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Driving in New Zealand
Ooaj Travel Guide, tourism, hotel reservation, residence, plane, cheap pension for you holidays in driving in new zealand
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Driving around New Zealand will allow you to see those parts of this wonderfully scenic country that tourist operators haven't discovered yet.
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| driving in new zealand Travel Guide : |
General Introduction
Speed and distance in New Zealand are measured in kilometres rather than miles. Do not underestimate the time needed to travel places. The local automobile association publishes a travelling time guide that suggests average travelling speeds in the range of 50 to 70 km per hour should be allowed if travel is to be enjoyed.
An International Driving Permit (IDP) or a New Zealand Driver Licence is required to be carried at all times while driving in New Zealand. But you can legally drive for up to 12 months if you have a current driver's license of your home country.
Keep Left
Drive on the left-hand side of the road. If you are used to driving on the right, you need to concentrate at all times. Take particular care when pulling out from laybys and driveways or when you are tired. It is very easy to have a lapse of concentration and to revert to habit. Such lapses have caused a number of fatal head-on accidents in New Zealand. Many inter-city roads lack median barriers, so there is nothing to force the driver to stay on the correct side of the road.
Give Way to the Right
Generally speaking, driving in New Zealand is relatively stress-free. The only major problem is the "give way to the right" rule. Unlike in Australia, the UK or Japan where people also drive on the left, New Zealanders treat every intersection like a roundabout. This means that if you are turning left you have to give way to vehicles turning right into the same lane.
Highway Network
New Zealand has a network of major arterial roads throughout the country that are called highways. Most are not engineered to international highway standards found in other westernised countries. Only roads designated as motorways are engineered to international highway standards and that term is used to describe a road reserved and designed specifically for motorised vehicles. In many respects, New Zealand highways are simply the major roads between significant places and can be used by any traveller, including cyclists, pedestrians and even farm animals.
The state Highway Network is documented at Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Zealand_State_Highway_network)
Road Signs
New Zealand Road Signs generally follow international conventions. The full range of signs is illustrated in the New Zealand Road Code (http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/roadcode/). There are three types:
Regulatory signs - those that must be obeyed by law - These signs have a Red border or background. Red on a road sign indicates there is a road rule that will be broken (and fine) if the sign is disobeyed.
- STOP signs require a vehicle be stopped at an intersection and not proceed until the way is clear.
- GIVE WAY signs require a vehicle to give way or yield right of way to other vehicles (except those controlled by a Stop sign.) Stopping is not mandatory, but wise, as these signs are often erected at busy intersections where vision is obstructed.
Warning signs - which should be obeyed for safety reasons - These signs have Black borders and symbols with a yellow (permanent) or orange (temporary) background.
Information signs - which give information - These normally have White borders and symbols or text with either a blue, green or brown background. This includes many parking signs, and fines may be imposed by the local council - rather than Police - if parking limits are exceeded.
Road Markings
White lines are used to mark the roads. Solid lines indicate road boundaries, parking spaces, stopping positions and centre lines at intersections. Broken or dotted lines indicate lanes and centre lines. As a general rule it is permissible to cross a broken white line, while a solid white line indicates some road rule limits when that line should be crossed.
Yellow centre lines are used to indicate when passing or crosssing the centre line is not permitted. Broken yellow lines on the side of the road are used to indicate No Stopping areas or parking spaces reserved for special vehicles.
Controlled intersections (i.e. Traffic lights or signs) have Limit lines that vehicles need to stop behind at these intersections. These lines are often set back a few metres from the intersection itself and if you cross the line, say at a right turn, your vehicle may not be detected by the traffic light sensors and you may not get the green light.
Diagonal, often yellow, crosshatchings in an intersection shows that the exit to the intersection often is blocked, and you must not obstruct the intersection by stopping in the (marked) area of the intersection, though this rule applies at every intersection, marked or not.
Bus lanes are often, though not always, painted green. Cars should not be driven in bus lanes unless a sign indicates permission; some bus lanes may be open to cars that are carrying passengers or travelling at certain times of the day or week.
Pedestrian Crossings
At Pedestrian Crossings, (Zebra Crossings) white parallel lines are painted across the road. A white diamond is usually painted on the road before pedestrian crossing, together with warning signs and amber flashing lights or round orange reflectors on black and white striped poles at the crossing.
Drivers must stop for pedestrians waiting at the crossing. This applies to the whole crossing and pedestrians on both sides of the road, even if the white centreline passes through the crossing or there is a painted centre median. Only when there is a raised traffic island can the crossings in either traffic direction be treated separately. Vehicles should stay stopped while a pedestrian is using any part of the crossing - (though many drivers do not because the crossing rules have changed so much in recent times.)
If the word SCHOOL is painted by the diamond or on the warning sign, the crossing is controlled by a School Patrol with round STOP signs. Traffic must stop, and stay stopped, if even one school patrol stop sign is displayed on either side of school patrol crossings. Although these crossings are often operated by trained school children, there is generally a responsible adult supervising too. Crossing patrols operate about half an hour before and after school, typically between 8:30 AM and 9 AM and between 2 PM and 3:30 PM.
Traffic Signals (Traffic Lights)
All New Zealand traffic signals are standardised with Red on top, Amber (Yellow) in the middle and Green at the bottom. Only one colour shows at a time - unlike Australia there is no Red-Amber phase indicating the lights will shortly change to green.
The following lights occur - they have the same meaning on vehicles:
- Flashing Red - Stop and stay stopped until the lights stop flashing. Normally only encountered outside Fire Stations, Ambulance Stations, Airport Runways and at Railway Crossings. One or two lights may be flashing, either together or alternating. Police vehicles can use flashing red and blue lights.
- Flashing Amber - Indicates a road hazard. If encountered at traffic lights it means the lights are not operating and the give way rules apply. Vehicles in hazardous positions should have flashing amber lights on. e.g. Breakdowns, road constriction and service vehicles.
- Red - Stop and stay stopped until the light goes out. Unlike in some other countries, you cannot turn left on the red signal, even though this turn isn't against traffic.
- Red Arrow - Stop for the direction of the arrow.
- Amber - Stop - unless you cannot safely do so.
- Amber Arrow- Stop for the direction of the arrow - unless you cannot safely do so.
- Green - You may proceed IF the way is clear - i.e. You still have to give way to other vehicles or pedestrians.
- Green Arrow - You may proceed in the direction of the arrow IF the way is clear - i.e. You may still have to give way to other vehicles or pedestrians.
- Other symbols such as a bicycle or a letter mean the lights apply to the specific vehicle identified in the symbol.
- Red and Green Person symbols are used at pedestrian crossings beside the lights. If no pedestrian lights are showing pedestrians may cross the road with the green light.
City Driving
In urban areas the speed limit is 50 km/h unless there are signs indicating otherwise.
Auckland is the largest city and is very congested. At off-peak times driving from the city to the airport can take 25 minutes. In peak times it can take up to an hour, but generally 40 minutes, to travel the same route.
The other major centres may have some congestion at peak periods but there is not the same intensity of traffic as you will find in Auckland.
There are generally very few one-way streets in New Zealand, but most of them are located in the cities' central business districts, so beware of them while driving there as they are not always obvious.
Open Road
The speed limit on the main highways and motorways is 100 km/h for cars, but only 90 km/h for buses and trucks and only 80 km/h for vehicles towing trailers. Some semi-rural roads have 70 km/h or 80 km/h limits, especially approaching and leaving urban areas.
Some roads have a Limited Speed Zone or LSZ. This means the speed limit changes depending on the conditions. In good conditions, with light traffic, the speed limit can be the open road limit of 100 km/h but it drops to 50 km/h if there is a lot of traffic, the weather is poor or there are people on the roadside. A LSZ will often be found in the transition zones between town and country, though most have now been replaced with 70 km/h zones.
Be careful when turning into sideroads while in rural areas. Stopping in the middle of the road while waiting to turn often results in a rear collision. Drivers typically wait to the left of the road instead of the middle.
Many rural highways are w?ndy, fast, have one lane on each side of the road, and have tight corners. Oblong black and white arrow signs with a number (eg "65") approximately indicate the tightness of an upcoming turn.
Speed Limits and Enforcement
A 10km/h allowance is made for inaccurate speedometers, so many drivers travel at 100-109km/h on the open road. However, the Police have a no-tolerance policy and will issue tickets for 11km/h over the limit. Consideration is being given to lowering the ticketing threshold from 110 to 105km/h.
Travelling more than 50 km/h over any speed limit is considered dangerous driving and will result in arrest, suspension of driver's licence and possible impounding of the vehicle if caught by police. Failing to stop for Police when directed (e.g. Flashing red and blue lights/siren) may also result in an arrest, as New Zealand Police will pursue a fleeing vehicle.
The Police operate a dedicated Highway Patrol, whose primary job is to enforce traffic laws. These vehicles are marked in yellow, blue and white (rather than the orange, blue and white of other police vehicles). Unmarked (or mufti) patrol vehicles are also used. However, all Police officers are expected to stop offending motorists if traffic offending is observed.
Speed cameras operate from the back of unmarked cars, vans (At present 30/8/05 mainly White, Red or Green Mistubishi vans) or from camera boxes in fixed positions. Police also use handheld laser speed guns and may operate hidden speed cameras. An innocent looking parked van or car or that cream or silver box on a pole at the side of the road may or may not contain a camera, best to assume that it does. Enforcement often happens at sections of road where drivers may easily break the speed limit, such as at the bottom of a hill or where the speed limit has changed.
Take extra care at observing speed limits as you pass through small towns. There are often speed cameras just past where the speed limit drops to 50km/h, such as the fixed speed cameras entering Bulls from the south as with Palmerston North. These speed limits appear to be the most strictly enforced.
Also be sure to obey temporary speed restrictions put in place for road works and special events, even when there is no evidence of work actually in progress. When resealing has taken place, the limit is often left in place for a couple of weeks until loose stones have disappeared or been swept. Being caught driving at more than 80km/h in a temporary 30km/h zone will lead to automatic loss of driving licence plus a heavy fine. Do not be surprised if long lengths of highway have 30km/h restrictions despite there not being any sign of road works or workmen, this is notoriously commonplace to drivers' frustration.
Drinking and driving
New Zealand Police strictly enforce alcohol limits for drivers. Police often set up alcohol checkpoints, sometimes around a whole city centre, and even set up checkpoints on motorways. However, any and every traffic stop is also an opportunity for testing for drink-driving. Police use alcohol sniffer devices to detect drivers who have been drinking. Drivers who fail these roadside screening tests will be asked to undertake a evidential breath or blood alcohol test. Refusal will result in arrest. The best advice about drinking alcohol then driving - don't.
Seatbealts
Wearing seatbelts in cars and vans is compulsory. There are very limited exceptions for medical reasons (with a medical certificate) and for taxi drivers. All adult passengers are responsible for wearing their own seatbelts. The driver is responsible for ensuring children, especially under 8's, are restrained in approved child restraints, if they are too small of an ordinary seat belt. If you are in a car, even a taxi, buckle up. You could be fined $150 if you are not wearing your seatbelt, even as a passenger.
Overtaking
Most of New Zealand's roads are single carriageways with only one lane in each direction, few median barriers, and few passing (or overtaking) lanes. When passing lanes do exist they are often fairly short. Passing lanes may sometimes be legally used by vehicles overtaking in the opposite direction too. This depends on whether the centreline markings have double yellow lines (no crossing) or a single yellow line with a white broken line (crossing permitted from the white line side only), so keep to the left whilst driving in a passing lane except when overtaking.
Except at intersections, where vehicles are turing right, overtaking vehicles must pass on the right. People often overtake by driving on the opposite side of the road. If you choose to overtake then make sure you spend as little time as possible on the opposite side of the road and only overtake when you can maintain at least 100 metres visibility throughout the whole manoeuvre.
In places where visibility is insufficient for safe overtaking, the road is marked with a solid yellow line adjacent and to the left of the white dotted centreline. It is illegal to overtake in these zones unless you can do so without crossing the centreline.
On multilane roads, each lane is considered a separate road-way and passing on the left can occur provided one says within the marked lanes. However, slower vehicles are expected to travel in the left lane(s) when multiple lanes travel in the same direction.
On two lane roads, slower vehicles are legally obliged to allow faster following traffic to pass when it queues behind them, whenever there is an opportunity to do so. Vehicles will often pull to the left edge of the road and indicate a left signal briefly.
Overtaking is a notable feature of intercity travel in New Zealand. Except to be constantly overtaking slow, heavily laden trucks and to be constantly overtaken by speeding motorists travelling up to 140km/h.
School Buses
The speed limit passing a school bus that has stopped for passengers is 20km/h from either direction. This means you must slow to 20km/h even if the school bus is on the opposite side of the road. School buses have a yellow and black sign saying "SCHOOL" but no other warning signs or marking different from any other bus on the road; school buses lack distictive colouring and are never painted yellow. There are a lot of school buses on rural roads between 7AM and 9AM and 3PM and 5PM on any school day.
Hazards
In the North Island the main hazards are:
- Logging trucks - in the centre of the island there are major forests with large numbers of trucks transporting logs to the pulp mills or to the ports of Tauranga and Wellington.
- Snow and ice - this is a winter hazard on State Highway 1 on the Desert Road ie the section between
Waiouru and Turangi. As this section of the road passes the main volcanic peaks and is on the main north-south road it is well travelled. Travellers should check the status of the road in winter. The other main route which is subject to this hazard is the Napier-Taupo road. Grit is often spread on icy roads, but salt is never used.
- Railway crossings - there are still a number of level crossings on main roads. Many of these crossings do NOT have barrier arms, but only warning lights and bells. Some crossings ONLY have a "Give Way" sign. Railway crossings are usually well sign-posted but there are a number of fatal crashes on these each year.
- Slips - after heavy rain many roads become subject to slips (small avalanches) and it is as well to drive more carefully on winding roads through valleys or cuttings.
- The Centenial Highway, which is part of State Highway 1, between Paekakariki and Pukerua Bay has gained a reputation as a fatal head-on traffic crash blackspot. This is a 10 km section of narrow 2 lane road with no passing places, heavy traffic flows and no room for driver error. Watch your speed, following distance, lane position and above all be patient. Crashes in this area will often close the road for several hours. For a more scenic trip take the Paekakariki Hill Road, which gives spectacular views of the Kapiti Coast and Tasman Sea.
- Drainage Ditches - some roads, especially in the Waikato, have deep water-carrying ditches on one or both sides of the road. These are often obscured by long grass and are easy to fall into if straying leaving the tarseal.
In the South Island the main hazards are:
- Snow and ice - many roads in the South Island are only passable with the use of snow chains in winter. The main ski fields are in the South Island and travellers to these should ensure they have chains for their vehicles. Grit is spread rather than salt to provide grip on icy roads.
- Dual use bridges - on some roads there are combined road and rail bridges. Make sure there are no trains on or approaching these before you commit your vehicle to a crossing.
- The Homer Tunnel - On the road to Milford Sound. This is a one lane tunnel that operates for 20 minutes in each direction each hour. Also beware of the tourist buses on this road.
Other Hazards:
- Unsealed roads - there are a good number of unsealed roads (otherwise known as gravel roads, or metal roads) in New Zealand. They are usually marked on maps although seal is gradually being extended so older maps may not be up to date. Avoid unsealed roads where it's practical to do so. If you do drive on them, don't drive too fast - 60km/h is about the maximum speed for safe driving on such roads.
- Stock on roads - Flocks of sheep are often driven along roads if their journey is only a few km. Slow right down to a crawl and enjoy the experience. Also, on many dairy farms, cattle have to cross a road to get to and from their milking shed twice a day.
- Stock trucks - Being an agricultural country, large numbers of animals are transported around the country by large truck towing equally large trailers. Although these trucks have effluent tanks to capture animal droppings, there is still some spillage or spray drift occasionally. Avoid following these vehicles too closely and keep the windscreen washer bottle full so that any "spray" can be washed off.
- One-lane bridges - Found on lesser travelled highways, and even some main ones! Many bridges were built single-lane for economy. They are marked so that traffic in one direction has right-of-way (blue informational sign) and the other direction must give way (red and white compulsory sign). Some longer bridges have a passing bay in the middle.
- Road Works - New Zealand roads are mostly "tar and gravel" pavements. These need to be regularly resealed, often a few kilometres at a time. The normal speed limit through road works is 30km/h, especially if there is loose gravel. Higher speeds may damage new pavements and throw up stones.
- Summer Rainstorms - Many parts of New Zealand have long periods without rain during the summer, during which tyre rubber and engine oil accumulate on the road surface. This can lead to the road surface becoming surprisingly slippery when it does rain. Also be aware that some rainstorms - especially hailstorms - are caused by a cold front. The sudden drop in air temperature on a previously warm summers day with an closed car can - almost instantly - fog the windscreen - too fast for even air-conditioning to clear it! If you notice your windscreen starting to fog when encountering summer rain, start the demister immediately, or slow down and pull off the road as soon as you can.
See Also
External Links
- Land Transport Safety Authority - Information for visitors & new residents (http://www.ltsa.govt.nz/information-for/new-to-nz.html)
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