Thread: Outing a couple members.......

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Yes to all the above that Johnboy wrote about New Zealand. I believe our better months for nice settled weather, eg. Roadster weather, is January, Februry and March which coincides with our main Rodding events calendar. The ferry ride is absolutely brilliant too at approximately 31/2 hours each way and very scenic once the ferry is in the Sounds. Interesting point is the difference between the two Islands for scenery and just plain awesome roads for driving.

Whiplash and Johnboy......thanks for the NZ info. We have a pile of Advantage miles to burn on American Airlines so we need to fly down your way for a visit. It would be fun to bring a roadster but it might be a tad expensive to ship two or three vehicles down for a vacation. We will probably have to settle for rentals..... what brands of cars do you have with a V8? I prefer not to use a 4cyl or 6cyl vehicle if possible. We do rent jeeps (6cyl) if there is no alternate. Thanks.

To be totally honest here, V8 powered car in the hands of a tourist would be just throwing money down the drain as although our open road speed limit is 100Kmph (60mph), a lot of our roads ain't really designed for that sort of speed apart from short stretches and the motorway systems. The other thing is the volume of traffic at especially our main tourist destinations keep the speed down too. As for rental vehicles, I'm not sure if the main large companies have the Jeep etc but I know they have the likes of the V6 Honda's, Toyota's etc.. I have hired a Falcon with the 6 cylinder auto in the past which has given the big car experience and power when needed.

Robot,
We were in NZ last year, October to November which is their Spring transition. You can hear many, many horror stories about tourists having tragic accidents due to them being on the wrong side of the roadway but if you research in depth the main cause of tourist traffic accidents is the passenger(s) saying , "Oh my, LOOK AT THAT!", and the driver taking eyes off of the road, crossing the center line and BOOM. Yes, there are accidents where the tourist simply forgets where he is, and drives down the road on the right, but I believe the "Look at that" cause is more often right. The scenery is so drop dead amazing that it's indeed tempting to look at the feature of nature instead of driving.

If you choose to make the trip, I would strongly recommend that you talk to your US car insurance carrier about a short term rider on your insurance policy to cover your liability, personal injury liability, and rental car collision liability in New Zealand. We've opted for a feature from AMEX where any car rental that we book via AMEX gets a single $25 charge for full insurance coverage for the duration of the contract, up to 30 days. However, AMEX clearly says that the feature is NOT available in England, Scotland, New Zealand, Australia, and a few other locales that choose to drive on the wrong side of the roadway. Be SURE that you have your insurance coverage straight before you rent a vehicle.

I don't believe that you'll find any rentals offering V8 power, and there's no reason for it. The max speed in the entire country is 100km/hr, nominal 60mph, and it is quite strictly enforced. Away from the metro areas the roadways are good, and well maintained two lane roads with occasional three lane giving a passing lane for uphill travel. You'll have no need for V8 muscle, IMO.

We were in country for a month, and we saw about 60% of the north island, and maybe 75% of the south island - jb can correct my numbers as he sees fit. We did not get over to the extreme NE portion of the north island where they have Beach Hop, and we didn't get north of Auckland at all. We were traveling in off peak times, so we didn't have any reservations for lodging along the way and had no problem finding lodging. Motels are what we would call efficiency apartments or one bedroom apartments in the US, all with a small basic kitchenette.

NZ is a wonderful place for a visit, and we would like to go back again sometime down the road but it's a long flight to get there & back. If we are able to go again we'll likely try to split the trip and see a portion of Australia, too, and maybe Tasmania!

I agree with the points raised by both both Roger and Mark; although I'm not too sure about Roger's theory on wrong-side-of-road-head-on crashes.
I've driven on your roads a few times; and have frightened the living bejabbers out of myself on more than one occasion, due to my instinct to drive on the left kicking in.

Another valid reason for not driving a V8 is the cost of our gasoline: NZ$7.70 per gallon.
Approximately US$5.40. (Although the exchange rate fluctuates, and at the moment we're tipped to devalue against the US$ making your US$ able to buy more.)
So a V8 gets pretty expensive to run!

You'll find NZ hot-rodders a pretty egalitarian bunch; (especially if they're NSRA or Maverick affiliates,) who will welcome you and be only too happy to make your trip here an enjoyable one.

(And we need your overseas funds! Bring [and spend] lots of money!)

Originally Posted by johnboy

I agree with the points raised by both both Roger and Mark; although I'm not too sure about Roger's theory on wrong-side-of-road-head-on crashes.
I've driven on your roads a few times; and have frightened the living bejabbers out of myself on more than one occasion, due to my instinct to drive on the left kicking in......

John, my "theory" is based on a NZ newspaper article that you sent to us shortly after we returned to the US late last year, where you stated "....perhaps I'm a bit too sensitive...." regarding tourists driving. A recent report points out that accidents involving tourists seem to get a lot more attention in the news than do accidents involving only locals, and also that a significant proportion seem to be caused by visitors from the China/Asia region that are simply inexperienced drivers - Tourist driver mayhem 'hype' | Radio New Zealand News'

There's no question that one must be extra attentive, and not distracted by the scenery while in control of the vehicle, but my observation was that your roadways had a lot more features to help the tourist, like large painted arrows in the correct lane when leaving most scenic stops, than we have in the US. About the only thing we have here are the "Wrong Way" or "Do Not Enter" signs on ramps for our interstate highways, and other controlled access multi-lane highways. You don't see anything like that on secondary roadways through lesser traveled areas.

The biggest "difference" that I saw (and the cause for most concern) is in the cities & towns. Roundabouts are a bit of a challenge, but the biggest (to me) is simply making turns at intersections and fighting the urge to bear right while remembering to always look to the right when pulling away from a stop, where we're used to the most danger coming from the left. I'm not trying to argue, just pointing out that there are a lot of folks who come to Australia/NZ every year and do just fine driving on your roadways, along with some that sadly don't make it back home.

Thanks for all the tips...... I have driven on the opposite side before and it seems natural EXCEPT when turning into parking lot driveways.....all else is easy. The V8 question is not about speed....it is principle. Unless it is a Ford banger, I have no desire to even ride in a 4 or 6 cylinder vehicle....especially ricer stuff. Rentals are a challenge but here in the US, we can usually rent a Cad or Chevy Suburban....

Google NZ Auto Rental Companies and you'll see what they offer. From what I recall, and what I've seen on line you'll find an abundance of Toyota's, a smattering of Hyundai's and a smaller number of Ford's in the Focus size. If a V8 is mandatory for you to enjoy driving you'd best plan on shipping the car you want to drive ahead of your trip.