Is Driving in New Zealand different from your country?
There may be few thing that you find yourself not familiar with when driving in New Zealand. So, we would like to support understanding the road code, and help you to have a safe and enjoyable journey while driving on NZ roads.
Keep Left
Please keep in mind that in NZ, we drive on the left-hand side of the road with steering wheel attached on the right-hand side of the car. If you are from UK, Japan, India, and Australia, you are familiar with this. If you are from the rest of the world, it can take a bit of time and attention to get used to.
Turning into a street or pulling away from a car park can be little tricky for the first few times. Please remember to check the correct side of the road to look for oncoming traffic.
Open Roads in New Zealand
Out in the rural area, roads are very different from urban areas. It can be high speed zone at one, and be 30km/h zone due to roadworks and/or steep curves. The link below describes the nature of open roads in detailed videos – highly recommended.
New Zealand Police and New Zealand Transport have placed many hidden cameras in not only urban areas, but also in rural areas. Some open roads are wide, smooth, and straight. But please stay focused to be within the legal speed allocated to the zone. You can be subject to hefty fines if you are speeding – on top of being danger to you, your passengers, and other road users.
What are Rules when driving in NZ?
It is good idea to familiarise yourself on our road-signs before sitting on the drivers seat. Below is the official NZ Road Code from New Zealand Transport.
The Official New Zealand Road Code
And TEST your knowledge.
Test your driving skills in New Zealand
Without seeing what could happen in New Zealand roads, it is difficult to imagine what to expect when you are behind the wheel in here. AA New Zealand has introduced new online Testing system for visitors to try. Please have a go to see if you can pass.
It is particularly easy to forget the rules when you are feeling tired or stressed, so please plan in advance, take breaks often, and have a safe and relaxed journey.