Hey Aline, the reason why we avoid talking prices on video is because they change all the time. Check this out for more info -> www.backpackerguide.nz/category/travel-tips/transportation/bus/
Hey guys! Trying to sort out why Stray is so much more expensive than Kiwi Experience. When I add up a south island pass on Kiwi Experience (Bottoms Up - $973) plus the accommodation add-on ($570), we are looking at $1,543 for 14-16 days not including meals. Comparing that with the MacKinnon pass which looks to be similar in duration and points on the map/itinerary, the MacKinnon is priced at $3,309. Am I missing some major inclusions that Stray offers that Kiwi doesn't, or why such a big discrepancy in price? Is the difference just that Stray includes food? 11 breakfasts and 6 dinners.... $1,766 for meals seems a bit steep! Haha. I've done Kiwi Experience twice now and would be interested in looking at Stray now that I'm 13 years older and have never been too much into the drinking scene. Had a BLAST on Kiwi Ex but as a mid-30s traveler now I'd be up for a different vibe. Thanks for any clarification you might be able to give me!
Hey Lauren, honestly, Stray and Kiwi Ex are incredibly similar so we are not sure if any of them would be the best choice for you according to what you said. Try Wild Kiwi or Flying Kiwi instead, they will be more your vibe. (more info on both of them are here -> nzpocketguide.com/the-best-backpacker-bus-tours-in-new-zealand/ ) Don't pay extra for Stray as opposed to Kiwi Experience they should be the same price as they are essentially the same ;) Just our honest take on it.
Thanks Adriano, there are some other great bus companies in New Zealand like Flying Kiwi so we did an other video ton include more of them -> ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-zoBoqm-7lcs.html
If you can afford it get a couple of mates to club together and buy a cheap car instead of a bus ticket. It's the best way to get around and because you can sell the car at the end of your trip it works out surprisingly cheap
Great video guys, but to be honest I'm finding a nightmare to book my travel around NZ by bus. I have a itinerary: Chch to Arthus pass, Arthurs pass to Chch, Chch to Tekapo, Tekapo to Mt Cook, Mt Cook to Twizel , Twizel to Queenstown. So I was making my online researches and found Intercity and Naked bus. Well, on naked bus website when I put my destination and where I will go, the website process the information but NEVER show me the price or the timetable of the busses. Intercity I selected to buy 12 hours(flexiPass) and then I researched for Chch to Tekapo (which is 2 hours) on Intercity website, then a window pop up saying I needed more hours, seriously!!!! So I got extremely confused!! When I buy 15 hours for example on the flexPass, does it mean that I have to use it within 15 hours or it would be the hours the bus take from one destination to another? I sent email to both companies(naked bus and Intercity), but so far no response. Any tips? I thought NZ would be easy to travel around as Australia is, but....
Hey Rafael, You are right to assume that Intercity/Naked Bus is the right option for you as you have the itinerary in mind as well. From memory you have to purchase the hours first and then book your itinerary, this is maybe why you are having an issue with booking your journey. You also need to keep in mind that the "hours" are not necessarily the time that it takes the bus to make the trip, it is just kind of a currency so a 3h bus trip might sometime only cost you 2h. The best way for you to plan your whole itinerary might be to call Intercity or Mana Bus and do it over the phone with the sales person. Last tip: the company called Wild Kiwi has a bus pass that seems to match your itinerary almost perfectly, worth having a look maybe?
Thanks guys for your quicky reply! Yeah, it doesnt make any sense to me to buy something before checking how much it will cost or the time the busses leave. I mean, I'm checking with atomic travel to check the best prices as well, but first I need to know the timetable of buses before purchasing something. Anyway, guys, thank you so much for your help :)
In that case, give up on the flexi pass and just purchase each ticket individually. It is super easy to do online and to be frank, the price difference won't be huge anyway so you won;t loose much. Looks like for this particular case, individual tickets are the way to go :)
Actually the price difference is massive if I buy individually. For instance, if I buy a connection from Tekapo with cook connection (Tekapo > Mt Cook> Twizel) it cost me $64 with intercity just from Tekapo to Mt Cook it cost $78. As I have minimum time left, I wanna leave each destination by morning or afternoon, so that's why I'm so crazy about getting to know the timetable of busses :)
If your main focus is timetable, I know for a fact that intercity states decently accurate departure and arrival times on their website. Select your date, departure town and arrival town and you will get their timetable.
Great idea! We'll add it to our list :) In the meantime, subscribe to our channel and keep reading backpackerguide.nz. We have HEAPS of information on travelling by bus :)
Our most popular blog is : realkiwiadventures.com/en/travel-info/articles/is-the-north-or-south-island-of-new-zealand-better-to-visit-on-a-tour So anything on which island is always great. But this video is very helpful- of course I say STRAY!!! #goorange
