B5.3 New Zealand: Transport
Description
This article is from the New Zealand FAQ, by Phil Stuart-Jones and Lin Nah with numerous contributions by others.
B5.3 New Zealand: Transport
Trains are good but have limited distribution. Buses tend to be more
flexible and there are a variety of regional bus passes available.
Information should be available from the relevant booking offices. Bus
tickets for around the South Island are around $250 per person. The
'Travelpass' offers unlimited travel on Tranz Rail (formerly New Zealand
Rail) trains and InterCity buses for, for example, five days travel over
fifteen days, or fifteen days travel over five weeks. A further option (to
be taken at time of purchase) is to add one trip by air with Ansett New
Zealand at extra cost.
Unofficial details on 'Travelpass' are at:
http://www.waikato.ac.nz/rail/travelpass.html
There's are also 'through fares' (you have to ask for them) but there are
limited seats. Typically:
Auckland to Picton $108
Auckland to Christchurch $159
and these include a seat on the train then the Interislander. Unofficial
details at: http://www.waikato.ac.nz/rail/money.html.
Buses and trains have seats discounted at around 20-50% but there are
limited seats each day allocated on a first come first serve basis. So the
earlier you book the more chance you have of getting them, eg. try to make
bookings for Christmas/New Year break in mid-October and you may find many
of the cheap fares are gone.
There are a variety of other discounts available for students, senior
citizens, YHA members and so on.
'The Kiwi Experience' and similar budget travel systems are worth
investigating if you want less structured transport arrangements. Due to
an increase in theft and vandalism, leaving vehicles on the main roads has
become unwise. Always remove valuables and lock it when leaving the
vehicle.
Backpackers card holders (includes YHA cards) also gives you a 30% discount
on any bus or train fare on the main bus lines or TranzRail.
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