The Best of New Zealand travel pass (tel 0800 NZ BEST (0800 692 378); website www.bestpass.co.nz) is a good travel option for the independent traveller.
The pass works on a points system where you buy a pass worth a certain number of Best Points and use these points to purchase travel at a discounted rate. Generally this works out at around 30% cheaper than buying individual tickets.
This pass allows the holder to travel by Tranz Scenic trains, InterCity and Great Sights coaches and the InterIslander and Lynx ferries.
The Best of New Zealand Pass is available in either 600, 800 and 1000 point passes and you can top up an extra 100 or 200 points during your trip if your points start to run low.
The following table shows prices for the Best of New Zealand Pass:

Best of New Zealand Pass prices

Adult

600 Best Points

NZ$462

800 Best Points

NZ$598

1000 Best Points

NZ$725

You can buy extra points to top up your pass once you're on the road. The prices of Top-Up Points are as follows:

Best of New Zealand Pass Top-Up points

Adult

20

NZ$15

100

NZ$77

200

NZ$154

The Best of New Zealand Pass website (www.bestpass.co.nz) features an interactive tool to work out how many points you need for a particular journey.
Refer to the following table to determine how many Best Points are required for a specific journey:

Journey

Transport type

Points required

Auckland-Hamilton

Train

36

Auckland-National Park

Train

70

Auckland-Palmerston North

Train

108

Auckland-Waitomo Caves

Bus

115

Auckland-Paihia

Bus

74

Auckland-Wellington

Train

135

Napier-Taupo

Bus

34

Rotorua-Napier

Bus

55

Rotorua-Tauranga

Bus

21

Wellington-National Park

Train

69

Wellington-Palmerston North

Train

30

Wellington-Picton

Ferry

59

Picton-Christchurch

Train

72

Christchurch-Greymouth

Train

76

Christchurch-Kaikoura

Train

41

Christchurch-Mt Cook

Bus

95

Christchurch-Queenstown

Bus

145

Greymouth-Franz Josef

Bus

42

Franz Josef-Queenstown

Bus

96

Greymouth-Nelson

Bus

63

Fox Glacier-Wanaka

Bus

66

Nelson-Picton

Bus

27

Queenstown-Fox Glacier

Bus

110

Queenstown-Franz Josef

Bus

96

Queenstown-Invercargill

Bus

45

Queenstown-Milford Sound

Bus

76

Queenstown-Mt Cook

Bus

95

Queenstown-Wanaka

Bus

27

You will need to book a seat at least 24 hours before each trip by calling 0800 NZ BEST (0800 692 378) within New Zealand. The pass is valid for 180 days starting from the first day of travel.