From the airport to the city centre New Zealand

New Zealand has three international airports: Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington.

Each city has its own bus network and shuttle bus system for easy access to the city center.

In Auckland. Public transport: AirportLink bus or bus no. 38 and no. 30. The AirportLink bus (every 10 min between 4:30 a.m. and 12:30 a.m.) takes passengers from the airport to Puhini Station and Manukau Bus Station. Puhini connects with two train lines: the Southern Line and the Eastern Line. Both run to the city center. The AirportLink leaves from stops A, at the international terminal, and B, at the domestic terminal. Both stops are marked with orange signs.

Bus 38 runs from the airport through Mangere town center to Onehunga. From Onehunga, you can take bus 30 to the town center.

For tickets, you can either pay cash to the driver, or take an AT HOPS card, which you can then load with credit and use throughout the city's public transport network. You'll have to pay for the card, but your journeys will then be cheaper.
They can be purchased at the airport, either at AirGo Convenience (domestic terminal) or Take Home Convenience (international terminal). See the Auckland Transport website for more information.

SkyDrive shuttle service (operated by Ritchies Transport) offers an expressshuttle service from the airport to SkyCity in central Auckland. The shuttles run from 5 a.m. (first departure from SkyCity) to 10.30 p.m. (last departure from the airport). They leave from the A bus stop at the domestic terminal. Tickets can be purchased online (skydrive.co.nz) or by credit card (no cash) on board the bus.

In Wellington. Public transport: Airport Express or No. 2 bus. The Airport Express links the airport to Wellington station, passing through the city center. Departures every 10 to 20 minutes.

You can pay on board by credit card (contactless only), or buy a Snapper Card, which allows you to travel on the entire network. At the airport, Snapper Cards can be purchased at Café Wishbone, on the first floor next to international arrivals. You'll then need to download the application(free wifi at the airport!) to add credit and pay for the bus. Bus journeys are cheaper when you have a Snapper Card, so it may be worthwhile if you plan to stay in the city for a few days and use the network.

Bus no. 2 doesn't run directly to the airport, so you'll have to walk 5-10 minutes to stop 7033, at the junction of Hobart Street and Broadway. A little less convenient, but about half the price of the Airport Express. If you're going in the other direction (from the city to the airport), beware: bus no. 2 can take two different directions at the end of the line: Seatoun or Miramar. You'll have to take the one going towards Seatoun to get as close as possible to the airport.

Tip: if you choose to use an Uber, setting the pick-up or drop-off point at Burger King (a 5-minute walk from the airport) will divide the bill by 2.

In Christchurch. There are several Metro bus routes from the airport to the city center: No. 3 runs from the airport to Sumner, via Avonhead and City Centre. No. 29 runs from the airport to City Centre via Fendalton. No. 125 runs from Redwood to Westlake via Christchurch Airport.

Buses leave from the north side of the international terminal, next to the Novotel (look for exit no. 9).

Tickets can be purchased directly from the driver (cash). If you're staying for several days and plan to use the bus several times, it may be worth buying a Metrocard. You'll have to pay for the card, but then you'll pay less for your journeys.

Arrival by train New Zealand

New Zealand's train network is... well, not non-existent, but very underdeveloped.

The country has just 3 "long-distance" train lines, and these are used purely for tourism. As scenic as they are slow (12h to get from Auckland to Wellington), they are part of the itineraries known as the "Great Journeys" and allow you to cross magnificent areas and admire the scenery, but they are neither the fastest nor the cheapest way to get from point A to point B.

Northern Explorer : Auckland-Wellington-Auckland. From Auckland to Wellington, passing through the center of the North Island, from the rolling hills to the central plateau where you can see the three volcanoes dominating the desert plains of Tongariro. It was on this train that Peter Jackson, then reading The Lord of the Rings, realized that New Zealand would be the perfect setting for Middle-earth.

Coastal Pacific: Christchurch-Picton-Christchurch. The Coastal Pacific links Picton to Christchurch via the vineyards of Blenheim and the wild Kaikoura coast. Breathtaking ocean views.

Tranz Alpine: Christchurch-Greymouth-Christchurch. The Tranz Alpine crosses the South Island from east to west, linking Christchurch to Greymouth via the famous Arthurs Pass. You'll pass through sumptuous mountain scenery that makes you wish you could get off the train!

Regional lines. Apart from these three major routes, Dunedin has a number of train lines to the nearby towns of Waitato, Hinton and Oamaru.

Christchurch connects with Picton via the Main North Line, and the Main South Line links the Lyttleton district with Invercargill.

Wellington has two regional lines connecting it to the Wairarapa (via Featherston and Masterton) and to Palmerston North (via Otaki and Levin).

Auckland has a train line - The Waikato Connection - connecting it to Hamilton, as well as a local train service serving the city's various districts and suburbs.

For further information: https: //newzealandrail.com/

Arrival by boat New Zealand

As the country is made up of two main islands, and a myriad of smaller ones, there's a good chance you'll find yourself taking a boat at some point.

The two main companies linking Wellington on the North Island and Picton on the South Island are Interislander (www.interislander.co.nz/) and Bluebridge ferry (https://book.bluebridge.co.nz/).

Interislander is a little more upmarket than Bluebridge. This is reflected in the prices, but not so much in the quality of service. Bluebridge's Wellington ferry terminal is much better located (right in the city center) and is a must if you're on foot or by bike. The Interislander terminal is slightly out of town and, although the company organizes free shuttle services, it's not as easy to get to.

If you want to get to Rakiura/Stewart Island (the "third island"), RealNZ (www.realnz.com/en) runs the service from Bluff.

Public transport New Zealand

Public transport networks are not very well developed in New Zealand: no tramway (Wellington once had one), no metro (yet), so you'll have to rely mainly on the bus.

Bus. To get from one city to another, you'll need to take the "Intercity" buses (www.intercity.co.nz/), which link the major cities, stopping off in the smaller towns along the way.

Within the metropolises, each city has its own bus network: AT (Auckland Transport) in Auckland, Metlink in Wellington, Metro in Christchurch, Orbus ("Or" for "Otago Region") in Queenstown and Dunedin.

You can pay your fare directly to the driver (in cash), or buy a card on which you can load credit later, according to your needs.

The AT HOP card is used in Auckland, the Snapper card in Wellington, the Metrocard in Christchurch, and the Bee card in Queenstown and Dunedin.

Trips are cheaper if you have a card, but the card itself is not free, so you'll need to do your sums carefully to see if it's worth opting for this option.

To top up, all services offer an online top-up system (note that Snapper requires you to download an application). In Auckland and Wellington, top-up terminals are scattered throughout the city, generally in local convenience stores and in strategic locations such as tourist offices or central bus stations. With Metro (Christchurch), you can top up directly on the bus, by giving the desired amount (in cash) to the driver.

Beware, taking the bus in New Zealand is not easy for tourists. There's no network map or display showing the list of stops, and once on the bus it's hard to know where to stop. So it's best to have done some reconnaissance work beforehand, so you know where you're going. To avoid the stress of missing your stop, you can tell the driver where you're going. With very few exceptions, people in New Zealand are benevolent: if they know where you're going, the driver will tell you when to get off.

Boat-bus. Public transport is a little more unusual: New Zealand is a very seafaring country, so boat-bus services exist in most major cities to connect certain districts:

Auckland, whose coast is part of the Hauraki Gulf, has a well-developed network linking the city center to the many islands in the Gulf and to districts on opposite coasts (https://at.govt.nz/bus-train-ferry/ferry-services/).

In Wellington, there's the East to West ferry, which runs, as its name suggests, from the east to the west of the bay.

In Queenstown, a ferry takes you across the lake to Kelvin Height.

In the Christchurch area, a ferry links Lyttleton to Diamond Harbour.

Payment is usually made directly on board.

Rail. Wellington and Auckland both have a number of train lines linking the city center with outlying districts and towns: in Auckland, these are the Western, Southern, Eastern and Onehunga Lines, and in Wellington the Capital connection (Wellington-Palmerston North axis) and Wairarapa connection (Wellington-Masterton axis).

Prices depend on the distance travelled, and tickets are purchased at the station.

Bike, scooters & co New Zealand

Self-service electric bikes and scooters (paid for via an app) seem to be finding it hard to gain a lasting foothold in New Zealand. Companies are experimenting, testing the waters and moving from city to city.

Three main names at the moment: Flamingo in Wellington, Palmerston North and Waimakariri (north of Christchurch), Lime in Christchurch, and Beam in Wellington and Queenstown.

All offer electric scooters, and Flamingo has launched an electric bike service in Wellington in 2023.

With a driver New Zealand

There is nothing specific to the country in this category of transportation: Uber and traditional cab companies cover urban areas at rates similar to those found in Europe.

By car New Zealand

With the rail network virtually non-existent and the bus network underdeveloped, the car remains the most popular means of transport. It offers greater flexibility and enables you to explore the less-visited parts of the country. New Zealand's elongated nature makes it particularly well-suited to road trips, and travel in campervans, vans or converted cars is very common. New Zealand is Australia's little sister in this respect!

If you're here for just a few weeks, renting a vehicle is the best solution. If you're staying for several months, buying your own vehicle is probably the best option.

Whether you rent or buy, remember that we drive on the left-hand side of the road!

Rent a car. There are many car rental agencies in New Zealand, ranging from well-known international brands like Hertz or Europcar to local (and often cheaper) companies like Go Rental, Ezi or Bargain Rental Cars (BRC).

Use online comparators to find the best rate!

Vehicles can usually be collected from airports, or from the branches of agencies in major cities.

If you're planning a road trip across the two islands, it's much cheaper to drop off your rental car at the ferry terminal and embark as a pedestrian, then rent a new vehicle on the other side. This is what the companies recommend (or even require) most of the time.

Tip: if you're flexible with your dates and schedule, you can keep an eye out for relocation opportunities. Rental companies are often looking for people to bring vehicles back to their main branch after visitors have dropped them off in a different city at the end of their trip. So you can have the use of a vehicle for free (or almost free) to get from point A to point B (which sometimes includes the ferry crossing).

The reference site in this field is www.transfercar.co.nz, but you can also find offers directly on rental agency websites.

Buying. The reference site for all second-hand transactions, the equivalent of our "Bon Coin", is Trade Me. But in New Zealand, a lot of things happen via Facebook, and buying a car is no exception. The easiest way to do this is to join a car buying/selling Facebook group and see what's going on.

There's no equivalent to the Argus here, so it's hard to find a benchmark. Cars can be found at relatively low prices, generally between $1,000 and $4,000. For vans, you're looking at $8,000 to $15,000.

Prices vary greatly according to supply and demand, and therefore according to the season! The best time to buy is from May to September, and the best time to sell is from October to January.

If you don't know much about mechanics and want to have peace of mind before buying, it's common practice here to take the vehicle to a garage for a mini pre-purchase inspection. Sellers sometimes even take the initiative of doing this beforehand to facilitate the sale.

There are two things to check before making a deal: the Wof(warrant of fitness), equivalent to our technical inspection, and the Rego (pronounced "Redjo", short for "registration"), which has the same function as our vehicle registration document. The Wof is generally valid for one year, and the Rego for between 3 months and 1 year, depending on the amount you choose to pay for each renewal.

Note that diesel vehicles are often sold at a lower price, but there is an additional tax to pay: the RUC (Road User Charges). The price of the RUC depends on the type of vehicle (the heavier the vehicle, the more expensive it is). You pay for a certain number of kilometers (usually 1,000) and have to renew it when the car's mileage exceeds that indicated on the RUC certificate obtained after the kilometers were purchased.

Rego and RUC applications can be made online via the Waka Kotahi website (formerly NZTA, New Zealand Transport Agency), or at AA insurance company branches (which are usually quite conspicuous thanks to their very, very yellow fronts).

Formalities. To be allowed to drive on New Zealand roads, you'll need either an international driver's license (it can take from 3 to 6 months to get one from your local prefecture, so be sure to apply VERY early), or a New Zealand driver's license. Rest assured, there's no need to pass the code or take driving lessons again! All you need is a translation (by an accredited translator) of your license, and a small fee for the procedure.

Driving / Traffic. The main difficulty of driving in New Zealand is getting used to driving on the left! Be particularly careful when turning, as there's a tendency to reflexively turn right again.

Roads are also often narrow and winding, and can require a great deal of concentration. Most major roads are officially "SH" (State Highway), but don't be fooled! State highways are more often the equivalent of our national roads, or even our departmental roads (hello SH45 with its stretch of unpaved road).

Once you've assimilated these few difficulties, driving is pretty easy. Traffic jams are very rare, except in Auckland and Wellington at rush hour, particularly in the evening (and even then, we assure you, it's nothing like Paris).

People are so courteous behind the wheel that it's sometimes disconcerting. When the streets are a little congested, we wait for the green light to make sure we don't block the intersection when the light is about to turn red.

People are patient and never annoyed, except sometimes when it comes to finding a parking space in town!

Parking. In the big cities, this can be a real headache (especially in Wellington), unless you have a dedicated budget.

There are a large number of pay-and-display parking lots in the city centers, run by the Wilson company. There are several formulas: $6 per half-hour is the classic rate, both on weekdays and weekends.

Day rates are more attractive: $40 for 12 hours on weekdays, unless you park in the morning between 5 and 10 a.m., in which case an "early bird" rate applies and it's only $15.

On weekends, it's $15 for 12h or $30 for 24h.

Overnight parking is $15 if you pick up your car before 8am, and $25 if you pick it up between 8am and 11am.

If you don't want to pay for parking, you'll need to be extremely vigilant about parking rules, because in big cities, the authorities have a sharp eye, and you'll soon find yourself fined or impounded. Some parking spaces are strictly reserved for residents ("resident parking"), others require a yearly subscription ("coupon parking"), and still others are only allowed to be parked early in the morning and late at night, to give more space to daytime traffic. This is where you run the risk of finding your car impounded if you're not careful, as all cars parked in these zones are removed in the early hours of the morning.

Tolls and speed controls. Toll roads are very rare (there are 3: Auckland Northern gateway, Tauranga Eastern link and Tauranga Takitimu drive), but they are sneaky! We often don't even realize we're crossing them, and the note is sent to us after the fact, either via the rental company or to the address we provided when we registered. The same applies to speed checks.

So be sure to check your status regularly if you're on the road and of no fixed abode, and if the address given for the Rego was a temporary one: unpaid tolls and fines can mount up very quickly! A simple phone call to Waka Kotahi will tell you where you stand on the matter.


Accessibility New Zealand

As in our European cities, the accessibility for wheelchairs or strollers is correct but not always extraordinary. Ramps and elevators are present, more and more, but not yet systematic.

Cities are better adapted to the hearing impaired, with crosswalks equipped with sound signals to indicate whether the little man is green or red.