Most visitors to New Zealand choose to travel around the country with a rental car.

This is easy and affordable, even if you've never driven on the other side of the road before.

With a car, you can go anywhere and see/do anything, as and when it suits you.

Self-Drive Touring in New Zealand Driving in New Zealand
	Roads in New Zealand are generally high quality and uncongested. But you may occasionally find yourself sharing the road with a flock of sheep or a herd of cattle. Part of a series on travel to and in New Zealand - click the links in the right hand column for more articles.

Perhaps the most convenient way to enjoy a New Zealand vacation is by renting a car and driving yourself around the country.

This article tells you what you need to know to plan a self-drive vacation.

A New Zealand Self-Drive Vacation

In some countries you can enjoy a marvelous vacation without needing to hire a car at all.  But unless you're going on a fully organized coach tour, you'll find that New Zealand is a country where you are almost forced to hire a car.  Many of the places you'll want to see and enjoy can only be reached by car - there is no bus service, and while taxis are possible, the expense of taxi fares and the inconvenience of waiting for taxis make this approach of little appeal to most people.

The good news is that traveling by car in New Zealand is comparatively easy.  Roads are of a good quality, they are well signposted making it easy to get around, and traffic is generally orderly, safe, and uncongested.

How Long to Spend on a New Zealand Self-Drive Tour

As discussed in more detail in the article on When to Visit New Zealand and How Long to Stay there is no right or wrong length of time to spend in New Zealand.  Most people spend between one and three weeks; but some people spend less when making a brief stop in NZ as part of a multi-destination journey, and other people spend much longer.

You'll enjoy your time in New Zealand, no matter how long you stay, and you'll also wish you could stay longer, again no matter how long you stay.

We will be offering sample itineraries for various lengths of stay in an upcoming extra part of our NZ travel series.

Which Cities to Fly Into and Out From

If you have less time to spend in New Zealand, you'll save time by flying in and out of different cities.

Most international flights fly in and out of Auckland.  But flights between Australia and New Zealand fly in and out of Wellington and Christchurch as well as Auckland (and sometimes to other cities too).

Strategy for travel to/from NZ and Australia

If your itinerary includes travel to both New Zealand and Australia, and you have two weeks or less to spend in New Zealand, consider having the New Zealand end of your flight between the two countries be somewhere other than Auckland - Christchurch or Queenstown being the best to places to consider.

This means you can fly in (or out of) Auckland and out of (or in to) the other city, saving the need to double back on yourself to get back to Auckland.  This can be both a significant time saving (it is a couple of days of driving to get between Christchurch and Auckland, and three days of driving to get between Queenstown and Auckland) as well as an appreciable cost saving too.

Strategy for travel only to New Zealand

If you want to avoid the doubling back when you're traveling only to New Zealand, and probably arriving/departing from Auckland, you still may be able to do this.  Many international airfares can be modified to have you flying in to one city and out of another for little more than a ticket to and from Auckland alone.

Choosing a Rental Car Company in NZ

If you're going to be renting a car for your travels around New Zealand, you have a choice of the usual international branded companies such as Hertz and Avis as well as smaller New Zealand companies.

There are several differences between the companies offering services in addition to the obvious pricing differences.

Nearly new or not so new cars :  Some of the lower priced car companies have older and high mileage vehicles, whereas the major brand companies buy cars new and rotate them out of their fleet regularly.

We've occasionally heard horror stories from people who rented older cars with bald tires and/or mechanical problems - issues made worse by unresponsive personnel at the no-brand rental car company.

Number of branches :  Some rental car companies have only one location, others have two or possibly three locations.  A very few companies have many different branches all around the country.  Most people will plan to pick up a rental car in Auckland and return it in Auckland or Christchurch (or vice versa) so this isn't a problem, but other people might want to selectively collect and return cars to other locations - for example Queenstown, or perhaps Greymouth (to connect with the wonderful Tranz-Alpine scenic train to/from Christchurch).

Opening hours :  No rental car depots in New Zealand are open 24/7.  Some branches in smaller towns may be closed on Sundays, and possibly closed on Saturdays too.  If you're going to be picking up or returning cars outside of 9-5, Mon-Fri, check to make sure this will be possible.

One way rental policy :  Most rental companies will allow you to hire cars one way, but if you're doing this, check to be sure you can do this and there are no subtle extra charges involved.

Insurance charges :  Some rental car companies impose mandatory insurance charges on all rentals, whereas others just have the usual range of optional insurance coverages.

Taking cars across Cook Strait :  Some rental car companies don't allow you to take cars across Cook Strait, others require that you must.

See the section below to decide if you want to take a car with you when traveling between the two islands or not.

Traveling Between the North Island and the South Island

There are two ways to get between the North Island and the South Island.  You can fly, or you can take a passenger ferry.

Most of the passenger ferries take cars as well as passengers, and some rental car companies allow you to take your car across on the ferry, whereas others require you to swap cars - you return one at the ferry terminal on one island, and pick up another at the ferry terminal on the other island.

Which is best?  Swapping cars can actually end up being more convenient, as surprising as this may seem.  Especially if you are traveling in the busy summer months (and in particular during NZ's summer school holidays between mid December and the end of January) there can sometimes be long waits for a ferry with available space for cars, and the cost of taking a car across is also a factor.  Taking a car will add about NZ$150 to the fare you pay (US$95).

Usually there is little need to book a reservation if you're not taking a car with you, although note there can be discounted fares available if you book your travel in advance.  NZ Interislander ferry details here.

What Size Car to Hire?

Many people who own large V8 cars back home will choose to rent the smallest sub-compact car when on vacation.  They drive their up-market full-sized car, at home, only a few miles a day around town and on freeways, but then choose a small underpowered budget car to take two people and all their luggage on possibly a 1000 mile journey.

That makes no sense.

You'll probably need a more capable car on vacation than back home.  New Zealand's roads are usually of good quality and well surfaced, but you'll be driving up and down hills, and on occasionally moderately windy stretches, and most of the time not on freeways.  You'll need the extra power for simply getting comfortably up the hills, and for occasional overtaking of trucks and slower motorists.

Don't be 'penny wise and pound foolish'.  Choose a mid size or full size car - in terms of extra cost per mile driven, it is close to nothing, but in terms of extra comfort per mile driven, it is very appreciable.

Automatic or Manual

Many cars - particularly smaller sized cars - do not have automatic transmission.  Unless you're both familiar with driving a stick shift car and also familiar with driving on the other side of the road (New Zealand cars drive on the left side of the road and you, as driver, will be seated on the right side of the vehicle) we recommend you choose an automatic rather than manual transmission.

Luggage Capacity

If there are just two of you in the car, then you can probably fit all your luggage variously into the car's trunk (called 'boot' in New Zealand) and/or its back seat.  But if there are going to be three of you, that means you will have more luggage and less back seat space to stow it.

If you're going to be traveling as a group of three in one car, you should choose a large sized car with ample luggage space, and carefully limit the number and size of suitcases you travel with.

And if there are four of you, you'll probably want a station wagon so as to be able to fit your luggage into the car.

Cost of Petrol in New Zealand

Petrol prices are about 30% higher in New Zealand than in the US.  Petrol is sold per liter in New Zealand, and if you should see any references to gallons, remember these are larger Imperial (UK) gallons, not US gallons.

There are 3.8 liters in a US gallon (and 4.5 liters in a UK gallon).

In mid April, 2006, petrol was selling in NZ for about NZ$1.70/liter, which translates to just over US$4/gallon.  At the same time, petrol in the US was generally selling for about US$3/gallon.  So while petrol is more expensive in NZ, it isn't outrageously more expensive (petrol was US$6.70/gallon in the UK in mid April).

Car or Campervan or Motorhome?

Most people choose to hire a regular motorcar for driving around New Zealand.  But you can also choose from various sizes of campervans and motorhomes (sort of similar to an RV in the US).

If you're thinking of a campervan or motorhome, be aware that these are very much smaller than RVs in the US.

While they may be less expensive than renting a car and paying for nightly accommodation in hotels and motels, this is not necessarily a sensible way to save money.  They are less convenient to drive, and harder to park, and of course consume a great deal more petrol.  And at night, their comfort level and spaciousness leaves a great deal to be desired.

If you are going to rent a campervan or motorhome, you should know that daily hire rates change greatly depending on the season.  You can often find very discounted specials for rentals in the winter season, but in the middle of summer, you might find all vehicles are booked out and nothing is available - even when trying to pre-book a month or two prior to travel.

Book early and consider adjusting your travel dates to secure the most favorable rental rate.

One more issue when considering a campervan/motorhome hire.  Find out how old your vehicle is likely to be, and carefully consider paying extra to get a newer vehicle.  Older campervans/motorhomes are much more likely to give you trouble than are older cars.

Some companies buy brand new vehicles and rent those, then when they get too old for their high standards, they sell them to second level operators who then continue to rent them.  In some cases, there are even third level operators who will take the second-level operators hand-me-downs and continue to rent them still further.

Driver's License for New Zealand driving

Your regular back-home driver's license is probably just fine for driving in New Zealand, especially if everything on the license is in English, so that both the rental car company and possibly any policemen (!) can understand the license and your entitlement to drive.

But if your license is in a language that may not be understood, it might be a good idea to get an 'International Driving License' or 'International Driving Permit' prior to arriving in New Zealand.

This document is merely an internationally recognized and accepted translation of your home license.  You still need to have your home license with you - the international permit does not replace or supersede your home license, and does not give you any extra rights/entitlements.  Quite a few scam companies offer various types of international driving certification that is basically meaningless.

In the US, the only authorized issuers of such documents are the AAA and the American Automobile Touring Alliance (AATA).

Driving on the Other Side of the Road

In New Zealand traffic keeps to the left of the road.

It is surprisingly easy to adjust to driving on the other side of the road, but there are a few tricks and traps to keep in mind.

Please refer to our article about driving on the left side of the road for full details of how to quickly become skilled at this.

Which Direction to Travel

Should you travel from the top of New Zealand in a generally southerly direction?  Or should you start your vacation at the bottom of the South Island and head steadily north?

This isn't really a vital issue to resolve, but there are several issues to consider in making this decision which might help tweak your itinerary from 'good' to 'great' :

Air itinerary

Clearly, if your air itinerary has you unavoidably, eg, arriving in Christchurch and leaving from Auckland, your travels will be generally northerly.  But it is rare that you can't change your flights to suit your preference.

Strategizing the first day in NZ

Most people, if they are arriving into Auckland early in the morning after many long hours of travel, will not want to then get into a car and spend the next some hours driving.

But if your flight arrives at 6am and your hotel choices don't allow checkin until sometime in the afternoon (and you don't want to pay extra for early checkin) maybe it is better to at least keep on flying down to Christchurch or Queenstown so as to get as much of the travel over and done with at once.

Special events

If there is a special event you're planning on attending - or perhaps an unrelated special event you wish to avoid due to full hotels and local area congestion - this may influence your itinerary planning.

Weather

There's quite a distance from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South Island, making for quite a difference in daylight and weather at some times of year.

If you're in New Zealand at a time when it is getting steadily colder and the days shorter, you might want to consider starting at the bottom and moving north.  On the other hand, if you're in NZ at a time when it is getting steadily warmer and the days longer, you might want to consider traveling from the top down.

Fitting in with other destinations

It makes sense to try and mix and match your varying travel experiences into some sort of pattern.  Maybe you prefer to have like following like, or maybe you prefer contrasting experiences.  For example, if you're spending some time in Fiji, NZ and Australia, do you want a NZ 'big city' experience to be adjacent to an Australian 'big city' experience, or do you want to mix and match big cities with outdoor and resort style locations?

How Far to Drive in a Day

If you're renting a car and driving yourself around NZ (and this is how most people choose to travel around) then how far is realistic to consider traveling in a single day?

You'll find many maps in NZ with 'estimated traveling times' on them.  These estimated traveling times tend to be very conservative - some (but not all) of them were prepared 25 or more years ago, when the speed limit was 50 mph, when roads and cars weren't so good, and they also assume you're making frequent stops each hour as well.

These days the speed limit has increased to 63 mph (100 km/hr), and roads and cars are both better suited for faster motoring.

In terms of actual on the road average speeds, figure on averaging perhaps 50 miles every hour if you like to keep close to the speed limit.  If you're a faster driver, you'll probably manage to get 55 - 60 miles behind you each hour.

Fortunately, New Zealand is small and most of the time you'll be choosing to drive only moderate distances each day.

Speeding Fines in New Zealand

New Zealand has fairly aggressive enforcement of its speed limits, and unlike some countries which don't attempt to collect fines from international visitors, NZ quite aggressively seeks payment.

If you leave the country before your speeding fine becomes overdue, you can leave with no problems, but if you choose to return back to New Zealand in the future, expect to have an embarrassing encounter when trying to pass through Immigration.  It is best to pay any fines you might accrue.

Mix Self-drive with Other Travel Options

Your travel doesn't need to be exclusively by car.  Of course you'll probably be taking a ferry across Cook Strait between the two islands, and perhaps you might want to take a train as well.

There are the two very pleasant train journeys worth considering.  The most popular is the Tranz-Alpine, cross the South Island between Christchurch and Greymouth.  This is a 4.5 hour journey, with the train operating one roundtrip a day, from Christchurch in the morning, arriving in Greymouth at lunchtime, and returning back to Christchurch an hour later, getting back early evening.

Another journey to consider is the TranzCoastal, operating between Picton (where the ferry terminal is at the top of the South Island) and Christchurch.  This is a five and a quarter hour journey, leaving Christchurch daily in the early morning, arriving in Picton at lunchtime, and returning back to Christchurch 45 minutes later.  This train conveniently connects to ferry service and indeed you can check your bags in Wellington or Christchurch and have them transfer between ferry and train in Picton.

The other mode of travel to consider, especially if you have only a little time in New Zealand, is air travel.  In addition to the obvious flights between Auckland and Christchurch or Queenstown, another good flight for visitors is between Rotorua and Christchurch or Queenstown.

Still More Issues and Thoughts

When we started preparing actual itineraries for you to consider, we started realizing there were a range of other issues to keep in mind when planning a self-drive vacation in New Zealand and ended up

Self-Drive Itineraries

We are publishing a series of self-drive itineraries to help you plan your self-drive New Zealand vacation.  Here is the list of NZ self-drive itineraries for you to choose from.
 

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