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I am arriving to New Zealand on 24th of December. Are there any issues with public transportation during the Christmas period that I should consider? I am especially interested in the bus timetables (are they same compared to non-holiday days)?

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Which cities/towns will you be in during the Christmas period? They'll differ occasionally. – Mark Mayo Dec 9 '12 at 18:49
Coromandel, Rotorua and Auckland for sure. – Secator Dec 12 '12 at 13:50

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New Zealand doesn't treat Christmas eve as a holiday, this year the 24th falls on a Monday so it should be service as normal. Unlike some countries, New Zealand in my experience does offer some form of public transport everyday of the year in the main 3 centers. Id suspect Dunedin and Hamilton would also.

Auckland I have only spent a short amount of time in Auckland and their public transport was a painful mess at the time. Apparently its better, I couldn't find a simple policy on the maxx site. I did find some info about train disruption for a month starting December 20th which might be useful. I have checked a couple of bus time tables for Auckland and at the bottom they have a Sunday / Public Holiday detailing the times for the route. but...

Christmas and New Year Over the Christmas and New Year period, some services may not operate. Please always check with MAXX before travelling over this time.

I can only find media releases for Christmas 2010 services.

Christchurch: metro info has a very clear blanket policy for all services on all public holidays.

Wellington: the metlink site has a clear overview of Christmas services which start on the 25th, so again you will be fine at the very least on the 24th.

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Should tickets be booked in advance or there will be no problems with buying on the spot? – Secator Dec 12 '12 at 13:50
For inner-city transport, buy on the spot. Inter-city, you should be ok, but if you're on a schedule I'd book in advance. – Mark Mayo Dec 12 '12 at 17:47
Mark is correct. Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch all have different contactless travel cards (similar to the oyster card in London) that you can purchase. The fares are cheaper(I can't remember how much) so consider getting one of these if your in a city for an extended period. – Stuart Dec 14 '12 at 11:19

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