Most all of the roads on the
South Island are very narrow with little or no shoulder on the side of
the road. Driving is on the left hand side of the road and if you come
from a country where you drive on the right hand side of the road, you
have to pay extra attention to be sure you are driving on the correct
side of the road.
Bicycling is quite popular in New Zealand in the summer time, and with
the narrow roads and no shoulders, you have to be extremely careful when
passing bicyclists on the roads - especially when its raining (and no
the rain doesn't seem to stop a lot of the bicyclists from riding). Be
especially careful when its raining and coming up to a cyclist on a
narrow windy road.
Even with the above mentioned, driving is relatively easy in New Zealand
because the roads are generally empty for very long distances. You can
drive for many kilometers in certain parts of the South Island and not
see any fences or any homes. This is very refreshing to experience if
you have come from a country much more crowded.
The maximum speed limit is 100KM/hour on any open road. There are few
police outside of the towns, however they are very aggressive near the
towns in keeping cars under the speed limit. As opposed to drinking and
driving which is a big problem in many countries, "sleeping and driving"
appears to be a major problem in New Zealand, if the many bill boards
and signs are any indication.
There are many dirt roads (called unsealed roads in New Zealand). Most
of these are pretty well graded and are ok for the majority of cars.
There are certain 4-wheel drive roads but these are mostly marked.
Also note that there are *many* one lane bridges even on the major
highways. The road signs will tell you which side needs to yield to the
other side. Sometimes the very long one lane bridges will have pull outs
in the middle of the bridge where you can pull out and let the other car
pass you.
Other things to be aware of - you need to wait for the green light when
turning left. You must be at least 21 years of age to rent a car. The
car rental business on New Zealand's South Island is *very* competitive.
Shop around!! A driver's license from your home country is fine for
renting a car as long as you plan to stay in New Zealand less than 12
months.
