhost
Pros
- 1-day free trial
- Reliable servers
- Thousands of IP addresses
- 7-simultaneous connections
- 30-day money-back guarantee
- Easy-to-use app
Cons
- Expensive
- Average speed scores
SPECIAL OFFER – 1-DAY FREE TRIAL
30-day money-back guarantee
