New Zealand Bus Travel
Take In The View

New Zealand bus travel… It’s enough to stir your blood! I can hear you saying “I have to catch buses in my own country so I can do without catching them in flaming New Zealand!”

Easy tiger. Remember the kids' song The wheels on the bus go round and round?

Well, bus travel is like the song… simple and easy. It’s a great way to get around when you are on your travels in New Zealand. It’s nothing like commuting I promise. No rush, no worries.

New Zealand bus travel is totally diverse!

• You can be standing out in sparkling sunshine on a grass verge in Henderson waiting for a 150 bus to take you into Auckland centre for the evening.

• Jump on the City Circuit red bus for free as it pulls up in Quay street Auckland next to the harbour and find yourself bussing it to sky tower or Albert Park for a stroll before dinner.

• Pick up a prebooked coach and spend three weeks travelling the tourist attractions of New Zealand with accommodation and meals included. Sleep at night on the warm volcanic rumbles of Rotorua and the following week open your hotel window and look out over Mount Cook.

• Buy yourself a flexi-pass and travel on any national bus and coach service throughout the New Zealand. The flexi-pass even includes some ferry trips too.

• Bus 1 from Island Parade. Take the startlingly imaginatively named town bus into Wellington centre.

• Take the astonishingly long (trip that is not the bus) Ozbus from London to Sydney Australia then fly over to NZ. Only 13 weeks so plenty of time to think about your holiday in New Zealand…




Wherever you travel New Zealand there will be a bus or coach to take you from city to suburb and back again. New Zealand bus travel is popular with tourists and travellers because it’s a great way to see the sites and really take in the whole New Zealand tourism experience.

As you would expect all the major cities have bus services plying the urban centres and suburban limits. From stagecoach in Auckland to Red Bus in Christchurch and Metlink in Wellington you have a wealth of information out there to help you to get about on your New Zealand bus travels.

New Zealand coaches cover everything else!

Perhaps you just want anything from a day trip to a 3 day excursion or even a 2 week trip? If so the New Zealand coach companies will serve you well just as the New Zealand bus travel routes do.

Buying a travel pass and enjoying the option to hop on/hop off can give excellent flexibility to a holiday in New Zealand if you’re relying on transport other than your own.

• Airbus Express operates between the airport and Auckland City. It runs every day.

• Intercity are the biggest bus and coach company and have covered the country with their routes. Check them out.

• Abel Tasman coachlines provide daily coach services to and from the Abel Tasman and Golden Bay region. They provide packages for the traveller too.

• Atomic Travel covers the South Island and operates scheduled routes and shuttle services. Atomic operates out of Kaikoura, Christchurch, Dunedin, Invercargill, Queenstown, Wanaka, Nelson, Picton and more

• Blue Horizon is one of New Zealand's leading coach holiday specialists. If it moves Blue Horizon probably have a tour organised for it! From motorcycles to golf tours they arrange most things.

• The West Coast Shuttle does just that! Greymouth to Christchurch and back through the quite stunning and dramatic Arthur's Pass.

• Catlins coaster will take you to Stewart island. Superb bush walks abound on this tiny tranquil isle. Snorkelling and diving is popular in the naturally clear waters.

• Flying Kiwi Adventure Tour. Coach trips with hop-on/hop-off options. Ask about their packages that include overnighters in cabins and camping surrounded by the beautiful outdoors.

• The Stray bus network also do the hop-on hop-off adventure thing with accommodation and passes for a flexible approach to when and where you join and leave their tours.

• Goldline Touring is an Auckland based coach charter company. They work with groups and help prepare and design your itinerary.

• The Knightrider New Zealand Bus travel service is Christchurch based. They run a route via Invercargill and Dunedin.

• New Zealand Coach Tours cover the country with 3 to 18 day tours of the New Zealand wilderness and attractions. David and Kerry run NZ Coach Tours and they have 2 other tour companies, Fine Tours New Zealand and New Zealand Fine Touring. They’ve plenty of experience and not just in New Zealand.

• Ritchies Coachlines is a national operator for both coaches and buses. They have a broad range of services and are based in Christchurch. Ritchies are also part owners of Intercity and Newmans coach lines.

• Based in Christchurch Southern Star Touring provide tour packages that include accommodation if you wish.

• Trek Express is a south island based company providing pick ups and transport to many of the finest New Zealand parks for those wishing to backpack New Zealand and tramp the countryside.

• There’s the double decker bus tour in Queenstown. Catch it for sightseeing around Arrowtown and the Wakatipu basin.

• NZ Tramp caters for divers and travellers alike. They are Auckland based and organise dive and activity trips including finishing off with an evening bar-b-que.





You can either book your New Zealand bus travel or coach trip in advance or wait until you’re here. Check out the companies we mention above, drop them a line and see what they’re offering.

Make sure there are no surprises. If camping is part of the trip then what about a sleeping bag? If you are planning to stay on the outskirts of Auckland for example what are the bus tickets and passes available; are there night buses?

Having done the whole bus thing in New Zealand I can confidently say that you’ll see and experience all this great country has to offer with someone else doing the driving! New Zealand bus travel rocks!

Custom Search

Return from New Zealand bus travel to Home page

Return from New Zealand bus travel to our Getting Around page