New Zealand without a car

New Zealand is thin but long – it looks like the ideal location to explore car-free, but its low population density in addition to its high rates of car dependancy – even worse than most of Australia – has made this diffucult. Exploring New Zealand without a car is certainly possible, but does present some challenges.

Understand

New Zealand is by some measures one of the most car dependent nations in the world, on par with the United States, depending on the metrics used, with one of the highest costs for automobiles. Its auto-oriented policies and difficult, isolating geography, with only a few, small, spread out cities; means that its public transport and cycling networks lag quite a bit behind those in Europe or Asia.

However it is perfectly possible to travel around New Zealand without a car, provided you plan properly. There is a good inter-city coach network, but most coaches only run once per day. You should book both your coach and accommodation in advance, preferably a few weeks in advance to let you plan around busy days. The long distance trains are good and more comfortable than coaches, but only run on three routes. You don't have to miss out most of the major destinations, but you will miss the smaller places that you would stop in for one hour when travelling by car (as the minimum stop becomes 24 hours).

Most towns and smaller cities can readily be explored on foot, most town roads have sidewalks on at least one side and the few express roads than don't can be avoided.

If you are visiting friends or relations, it may be best to ask if they can pick you up from town rather than finding your own way to their door.

Get around

By bus

Buses are a relatively cheap and environmentally friendly way to get around New Zealand. Services are usually only once a day, even between major towns. 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 compared with driving yourself. Booking in advance can get you great bargains on some lines.

InterCity. 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. Operates the InterCity and Newmans lines, and a fleet of modern vessels and coaches for GreatSights New Zealand, Fullers GreatSights Bay of Islands and awesomeNZ. 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 $1 (plus a booking fee) on all InterCity’s national services and they’ve even been known to give away 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. (updated Feb 2019)

Travelpass. A pass offered by InterCity that 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 include the Interislander ferry and a scenic boat cruise in Milford Sound. Passes are valid for 1 year.

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 sold on to third parties and are valid for 1 year.

East West Coaches. Daily transport from Westport and Greymouth to Christchurch (via Arthur's Pass) and return.

By plane

Domestic flights in New Zealand can be expensive; some domestic flights can cost as much as a flight to Australia. However, flying often works out cheaper than driving or taking a train, especially when crossing between the North and South Islands.

Airlines operate an electronic ticket system. You can book on-line, by telephone, or through a travel agent. Photo ID will be needed for travel.

Check-in times are usually at least 30 minutes prior to flight departure, or 60 minutes if you're connecting to an international flight. Cabin baggage and personal scanning are routinely conducted for services from the major airports that have jet landings.

Air New Zealand, ☏ +64 9 357 3000, toll-free: 0800 737 000. Has the most extensive domestic network, serving most cities over 20,000 people, with jet services between main centres and smaller turboprop aircraft elsewhere. Free baggage allowance is 1 piece of baggage weighing 23 kg on Grabaseat+Bag, Saver and Flexi fares; standard Grabaseat fares don't include checked baggage. All fares include 7 kg carry-on baggage. (updated Jan 2020)
Jetstar is a budget no-frills carrier that flies to Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown and Wellington. Don't be late for check-in – they are very strict about check-in close times.

Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown and Wellington airports have timetabled buses to the airport. Regional airports generally have only on-demand shuttle services and taxis.

By train

Main article: Rail travel in New Zealand

Long-distance passenger-rail services are slow and limited in New Zealand, and are primarily used for sightseeing purposes rather than as practical travel options, with the bulk of New Zealand's rail traffic being used for freight transport. If time is of importance to you, driving yourself usually works out faster than taking the train.

Inter-city passenger services are operated by state-owned KiwiRail under the brand Great Journeys New Zealand, with just a few popular tourist services that pass through spectacular scenery and have a running commentary, panoramic windows and an open-air viewing carriage.

Northern Explorer (replaced the Overlander) – a modern train that now operates 3 days a week all year. It heads south from Auckland to Wellington on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays and in the opposite direction on Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. The most historically significant train route in New Zealand, and an engineering marvel in its time.
Coastal Pacific – from Christchurch to Picton (via Kaikoura) and return daily. Travels along the rugged north-east coast of the South Island with terrific sea views. Timed to meet the Interislander ferry between Wellington and Picton. Oct–Apr only.
TranzAlpine – from Christchurch to Greymouth and return daily. Widely regarded as the most scenic train journey in New Zealand, this trip crosses the South Island, passing through spectacular mountain scenery, some of which is inaccessible by road, and the 8.5 km Otira Tunnel. Many visitors disembark at Arthur's Pass National Park and spend four hours exploring the mountains before catching the return train.

All long-distance trains have a dining car and you can pre-order your food and have a look at the menus online.

The online booking site maximises overseas revenue by only showing the cheapest fares when it detects that you are accessing it from a New Zealand IP address. You may be able to get these cheaper fares if you wait until you arrive or book by phone.

There are two shorter regional journeys, without the tourist facilities of the longer journeys:

Capital Connection – commuter service leaves from Palmerston North to Wellington in the morning, returning in the evening. Seating on the Capital Connection is on a first-come-first-served basis and cannot be booked in advance.
Te Huia runs between Frankton Station in Hamilton to The Strand station in Auckland Monday to Saturday, with 2 or 3 trains each way 6 days per week. The journey takes about 2 hours 40 minutes, and tickets can be bought on the train, but it is cheaper to use a Bee card. The train has a cafe.

Trains run at low speed, no faster than 110 km/h and can drop to 50 km/h in the summer due to the lack of track maintenance following privatisation in the 1990s. Most New Zealanders prefer to drive or fly long distances, as train fares are comparatively expensive. However, if time is not an issue, travelling around New Zealand by train is well worth the price-tag as you get breathtaking views you wouldn't get from a car and can wander around the train while someone else does all the driving - benefits no other mode of transportation offers.

There are also some tourist trains run by private operators on otherwise disused lines purely for sightseeing purposes. The most famous of them is Dunedin Railways that operates tourist trains out of Dunedin along the scenic Taieiri Gorge, which otherwise no longer has passenger rail service.

By taxi

Uber is available in major cities, in addition to local operators taking phone bookings. Smaller cities and most larger towns have local taxis which are best booked by phone in advance.

By boat

Between the North and South Islands

Main article: Cook Strait ferries

There are two passenger and car ferry operators which cross Cook Strait between Wellington in the North Island and Picton in the South Island. The journey lasts 3.5 hours and there are several sailings daily. It is a spectacular and scenic trip through Wellington Harbour, Cook Strait and the Marlborough Sounds. However, the weather and seas in Cook Strait are frequently rough and unpredictable; sailings can be delayed or cancelled due to stormy weather, while others can quickly turn from a Mediterranean cruise into a spew-fest. Make sure you pack essentials for every possible weather situation in your carry-on luggage; you can't return to your car once the ferry has left port.

The ferry terminal at Picton is close to the railway station, and the Coastal Pacific train connects with Interislander sailings.

It is essential to book vehicle crossings in advance. The busiest period is from late December to February. Foot passenger traffic is also heavy at this time, and it is advisable to book well in advance.

Check with your rental car company whether you can take your vehicle on the Cook Strait ferry: some do not allow their vehicles on the ferries but will happily allow you to drop off a car at one ferry terminal and pick up another car at the other terminal at no extra cost.

Interislander, ☏ +64 4 498-3302, toll-free: 0800 802 802. Contact centre M–F 8AM–8PM, Sa–Su 8AM–6PM. Operates three ships: Aratere, Kaiarahi and Kaitaki.
Bluebridge (Strait Shipping), ☏ +64 4 471-6188, toll-free: 0800 844 844. Contact centre 8AM–8PM daily.. Operates two ships: Straitsman and Strait Feronia

Other ferries

Most islands which are open to visitors are served by ferries, many of which only take foot passengers.

Harbour ferries, for commuters, operate in Auckland and Wellington. A number of communities are served by boat, rather than road, while charter boats are available for expeditions in several places. There are regular sightseeing cruises in several tourist destinations, particularly in the Southern Lakes and Fiordland area.

By bicycle

You can bring your own bike or hire one in some of the larger cities. By law, you must wear a helmet while riding, otherwise you may be issued an on-the-spot penalty. When hiring a bike you should be supplied with a helmet. Remember to ride on the left. You cannot ride on motorways in New Zealand: for example, the Auckland Harbour Bridge between downtown Auckland and the North Shore is a motorway and there is no separate cycle path (yet), so you'll have to take a ferry or cycle around the harbour.

Cycling in New Zealand can be fun, but because of the geography and small number of people cycling between towns there are very few cycle lanes and limited shoulder space on roads. Beware of buses and trucks on main highways as many drivers will not give you sufficient overtaking clearance; proportionately, five times as many cyclists are injured and killed on New Zealand roads as in the Netherlands or Singapore! You should also be prepared for the large distances between towns and cities and the generally windy weather. While some areas of New Zealand are flat, most tourists cycling in New Zealand will find that they need to be able to cope with long periods of cycling up hills, especially in the Coromandel. Be prepared for any weather and for all seasons in one day.

You can choose to get a bike on arrival in New Zealand, or use a self-guided or guided cycle tour operator. Christchurch had the largest number of guided and self-guided tour operators and there are a number of bike rental companies based there also.

A network of cycle trails is being built around New Zealand, using a combination of off-road cycleways and low-traffic roads. There are some safe and beautiful routes already constructed: NZ Cycle Trail.

By thumb

Hitchhiking around New Zealand is quite good everywhere. It's illegal to hitchhike on the few motorways (except on the on-ramps) and illegal for motorists to stop there to pick you up. Try to get out of the middle of town, especially where public transport operates. Wear your pack and look like you're touring the country rather than just being a local looking for a lift, but above all else pick a place that's safe for vehicles to stop and don't forget to smile. You have as much chance of being picked up by another tourist as a local, particularly in tourist areas.

Rideshare and carpooling is increasing in New Zealand as fuel prices rise and people recognise the social and environmental benefit of sharing vehicles and travelling with others. While some systems are quite informal, others have trust systems which give greater security when choosing a ride.

Share your ride - Ridesharing and hitch hiking website.
CoSeats - Local Rideshare site for travelers, backpackers and commuters.

On foot

Te Araroa Trail runs the full length of the North Island and the South Island, from Cape Reinga to Bluff, along shorter discrete tracks and linking sections. Some sections of this can easily be walked in city shoes, others are serious backcountry treks requiring experience and suitable equipment.

Tours

If you don't have a specific list of destinations in mind, one option is to take a tour. The organisers will take care of all the planning and providing transport. These are generally booked from home and may be sold as a package complete with accommodation and possibly international flights.

Coach tours

Flying Kiwi Adventures. Trips range from 3 to 27 days and cover both main islands, and include coach travel and tented accomodation. The tours focus on enjoying outdoor beauty and excitement 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.
Stray Travel Bus. Offers bus trips around New Zealand, with some trips staying in hotels and other trips staying in backpacker hostels. They offer 3 week trips of the whole of New Zealand and you can join for a shorter part trip. (updated Sep 2024)
KiwiExperience Backpacker Bus. run backpacker buses around New Zealand. Accommodation is not included, but they suggest hostels and will make the booking for you. You can extend your stay in any of the stopping points, but as there are only between 2 and 4 buses per week you may have to stop for several nights. (updated Sep 2024)
AAT Kings. An Australian company offering coach tours with hotel accommodation. (updated Sep 2024)
APT Touring. An Australian company offering coach tours with hotel accommodation. (updated Sep 2024)
Coach day trips are offered from Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown.

Cruise ships

Some cruise ships include New Zealand in their routes. This is often as part of an international voyage, perhaps starting or finishing in Australia (Sydney or other east coast port). Ports regularly used by cruise ships include Auckland, Tauranga, Napier,, Wellington, Oamaru, Port Chalmers for Dunedin and Bluff. Ships also visit the Bay of Islands and Fiordland.

Day cruises lasting a few hours (or occasionally a single overnight) are run from Auckland, Paihia, Wellington and in the Milford Sound.

Destinations

There are many places which can readily be explored without a car:

Auckland

Auckland's bus network has 40 routes, and most of its commuter rail network, running every 15 minutes from 7AM to 7PM, every day, with plans to grow its frequent transit network. The city is starting to be accessible without a car with these changes, and improvements in cycling, rolling out over time.

Wellington

Wellington's geography constrained by the mountains and the harbour, alongside its commuter rail network serving most of its surroundings with an okay-ish frequency of every 20–30 minutes, means that this city has not been able to sprawl out as much, and public transit is reasonably accessible to a decent portion of the city, for a city of its size; however, the suburban rail stops short of the city centre. It's compact nature means walking is a good way of exploring most of the central area of the city.

Christchurch

Compared to other New Zealand and Australian cities, Christchurch is relatively cyclable by comparison – most city streets have speed limits of 30 km/h (19 mph) so the impact from cars is relatively lower compared to its other Kiwi counterparts. Public transport is limited to buses though, with no suburban rail, although a few select bus routes do run every 15 minutes. The Christchurch Heritage Tram is just a 3.9 km (2.4 mi) tourist attraction, going in a loop around the city centre; it is a heritage tram.

Dunedin

The main sights are within walking distance of the city centre. The suburbs are served by 25 bus routes which vary from services which ruin every 30 minutes well into the evening to services which only run once per day. However many of the out of town sights are much harder to reach without a car, and you may want to look at tours or cycle hire.

Queenstown

Queenstown is served by five bus routes and one ferry with regular daytime and evening services. You can also go to Arrowtown by bus. However you may find it harder to explore the surrounding countryside without your own transport.

Stewart Island

There is no regular car ferry to Stewart Island, so you everybody arrives without a car. There are only about 20 km of roads on the island, and it is a great place to explore on foot. Some accommodation offers transfers from the ferry terminal or airport. Taxis and water taxis are available.

Waiheke Island

Waiheke is served by passenger (and less frequent car) ferries from Auckland. The main roads on the island between Matiatia Wharf and Onetangi are well served by buses running twice per hour daytime and less frequently in the evenings. You can also explore on foot using 100km of the Te Ara Hura Walk Waiheke Network.