Most coach services – including InterCity Coachlines, ManaBus and Naked Bus – stop outside the Rotorua i-SITE Visitor Information Centre on Fenton Street.
There are direct coach services linking Rotorua with Auckland, Hamilton, Napier, Palmerston North, Tauranga, Taupo, Waitomo and Wellington,
Bay Bus operate a twice-daily service linking Rotorua with Tauranga, but this bus stops on Arawa Street.
InterCity, ManaBus and Naked Bus coaches stop in Warkworth at the bus stop on Baxter Street near the i-SITE information centre.
Coaches stop in Warkworth en route between Auckland and Kerikeri.
Sky City Bus Terminal is Auckland’s main coach station, which is the terminus for coach services operated by InterCity as well as Great Sights sightseeing tours.
Coaches to Gisborne, Hamilton, Kerikeri, New Plymouth, Paihia, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Tauranga, Taupo, Waitomo and Wellington arrive at and depart from here.
The coach station is centrally located on Hobson Street near the Sky Tower.
ManaBus and Naked Bus coaches depart from the stop at 115 Mayoral Drive between Queen Street and Wakefield Street.
This stop has coach services to Hamilton, Napier, Paihia, Palmerston North, Rotorua, Taupo, Tauranga, Wellington and Whangarei.
Sheep World features sheep shearing demonstrations and a twice-daily sheep and dog show plus hands-on farm-themed activities, although you can get a more genuine (ie. less touristy) farm experience by simply staying in a farm hostel.
Great Barrier Airport (GBZ), also known as Claris Airport, is the island’s main airport. It is a short walk from the village of Claris, which is about a half-hour drive north of Tryphena. Barrier Airlines and FlyMy Sky have frequent flights to Auckland International Airport, although there are also direct flights from Claris to Ardmore, Hamilton, Auckland North Shore, Tauranga, Waiheke Island, Whangarei and Whitianga.
The one-way fare between Auckland and Claris is $79–145.
Sealink ferries sail from Wynyard Wharf in Auckland to Tryphena on Great Barrier Island. The four-hour-long trip costs $84 one-way or $105–152 return (the more expensive fares are during peak periods such as summer and public holiday weekends).
Tryphena Wharf is the most conveniently-located spot to arrive on the island, but it is still around a one-hour walk from the general store, pub and most accommodation in Tryphena.
The seaside suburb of Devonport is a popular excursion for visitors to Auckland. Victoria Road, near the ferry terminus, has some good pubs and fish and chips shops while the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park at North Head is a great place to explore with its maze of underground tunnels.
There is a 1.2m-wide external walkway at the top of the Sky Tower and the SkyWalk experience lets you walk the entire 360 degrees around the tower with no handrails, just a safety harness. It is a great experience with fantastic views from this unique position 192m above the ground.
Having completed the SkyJump, you get free admission to the Sky Tower observation deck so you can admire the view again, but this time from behind glass.