Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
land, Tonga, Vanuatu, Tahiti, Fiji, Niue and the Cook Islands). Fares are broken down into four discounted, distance-
based zones: zone one flights start at US$79 (eg Auckland to Christchurch); zone two from US$109 (eg Auckland to
Queenstown); zone three from US$214 (eg Wellington to Sydney); and zone four from US$295 (eg Tahiti to Auckland).
You can buy the pass before you travel, or after you arrive in NZ.
ยป
Star Alliance
(
www.staralliance.com
)
offers the sector-based
South Pacific Airpass
, valid for selected journeys
within NZ, and between NZ, Australia and several Pacific islands, including Fiji, New Caledonia, Tonga, the Cook Is-
lands and Samoa. Passes are available to nonresidents of these countries, must be issued outside NZ in conjunction with
Star Alliance international tickets, and are valid for three months. A typical
Sydney-Christchurch-Wellington-Auckland-Nadi pass cost NZ$1050 at the time of research.
Bicycle
Touring cyclists proliferate in NZ, particularly over summer. The country is clean, green and relatively uncrowded, and
has lots of cheap accommodation (including camping) and abundant fresh water. The roads are generally in good nick,
and the climate is generally not too hot or cold. Road traffic is the biggest danger: trucks overtaking too close to cyclists
are a particular threat. Bikes and cycling gear are readily available to rent or buy in the main centres, as are bicycle re-
pair shops.
By law all cyclists must wear an approved safety helmet (or risk a fine); it's also vital to have good reflective safety
clothing. Cyclists who use public transport will find that major bus lines and trains only take bicycles on a 'space avail-
able' basis and charge up to $10. Some of the smaller shuttle bus companies, on the other hand, make sure they have
storage space for bikes, which they carry for a surcharge.
If importing your own bike or transporting it by plane within NZ, check with the relevant airline for costs and the de-
gree of dismantling and packing required.
See
www.nzta.govt.nz/traffic/ways/bike
for more bike safety and legal tips, and
Click here
for info on Nga Haerenga,
New Zealand Cycle Trail - a network of 22 'Great Rides' across NZ.
Hire
Rates offered by most outfits for renting road or mountain bikes range from $10 to $20 per hour and $30 to $50 per day.
Longer-term rentals may be available by negotiation. You can often hire bikes from your accommodation (hostels,
campgrounds, etc), or rent more reputable machines from bike shops in the larger towns.
Buying a Bike
Bicycles can be readily bought in NZ's larger cities, but prices for newer models are high. For a decent hybrid bike or ri-
gid mountain bike you'll pay anywhere from $800 to $1800, though you can get a cheap one for around $500 (but you
still then need to buy panniers, helmet, lock etc, and the cost quickly climbs). Other options include the post-Christmas
sales and midyear stocktakes, when newish cycles can be heavily discounted.
Boat
NZ may be an island nation but there's virtually no long-distance water transport around the country. Obvious South Is-
land exceptions include the inter-island ferries that chug across Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton, and the pas-
senger ferry that negotiates Foveaux Strait between Bluff and the town of Oban on Stewart Island.
