Originally Posted by
aceboy44
I really want to visit New Zealand, but I'm not even sure how to take the train and travel from one city to another....... The information posted online is not as good as information about Bangkok, Hong Kong, Tokyo, etc...... so, even the results of my online research regarding New Zealand is not encouraging me to go there....
There are not many options for travelling by train in NZ. Just a couple of commuter trains in Auckland and Wellington, an unreliable all day train between Auckland and Wellington, more scenic train between Christchurch and Greymouth on the South Island and the odd short tourist/steam train.
However, flying between cities is easy. Every large town has an airport. Also good busses between the main cities and all the tourist spots.
The flight into Queenstown is particularly recommended - flies through mountain passes and tight turns to land. The flight out is not quite as good. Also fantastic flight between Queenstown and Milford Sound (very small aircraft) as an alternative to the long bus ride.
There are 3-4 hour ferry rides between the main islands (Wellington to Picton). The mailboat in Marlborough Sounds is also interesting. Or for shorter ferry rides there are commuter ferries in Wellington and Auckland (and some slightly longer ones in Auckland also).