In exploring both islands, I’ve done my bit of driving in New Zealand

(over 3000 miles) and overall I’ve been impressed with the quality of the roads and the civility of other drivers.  However, there are some differences from driving in America that we’ve learned the hard way and would like to provide some information we wish we had had.

Everything is Opposite

For an American driving in New Zealand, there is one unmistakable and overwhelming fact – everything is opposite.  You’re driving on the wrong side of the car on the wrong side of the road and shifting gears with the wrong hand.

In getting started with driving opposites, there are some things to keep in mind.  First, as the driver, you should always be nearest to the center of the road.  If you look out the driver’s side window and see the shoulder, you’re in the wrong lane.  Also, when you first get started, it will be strange to have the width of the vehicle on your left side and your tendency will be to run off the road on the left side.  You have to get used to keeping yourself toward the center of the road- if you’re looking down the middle of your lane, you’re too far left.

Another example of everything being opposite is where you look when entering traffic (or crossing the street for that matter).  Americans grow up learning to look left-right-left before crossing.  In New Zealand it’s right-left-right.

Interestingly, driving on the left side also governs pedestrian behavior.  When approaching another person on a sidewalk in New Zealand, the default is to yield to the left.

Signs and the Metric System

In New Zealand, there are more “give way” (yield) signs than stop signs, more traffic circles than stop lights and less pedestrian right of ways.  From what we can tell, the strategy is to keep traffic moving and it often works.  Without the volume of cars like you’d find in the US, traffic does seem to keep moving and I like the difference.

In cities and towns, you’ll see signs like “P30”, “P15”, etc.  These are parking signs and relate how many minutes you can park there without a ticket.

Like the rest of the world (except the US) New Zealand uses the metric system, so the signs take some getting used to.  Here are some hints:

100 kph equals 62 mph and 100 kph is the maximum speed limit NZ wide.  You can do 110kph max and not worry about a ticket (what we heard first-hand), which starts with a fee of $120 and goes up rapidly.

Round-abouts or traffic circles are everywhere and are somewhat foreign to Americans. The basic rule when entering a traffic circle is to yield to the right.  If you get hit on the driver’s side (right side) in a traffic circle, it’s your fault. When approaching a circle, know where you plan to exit before entering (the sign before it should let you know).  If you look at the circle as a clock and you are exiting the circle from 9-12 o’clock or so, get in the far left lane, yield to the right and follow through.  If you are exiting from 1-3 o’clock, turn on your left hand turn signal and watch for any cars coming up on your left before you exit the circle to the left.  The best scenario is to be behind a car that is going the same way as you.  If you miss your exit, go around again.  It took me a couple of weeks of nervousness and honking horns and to get it down.

In the US, it’s easy to convert miles to minutes to figure out how long it takes to drive somewhere at 60mph. When miles don’t apply, it may seem difficult, but there is an easy way:
When converting kilometers to minutes driving, think about the number of kilometers you need to go as a percentage and then apply that percentage to 60 minutes.  For instance, consider how long it takes to drive 25 kms.  Being that 100 kph is essentially the same as 60 mph, it makes for a handy way to calculate time and distance.   First, think about 25 kms as 25% of 100 (100 kilometers per hour).  Then, calculate 25% of 60 minutes, which would be 15.  So, it takes 15 minutes to travel 25km at 100 kph.

The Roads

New Zealand has very few expressways, except in the urban areas.  Everything else is a mixture of long, straight rural roads and 2 lanes of curvy white-knuckled roller coasters with about a centimeter for a shoulder. The need to pass other vehicles is ever-present.  Drivers in NZ expect to be passed and often pull over to the shoulder and put on the left-hand turn signal.  This says to you “Please pass now”.  Many of the roads have passing lanes every so often and these are the safest places to pass.

I’ve never seen roadkill on the scale I’ve seen in New Zealand.  Like America, it is often the poor possum, which has an uncanny ability to be hit during their nightly scavenger hunts.  Other than roadkill, be aware of the errant farm animal.  Sheep seem adept at escaping and often appear on the edge of the road, eyeing the other side.

The west coast of the South Island seems particularly fond of one-lane bridges – they vastly outnumber the two lane bridges.  Pay attention to the signs when you approach a one lane bridge – they provide information on right of way, which is apparently based on who has the most visible approach to the bridge.

All in All

You’ll be fine!  You’ll get used to it in a few days and in a couple of weeks, the idea of driving on the left side of the car on the right side of the road will seem weird.  You’ll be fine mate, no worries!