Driving in New Zealand.
Sep 17 '02 (Updated Jan 22 '03)
The Bottom Line Driving is by far the best way to tour New Zealand.
Checking out various travel sites over the years has shown me that many visitors to New Zealand are frightened of driving in New Zealand.
You are missing out on a great chance to design your own trip and honestly, contrary to rumours ~ our roads are as safe to use as any other country in the world.
Hiring a car
If you do decide to take up the challenge and rent a car, there are numerous rental companies to choose from.
The major companies like Hertz, Avis, National,Thrifty are prevalent but don't overlook the smaller ( and cheaper) options like Ace, Rent-a-Wreck, A.B.C rentals and hundreds of others. These companies will offer huge savings over the major firms so do your homework!
buying a car
If you are planning to be here for a few months, buying a car is even better. Check out some of the auctions for a really cheap deal. Turners Auction Mart generally have auctions every weekend in Auckland. The main thing to bear in mind when buying your own car is that you might incur maintenance costs.
Checking out notice boards at youth hostels and backpackers hostels is a good source of information. Many travellers are advertising their cars for sale , some also include camping gear etc. Some good deals can be found this way.
You should be able to pick up a very reliable car for under $5000 (US-$2500) from car yards or pick up something alot cheaper by checking out the local newspapers, hostels, auctions.
KEEP LEFT.
The main thing to bear in mind is that we drive on the left. Adapting to driving on the other side isn't as hard as imagined. When visiting the USA we had doubts about renting a car but after 24 hours, it became the norm. It's more of a problem mastering the controls for the indicators and wind screen wipers than it is to stay in the right lane.
In saying that, there have been numerous serious road accidents here due to 'tourists' driving on the wrong side, a lot of rental firms have 'KEEP LEFT' stickers that you can put on the steering wheel to constantly remind you.
We actually had a bad encounter with a tourist on our rural dirt road, we were going around a bluff which hugs the coastline when we came face to face with an oncoming car, we pulled as far left as we could( we had a cliff face to our left) and the tourist (from Austria)swerved in the same direction, straight into us. Neither of us was travelling very fast but, as we were in our farm truck with bullbars, his small rental took all the impact and crumpled up incredibly.
SPEED LIMIT.
The SPEED LIMIT is 100 KPH which is approx 60 MPH.
The general traffic speed can get as high as 120 on the open road but lately I have noticed a lot more POLICE on the roads and we have had quite a few close calls ourselves.
Recently we were driving through the DESERT ROAD, this road has lovely straights which encourages people to go a bit faster. We were in a line with about four other cars, all going around the 120 K when out of the blue a POLICE car was coming the other way with his blue light flashing. Everybody started braking back to the 100 K but it was too late, we had obviously been 'clocked speeding' a few kilometers back. The cop put his headlights on as he neared our group and then did a U-turn.
OOPS! now we are in trouble.
We weren't sure who he would pick out but as he cruised past us we felt extremely lucky. He pulled the first guy over and the second car pulled in behind him ( obviously from a guilty conscience.)
Even in my neck of the woods which is a very quiet part of the country, I have noticed more and more POLICE cars over the last year.
SPEED CAMERAS
SPEED CAMERAS are another thing to look out for.They legally have to advertise the areas where speed cameras may be set up so at least you know where you might see them. Keep your eyes open for road signs for the speed camera areas and check your speed.
The SPEED LIMIT in urban areas is 50 KPH, (30 MPH) and in the outskirts of town is generally 70 KPH.
PASSING LANES.
PASSING LANES on some roads are few and far between but are generally well advertised when present. On high traffic roads it is foolish to attempt to overtake, even when the vehicle in front pulls right over to allow you to overtake, if you don't feel safe ... DONT DO IT.
If you feel pressured by traffic behind you then just put your left indicator on, slow down and pull over as far to the left as possible, even stopping if the traffic is built up too much. This is safer for you and for the drivers behind you who may be tempted to do a risky overtake due to pure frustration.
When you are approaching a passing lane, if you have no intentions of passing anyone make sure to stay in the LEFT LANE and give faster traffic the chance to get past you.
DISTANCES.
Even though New Zealand is small and distances seem minor, the actual travelling is quite tiring due to traffic volume, winding roads, hills and unforeseen hiccups like mobs of sheep and cows, fully laden forestry trucks and slow campervans.
With lots of fantastic scenery to take in it might opay to limit your daily driving distances to 200 K or so, that way you will have a leisurely holiday.
LIVESTOCK.
If you do encounter mobs of sheep and cattle on the road there are a few tricks to getting through.
If you see a vehicle parked on the side of the road with WARNING LIGHTS flashing or the driver is waving at you, slow down and expect livestock of some discription. Sometimes the only warning you get is a build up of dung on the road.
The first thing to watch for are the working dogs, sometimes these dogs aren't very road wise ( talking about our own dogs here) and will dash in front of you or stand still in the middle of the road.
Now for the animals ~ the main rule is to KEEP MOVING. If you stop or go too slowly, the animals will just walk merrilly in front of you mile after mile forever. You have to work your way through the mob quietly, wind down your window and tap quietly on the car door, this generally gets them moving out of your way and don't be afraid to move off the road or onto the other lane.
If you see that the livestock are just crossing the road from one paddock to the other, don't even try to push through, it is easier for everyone involved if you just pull over for a few minutes till the job is complete.
If you encounter horses running freely, take the first opportunity to get past them or you will have them with you for ever. If they are galloping to the side of the road, put your foot down till you are just in front. I have seen people stop to let the horses get past them but that will never happen, horses still carry the flee instinct and will never run past a predator ( your car) so it's up to you.
So, if you are considering a road trip tour of New Zealand, don't be put off by what you hear. You are sure to find it is well worth the effort to do a self-drive tour, at least that way you get to see what interests you the most and you have the freedom to design your own itinerary.
Goodluck and happy travels.
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More reviews.
Touring New Zealand - http://www.epinions.com/content_2381815940
New Zealand - http://www.epinions.com/content_53045333636
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Member: Christine
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