Buses are a relatively cheap and environmentally friendly way to get around New Zealand. Most roads in New Zealand are quite narrow and winding (when compared to the highways of the USA), and travelling a long distance in a bus can be a safe and relaxing way to travel. Booking in advance on some lines can get you great bargains.
Flying Kiwi Adventures, . New Zealand’s original adventure bus tour company offering "beyond the tourist trail" experiences. The company was listed in National Geographic's Best Adventure Travel Companies for 2009 and recently received a Qualmark enviro award . Trips range from 3-27 days and cover both islands. The tours focus on enjoying the outdoor beauty and excitement of New Zealand with numerous hiking, cycling and activity options. There are also options to take extended breaks in your favourite places. Discounts are available for holders of YHA, VIP, ISIC and NOMADs cards. �
InterCity Coachlines, . New Zealand’s national coach company, with services connecting over 600 destinations nationwide. InterCity Group has voluntarily adopted European Emission standards across its fleet of modern coaches to operate InterCity Coachlines, Newmans Coach Lines and also operates a modern fleet of vessels and coaches to operate GreatSights New Zealand , Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands and awesomeNZ. In May 2007 InterCity Group signed up to Landcare Research's carboNZero programme which has a core focus on working to reduce harmful emissions at source. They have used a range of activities to reduce their carbon emissions by up to 50% over the 5 years. Tickets can be purchased from the InterCity ticket counters at bus stations or i-SITE information centres and a discount is given to students or youth-hostel membership card holders (e.g. BBH, YHA, Nomads, ISIC). Fares start from just $1 (plus a booking fee) on all InterCity’s national services and they’ve even been known to giveaway FREE seats at various times of the year. A limited number of heavily discounted “Cheap-as-Seats” for travel that week are released via the company’s facebook and twitter feeds every Monday. Online fares are often sold at a cheaper rate. �
Travelpass - A transport pass offered by InterCity Coachlines. Brings together an extensive range of “hop on and off” fixed itinerary passes, based on the most popular touring routes throughout New Zealand. National passes inlcude the Interislander ferry as well as a scenic boat cruise in Milford Sound. Passes are valid for 12 months.
Flexi-Pass - Utilising the combined national networks of InterCity, Newmans and GreatSights, Flexi-Pass is sold in blocks of time, just like a prepaid phone card, and enables the holder to travel anywhere on the company’s network. Passes start at 15 hr, which is enough to travel from Auckland to Wellington in the North Island. Flexi-Pass hours can also be used to travel on the Interislander ferry and on Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands Dolphin Watching cruises and tours to Cape Brett and the famous "Hole in the Rock". Passes can also be on sold and are valid for 12 months.
flexitrips - A simple trips based transport pass offered by InterCity Coachlines which enables the holder to travel anywhere on the company’s network and includes selected tour options with awesomeNZ.com . Passes start at 5 trips with greater savings the more trips you pre purchase. Like flexi-pass, flexitrips provides options on the Interislander ferry and on Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands Dolphin Watching cruises and tours to Cape Brett and the famous "Hole in the Rock". Passes can also be on sold and are valid for 12 months.
Naked Bus, . New Zealand's low cost city to city bus company provides daily point-to-point services across the country and at low prices. Naked Bus is often the cheapest option for travellers who plan ahead. Some Nakedbus services code-share with other bus companies, including Atomic. �
Nakedpassport - Nakedbus' passport, sold in bundles of trips. Also an unlimited trip pass available (valid for 12 months). Note this pass cannot be used as a commuter pass but is ideal for travellers wishing to see the whole country. You can get on and off when you please - but bookings are required. This pass also allows purchase of selected tourist activities at discounted prices. With this pass you travel on naked buses, so you are travelling with both travellers and locals.
Atomic Shuttles operate a no-frills shuttle service in parts of the South Island.
Southern Link offer a limited South Island network.
West Coast Shuttle Daily transport from Greymouth at 8AM to Christchurch via Arthur's Pass and Christchurch airport midday. Depart Christchurch at 3PM and Christchurch airport about 3:15PM then via Arthur's Pass to Greymouth. They provide comfortable travel at affordable prices.
Backpacker buses - KiwiExperience Backpacker Bus , Stray Travel Bus and The Magic Bus offer bus trips around New Zealand where you can get on and off as you please.
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about New Zealand
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in New Zealand - updated Apr 2024
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New Zealand Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
