Kiwi Experience sometimes has a bit of a reputation.... Tell people you're travelling with Kiwi and you can get a bit of a mixed reaction.
For a start I'd definately say that Kiwi Experience is a big green bus for the young, and partying is pretty high on the agenda a lot of the time. I spent two weeks with Kiwi and had a night in binliners, two nights of drinking games and a couple of nights in the bar - and I hadn't even hit the party areas of Queenstown and Christchurch!
But just because they cater for the young backpacker living life to the full in the evenings doesn't mean their daytime activities are lacking because everyone on the back seat is taking a nap...
You can sign up for all sorts of activities from the adrenaline pumping skydiving and bungy jumping, to the arty bone carving sessions, to the cultural Moari experiences in Rotorua... and its all as easy as writing your name on a clipboard! You often get a discount as well, although in some cases it can work out cheaper to investigate some other companies through a travel book. Its also not essential to take part in these group activities - if you'd rather hop off the bus and go and do your own thing that's fine by them, and more often than not your bus driver will help you be at the right place with handy directions.
Booking accomodation is also just a matter of writing your name on a board if you want to stay with the group at one of the Backpackers Hostels (often with the VIP group) and you can often book a single/double room rather than a dormitory if you so desire.
Again this isn't always the cheapest way of getting about and if you want to take care of your own accomodation (say if you're a memeber of YHA or BBH) then you can do that and the bus will drop you off and pick you up.
Perhaps the nicest thing about Kiwi is that you're with a group of travellers, the majority in the 18-30 age group. You get to know your group really well because of the amount of time you spend on the bus and you'll find yourselves trying to "hop off" in the same places so you can travel together. If you're travelling alone and want to meet people its a great way to go about it.
Prices for Kiwi vary depending on the length of the route you take and do not include any accomodation or activities. They are more expensive than buying a bus pass for one of the local companies like Intercity. However they do factor in helpful stops like stopping at supermarkets, shops, cafes or even just stopping to show you some local view or waterfall, that you might otherwise miss. The guides/drivers are amazingly helpful too in recommending activities or helping you plan your time, especially if like me you are running to a tight deadline. Its the guides and their helpfulness that makes Kiwi worth the money. Your ticket is valid for a year too so if you fall in love with a place and want to stay longer, ring up the office and just let them know when you want to rejoin the bus. Its that easy. YHA card holders also get a discount so I paid $404NZ and did a bus trip which covered Wellington to Auckland, cheaper trips suck as The Bay of Islands are also available as are longer trips that cover the whole of both islands.
All in all if you're tight for time and want to see most of what New Zealand has to offer then Kiwi Experience is a great way to go. They cover a huge range of the country and you can be as independent as you feel like. I loved it.