Traveling in New Zealand Part 2

Traveling in New Zealand Part 2

Bus: Bus transport in New Zealand is well organized and connections are well developed. However, if you only want to explore the country by bus, the journey can be a bit expensive and, above all, time-consuming.
The largest bus company is InterCity. The company owns the subsidiary Newmans Coach Lines, which specializes in comfort and tourist travel. InterCity buses run on both the North and South Island, from Invercargill and Milford Sound in the south to Paihia and Kaitaia in the north. However, smaller local companies also operate buses

on many major routes and in numerous areas of the North Island. This includes:

Dalroy Express – operates a daily service between Auckland and Hawera (via New Plymouth and Hamilton),

Waitomo Wanderer – connects Rotorua and Waitomo,

Alpine Scenic Tours – offers services around Taupo and the Tongariro National Park as well as the ski areas at Mt. Ruapehu and Mt. Tongariro,

White Star City to City – operates between Wellington, Palmerston North, Wanganui and New Plymouth.

Kiwi Traveler – operates between Wellington, Otaki, Taupo and Rotorua,

Bay Xpress – connects Wellington with Hastings and Napier (via Palmerston North),
Go Kiwi Shuttles – connects places like Auckland, Rotorua and Hamilton with various cities on the Coromandel Peninsula,
Naked Bus – offers low-cost trips from Auckland to Wellington,

the main local bus companies the South Island are:

Coast to Coast – drives from Christchurch to Hokitika / Greymouth via Arthur’s Pass,

Abel Tasman Coachlines – operates between Nelson, Moteka, Golden Bay and the Kahurangi and Abel Tasman national parks,

Wanaka Connexions – connects Wanaka, Queenstown, Christchurch, Invercargill and Dunedin.

Hanmer Connection – provides services between Hanmer Springs and Christchurch, and also between Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura,

Knightrider – offers overnight connections from Christchurch to Invercargill via Dunedin,

Atomic Shuttles – provides services across the South Peninsula including Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargilll, Picton, Nelson, Greymouth / Hokitika, Te Anau and Queenstown / Wanaka,

Topline Tours – connects Te Anau and Queenstown,

Cook Connection – runs between Mt. Cook, Twizel and Lake Tekapo,
East West Coaches – combines Chistchurch and Westport each other intermediate stations are Hanmer Springs, Maruia Springs and Reefton,
Naked Bus – offers affordable a connection from Nelson to Invercargill, with many intermediate stops,
Scenic Shuttle – runs via Manapouri from Te Anau to Invercargill,
Southern Link KBus – runs almost all over the South Island, stations include Christchurch, Nelson, Picton, Greymouth, Queenstown and Dunedin,
Tracknet – runs between Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Invercargill, Fiordland and the West Coast,

Local transport: 
most city buses are privately owned. Larger cities have a well-developed bus network. However, on weekends, especially on Sundays, the bus connections are severely restricted. Most of the larger cities provide night bus service on weekends.
Wellington is the only city to have a local train system.

Bicycle: numerous touring cyclists populate the streets of New Zealand during the summer months. According to agooddir, the country is particularly popular with cyclists because it is clean, green and not too heavily polluted by traffic. There are also plenty of inexpensive accommodations and camping opportunities. The roads are in good condition and the climate is temperate, with the exception of the rainy west coast of the South Island.

Numerous hills may be a challenge to climb, but they are always accompanied by wide plains and valleys. The choice of possible routes is great. While some cyclists prefer the coastal roads, others prefer to travel inland. The route along an old railway line towards the Otago gold mines is particularly popular.
Helmets are compulsory for cyclists in New Zealand. Failure to comply will result in fines. It is also an advantage to wear reflective clothing for night driving and cloudy weather. Bicycles can only be transported to a limited extent on public transport.
Bicycles can be rented and bought in many cities in New Zealand. If you want to travel to New Zealand on your own bike, you should inquire about costs and transport regulations with the respective airlines.

New Zealand – how to get there

Airplane: there are a number of competing airlines operating to and from New Zealand. For flights from Europe, North America and Asia, travelers can choose from a variety of fares. The cheapest are flights from Australia. The high season for flights to New Zealand is the summer months (December to February) and November, December, March and April.
The following international airlines fly regularly to and from New Zealand: Royal Brunei Airlines (BI), Cathay Pacific (CX), Malaysia Airlines (MH), Aerolineas New Zealand (AR), Garuda Indonesia (GA), Thai Airways International (TG), Air Pacific (FJ), Polynesian Blue (DJ), Emirates (EK), Jetstar (JQ), Korean Air (KE), OzJet (OZ), Pacific Blue (DJ), Quantas Airways (QF) and Singapore Airlines (SQ).

Airports: Seven airports serve international air traffic – Auckland (AKL), Hamilton (HLZ), Wellington (WLG), Queenstown (ZQN), Christchurch (CHC), Dunedin (DUD) and Palmerston North (PMR).

Ship: There are no passenger ships to and from New Zealand. Popular New Zealand marinas are the Bay of Islands and Whangerei (both in Northland), Wellington and Auckland. March and April are the best months to travel by boat from Australia to New Zealand. October and November are the best months to travel to from Fiji.

Traveling in New Zealand Part 2

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