Traveler Confidences | Car-Free New Zealand

Traveling is like driving on a mountain road. But among the ups and downs, there will always be those indelible memories that you carry with you for the rest of your life. The Press tells the adventures, big and small, of travelers who are not afraid of anything. Today: Elise Guerrero, 24, who visited New Zealand without a car.

As a child, Élise Guerrero was already intrigued by New Zealand. In primary school, she prepared an oral presentation on the subject. Why did she choose it? “It was a country that was always in the corner of the map.” […] “A lot of times it was in the crack of the book. You had to open the book really wide to find it. In primary school, I didn’t have many friends. I really felt like New Zealand, always forgotten,” she says.

Through her schoolwork, she remembers learning that there were far more sheep than people in New Zealand and that sweet potatoes were widely grown there.

As an adult, her interest in this Oceanian country is still great. “I am no longer as fascinated by sheep and sweet potatoes, but I am fascinated by the co-governance between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. The relationships with nature, which are also different there,” she explains.

In October 2023, she flew to Aotearoa New Zealand – the locals generally use that name, which includes the Maori name for the country, the 24-year-old explains.

There, she was out of the question to rent a car, even though all the travel sites she consulted recommended it. In Auckland, in the first youth hostel where she slept, the other travelers tried to discourage her.

But, “out of environmental awareness,” Élise Guerrero was adamant about not opting for solo driving. “I know it’s contradictory, because I flew 15,000 km to the other side of the world,” she adds, apologizing for this inconsistency.

By bus from farm to farm

If she contacted The Pressit’s because she would like “other people to know that it is possible to travel solo without a car in New Zealand.” Because, when she started planning her trip, she only found one blog that didn’t provide much detail on the subject. “Before leaving, I was discouraged,” she admits.

How did she manage to get around during the seven months of her trip? By relying on intercity and local bus routes. Did this mode of transport condemn her to visiting only the big cities? Far from it.

During her trip, the agriculture student did some eco-volunteering – commonly known as “ wwoofing » – in around ten small farms.

She did chores in exchange for room and board. Some of the host families did not live near the city. However, most of the time she managed to reach the places by bus.

Accessible nature

This mode of transportation also gave her easy access to many hikes. Her favorite? The Copland Track, located in the South Island. An intercity bus even stops at the beginning of the trail. “The hike goes up into the Southern Alps following the Copland River, which is an amazing turquoise blue river,” describes the traveler. After 17 km of walking, a nice reward awaits hikers: natural thermal pools.

Elise Guerrero also really liked the region of Dunedin, a city located in the heart of the Otago peninsula, in the South Island.

She also notes that “nature is really accessible in New Zealand.” “I didn’t have a car and I managed to do a lot of hiking,” she emphasizes, specifying that it is not uncommon for walking trails to start not far from the heart of villages.

Budget travel

Since bus networks have different names from region to region, it can be difficult to search the web for routes. Guerrero recommends stopping at the country’s tourist centers—most of which are called “isites”—to get information.

Buying a bus pass instead of paying cash for each trip is advantageous, since it offers discounts. “There are several regions that use the same card. I had my Bee Card, which was my best friend,” she says, brandishing the pass in question.

Traveling by bus requires more planning, since you have to adapt to schedules, says Élise Guerrero. Sometimes, she has had to resign herself to “hitchhiking” or walking.

But despite this, she has no regrets about her decision not to rent a car. In her opinion, the pros outweigh the cons. Aside from the lower environmental impact, which comes first? “I would say enjoying the view without worrying about driving on the left,” she says, laughing.

“But above all, it’s really economical.”

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