Transport:
Getting
Around New Zealand
Once you've got here how do you get around the place. Here's some thoughts
You have a variety of options:
- Hitch-hiking.
- Generally safe - but be wary. If you don't like the look of the car occupant or occupants, don't take the lift. Regrettably not every Kiwi is a nice Kiwi.
- Cycling
Cycling
No doubt about it - if you want to get up close and personal with the landscape then cycling is the way to do it. But be warned, there are hills here. The country is a curious mixture of long flat stretches with a lot of hilly country between. Some of it is mountainous, even.
Go to our cycling page for a useful reference on cycle touring.
There are a number of cycle touring companies that make it a bit easier. Some of them provide a bus that goes with you and if you want you can accelerate uphill by bus and exhilarate downhill on the bike.
For Northland tours try the Cycle Touring Company.
Backpackers bus.
There are a couple of transport networks covering the main tourist routes - Magic Bus and Kiwi Experience. They are similar in concept - you pick your itinerary, buy a pass and just hop on and off the coach as and when you want. When you consider that you can hire a backpacker rental car for around $700 a month (less in the off season) you have to weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each mode of transport.
Buying A Car
If you're here for two months or more, buying a car can be an economical land transport option. The problem is selling it again when you are about to leave. If you don't get a sale by departure date you can end up nearly - or actually - giving it away. Be especially careful if your plans involve departing around late March or later. By then there are hordes of backpacker hopefuls trying to sell off their old cars, station wagons and vans. It's a murderous buyers market from then on.
One way to avoid the problem is to buy with a guaranteed buy-back. Strictly speaking it should be called buy and sell-back. Under this arrangement you buy a car from an operator who gives you a guaranteed price at which they will buy the vehicle back when you've finished with it.
Other options are to buy the car either privately (directly from the owner) or through the auction system. While you can pay under $1000 for car - easily - don't expect such a vehicle to perform well or be reliable. They are, almost without exception, rubbish.
If you want something a bit upmarket have a look at Rides.co.nz - Subarus for sale en masse. Some priced under $5000.
Transfer of ownership: Our system of registering ownership is so simple it often causes a look of disbelief in the eyes of a traveller when I explain it to them.
The first thing to realise is that the "ownership papers" are not proof of ownership. They are merely a record of the persons who are registered as owners - or put another way, a register of people who claim to be owners.
You can, literally, walk into any Post Shop in the country and on proof of your identity, register yourself as the owner of any vehicle in the country. But the fact that you have registered yourself as the owner doesn't make you the owner. To be the true owner you have to have bought it off the previous owner.
Thus, whether the "registered owner" is, in fact, the legal owner is a matter of contract law not of mere registration.
If you buy a car from someone who is not the legal owner then you have no legal title to the car. The true owner can reclaim it.
If you are buying from a private person you must therefore be careful - ask them for their address and phone number. Check out whether they are listed in the phone book at that address. Don't accept just a mobile number - get a landline number.
If the vehicle has only recently been put into their name be particularly wary. Ask why. To be honest, in that situation I'd give the vehicle a miss unless you have a good and certain address for them - like, you've been to their house and met them.
I had a van stolen from me a while back - a little toe-rag working for me as a mechanic "sold" it to someone who walked in off the street. He just failed to either check with me first, or to hand over the money to me. Within 24 hours it was on-sold to a well-known dealer who is always at car fairs selling vans to tourists. Two innocent visitors bought it off him and had absolutely no idea that the vehicle they bought was nicked. They were stopped when they tried to cross Cook Strait on the ferry. $2400 down the drain. Not my problem, says I when I re-possessed the vehicle.
To transfer a car into your name is easy: Go to a Post Shop and fill out a form. It'll cost you $9.25 and take about five minutes. You'll need proof of identity - a passport or driver's license.
Private purchase
Best hunting ground is the car fairs which are held on Saturday and Sunday mornings Or through a newspaper called Trade and Exchange which is published every Thursday. Another option is TradeMe, an online auction.
The car fairs are, however, the stalking ground of the unlicensed and illegal dealers. They are there in droves looking to snare the unwary traveller. As soon as you have driven the car out the gate they are gone and there's no way of ever tracking them down. One safeguard when buying is to ask how long they have owned the car. Ask to see the registration papers. Ask if they are the current registered owner. If they aren't then be suspicious. Be Very Suspicious. In many cases they are dodgy old bombs that have been given a quick-fix on any obvious problems. You'll be lucky to make it half way down the island in them.
Problem is selling again when you are ready to leave. Also, in my considerable experience, privately owned cars - especially older ones - are often in poor repair and readiness. Remember, you are going to ask this vehicle to run steadily for several hours at a time on a round trip of 6000-8000kms. Most privately owned cars haven't had proper tuning and maintenance for years. Expect to spend money - $150 to $300 - on them before starting out.
Auctions.
Auction is a wholesale market. You'll buy cheaper here than anywhere. But it is also totally a "buyer-beware" market. There are some hideous things lurking inside cars at auction. Trust me - I've been caught with 'em from time to time. For cars over $3000 best option is Turners Car Auction. They operate in all main centres. For cheaper cars in Auckland try Hammer Auctions.
Sale And Buy-Back Operators.
These are professional car dealers or rental car operators. In general terms you will pay more but get a safer, more reliable car from them. In our case - I don't know about other dealers - our cars are tuned and serviced before delivery. They are road-ready to run. We also offer a warranty against major breakdowns.
The buy back operators I would personally recommend are:
Downtown Rentals. My own family's business. 31 Neilson St, Onehunga, Auckland. (Call first - don't just go there - I'm not always on site). Cars from $990. Station-wagons from $1290. SleeperVans from $2990. These are vehicles that have been used in our rental car fleet - thus we know their history and we know that they have been well maintained during that time.Car Trek New Zealand. Ph 570-5262. Cars, station wagons and vans - prices start at about $2500. Buyback percentage starts at 30%.
Car Dealers
Car dealers in this country must be licensed. If you are buying from a dealer of some sort check that they are licensed. In general dealers don't sell cars less than $4000 or so - it's just not worth their while. But if you are looking for a better class of car then they are a safe and reliable bet. They will also usually re-purchase the car when you've finished with it.
For cheaper cars try a mate of mine, Glen Stewart of South Pacific Automotive. He's a mechanic (does a lot of work on my cars) and a car dealer. He won't put you crook. (That's a Kiwism for won't cheat you). He's wanted by the authorities in 25 countries (according to the tales he tells) - but he's as honest as the day is long. His phone number in Auckland is 636-3364.
Again, look in Trade and Exchange for screeds of offerings from dealers.
Rental Motorcycle
If you like the idea of the wind in your face and the romance of motorycle touring there are a couple of operators that can help:
Adventure Motorcycles based in Nelson.
New Zealand Motorcycle Rentals in Auckland and Christchurch.
Intercity Coachlines offer a coach pass which also uses some of the services of Newmans Coach lines. It allows you to travel at your own pace on a given itinerary. They offer a choice of four itineraries which have varying minimum duration - from 7 to 12 days and a maximum of three months.
Personally, again, I think you have to carefully weigh up the costs of this kind of arrangement against those of hiring a cheap rental car - but that's probably just my rental car operator's bias showing.
TranzScenic operates a couple of passenger services:
-
The TranzCoastal - Picton to Christchurch daily.
The Tranzalpine - one of the most famous and popular between Christchurch and Greymouth through the spectacular Southern Alps.
There are two major airline operators, Air New Zealand and Qantas and a third, smaller, operator Origin Pacific,
All have a range of incentive fares: Generally you will buy a cheaper fare on the net - unless you can include domestic travel as part of your international ticket.
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All you need to know about a visit to the place where God set the contrast and colour and man hasn'nt fiddled with the dials.
What, hopefully, you'll get out of this mish-mash of peripatetic ramblings.
Background bumpf on the country.
Visas, customs, immigration, duty free shopping, and getting away from the airport. Bloody important if you don't want to be arrested on arrival.
Moving on . . . by road or rail, by air or by sea.
"nuff said.
What to see, what to do, and why to go there.
Diving, fishing, golf, rafting, sailing, skiing - and more.
All you need to know about a visit to the place where God set the contrast and colour and man hasn'nt fiddled with the dials.
What, hopefully, you'll get out of this mish-mash of peripatetic ramblings.
Background bumpf on the country.
Visas, customs, immigration, duty free shopping, and getting away from the airport. Bloody important if you don't want to be arrested on arrival.
Moving on . . . by road or rail, by air or by sea.
"nuff said.
What to see, what to do, and why to go there.
Diving, fishing, golf, rafting, sailing, skiing - and more.