If you’re not joining an organized tour and you want to see New Zealand outside the major towns and cities—and you really should!—you’ll probably want to hire a car, or perhaps a campervan.
You’ll find all the familiar names of the international hire companies operating in New Zealand, but it pays to check out the local firms; they are often more cost-effective but just as reliable. If you’re visiting in winter, be aware that you may need to use snow chains, especially when passing through the Southern Alps. Your rental company should be able to advise, provide them, and show you how to fit them.
If you’re embracing the liberation of touring and sleeping in a campervan, be aware that freedom camping—the practice of staying overnight wherever you like — is often illegal outside designated locations.
New Zealand’s main road is SH1, (State Highway 1), which is 2,033 km (1,263 miles) long and runs from the top tip of the North Island to Invercargill at the bottom of the South Island. But if you intend to drive its length you’ll also need the Interislander ferry, which carries people and vehicles across the Cook Strait from Wellington in the North Island to Picton on the South Island.
New Zealanders tend to prefer to drive over using public transport. So, although national bus and train networks do exist, they are perhaps not as expansive as in comparable nations.
Inter-city bus routes are operated by the suitably named InterCity bus company, which serves major towns and cities across both islands. New Zealand also has a national rail network operated by KiwiRail, the passenger services of which tend to focus on the more picturesque areas of the country. From a tourist’s perspective, the most useful routes are
– The Northern Explorer, connecting Auckland to Wellington
– The Coastal Pacific line, which hugs the South Island’s beautiful east coast from Picton’s ferry port to Christchurch
– The TranzAlpine line, which squeezes through a pass in the Southern Alps to link Christchurch to Greymouth on the west coast
And, of course, you can fly between destinations. Major airports serve Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, and Queenstown, and all are capable of handling international flights. In addition, across the two islands, some 23 smaller airports and aerodromes service domestic flights to local communities.
But pause for a moment to consider if you really need to take to the air. Environmental considerations aside, much of New Zealand’s charm is to be found in the communities and landscapes experienced when exploring the country with your feet (or wheels) firmly on the ground.
The country’s three biggest cities—Auckland, Christchurch, and the capital, Wellington—all have good public bus transport systems, with Auckland and Wellington also supporting metropolitan and suburban rail services. And naturally, the bigger population centers have traditional taxi services and ride-share companies such as Uber.
However, no city in New Zealand offers an underground rapid transit system. And all the urban tram systems are now reduced to tourist attractions, trundling around limited parts of Auckland and Christchurch to remind visitors how residents once commuted around the city.
But if you’re confident on two wheels, shorter urban trips are made easy by the electric bicycles or scooters available in many major Kiwi towns and cities. You’ll find them parked on the sidewalks, and you just need the right app and a credit card to activate a one-way ride to your destination.
