Way back when I decided to start my RTW trip in New Zealand, I faced a decision. How will I get around a country that is chock-full of things to see and do? Should I rent a car? Fly from place to place? Take local buses or trains?
A little Googling opened up the world of hop-on / hop-off bus service in New Zealand. It’s an ideal way to see the country if you are short on time and don’t want the stress of planning every day of your itinerary. These bus companies will take care of it.
There are a handful of options catering to various budgets and age ranges. Kiwi Experience has the reputation of being a party bus where its passengers drink all night and then sleep all day on the bus. Naked Bus is simply a bus service with no tour attached, but it’s also the cheapest option to get from Point A to Point B without stopping at popular roadside attractions. Intercity is another point-to-point service but has some tour commentary (I traveled with them a handful of times).
The Stray bus caters to travelers who really want to experience the sights of New Zealand. They hit the road early each morning and visit attractions all day long to make the most of passengers’ time abroad. Several stops are off-the-beaten path where none of the other tours visit. The drivers can book your hostel accommodation each night and you simply pay for it on arrival (you are welcome to book your own hostels and the drivers will drop you off and pick you up the next morning, so long as it’s relatively close to where the rest of the group is staying). Since most people on the tour opt to stay at the same hostel, you get to know people on the bus and then hang out with them over a beer or dinner at the hostel. It’s a nice way to build camaraderie. Most Stray passengers are in their 20s or early 30s. There are a few 18 or 19 year olds, but they are more serious about traveling than their party-going counterparts on the Kiwi Experience bus.
Stray offers a wide variety of bus passes covering the whole country so you can plan your itinerary around whichever sights are top priority to you, or to fit the specific number of days in your trip. All passes are good for one year from the start of travel. If you have a one-year working holiday visa (as many travelers do in New Zealand), you have an entire year to work and travel while making use of your bus pass to see the country. If you’re like me and just traveling around for 6 weeks, you can hop off wherever you like and spend a few extra days in your favorite destinations. Just take care to book yourself onto the next bus passing through, as they can fill up quickly and you have to be “on the list.” When I chose to stay longer in Abel Tasman, for example, I didn’t actually get off the bus until I was sure they had space for me on the next bus departing two days later. Beware that buses pass more frequently through some locations and less frequently through others. Also, Stray downsizes to smaller buses in the winter so even though the tour numbers are fewer, you may still have trouble booking onto a bus simply because there are less seats. They do have wait lists and passengers often hop out at the last minute so the numbers sometimes balance out.
One issue I ran into was the seasonal schedule change. My tour overlapped the autumn and winter schedules, but that was not accounted for when I initially booked so many of my confirmed dates were off by a few days. I began my travel two weeks before the winter schedule went into effect and I wish they’d distributed out that schedule (or at least give us a giant heads up about it). Our signals were crossed for a few days as I was going by the old timetable. But to the credit of the Stray office, they’re extremely good about communication. Whenever issues came up, they responded quickly to my emails and did everything they could to help. I was very pleased with their customer service.
Let’s talk about the drivers! Stray has some really great drivers on their roster that I was lucky to ride with. My favorites are Nat and Spoon (they all go by fun nicknames), who were both well-prepared and also a lot of fun to be around. I had six drivers in all and was pleased with almost all of them. If you like a driver you can stick with them longer, or if you want a change just hop off the bus for a night or two and catch the next one. I actually wish I could have met more of them because you hear about other drivers from fellow passengers and they all sound like legends.
Also, Stray will stop at a grocery store nearly every day so that passengers who want to cook their own meals will have access to fresh and cheap food. I’m not sure if the other companies do this, but it’s helpful to know if you’re traveling on a budget.
Here’s an iPhone shot of us cooking dinner at the hostel kitchen in Raglan:
My favorite part of Stray is that your entire itinerary is planned from the start. All you have to do is get on the bus and you’ll be guaranteed to see the highlights of New Zealand. It doesn’t get any more low maintenance than that! This was a huge weight off my shoulders as I began my RTW trip; I could focus on wrapping up my life in Los Angeles with peace of mind knowing that my first 6 weeks of travel were totally planned. It was also a nice way to ease into my trip — now that I’m traveling through Australia by myself, I’m more confident about take the reigns and planning my own itinerary.
Speaking of the itinerary, let’s talk about the best Stray has to offer. Here are some snapshots of my favorite moments of the tour:
A glass-bottomed boat tour en route to Paihia:
Relaxing on a beach at Cape Reigna:
Surfing the sand dunes near 90 Mile Beach:
Spotting the Milky Way over Coromandel:
A stellar sunset over Raglan, a surfer’s paradise:
An overnight cultural visit to learn more about the Maori people:
Hanging out with new Stray friends in Rotorua:
Checking out highlight on the East Cape of the North Island:
Body surfing and crawfish on the East Cape trip:
A local band practice on the East Cape:
A “secret” hot water stream just outside of Taupo:
Horseback riding at Blue Duck Station:
And kayaking at Blue Duck Station:
Ferry ride to the South Island:
Having a ball in Blackball:
Planting a tree just outside of Blackball:
A helicopter ride to Franz Josef Glacier:
Hiking on Franz Josef Glacier:
Skipping stones at the Blue Pools:
Last but not least, let’s talk about the accommodation.
Stray has partnered up with some great hostels which run about $27 NZD (or $22 USD) a night on average. There is usually the option to book a double room for about twice that amount if you are traveling as a couple.
Here are a few photos from our hostels on the East Cape:
And Blue Duck Lodge in the North Island is the highest-rated Stray destination. None of the other bus companies stop there so it is special to Stray’s itinerary.
A summary of my favorite parts of the Stray bus experience:
- Low-maintenance trip planning / confidence that you’ll see all the highlights
- Visiting off-the-beaten-path locations that you may not otherwise discover
- Flexibility to stay longer in places you like
- Not a party bus / the chance to meet like-minded travelers
Bottom line: I would highly recommend traveling with the Stray bus.
Check out Stray and their New Zealand bus options at www.straytravel.com.
Stray sponsored this post by offering a media discount. Opinions, as always, are my own.
Hi there,
I, too, am booking a Stray bus in the upcoming days. The problem is, I have no idea which package to do. What did you choose for you 6 week NZ adventure?
I did the Stray Everywhere pass because I really wanted to see as much as possible. That meant I couldn’t stay too long in any one place, but I appreciated the chance to visit spots like the East Cape and Stewart Island (places most tourists don’t see). If you cut out some of those places, you could stay longer elsewhere — I’d suggest prioritizing what you want to see and that should make it easier to pick the right pass. Good luck!
Hi Erica!
I just discovered your blog and it’s amazing! I’m about to leave for a trip to Australia and New Zealand and reading your blog is providing me with such good information for planning! Thanks for sharing your experience! Do you happen to know if your Stray Mate code is still valid for discounts?
Hi Joelle! I’m so glad you are finding helpful info on the blog. Yes, that Stray Mate code is still valid for discounts (please let me know if for some reason it doesn’t accept it). Have an AMAZING trip! NZ and Australia have some of the most beautiful spots in the world!
Hi Erica, I’ve really enjoyed reading your Stray posts because I am planning to also do the Stray Everywhere tour and it’s good to see what it’s really like. I’m similar age to you and picked Stray over Kiwi Experience for the same reasons. I look forward to reading more before planning more of my trip (I’m also doing Australia afterwards).
Thank you, Sarah! I hope the blog posts are helpful – I wrote about everything we did on the Stray tour and then my 2.5 months in Australia, so there’s a ton of info. Enjoy your trip; NZ and OZ are fabulous places!!
Hey Erica! I’ve recently surfed through your blog posts to help with my aus/nz trip and let me tell you, your posts to help me plan my trip are UNREAL! Because of this post in particular, I definitely want to go Stray instead of KE. However, I just tried booking my bus pass with your straymate code and it’s telling me “this coupon is not active” when I try to use your promo code. Just wanted to give you a heads up in case others are trying the same thing!
Hi Lindsay! Thank you for the kind words on the blog, and thanks for letting me know the referral code stopped working. I just emailed Stray; hopefully they’ll keep that code active. I hope you have a fabulous time in NZ & Oz!! You’ll love both so much!
Just checked with Stray and they re-activated the code, so it should work now! Thank you again for pointing it out to me!!
Hi Erica!
As I’m planning a trip to NZ, I randomly discovered your blog. Your posts are amazing! 😉 As you’ve already been on a Stray trip, you probably can answer some of my questions:
1. Do you recommend the East Cape part? I’m not quite sure if I’ll do the Stray Everywhere or Stray Maximus. At the moment my timeline looks like I’ll have 32 travel days (excluding the arrival and leaving days).
2. How many days did you exactly spend for the tour? Did you hop off somewhere for longer? Do you recommend some parts to stay for longer?
3. How much did you spend all together for accomodation, food, extra activities?
Thank you so much for your answers!
Thank you, Cindy — I’m glad you found the blog posts helpful! Here’s some additional info…
1) Personally, I loved the East Cape part, because it felt like we got to see a lot of hidden gems that most NZ tourists don’t visit. But if your time is limited, it’s something you could miss. The photos in my East Cape posts are pretty accurate to the experience, if you feel like you need to see it or skip it!
2) I completed the Stray Everywhere pass in around 42 days. I spent extra time at the Tongariro Crossing, Abel Tasman, Wanaka, and Wellington. It was all based on the specific Stray bus schedule at the time of year that I did it, as they adjust their schedules quarterly. Like, we happened to have 4 days scheduled for Queenstown so I didn’t need to stay longer there, but if it had been less time I probably would’ve hopped off. And we only had one night in Abel Tasman, so I stayed for two more in order to trek for two full days and book a night in one of the trail cabins. We were only scheduled for one night in Wellington going each direction (north/south), so I had no choice but to hop off if I wanted to see that city, and the next bus wasn’t for like 3 days so I stayed there longer than I otherwise would’ve. I stayed longer at Tongariro hoping for good weather for the Crossing (and it still didn’t work out, bummer). Wanaka was absolutely stunning and as soon as we got there I knew I needed another night, so I paid for a public bus the following day (it was quite cheap) to meet the group in Queenstown. It’s all up to the particular Stray schedule at the time of your travels, and what you prefer to see!
3) Check out this post for my entire New Zealand budget — http://asherworldturns.com/expense-report-new-zealand/ — that includes one extra week of traveling with my friend (and we rented a car) but the daily averages were about the same. I spent around $89 per day including EVERYTHING — the Stray Pass, accommodation, food, activities, etc.
I hope that helps!!
Hi Erica, Love your blog! I did the Short Moe trip through NZ in 2013. It was an amazing trip. In fact, I had such a great time, I just used your Stray Mate code to save 5% on the (don’t laugh:-) Dong Pass on Stray Asia for a tour through Vietnam. Just wanted to let you know that the code is still active as of the end of June, 2014 and that it works on Stray Asia tours as well. Thanks and happy trails!
Thank you so much, Ted! Ha, I hope the Dong Pass is a fun trip — Stray has a sense of humor with its route names! Enjoy Vietnam and thanks for letting me know the code worked!!
hi
there
love your blog
im planning stray everywhere in mid march 2015 , for 1 whole month…can i ask how.much budget u had for this trip incl australia.and nz…im earning quite little here in Asia
but this i my last trip before i head back to town belgium so i need to make sure to have enough $ and to.make the most out of it…thx
Hello!
New Zealand is beautiful and Stray is a great company — I hope you have a lot of fun on your trip next March!
I spent 7 weeks in New Zealand and my total budget was $4,500 USD — here is a breakdown of those costs: http://asherworldturns.com/expense-report-new-zealand/. And I spent 2.5 months in Australia and my total budget was $6,400 USD — here is a breakdown of those costs: http://asherworldturns.com/expense-report-australia/. Of course it can be done for cheaper to match your budget needs, that’s just what I spent in over 4 months total between those two countries.
Good luck planning your trip!
Hi! Found this post really helpful as I’m headed to NZ this January with a Stray Maximus pass. Is there a certain or particular backpack you would recommend? I’m really hoping to find a good pack that will be easy to move around the month I will be backpacking but I am very new to everything!
Also, since this is my first time travelling overseas from the US, I am a little worried about making it to one of the Stray pick up points after I leave the airport in Auckland. Did you take a taxi, or is there a public transport system that you would recommend?
Thanks,
Rachel
I’m sorry to say I don’t have a great backpack recommendation — I use a roller bag. RE: the Stray pick-up point, it’s in the CBD (central business district) in downtown Auckland. I think I stayed at a hostel nearby the night before my Stray tour started, and then just walked there in the morning? I recall it was a tad confusing — I remember waiting with about 10 other people for the bus to show up… we all asked around to make sure we were in the right place, and indeed we were. I’m sorry that’s not more helpful. Perhaps it’s worth an email to Stray so that they can give you the exact spot with no confusion?
I have no doubt you will have a wonderful trip to NZ – enjoy it!!
-Erica
Hi Erica! Just wondering, what camera did you use for your trip?
the pictures look amazing!
Thank you, Sophie! I use a Canon 5D Mark ii. Here is a link with more info on the gear I use — http://www.asherworldturns.com/my-photography/.
Hi! I am a 23 year old female and I plan on backpacking through New Zealand by myself this January. I am planning on traveling with stray, but I am not sure whether I should get one of their bus passes or do one of their tours? I want to go everywhere and do everything, while also meeting some fellow travelers. Do you have any insight on whether I should go with the pass or the tour?
Yes – I would recommend the bus passes! I just had to look up the tour option since they didn’t have that when I traveled a few years ago. It looks like for 3x the price of the bus pass, they include accommodation, meals, and activities. Basically you can pay a lot more and have someone else deal with those details. But since you’re a 23-year-old backpacker and you want to meet like-minded people, I’d recommend going with the bus pass since that’s more likely to have travelers in their 20’s and with a similar sense of budget and exploration. Even with the bus pass, the driver still acts like a guide, stopping at scenic points and waterfalls and short hikes, etc., so you still get a variation of a tour. And then you can pick and choose which activities you want to pay for as you go, instead of paying for them all up front with the tour option. Good luck — and enjoy the trip! New Zealand is a beautiful country!