Getting Around Auckland

I used the Long Term carpark at Auckland Airport Domestic Terminal which I found to be very reasonably priced and not worth making other arrangements.
I also used the credit card service SmartPay where you insert your credit card into the machine on entrance, the barrier arm is raised and you enter. On exit, some days later you merely enter the same credit card and it charges the card, issues you a receipt and you may exit.
This is the most simple and convenient system.
The fee is calculated hourly, I was there 2days and 55 minutes for a cost of $NZD40.00.
What is also good about this is that there were trolleys right there in the park for me to take my luggage to the terminal which was merely a 5 minute walk away. The path was covered all the way, so very convenient. The carpark is uncovered.

Now there is a Park & Ride long term carpark just 2 km from the terminals, with free courtesy shuttle bus every 15 mins. Parks are monitored by security while you are away. The rates are very reasonable: Stay for 5 days – only $59.00; Stay for 7 days - only $69.00 .
You can read more about it on the website quoted here in this tip.

Obviously you are going to be tempted to visit one of the beatifull islands off the coast of Auckland.
...So you get the ferry with all the family in tow, with the knowledge that when you get to the island you can hire a car. This misconception is brought on by all the adverts that you have spotted on the mainland for relatively cheap transport.
My advice is ....don't....walk, take a bike , skateboard, roller blade, mono-cycle...borrow your childs'scooter or some senior citizen's electric trike ,but don't hire a car ...Why !!!
Well you'll pay 50 dollars for a days hire of the cheapest car and then 60 cents PER kilometer for the privilage ....and boy does that rack up quickly, but worst of all they take a 1000 dollars bond out of your credit card without telling you, which can leave you in a right mess if you go over your limit...and this bond does not get cleared for 5 working days. What a liberty.

Although Auckland has a kind of rail network the main means of public transportation is the bus. There are several companies but the two most common buses you will use are the Bus NZ buses (formerly Stagecoach) and The Link (also part of Bus NZ).

A bus trip in the inner city costs $ 0.50. Longer trips are counted in stages, so 1 stage, 2 stage, up to 8 stage, and the price range is $ 1.80 to 10.30, with 10 ride tickets that make the trips slightly cheaper.

Look for
North Star (http://www.northstarbus.co.nz/),
Metrolink (http://www.metrolinkbus.co.nz/),
GoWest (http://www.gowest.co.nz/) and
Waka Pacific (http://www.wakapacific.co.nz/) on the
NZ Bus website (http://www.nzbus.co.nz/).

The Link - also part of NZ Bus - is a great and cost-efficient service. This (green) bus travels on a loop route through and around the city centre, clockwise and counter-clockwise. One trip costs $ 1.80 (as Jan. 2011). The route leads through Queen Street, Parnell, Newmarket, University, and Ponsonby.

A probably very good value ticket is the Discovery Day Pass. It costs $ 14.50 and is valid for all-day use on all Stagecoach, North Star, Go West and North Shore buses, as well as on The Link and the Downtown Fullers ferry services. Available for NZ$ 10 for use after 9am. Or buy a ten trip ticket for NZ$ 15. (All prices as Jan. 2011.)

Some of the passes are also available for groups.

You can get family passes and monthly tickets for all bus services.

As the system is incredibly diverse and therefore difficult it is best to go to the Britomart terminal at the end of Queen Street, and discuss your options.

http://www.maxx.co.nz/pricing-passes/bus-fares.html
http://www.maxx.co.nz/how-to-travel/take-the-bus.html

If you have only short time in Auckland I recommend Auckland Explorer Bus. It is hop on and hops off system.

The bus stopped at 14 tourist attraction e.g Bastion Point, Parnell Village, Mt Eden etc (see the website for the list). You can hop off at any of the 14 attraction and hop on at any time but make sure you have the bus time table. There’s full commentary on the bus.

The first bus depart at 9am from the Ferry Building then every 30 mins in summer and every hour in winter. The last bus leaves at 3pm.

I thought it was a good way to see some of the top tourist attractions. We bought one day pass for $35 NZD per person.

There are different kinds of shuttle services between the airport and the city centre. Some of the big hotels offer free shuttles.

As the airport is 20 km south-west of the CBD you have to calculate with a taxi fare of NZ$ 50 to 65. If you get into one of the many traffic jams during the peak hours it could even get worse. At the best of times a trip takes about 30 minutes.

The (blue) Airbus runs from the International Terminal to the city centre and stops at many hotels and backpacker accommodation. A single trip costs $ 16, a return ticket $ 23. It operates every 15 minutes from 6am to 7.15pm and every 30 minutes from from 7.45pm to 6am. Meaning: Now the Airbus operates 24/7, previously service finished before midnight. (Updated timetable and prices, as 2 March 2010)

Info here: www.airbus.co.nz

Route and prices:
http://www.airbus.co.nz/cheap-airport-bus-transfer/169/Times+and+Prices.aspx

Timetables:

From the Airport to the City:
http://www.airbus.co.nz/images/resources/site2/2822_001.pdf

From the City to the Airport:
http://www.airbus.co.nz/images/resources/site2/2823_001.pdf

The bus stops at the International and at the Domestic Terminal.



Then you have the various shuttles like the SuperShuttle for door-to-door service ($ 20 to 26 per person and less for a group). There is no need to book the trip to the city but, of course, for the way back. Info on: www.supershuttle.co.nz

More info about shuttle services here:

http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz/Guide/bus.php

If you arrive from overseas and have a connecting flight to another destination in New Zealand you have to go through immigration in Auckland where your luggage is also checked. The bags never get checked through to other NZ destinations.

After the immigration procedure you have to re-check in your luggage. Air New Zealand has a counter next to the immigration exit in the Arrival Hall. If you fly with one of the other airlines (JetStar, Pacific Blue, etc.) you have to get your luggage to the Domestic Terminal and check it in there.

The Domestic Terminal is a 10 minute walk – along a blue line - from the International Terminal. Only walk in good weather conditions as most sections of the footpath are open air. You can take a trolley for your luggage, so it is easy walking in good weather conditions.

Especially from spring to January it is very nice to walk because the walkway is like a pohutukawa alley, and with the trees in red flowers you get a great welcome feeling ;-)

If the weather is rubbish or you are tired you can use the free shuttle bus that runs every some minutes between the terminals from 6am to 10.30pm.

The Domestic Terminal is closed from midnight until 5am.

Auckland is New Zealand’s major airport, and most tourists arrive here. However, if you only want to travel on the South Island, consider flying with an international carrier that flies directly to Christchurch. And if you have limited time you could fly into one of those main cities and fly out of the other. (You can check those airlines on my Christchurch page.) Some airlines have international flights to Wellington and Queenstown, but just from Australia and the South Pacific.

Air New Zealand’s international connections go via Auckland only.

The airport is about 20 kilometres south-west of the city centre, in the suburb of Manukau. I always consider the landing exciting as shortly before the touch-down you fly very low over a harbour, and I always hope that the pilot makes it to the runway… ;-)

The airport is open 24/7. After midnight it becomes very lonely, as there are only five or six departures between midnight and 5am. Most shops and restaurant are closed. Duty Free shops open for arriving and departing flights only during the night. There are showers, so at least you should be able to refresh yourself if you intend to stay at the airport for an early morning flight.

If you are waiting for a domestic connection, stay at the International Terminal. The Domestic Terminal is closed from midnight until 5am. The shuttle bus that links the two terminals operates only from 6am, so if you have a very early flight you either have to walk or take a taxi. The walk takes 10 to 15 minutes, and not the whole length of the track is sheltered by a roof.

Website: http://www.auckland-airport.co.nz
(If you forget the hyphen you get to a funny website about the sale of Auckland Airport ;-)

Whatever you do, don't hire a car from Ace Rental Cars in Auckland. Basically, sub standard budget cars (some not even Roadworthy), poor in person customer service (their Auckland Airoport branch) and lack of handling of complaints afterwards. We even got charged $65 extra on our credit card at the end for a stone chip we didn't cause, and which didn't appear on the 'damage map' of the car (as they were so busy dealing with other customers unhappy with the car they were picking up).

Never again.