Getting Around New Zealand

New Zealand drives on the left, and the most common cause of tourist crashes is drifting to the right side of the road after a stop or on an empty rural road. You can drive for up to 12 months on a current overseas licence if it is in English; otherwise carry an International Driving Permit or an approved translation with it. Rental companies usually require drivers to be 21 or over, with a young-driver fee under 25.

Speed limits are 100 km/h on most open roads, 110 km/h on a few expressways, 50 km/h in towns, and often lower on rural roads that have been reduced in recent years; watch the signs rather than assuming. Speed cameras and police patrols are common, and fines arrive with your rental company, which adds an admin fee. The drink-drive limit is 250 micrograms per litre of breath (0.05 blood alcohol) for drivers 20 and over and zero for drivers under 20, and handheld phone use is banned.

Plan driving times generously. Auckland to Wellington is 640 km and 8 to 9 hours, Christchurch to Queenstown 480 km and about 6 hours, and Queenstown to Milford Sound 290 km and 4 hours each way without stops. Google Maps times are achievable only with no photo stops, which nobody manages on the South Island. Rest every two hours, and avoid driving at night in rural areas, where wandering stock, deer and possums share the road.

Hundreds of bridges on state highways, especially on the West Coast between Greymouth and Haast, are a single lane wide. A sign before each bridge shows two arrows: if your arrow is the large white one you have priority, and if your arrow is the small red one, or you see a red-circle give-way sign, you stop and wait for oncoming traffic to clear. Slow right down regardless, because tourists from both directions sometimes misread the signs. Some West Coast bridges also carry a railway line.

Rental cars cost about NZ$40 to 70 a day in winter and NZ$70 to 120 in the December to February peak, with the cheapest rates from smaller local firms that pick up from the airport by shuttle. Book months ahead for summer and Easter, read the insurance terms (standard excess is often NZ$3,000 to 5,000 unless you pay to reduce it), and check whether gravel roads are allowed; some contracts exclude them entirely.

Campervans range from two-berth converted vans to six-berth motorhomes, at NZ$60 to 400 a day depending on size and season. A camper is ideal on the South Island, where holiday parks and DOC campsites sit beside lakes and beaches, but it is slow on hills and needs care in wind. Freedom camping on council land now requires a vehicle certified self-contained with a fixed toilet; see the costs guide for the rules, fines and campsite prices.

Most rental companies do not let you take cars or campervans on the Cook Strait ferry. Instead you drop the vehicle at the ferry terminal in Wellington or Picton and pick up another on the other side, which the company arranges if you book a single hire. One-way hires between Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown are common, sometimes with a one-way fee, and relocation deals let you move a vehicle between depots for a nominal daily rate.

Two companies cross Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton, a 92 km crossing that takes about 3.5 hours, the last hour through the Marlborough Sounds. Interislander, run by KiwiRail, sails from the Kaiwharawhara terminal on the north edge of central Wellington and arrives at Picton’s main ferry terminal, with up to eight sailings a day including freight-only runs. Bluebridge sails from a terminal opposite Wellington railway station, handy if you arrive by train or on foot, with three to four passenger sailings each way most days and cabins on night crossings.

Fares vary with demand and flexibility. Cheapest adult foot-passenger fares usually start around NZ$75 to 90 one way, and a car with driver typically costs NZ$200 to 400 depending on sailing time and season; campervans cost more by length. Daytime sailings between Christmas and the end of January and on long weekends sell out, so book early. The strait is one of the roughest stretches of water in the region, and sailings are cancelled in severe southerlies a few times a year; build a spare day into your plans if you have flights to catch.

Flying saves days on a trip that covers both islands. Air New Zealand is the main domestic carrier, connecting Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch with about 20 regional airports including Queenstown, Dunedin, Nelson, Rotorua, Napier, New Plymouth and Invercargill. Its cheapest “Seat” fares include only a 7 kg carry-on, so add checked baggage if you have more. Jetstar competes on the main trunk routes between Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Queenstown and Dunedin, usually at lower base fares with paid extras. Small regional airlines such as Sounds Air link Wellington with Picton, Blenheim and Nelson in about 25 minutes, and Air Chathams flies to the Chatham Islands.

Typical one-way fares are NZ$70 to 180 on trunk routes if booked a few weeks ahead, rising to NZ$250 or more at short notice. The flight from Auckland to Queenstown takes about 1 hour 50 minutes and replaces two days of driving. Domestic security is light on smaller turboprop routes, and you can usually arrive 30 to 45 minutes before departure. For airport details and transfers see our New Zealand airports guide.

InterCity is the national coach network, linking Auckland, Rotorua, Taupo, Wellington, Picton, Nelson, Christchurch, the West Coast glaciers, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound and Dunedin, among roughly 600 stops. Coaches are modern, have USB charging and usually wifi, and the drivers on scenic routes such as Queenstown to Milford provide commentary. Advance fares on busy routes are much cheaper than walk-up prices, and booking online is essential in summer.

For a multi-stop trip, the FlexiPass sells blocks of travel hours (from 10 hours upward) valid for 12 months, which you spend as you go and can top up; the Cook Strait ferry can be included as a fixed number of hours. A FlexiPass pays off if you plan more than about five medium-length journeys or want to change dates freely; for two or three trips, individual advance fares are usually cheaper. Smaller operators fill the gaps: trampers’ shuttles run to Great Walk trailheads, the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and Abel Tasman water-taxi points, and hop-on hop-off backpacker buses offer social, fixed-route alternatives.

Long-distance rail is limited to three Great Journeys of New Zealand routes run by KiwiRail, built for sightseeing rather than speed, with panoramic windows, a cafe car and an open-air viewing carriage. All seats must be booked in advance; there are no walk-on tickets once a train is full.

The TranzAlpine is the one to prioritise: it crosses the Canterbury Plains, climbs the Waimakariri gorge over viaducts and through 16 tunnels to Arthur’s Pass, then descends to Lake Brunner and Greymouth. As a day return from Christchurch you get about an hour in Greymouth; many travellers ride it one way and pick up a rental car on the West Coast instead. The Coastal Pacific hugs the Kaikoura coast, where you may see seals and dolphins, and connects with the Interislander in Picton. The Northern Explorer passes the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park and the Raurimu Spiral, and you can break the trip at National Park village to walk the Alpine Crossing.

Scenic-class fares vary with demand and typically start around NZ$200 one way on each route. Check current timetables and the maintenance-day closures on greatjourneysnz.com before planning around a train. Shorter commuter lines also help: Te Huia links Hamilton and Auckland, and Wellington’s Metlink trains reach the Kapiti Coast, the Hutt Valley and the Wairarapa.

Auckland has trains, buses and ferries run by Auckland Transport. Pay with an AT HOP card or tap a contactless bank card or phone on most services. Fullers360 ferries leave the downtown terminal for Devonport (12 minutes), Waiheke Island (about 40 minutes) and Rangitoto Island. From the airport, the AirportLink bus runs to Puhinui station for trains to Britomart in the city centre, which takes about 45 minutes in total; a taxi or Uber to the CBD costs roughly NZ$70 to 100 and takes 30 to 60 minutes depending on traffic.

Wellington is compact enough to walk, with Metlink buses, trains and the cable car to the Botanic Garden; the Airport Express bus runs to the city centre every 10 to 20 minutes. Christchurch has a Metro bus network, with routes 8 and 29 serving the airport, and a heritage tram loop in the centre. In Queenstown, Orbus buses run between the airport, Frankton, town and Arrowtown for a flat NZ$2 with a Bee Card (NZ$4 cash). Smaller towns rely on taxis and walking.

Uber operates in all the main cities and in Queenstown, Rotorua, Tauranga, Nelson and other larger towns, and DiDi competes in several cities; outside them, book a local taxi in advance, especially late at night or for an early flight. Cycling is a pleasure on dedicated trails such as the Otago Central Rail Trail, but helmets are compulsory by law everywhere. For emergencies on the road, see our New Zealand emergency guide, and for entry rules before you arrive, the visa guide.