The Kiwi Experience Bus: An Honest Review

Booking the Kiwi Experience bus? Yay! It’s one of the easiest and best ways to get around the country. Read on for my review of the New Zealand Kiwi Bus to see if it’s what you’re looking for!

If you’re looking for an easy way to travel around New Zealand, the Kiwi Experience bus is one of the best ways to do it. And if you’re backpacking for the first time, it’s even better.

The Kiwi Experience is a group tour set up to guide you from start to finish, be with like-minded travellers and tick off bucket list experiences. It’s the perfect way to begin your first solo backpacking trip!

New Zealand itself is an adventure for every type of traveller.

Whether you’re looking for scenery that will take your breath away, a culture that dates back thousands of years, or locals who want to welcome you with open arms, New Zealand is a place that’s hard not to fall in love with. 

As New Zealand is easy to get around and isn’t overly big, you can see most of the country in under a month if you’re on a short time scale.

One of the best things about the Kiwi Experience bus is how flexible it is, and it allows you to move at your own pace. More of a slow traveller? No problem – the tour gives you total freedom of duration in each destination*.

*Some destinations on the Kiwi Bus tour are limited to one night only, due to the nature of the stay. More on this later!

Backpacking for the first time? Check out my backpacking essential checklist to make sure you have EVERYTHING packed for your trip!

The Kiwi Experience Bus

Quick Kiwi Experience Bus pass facts

Who’s the Kiwi Experience bus for?

The Kiwi Experience bus is perfect for travellers and backpackers aged around 18-35. 

There isn’t an age limit on booking the tour, but we found the majority of backpackers on our bus were between 18-25. 

As well as having the scenic views and activity-based days out on the Kiwi bus tour, there’s a lot of ‘organised fun’, with bar crawls, party games and even speed dating to keep you entertained on long journeys.

If you’re there just for the sights and are travelling with a partner or family member, I’d recommend booking a trip with another company or driving the country yourself.

The Kiwi Experience targets solo travellers and small friendship groups wanting to meet others whilst backpacking, and the social side is one of the biggest aspects of the tour.

• 🥝 For an awesome group tour, check out the Kiwi Experience bus
• 🛏️ For cheap and backpacker friendly hostels, check out Hostel World
• 🏨 For hotels and a bit of luxury living, check out Booking.com
• 🚌 For campervan and motor homes if you’re looking to travel the country yourself, have a look on Maui Rentals
• 🚣For day tours around New Zealand, check out Get Your Guide
• 🧳 For a 65L backpack fit for any type of traveller, check out my favourite here.
• 🩱For ALL backpacking essentials on your list, check out my definitive backpacking checklist here.

How the Kiwi Experience bus works

The Kiwi Pass is super easy to book and most of your trip is customisable.

First things first, you need to decide WHERE you want to go in New Zealand, so you can choose your Kiwi Experience pass (whether it’s the Funky Chicken, the Whole Caboodle…I’ll explain a bit more on this later!)

Whichever pass you choose will determine the destinations your bus visits.

ALL Kiwi bus passes allow you to hop-on and hop-off in locations during the route, and it’s totally down to you how long you stay in each location (although there are a few locations that are limited to one night, but again, more on that later).

Everything about the Kiwi Experience tour is organised for you (if you want it to be).

From hostels to activities to the duration you stay in each location, the Kiwi Experience can organise it all if this is what you’d like.

There is the opportunity to ‘opt-out’ of this (and you can change your mind on a daily basis) and organise your own activities and accommodation, although I’d recommend sticking with the group.

We accidentally booked a hostel pre-trip which led to us staying in a haunted mansion 200m from the rest of our tour. You can just imagine my face when I realised.

🗺️ My New Zealand must-have: If you’re solo travelling, don’t forget to take earphones for the Kiwi Bus! Listening to a podcast or tuning out from the noise is a lifesaver when you’re hungover!

How do I book accommodation and activities on the trip?

Every evening, you’ll pass a clipboard around the Kiwi bus for you to book activities and accommodation for the following day.

Payments are usually taken at the hostel or activity when you arrive. You don’t need to plan or think about a thing before you arrive.

Making amazing friends along the way? You can even sign up to be in the same hostel dorm room or activity group on the Kiwi bus. It’s all just noted down on the trusty clipboard.

🔌 Whilst you won’t want to be glued to your phone whilst travelling New Zealand, I highly recommend carrying a power bank. Losing battery whilst driving across Oceania and not having a map would not be ideal! It also gets super hot so your battery will drain faster than normal. I use this power bank, and it’s not let me down yet! It easily lasts for a whole week trip!

How flexible is Kiwi Experience bus pass?

By booking the Kiwi Experience bus tour, you have total flexibility.

Plans changed? Love a place and want to extend? No worries!

The Kiwi Experience pass can be completed within 365 days of purchase. This also means you can start the trip in January, and finish it in December!

It gives you total flexibility to backpack New Zealand at a speed that’s suited to you.

Plus, you’re guaranteed to make friends along the way, and they might not have the same ideas as you! Popular destinations like Queenstown are often visited for a longer period of time.

If you’ve only budgeted a few days there, but your new pals have planned a seven-day stay, you might want to switch things up and stay with them!

This is totally doable on the Kiwi Experience. Plans can change last minute, and you don’t need to decide anything too far in advance.

😝 Side note: I literally met my boyfriend, Tom, on the Kiwi Experience bus. Little did he know, I changed my plans a few times to suit his. “Oh, you’re in Lake Tekapo for 3 nights? Me too!” Sneaky, but it worked. Just look at us now! 😆 

🗺️ My New Zealand must-have: Solo travelling but still want to take photos?  📸 I’ve found the most perfect adjustable tripod that’s lightweight and easy to set up (you don’t want any awkward moments alone, I know how it feels!)

Minimum/maximum stays on the Kiwi Bus

The only locations that have a minimum/maximum stay are destinations on the Kiwi bus tour that aren’t suitable to stay for longer.

For example, the Kiwi Experience organises a fancy dress party at the Lake Mahinapua pub, and it’s a one night only stay. There aren’t many of these, but it’s worth noting if you’re on a strict time scale.

Your Kiwi bus pass will also have a minimum amount of nightly stays in destinations.

Unless you sort your own transport and ditch the Kiwi bus, you cannot skip a place entirely. This is because the Kiwi driver will stay in the hostel with you, and will not continue the journey until the next day.

When buying your Kiwi bus pass, you will have an estimated time frame, which is the minimum amount of days the tour can be completed in.

For example, the Funky Chicken says 22 days +. This means the Funky Chicken pass can be completed in 22 days or more (just no less).

🚰 The tap water in New Zealand isn’t always safe to drink (especially if you’re camping etc), so I used my filter water bottle pretty much every day to keep myself hydrated. I take it everywhere with me, and it works in every country where you can’t drink tap water! You can grab yours here.

Will I be with the same people for the whole trip?

This depends on how you complete the Kiwi Experience bus tour.

Most people will stick to the designated time frame, adding a few extra nights on here and there to preferred destinations.

For example, we did the Funky Chicken Kiwi bus tour, and although it was a 22-day route, we spent around 30 days completing it.

If you do extend your stay in one location, you will jump on a new Kiwi bus for your next location. This means new people, yay! There are Kiwi buses running one after another, so if you miss one, you can easily catch up the following morning.

NOTE: During peak times (summer months), you will need to pre-book your Kiwi bus seat. Seats fill up super quickly, so you’ll usually need to decide at least 24 hours in advance.

🗺️ My New Zealand must-have: If you’re travelling Europe, make sure you pack a Microfibre towel (and this one linked is super pretty too). They make life easier when getting in and out of the water, they’re portable and easy to carry on any kind of day trip. I’ve had mine for years and use it on every beach trip!

Which Kiwi Experience bus pass shall I choose?

First you need to ask yourself; WHERE do I want to see in New Zealand? North Island? South Island? Both?

Do a bit of research, and make sure you know the difference between the two.

If you have enough time during your backpacking trip, I’d recommend doing both North and South Island. Both have a lot to offer and are special in their own way.

We found the most popular both-island Kiwi bus passes to be:

• Funky Chicken
• Sheepdog
• Queen Bee
• Kea
• Buzzy Bee

If you’re short on time, I’d recommend the South Island Milford Explorer, or the South and Sound. Or if you’re sticking to the North, the Northern Express or Geyserland both stop at some incredible spots!

Unsure of what you want? I’d look at Kiwi bus passes that include at least: Auckland, Rotorua, Queenstown, Franz Josef and Lake Wanaka. They were our highlights!

If you’re still booking flights, I recommend checking lastminute.com for the latest deals. Recently, we were able to save £50 on our flights just by booking through Last Minute!

Where is best to visit in New Zealand?

Not sure where to visit in New Zealand? I’ve created a quick list to skim over and get an overall vibe for each location we visited on the Funky Chicken Kiwi bus pass.

North Island

South Island

Kiwi Experience hostels and accommodation

Hostels on the Kiwi Experience tour are generally clean, modern and averagely priced.

Unless you specifically opt-out, you’ll be in a mixed shared dorm with friends from your bus. All hostels have large kitchens to prep your own meals, and most are located in city or town centres if you fancy checking out the local pubs or restaurants.

Accommodation can be booked 24 hours before arrival, using a signup sheet on the Kiwi bus. You can request to be with friends/boyfriends/potential partners if needed.

You can opt out of being booked into the Kiwi Experience hostels, but like I said earlier, I wouldn’t recommend it. Most of the hostels have been used for years and are reliable and well-located.

Most of the Kiwi Experience hostels are Base Backpackers or Nomads.

Prices were average for Oceania ($20-30 per night for a shared dorm) and you’re also guaranteed a discount (if there is one) by booking through the Kiwi Experience bus.

🗺️ Booking hostels? I always use Hostelworld as their deals are usually the cheapest. They also have reviews from other backpackers, and explain the vibe of the hostel (party, chill, social…) so you know exactly what you’re booking.

What activities can I do on the Kiwi Experience?

Sign up for activities in the same way as hostels, 24 hours before arriving at a destination. Just pass the trusty Kiwi Experience bus clipboard around with an option to sign up and payment options.

Activity prices range from $10-$200, depending on how much of a bucket list experience they are!

Obviously the highest bungee jump in Oceania is going to cost a few dollars more than a visit to the hot springs.

Some activities are free (hiking, walking etc). You can also organise some without the help of a tour. If it’s far away from the bus or hostel you’re staying at, be sure to check you can travel back easily!

🏄‍♀️ Activities on the Kiwi bus range from (but are not limited to!): white water rafting, skydiving, jet boating, Maori village tours, cave and glow worm tours, dolphin watching, helicopter rides, hot springs, bungee jumping, whale watching, zorbing, sailing, and kayaking.

Is the Kiwi Experience bus worth the £££?

Yes, yes and yes again!

It is totally worth the money, especially if you’re unsure about travelling alone or are backpacking for the first time. I guarantee you’ll make friends, tick off bucket list experiences and have the trip of a lifetime!

❗️NOTE: If the Kiwi bus tour prices are a bit out of your budget, wait until there’s a sale! The sales happen ALL the time, and I’d strongly recommend not buying full price. Try and hold out, you can save up to $500 per tour! If you’re already in Oceania, check out travel companies like Happy Travels, as they usually have their own discounts and sales on.❗️

Kiwi Experience Bus: FAQs

Is the Kiwi Experience a party bus?

The Kiwi Experience group tour has a reputation of being a ‘party bus’, but it all really depends on how you want to spend your time on the Kiwi bus.

You can party every evening with your Kiwi bus mates, or spend most of your time exploring during the day and reading with a book in the evenings.

The actual Kiwi Experience itself doesn’t host any parties on the bus (journeys are pretty tame, apart from the odd karaoke and speed dating activities), so it’s all down to you when it comes to partying.

Who started the Kiwi Experience bus?

Aucklanders Mike Warren and Neil Geddes founded Kiwi Experience in 1989. This means the bus has been going for over 30 years (although their first journey was a single bus between Auckland and Wellington via Rotorua and Ohakune).

How does the Kiwi Experience work?

The Kiwi Experience bus works by following a designated route, stopping off along the way for backpackers and travellers to enjoy different locations. It is a hop-on, hop-off bus, meaning you can choose the amount of time you spend in each location.

🌎 If you’re looking for a new backpack or suitcase, I highly recommend the Osprey 65L wheeled backpack. It’s a mix between your classic traveller backpack and an easy pull-along suitcase, so you get the best of both worlds!

In a nutshell: The Kiwi Experience Bus

So, there you have it!

A total review of the Kiwi Experience bus, and if you haven’t guessed already, I highly recommend you book the New Zealand bus tour!

Not only did I meet my soulmate, but I created memories I’ll have for life, friends I still keep in touch with and some of the most epic bucket list experiences you just can’t tick off anywhere else in the world.

Now it’s time for you to do the same!

If you’re backpacking or travelling for the first time, the Kiwi Experience bus is one of the best ways to see New Zealand.

Even if you’re a more experienced traveller, it’s an awesome way to meet new people and see one of the most beautiful countries in the world!

Happy travelling!

Jennie ☺️ x

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🇳🇿 Have you been on the Kiwi Experience bus? I’d love to hear from you! Let me know your thoughts on Instagram!

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