Auckland Travel Forum

we are planning to go next year in march (is that a good month to go? not too crowded, weather still good and room and board will be cheaper).
we will be traveling north island this time only, and when we are done most of other places, we will be returning back to auckland, my question is should I return the car when I get back to auckland and just rely on buses to get around or.... is the bus fare expensive for 3 people? q adult and 2 seniors(I learned my parents will not get any discount since they are not NZ citizen even though they are over 65).

ty

Depends on how much time zou have in Auckland and what you want to do.

In the inner city it is best to take the bus, as parking is scarce and incredibly expensive, and you are caught in traffic jams anyway.

You do not get to the West Coast beaches without car, and it is much more convenient to get up to Mt. Eden and One Tree Hill if you have a car.

If you fly out of AKL it is convenient to have a car to drive to the airport, and drop it off there. But this should not be the main reason to keep the car, as there is a shuttle bus, private shuttles like www.supershuttle.co.nz, and taxis. If you pay an extra day car hire and petrol, it is not much cheaper than to travel by taxi.

Bus fares in AKL depend on the distance you travel. Have a look here:

www.maxx.co.nz
http://www.maxx.co.nz/pricing-passes/bus-fares.html

There is also a super cheap bus service, servicing a loop route from the city to Ponsonby, Newmarket and Parnell. Really handy, and a trip costs only $ 1.60, for inner city travel even 50 cents only.

Also check out the fares of bus passes on the same website.

For example, there is a group pass for up to 4 people. Costs $ 22 per day.

Problem with discounts for people over 65 years is that (most) NZ citizens/residents are entitled to travel free with the Super Gold Card since y year. As they have always been tax payers and therefore are now subsidised by the Government, there is, of course, no reason to subsidise visitors in the same way. Surely there could be a compromise but this is another story.

More info about transportation also on my Auckland page.

If you consider keeping the car choose your accommodation wise, so you do not have to pay for parking at an inner city hotel, for example. The best thing to do is to stay at a motel in Parnell or Newmarket, and take the bus to the city from there. Just make sure you are close enough to a bus route.

I toured around NZ and ended in Auckland. I made sure to do everything around Auckland that I wanted to do, got a hotel right downtown and made sure to drop the car off before hitting the hotel and I'm glad I did. Getting around the downtown by car is a huge pain, and the other poster was bang on about incredibly expensive parking. You really don't want to have a car in Auckland if you can avoid it! Of course I'm referring to the heart of Auckland, places accessible by bus, etc. Have fun!

If staying in the centre of Auckland I would rely on buses (or your feet).
All (at least the most) of the tourist highlights can be done with the hop-on-hop-off bus (http://www.explorerbus.co.nz/) and ferries to Devonport and some islands are leaving almost from the centre.

Make sure you first visit with your rental car some sights further away; for instance the Waitakere Ranges and Muriwai (with a gannet colony).

happy travels
Jaap

my answer is more to do with the weather.. we wnt in Feb March a few years ago and as Zussies we found it perfect. From recollection we had maybe 3 days of rain in two full months of holiday.. IF I go back I would be sure to make it Feb/March We did both islands and had a fantastic holiday.. We bought a car and sold it before we left.. That was the most economical for us ...and would do that again too..Hope this helps.. Have a great holiday

you guys are so helpful
so I will do all the things around the outer circle of ackland first with my car, then return the car and only do downtown or wahrf area with foot or bus

ty

Re. the Explorer Bus: Would be handy but the price is mad.

NZ$ 35 per day per person, and just to get to some few places outside the very city centre. A family pass costs NZ$ 80 - but I think 1 adult/2 seniors do not count as a family.

There are public buses that go to the same places, for example direct bus from Britomart (central station) to Kelly Tarltons, in some cases it just takes a little longer.

ty
I will probably use my car to explore the surrounding of auckland first, then return the car to airport and stay hostel near airport, then just one day take bus to go to downtown..

will that be ok plan or should I stay outskirt of auckland? and just take the bus if there are any to downtown for one day and drive to airport to teturn car when I am leaving?

I am not sure what to recommend.

How many days do you have in Auckland to explore the surroundings?

If you return the car at the airport you already need a taxi to accommodation if you want to stay near the airport.

The airport is very far away from the CBD. The closest accommodation are hotels and motels in Mangere, nothing else to see and do there.

If you think about returning the car just for a day I would rather keep it and stay at a motel in Parnell or Newmarket which is really close to the CBD, even along the cheap LINK bus route, and then use the car again for travelling to the airport. If you need the shuttle bus or other shuttle service for three people or a taxi to the airport you spend the money you save by returning the car a day earlier. Plus, you waste your time by commuting to the airport to return the car and then travel to the CBD by bus. It can take you one hour for the trip.

If you absolutely want to return the car, better you do it at a city depot, and also have accommodation there. Without car you can stay at a hotel in the very city centre. (Of course, you can also stay there with car LOL You just have to pay parking fees.)

I agree... ty