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Transport around New Zealand

New Zealand has regular International air travel from Auckland and Christchurch. Areas such as Hamilton, Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Timaru, Dunedin& Invercargill host airports for national travel.

Most cities have regular bus services, taxi services and some areas like Wellington and Auckland have train services. Ferry services operate that take travellers, vehicles (three or four times per day) and even goods trains across Cook Strait (the 25 mile stretch of water between North and South Islands). There are also many luxury tour buses that take tourists throughout the country on specialised tours.

Cars are the most popular way of getting around in New Zealand, particularly for long distances. If you have a driver’s licence in your home country and also have an international driving permit, you can drive in New Zealand for a maximum of one year.

After one year, you will need to apply for a New Zealand driver’s licence and pass a theory test and a practical test. However, if you come from Australia, Canada, Norway, countries in the European Union, South Africa, Switzerland, or the United States, you can apply for an exemption from sitting the practical part of the licence test as long as you meet certain criteria. You will need to get specific licences if you ride a motorcycle or drive a heavy transport (HT) vehicle.