Things I DON'T like about New Zealand - I (Bus price)

So far, the only thing I really disliked here in Auckland is the bus price. They are just TOO expensive. Just to give you an idea, I'm living in Hillsborough. It costs NZ$ 5.60 ONE-WAY to go to CBD (which is just about 10km away)!!!! O__O

New Zealand is the only country I know that uses the concept of a "stage" to measure bus costs. The more stages you need to pass through, the higher the price is. From my experience so far, I would say that you could think of a "stage" as a set of 3 or 4 consecutive bus stops (I know that's fuzzy, but that's exactly how it is!). I have asked some Auckland residents what exactly is a stage but they don't know a definition either. Believe me, you can stick with the above "definition" I created.

So, if you walk a little bit you can catch another bus and save some stages. For instance, from where I'm living to CBD it is considered to be a "4-stage" route. However, if I walk for just about 30 minutes I can go to a bus stop in 3-Kings (that's another neighborhood, right next to Hillsborough) and pay just for 2 stages! It's quite a bit of a walk (because there are some hills you have to go through), but it's definitely worth it! The price then drops to NZ$ 3.40 one-way.

If you use the bus every day, then it is worth to buy the weekly or the monthly ticket. You can always get some discount by doing that. You can also get some discount if you are a student. However, I still don't know how those options work exactly (I'll figure it out when my classes start).

See ya! =)