Public holidays and late-night travel in New Zealand

New Zealand has eleven national public holidays: New Year's Day and the day after, Waitangi Day on 6 February, Good Friday, Easter Monday, ANZAC Day on 25 April, the King's Birthday on the first Monday in June, Matariki, Labour Day on the fourth Monday in October, Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Matariki marks the Māori New Year and its date changes every year, falling in June or July.

When Waitangi Day or ANZAC Day falls on a weekend, the holiday is usually observed on the following Monday, and the same applies to the Christmas and New Year holidays. Timetables follow the observed day, so a Monday can run a holiday service.

Each region also has its own anniversary day, a public holiday only in that area. Auckland and Wellington celebrate theirs in January, Nelson in early February, Taranaki and Otago in March, and Canterbury in November, around the time of the Christchurch show. The dates move from year to year, usually to the nearest Monday or Friday.

On an anniversary day the local network runs a holiday timetable while the rest of the country runs as normal, so check the date if you are travelling in another region.

On most public holidays buses and trains run to a Sunday or Saturday timetable. Metlink in Wellington runs a Sunday timetable on most holidays and special timetables over Christmas and New Year, while Metro in Christchurch uses either a Sunday or a Saturday timetable depending on the holiday. Service on Christmas Day is reduced everywhere: in Christchurch buses stop running in the early evening, and some ferry routes in Auckland do not run at all.

Large events, festivals and sports matches bring extra services but also road closures and diversions. Check the operator's website or app before you travel on a holiday.

New Zealand cities do not have all-night networks like those of large European cities. In Wellington, the Metlink After Midnight buses, with route numbers starting with N, leave the city centre in the early hours of Saturday and Sunday mornings for the suburbs and the Hutt Valley, but not on public holidays except New Year's Day. Greater Wellington is gradually replacing them with longer hours on regular routes, so check which ones still run.

In Nelson, the Late Late Bus, eBus route 8, runs on Friday and Saturday nights between central Nelson and Richmond via Tāhunanui and Stoke, but not on public holidays. In Queenstown, Orbus buses run late into the evening every day.

In Auckland, Christchurch and other cities, the main routes keep running into the late evening, but there is no dedicated night network and services become much less frequent as the evening goes on. In regional towns buses usually stop in the evening, and Sunday and holiday services can be limited or missing on some routes.

Taxis and rideshare are the usual way home late at night. Check the timetable for your route in advance, especially on Sundays and public holidays, and allow for long waits between buses outside the busiest times.