The Kiwi Experience Bus

The Kiwi Experience, along with Stray, is one of the most popular ways to get around New Zealand, with a comprehensive network of hop-on hop-off buses around both islands.

The Kiwi bus is very popular with British teens on their gap yahs, and I had pretty much nothing in common with 60% of people on the buses I hopped onto. But, I made some incredible friends and had one of the best times of my life. 

It's a very slick operation, and all the drivers know exactly how it works, and can recommend places that are best to hop off if you have spare time to explore more. As I did it in autumn/ winter, there were four buses a week, so hopping off usually meant three nights in one place, but in summer there are buses every day. However, it's much busier in summer, and there might be some difficulty getting the bus you want unless you call or email the office and book a few days in advance. Most buses I was on, except the first one with the newbies all starting in Auckland, were quiet. Once you're on one bus they assume you're staying on it and following the set itinerary until you book a different bus with the main office. The timetables are available online. 

Most people, including me, hop off for a while in Queenstown, mainly because it's a fantastic place with loads to do. And the most popular route seemed to be Auckland to Christchurch, which works really well. That way you don't have the dull activity-less ride north to Auckland, but having said that I made my own fun on that section of the trip in Taupo and Auckland. The only thing that is a shame to miss out on if you finish in Christchurch is the whale-watching or dolphin swimming in Kaikoura, but you can pay the Kiwi Experience driver NZ$20 extra to take you there, and then arrange a local bus back to Christchurch. 

Before every stop you make, the driver will pass round sign-up sheets for activities on offer. These are normally at a good discount, often as good as 30% off. And there are often a variety of options. Or you can do nothing if you want to save money or feel like having an afternoon/morning off. I was in need of a break after five days straight of at least one big activity per day. I loved the madness, but it's nice to sit back from the fast pace once in a while. 

The drivers do the same with accommodation sheets. Most people stay together, but if you've booked ahead somewhere else they can normally drop you there. The accommodation can be cheaper if you book ahead online, so if you can find out what hostel everyone is staying at, you can save money that way. 

When it comes to choosing what pass you want to buy (basically what you want to see in New Zealand), I would definitely recommend going for one that includes both islands if your time limit/ budget allows. Both islands are packed full of things to do, with the south being more rugged and beautifully wild, and the north full of culture, beaches and activities. 

The Deep South (Dunedin, the Catlins, Invercargill and Milford Sound) is very scenic. But if you're pressed for time I would recommend just doing the Milford Sound day trip from Queenstown. 

I can't comment on the Bay of Islands section because it wasn't included in my pass, but the people who went there, even in autumn, said that it was beautiful. I'd be more inclined to go and see its beaches if it was summer though. 

Either of those sections can be bought from your driver if you want to do them and they're not included in your pass. 

Absolutely look at what passes they have on offer at the time you book. This is just one of their pages on their website. I got my Auckland-Auckland Chilly Bin pass for 46% off, bringing it to less than NZ$900. And that includes the cruise at Milford Sound as part of the Deep South. 

I didn't meet anyone who said they had paid full price for their ticket. So have a look and see what's on offer. They rotate the passes on offer every so often. 

To be honest, I thought that the price I paid was a good deal, and made it worth it. I wouldn't have been happy to pay upwards of NZ$1000 for it. But it all depends on your budget. 

Alternatives include the Naked Bus system, and Stray. 

And when it comes to deciding how much time to allow, have a look at the 'minimum days' they suggest for each pass, and go from there. Try to leave yourself some days to play with, so you can hop off if you want to. You might meet people you want to stay with. Most people stay extra nights in Wellington, Kaiteriteri and Queenstown. I heartily recommend QT out of those though, if you only have time to hop off in one place. But for the most part I found people didn't hop off in many places, if at all. 

Overall, I think the Kiwi Experience is a fantastic way to meet people, have a nice easy time, and see this amazing country. But it's definitely not the only way to do it.

Queenstown!

Queenstown deserves that exclamation mark. In fact, I think it deserves several. What a place!

I'd heard Queenstown was New Zealand's adventure and nightlife capital, so I was imagining a bustling city filled with neon lights and dodgy back alleys. I should have expected a surprise from this country. Queenstown is the most happening village in the world. It's made up of maybe five main streets, and is nestled in a narrow strip of flat land by a pristine blue lake under fantastic mountain scenery. 

And it did not fail to disappoint. I went out on four of the six nights I was there, and three of them were in a row. That's a first for me, but Queenstown is the place to do it. There are bars for every taste. As part of a bar crawl I did we went to one of the two Ice Bars there, where everything down to the floor, chairs, tables and glasses were made of ice. We went to Cowboys, a Western-themed bar with a bull. I'm still nursing a spectacular bruise on my leg from giving that a go. But my favourite place to end the night was Winnie's. There was a good dancefloor, which is basically all I need for a night out. Every Thursday they do a competition night for prizes provided by Peter Pan's. I forced my friend Laura into the dancing contest, and we won! We got a two for one paraglide from the top of Queenstown gondola. (Which for various reasons, mainly the incompetency of the company, we weren't able to do). And our friend Michelle won a two for one skydive as well. All in all it was a successful night. 

Queenstown is also home to Fergburger, where they'll make you a burger as big as your head. And they taste so good. We went there four times. (I just ate a vegetable stir fry before writing this post, cooked with no oil. That's how hard Queenstown hit me). 

Aside from all the bungy jumping, skydiving, luging, jet boating, hiking, canyon swings, and whatever else you could ever want to do, the gondola ride up to the top of a mountain overlooking the town and the lake is well worth doing. We used it to break up the cycle of drunk-hungover-repeat we found ourselves in. And we did some luging while we were there, just for good measure. 

Just as an aside, you'll find some amazing deals for activities on bookme.co.nz, which beat pretty much everything you'll find on the high street. 

After a few days in Queenstown, Laura and I embarked on the Deep South section of the Kiwi Experience. We took in Dunedin, and saw the world's steepest street and Cadbury World NZ. We went to the Catlins and saw sealions and the world's rarest type of penguin on a beach made of petrified Jurassic forest. We spent the night in Invercargill, the world's southernmost city, and then on the third day - Milford Sound. 

Milford Sound is a fjord on the Tasman Sea, and has been unofficially named the Eighth Wonder of the World. You can do it in a long day trip from Queenstown, or stay closer to it, in places like Te Anau.

Now... I don't want to put a downer on it, because it is beautiful. But honestly I didn't think it deserved all the hype. It was a cloudy day when I was there, so it might be different when the water reflects a clear blue sky, but I've seen photos of Scandinavian fjords that were more impressive. However, I would still recommend going. The boat cruise we did onto the fjord was beautiful, and even the drive there through the Fiordland National Park was full of stunning scenery. It's got to the point where your average perfect reflections in crystal clear lakes of snowy mountains rising above rich pine forests is nothing special. I have to keep reminding myself what I'm surrounded by. 

I already miss Queenstown, and I've only been away for two nights. I had great friends there, who have now left New Zealand, so I'm back to travelling north solo. And every day was full of new things, activities, and great sights. It was just the best time. I was on top of the world, at the bottom of the world. 

If you come to New Zealand, you have to include Queenstown in your itinerary. It may be tiny, but it packs a punch.