Car Rental in New Zealand
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When renting a car in New Zealand you will first have to choose what type of vehicle you want for example: Mini, Economy, Compact, Intermediate, Standard, Full-Size, Premium, Luxury, Minivans / MPVs or other vehicles such as trucks and special vehicles.
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Speed and distance in New Zealand are measured in kilometres rather than miles. Do not underestimate the time needed to travel places. The local automobile association publishes a travelling time guide that suggests average travelling speeds in the range of 50 to 70 km per hour should be allowed if travel is to be enjoyed.
An International Driving Permit (IDP) or a New Zealand Driver Licence is required to be carried at all times while driving in New Zealand. But you can legally drive for up to 12 months if you have a current driver's license of your home country.
Upon your arrival it may be a good idea to visit an AA (Automobile Association, easily recognised by the yellow decor with the letters AA inside a yellow box for the logo) to buy a "Road Code" magazine. This has the current road rules, so revising should prevent any accidents relating to misunderstanding the road laws.
Drive on the left-hand side of the road. If you are used to driving on the right, you need to concentrate at all times. Take particular care when pulling out from laybys and driveways or when you are tired. It is very easy to have a lapse of concentration and to revert to habit. Such lapses have caused a number of fatal head-on accidents in New Zealand. Many inter-city roads lack median barriers, so there is nothing to force the driver to stay on the correct side of the road.
New Zealand has a network of major arterial roads throughout the country that are called highways. Most are not engineered to international highway standards found in other westernised countries. Only roads designated as motorways are engineered to international highway standards and that term is used to describe a road reserved and designed specifically for motorised vehicles. In many respects, New Zealand highways are simply the major roads between significant places and can be used by any traveller, including cyclists, pedestrians and even farm animals.
In urban areas the speed limit is 50 km/h unless there are signs indicating otherwise.
Auckland is the largest city and is very congested. At off-peak times driving from the city to the airport can take 25 minutes. In peak times it can take up to an hour, but generally 40 minutes, to travel the same route. There are areas of extensive road building/improvements through the city and can cause delays where they meet the exisiting network.
The other major centres may have some congestion at peak periods but there is not the same intensity of traffic as you will find in Auckland.
There are generally very few one-way streets in New Zealand, but most of them are located in the cities' central business districts, so beware of them while driving there as they are not always obvious.