7 reasons why I love driving in New Zealand

Driving in New Zealand might feel intimidating for some travelers. However, it is super easy: the roads a wide, there are additional speed suggestion signs, and lots of pull-over areas.

My driving experience started pretty well in New Zealand. First of all, before coming to New Zealand, I spent six months in a country where driving on the left side of the road is the norm. Although I never drove there, it was still beneficial when coming to New Zealand and didn’t need a long adapting phase. In addition, the first car I drove was from my hitchhiking ride — a racing car. It was so much fun and a story for itself.

This short blog post will give you pointers on driving in New Zealand, from the rules of the road to the 7 reasons why I love driving on the islands. And hopefully, it will ease your concerns and get you looking forward to your driving adventures in New Zealand.

Driving Rules New Zealand

• Left side traffic
  • For everyone who is coming straight from a right-hand side driving country, there is advice I have: If you have the time, do not rent a car straight away. Stay a few days in Auckland or check out the surroundings to first get used to the situation of left-hand-side driving and have a chance to observe.
• Driver’s license
  • Make sure you have a valid driver’s license. As a European, you can get an international driver’s license in your home country.
• Ticket for driving too slowly
  • If you don’t drive at the maximum speed and more than five cars are driving behind you, you can get a ticket. Make use of the pull-over areas and let the cars behind overtake you.
• Ticket for driving too fast
  • Of course, it also goes vice versa. The speed limit on rural roads is 100 km/h, in urban areas, it is 50 km/h
  • Be attentive to speed cameras. Also inside police cars are speed cameras facing the oncoming traffic.
• Curvy sections have yellow advisory speed limits
  • If you are an experienced driver, you often can go faster than what’s suggested, but if you want to play it safe and you don’t have much experience with driving on curve roads, stick to the advised speed limit.
• One-lane bridge – who takes priority
  • Make sure you know what the signs mean and who is taking priority. However, depending on the season and time of the day, you are often the only one on the road, anyway.
• Roundabout rules
  • You give indications of where you want to go before you enter the roundabout. Handling a roundabout almost like a crossing: If you go straight, no sign. If you take the first exit, you set the indication to the right. If you take the last exit, you set a left indication. However, you still need to indicate shortly before you leave the roundabout. Complicated? Nah, here you find maybe a better explanation.
  • Not everybody knows this rule, so don’t feel stressed about sticking to your known roundabout indication, giving

Next to Australia, New Zealand looks like a very small country, but let me tell you, do not underestimate it. Also, the length of the drive may seem short, but the condition of the roads – very curve – tugs at your attention. Make sure you take enough rest or swap regularly with your co-driver.

More info about driving in New Zealand is here.

Why I love driving in New Zealand

1. Pullover areas
   The country roads, which are probably 90 % of New Zealand’s roads, are almost everywhere areas to pull over, or a double lane. This means there are many possibilities for overtaking or pulling over.
2. Suggested speed limits in curves
   The yellow advisory speed limits in curves are maybe made for tourists, but it is a really good idea.
3. Roundabout rules
   If you wouldn’t need to give indications before leaving the roundabout, this rule would make much more sense to me. As a newbie, driving roundabouts were always super stressful, looking in the mirror and giving an indication. But if you use the signals beforehand, it’s easy. And everyone else will anyway know where you go if they use their brains. 🤓
4. No tunnels
   Another thing I learned while hitchhiking. New Zealand doesn’t like tunnels, they rather remove a part of the hill or mountain to build a road. I went through two tunnels: one was on the way to Milford Sound and one was on the Forgotten Highway. This means you have all these scenic views and a lot of curvy roads. 🥳
5. Only one highway
   There is only one highway in the whole of New Zealand, everything else is countryside roads. They are amazing.
6. All kinds of rural roads
   Driving on the beach, through gravel road valleys, curvy highland streets, and coastline roads. You have it all. There is no way to get bored while driving in New Zealand. This also means you need to be attentive all the time. As a driver, it is difficult to enjoy the scenery as much, so swap with your copilot if possible.
7. Lookout Points
   If you are driving around the scenic roads of New Zealand and want to enjoy the view, swapping with a copilot is not possible, since you travel by yourself. No worries! There are plenty of lookout points. From those, you can’t miss capturing a scenic view.

Ready for the Road trip of your life? Enjoy the easy driving of New Zealand!

Pro tip: Driving for free in New Zealand, without car rental fees. Try car relocation and only pay for gas and insurance.