New Zealand Driving Tips For Right Side Drivers

Great scenery awaits while driving in New Zealand

Highlights

Helpful hints for easy transition on driving on the left side for people who are used to driving on the right. Plus some New Zealand traffic rules that visitors may not be aware of.

Time of Visit: October, November 2024

Duration of Visit: 32 Days

Description

Milford Sound Road

Driving in New Zealand offers a fantastic way to explore the country’s stunning landscapes. But for visitors accustomed to driving on the right side, anxieties may arise as New Zealand drives on the left.

Thankfully, they make it easy for visitors to prepare for driving in New Zealand. Two of the valuable resources I found very useful are the Driving in New Zealand Booklet and the the free on-line driver’s education.

The booklet provides a nice summary about New Zealand’s driving while the free on-line course was great in conditioning me mentally for left side driving such that it felt more natural. The stomach butterflies were not there when we drove off the rental car parking lot.

New Zealand’s traffic rules and regulations are pretty much similar to the US. In some cases, they are clearer or more straighforward. There was no second guessing on what to do.

This article contains a link to the on-line driver’s education and highlights some of the traffic rules that are different in the US.

Left Side Driving

Published New Zealand Driving Information for visitors

With left side driving, the most important rule is that you need to give way (yield) to vehicles approaching from the right if you are turning left and look both ways if you are turning right. Click on the link to access the free on-line New Zealand driver’s education course.

I would recommend to take a few practice test to get your mind conditioned on driving on theft. I felt this conditioned me mentally to drive on the left naturally.

Speed Limits, Cameras and Police

100 kph speed limit sign under ideal road conditions

Speed limits are generally posted on the roadside. If you are not sure, generally, it is 30 kph in heavy urban areas, 50 kph going through rural town or construction, 80 kph when leaving rural towns and 100 kph in highways even if it’s just a two lane road. Best to keep your eyes on the road to watch for speed limit changes.

During our visit, we only observed very few speed cameras and they were in Auckland. However, do not be tempted to go over the speed limit. They still catch speedsters the old fashion way – by chasing you down with a police car. They can be anywhere, even in an unassuming stretch of road.

Traffic Symbols And Etiquette

Traffic symbols are fairly intuitive. However, you may want to get familiar with two symbols that are not used in the US. These are the white circle with a black slash and black, red and white arrows when approaching a one lane road or bridge.

White circle with a black slash means the speed limit is 100 kph when conditions are favorable. This means visibility is good and the road is not wet nor heavily used. So it is more like reasonable and prudent but not to exceed 100 kph.

When approaching a one lane road or bridge, you will either see red and black arrows or white and black arrows. These arrows would be in opposite directions to represent the flow of traffic in each lane. So one arrow would point up which would be your lane and the other arrow would be pointing down to represent the other lane.

Typical road sign when approaching a one lane road or bridge. Pay attention to the arrows color and directions and presence of white line across your lane.

All you need to do is pay attention to the arrow on your side (the arrow pointing up). If it is red, it means you yield to the oncoming traffic. The oncoming traffic would see the white arrow on their side signifying they have priority. If your arrow is red, you can only proceed in entering the one lane area if there is no oncoming traffic coming from the other end. If your arrow is red and have entered the single lane area before the oncoming traffic has arrived, you can continue on until you have crossed the single lane area. The priority lane is required to wait until the oncoming traffic has passed to avoid a Mexican standoff in the middle of the single lane area.

Another way of telling if you have priority or not in a single lane road is the white line across the lane. If your lane has a white line across, it means your arrow is red and you do not have priority.

Roundabouts and intersections

Roundabouts are common in New Zealand. Pretty much treat a roundabout like an intersection. Vehicles already on the roundabout have the right of way which is equivalent to a vehicle already crossing an intersection. You cannot enter the roundabout if there is oncoming traffic. If the roundabout has two lanes, you should be in the outer lane (left lane) if you plan to turn left or go straight, otherwise, you should be in the inner lane (right lane) if you plan to go straight or to the right.

New Zealand makes this easy by painting directional arrows on the road surface before a roundabout.

No left turn signal at congested intersection

Just like roundabouts, yield to vehicles that are already in the intersection. Left turn on red (equivalent to right turn on red in the US) is not typically allowed at busy intersections, especially with a traffic light. And there would be no second guessing as they make it obvious with the red left arrow as shown in the photo.

Parking Signs

Number under the letter “P” indicates the lenght of allowed parking time

Most towns and cities in New Zealand have free parking. Typically, vehicles can park within the white painted line on the road. Some parking areas, especially in the busy part of towns have parking limits. Those would be indicated with a blue sign with white characters. The characters would state PXX where XX is the minutes allowed to park.

Park within white painted lines and look for the allowed parking duration before walking away

So before you walk away after you park, make sure there is a white line and look around for a parking time limit sign.

Gas Stations

Gas stations in New Zealand accept credit cards. Some are not even manned and just have a card reader. Our US credit card worked on some and not on others. NPD gas stations seem to have the lowest price and where our card worked most of the time.

Practical Considerations

Use the slow lane to allow others to pass. If there is no slow lane, hug the left curb if possible. Locals use the right turn signal to indicate to the would be passing vehicle that he or she can pass.

Kiwi drivers are generally courteous, but it’s essential to keep up with the flow of traffic. Use pull-over bays (lanes) to let faster vehicles pass, especially if you’re driving slower to enjoy the scenery. Petrol stations are infrequent in remote areas, so fill up your tank whenever possible.

Finally, respect New Zealand’s strict rules on alcohol consumption and driving. The legal limit is low, and random breath testing is common.

Summary

New Zealand is a wonderful country to do a road trip. But for those who are used to drive on the right side, it can be nerve racking to be suddenly driving on the left side.

However, it just requires mental conditioning to get fully at ease in transitioning from right side to left side driving. Taking the country’s on-line driving course greatly help me feel a natural left side driver, even if I did not finish the course completely.

There are also some traffic signs that are unique to New Zealand that the would be visitor need to be familiar with. Going through the on-line course enabled me to get familiar with it.

With careful preparation, driving through New Zealand’s breathtaking landscapes would surely be a rewarding experience.