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| New Zealand
Getting Around - Internal Travel |
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Air
Qantas Airways and Air New Zealand (NZ)
operate domestic flights between the major airports. For more information
on the major airports see travel international section.
Many smaller airlines, such as Eagle Air, Air Nelson
and Mount Cook Airlines, are owned by Air
New Zealand and have been grouped together as Air New Zealand
Link. These smaller airlines serve many of the 27 other airports
throughout the 2 islands.
Sea
Modern ferries link the North and the
South Islands by carrying vehicles and passengers across Cook Strait,
traveling between Picton and Wellington.
One of these ferries, the Interislander makes several
daily crossings and the travel time is 3 hours.
Lynx,
the faster choice, is a high speed catamaran and takes 2 hours 15
minutes operating all year round.
Reservations
on all ferry services are highly advised, particularly
for visitors taking their vehicles. You can receive information
from Tourism New Zealand (see contacts section)
or via the Tranz Rail reservation line; see the Rail section for
further details.
Rail
Toll New Zealand (formerly called Tranz Rail
Ltd) operates a reliable rail service on 4,000 kilometres (2,485
miles) of railway with a selection of routes with
fantastic scenic attraction.
Tranz Scenic provides 8 longer distance trains.
The Overlander runs between Wellington
and Auckland, daytime and overnight, with beautiful
views of volcanic peaks, gorges and forests.
The
Transcoastal runs between Christchurch
and Picton along the east coast between the snow
covered Kaikoura Mountains and past the Kaikoura coast, which is
well known for whale watching.
The TranzAlpine
runs between Christchurch and Greymouth
through amazing landscapes of river valleys,gorges, and across the
snow covered Southern Alps.
There are buffet cars on all trains, however there
are no sleeping cars on overnight services, and all services are
one class travel only. For further information, contact Toll
New Zealand:
Telephone: (4) 498 3000
Facsimile: (4) 498 3259
Email address: info@tollnz.co.nz
Website address: www.tollnz.co.nz
or Tranz Scenic:
Telephone: (4) 495 0775 or (0800) 277 482 (toll free in New Zealand)
Facsimile: (4) 472 8903z
Email address: bookings@tranzscenic.co.nz
Website address: www.tranzscenic.co.nz
Road
There is 92,000 kilometres (57,200 miles) of roads in New Zealand.
The Traffic drives on the left, and the legal speed
limit is 50 kilometres per hour (30 miles per hour) in built-up
areas and 100 kilometres per hour (60 miles per hour) on the open
road. Distances are indicated in kilometres, and it is legally essential
for both both driver and passengers to wear seat belts at all times.
Bus
There are regional bus networks which supply most
parts of the country, they are cheaper and known to be friendlier
than the larger companies.
Taxi
There are metered taxis throughout New Zealand.
Coach tours
For all coach tours it is advisable to make reservations
for seats. Contact an InterCity Travel Centre or Tourism New Zealand
for information and details on travel passes, which are valid for
coach, rail and ferries.
InterCity Coachlines
activates scheduled services throughout New Zealand.
Website address: www.intercitycoach.co.nz
Newmans Coach Lines operates services in both islands.
Website address: www.newmanscoach.co.nz
Car hire
Local firms and major international firms have offices at airports
and in most major towns and cities. It is advised
to hire vehicles from members of the New Zealand Vehicle Rental
and Leasing Association.
The minimum age for driving a rented car is 21. For further information,
contact The New Zealand Automobile Association:
Telephone: (9) 377 4660 or (800) 500 444 (toll free in New Zealand)
Facsimile: (9) 309 4563
Email address: info@aa.co.nz
Website address: www.aa.co.nz
Documentation
New Zealand recognise all international driving licence's, however
although its not compulsory, an International Driving Permit is
advised. For further information, contact Tourism New Zealand (see
contacts section).
Urban
Reliable and local bus services are provided in the main towns,
and in Wellington there are also trolley buses. Both Wellington
and Auckland have zonal fares with pre purchase tickets and day
passes. The company Rideline
houses all the bus, train and ferry information about traveling
around Auckland.
Travel times
The following chart gives approximate travel times (in hours and
minutes) from Wellington to other major towns and cities in New
Zealand: |
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Air |
Road |
Rail |
Auckland |
1
hour |
9
hours |
10
hours |
Queenstown |
2
hours
5 minutes |
15
hours
40 minutes * |
N/A |
Nelson |
20
minutes |
6
hours |
- |
N.
Plymouth |
1
hour |
8
hours
30 minutes |
- |
Palmerston
N. |
30
minutes |
2
hours
30 minutes |
2
hours
40 minutes |
Glaciers
(west coast) |
1
hour
45 minutes ** |
8
hours
20 minutes |
- |
Christchurch |
45
minutes |
7
hours
20 minutes * |
5
hours
20 minutes * |
Dunedin |
1
hour
20 minutes |
12
hours
20 minutes * |
- |
Rotorua |
1
hour
15 minutes |
5
hours
45 minutes |
- |
Bay
of Islands |
2
hours |
14
hours |
- |
Napier |
1
hour |
6
hours
30 minutes |
- |
Mt
Cook |
2
hours |
10
hours |
- |
Picton |
30
minutes |
- |
- |
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Note:
* Means plus ferry crossing lasting 3
hours
** Means plus 2 hours 30 by road
Travel Passes
‘Travelpass New Zealand’
is a 3-in-1 travel pass which allows unlimited
travel on Tranz Scenic trains, InterCity coaches, and Interislander
ferry services across Cook Strait.
It can be issued for periods between five days and over
eight weeks and can be bought outside New Zealand from
any Toll New Zealand travel centre or accredited travel agency,
or a InterCity Coachlines office
The Best of New Zealand Pass includes all train and ferry
services as well as selected coach services and the Taieri Gorge
Railway for travel over 180 days.
For further information, contact Tourism New Zealand (see the contacts
section). |
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