Travelpass

 

Travelpass was the NZR product that, similar Eurail in Europe, it offered tourists a single price to travel on  as many trains, buses and ferries (of NZR) that they wish over a set number of days. It only worked because NZR had both trains and Road Services to provide enough of a network of services (see the map), with only a few locations (Mount Cook, Nelson) left out of the network.  It included suburban services, both rail in Wellington and Auckland (albeit the latter was not a high frequency schedule), and buses in parts of Auckland, Rotorua, Hawke's Bay, Hutt Valley/Wellington, Dunedin. 

It did NOT prevent the need to make reservations, which had to be done in person at stations or a travel agent.  Sleeping berths on the Northerner were extras. 

$180 for 15 days ($732 in 2023 prices) and $240 ($976 in 2023 prices) for 22 days.