In short
- Our regional section lists 43 bus lines from five regional operators in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Wairarapa, Manawatū–Whanganui and Taranaki.
- The Te Huia train links Hamilton with Auckland in about 2 hours 30 minutes and accepts the Bee Card.
- InterCity coaches and the Great Journeys trains are booked directly with the operator; they are not in our timetables yet.
- Interislander and Bluebridge ferries cross Cook Strait between Wellington and Picton in about three and a half hours.
Getting between New Zealand towns usually means a regional bus or a national coach, and on a few routes a train or a ferry. The regional section of buses.app lists 43 bus lines from five regional operators, with departure boards and connections between more than 80 pairs of towns. National coaches, long-distance trains and the Cook Strait ferries do not publish open timetables, so they are not in our data yet, but this guide explains how they work. Travel times below are the fastest connections in our timetables.
Which regional buses are on buses.app?
- Waikato (Busit): Hamilton to Cambridge (about 45 minutes, the busiest regional link in our data), Morrinsville, Te Aroha, Matamata and Tokoroa, the Taupō connectors to Kinloch and Tūrangi (about 1 hour), and Pukekohe to Pōkeno and Tuakau.
- Bay of Plenty (Baybus): Tauranga to Ōmokoroa and Katikati (about 40 minutes), Waihī Beach, and Whakatāne to Ōhope, Kawerau, Matatā and Ōpōtiki.
- Wairarapa (Tranzit Coachlines): Masterton, Carterton, Greytown, Featherston and Martinborough; Featherston to Masterton takes just under an hour.
- Manawatū–Whanganui (Horizons Connect): Levin and Palmerston North, the Feilding Orbiter, Taihape services and Ohakune–Raetihi. Transfers between regional and urban buses are free within an hour.
- Taranaki (Taranaki Buses): Hāwera to Ōpunake and Pātea.
Te Huia: Hamilton to Auckland by train
Te Huia is a regional train between Hamilton and Auckland. In our timetables it calls at Frankton, Rotokauri, Huntly, Pukekohe, Puhinui (for Auckland Airport) and The Strand, and the trip takes about 2 hours 30 minutes. You can pay with a Bee Card. The train is listed with the Auckland routes.
InterCity coaches
InterCity calls itself New Zealand’s number one national bus network, with routes across the North and South Islands. Trips are booked on its website. For flexible travel it sells the FlexiPass, a hop-on hop-off pass based on hours of travel: at the time of writing (checked 24 October 2026) 15 hours cost $199, 30 hours $280 and 60 hours $518.
Scenic trains: Great Journeys New Zealand
- Northern Explorer: Auckland to Wellington through the centre of the North Island, via Hamilton, Ōtorohanga and Ohakune.
- TranzAlpine: Christchurch across the Southern Alps via Arthur’s Pass to Greymouth on the West Coast.
- Coastal Pacific: Christchurch north along the coast via Kaikōura to Picton.
These are tourist trains with booked seats; check the operator’s timetable for the days they run.
Crossing Cook Strait
Two ferry companies link the North and South Islands between Wellington and Picton. The Interislander crossing covers 93 km and takes about three and a half hours. Bluebridge has four sailings each way in its timetable, also in about three and a half hours, with some sailings not running on certain days. The Interislander also carries vehicles.
Tips for regional travel
- Many regional buses run only a few times a day, and some not at weekends. Check the departure board for your travel date.
- Regional buses in the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Horizons and Taranaki take the Bee Card, which is cheaper than cash.
- Search the regional section by town to see every operator that serves it.
