A few brief notes on cars, fuel prices, parking, licensing, road code, the driving experience, and insurance.

Getting a car

Second hand cars are supposed to comparatively cheap in New Zealand; we're not so sure. We were exceptionally lucky in that Bruce's parents had a spare Mazda hatchback which we were able to borrow for the duration of our year in NZ. New car prices can be reviewed here. Prices for second-hand cars can be found here or here. Another option is to import a car.

The cost of fuel

Compared to filling the tank in the UK, petrol is cheap—although Kiwis don't seem to think so. According to PriceWatch, as of this writing 91 octane petrol costs $NZ1.57 (£0.60) per litre in Wellington. This compares well to £0.97 per litre in the UK if you don't take into account lower NZ salaries.

Parking

As previously noted, initially we rented a car-parking space in the CBD for $NZ276.24 per month. When we moved to our current flat we had access to a private underground park as part of our tenancy.

In Wellington Residents' Parking Permits cost $NZ90 per annum, allowing you to park in coupon parking zones as well as residents parking areas within your suburb. Pay-and-display/ metered on-street parking in the CBD costs from $NZ1.50 to $NZ4.00 per hour on weekdays. Our street is one of those having coupon parking; the first 2 hours are free but for longer periods a coupon ($NZ5 per day or $NZ80 per month) must be displayed, and these are available from shops and garages. Residents of a coupon parking zone can park in that zone for $NZ50 per year with a Coupon Exemption Permit.

Coupon parking zone (© Wellington City Council)

Driver licensing

Neither of us have a valid NZ driver licence; we both drive on our UK licence which is permitted as follows:

If you do have a current overseas driver licence or international driving permit, you can drive using that for a maximum of 12 months from the date you arrive in New Zealand. (Note: if your overseas licence or permit isn't in English, you must carry an accurate translation)... Each time you visit New Zealand, you can drive for a further 12-month period on a valid overseas licence or international driving permit, as long as you stay for no more than a year at a time.

It seems stupid, but our recent long weekend in Australia thus entitles us to reset the counter!

Road code

The road code is available online. The big difference between driving in NZ and the UK is this: in NZ when you are turning left, you must give way to vehicles that are coming from the opposite direction and turning right (in the UK if you are turning left and another vehicle is crossing from your right into the same lane, you have right-of-way). Treat every intersection like a roundabout, giving way to traffic from your right.

The blue car gives way to the red truck in NZ (© Crown)

The driving experience

New Zealanders can be very accommodating, but put them behind the wheel and they turn agressive—contact sport, anyone? A generalisation this may be, but following too close, not letting you out, and dangerous over-taking are frequently witnessed. Drivers at least seem kinder to pedestrians than to each other, taking heed of crossings and sometimes stopping to allow you to cross when there isn't one. Most state highway is single lane in either direction; the roads are often windy and hilly, which goes some way to explain why bigger cars are preferred and accidents are common. Automatics are common, reflecting a shared laziness with Americans. Wellingtonians seem unable to keep left; undertaking on the motorway is a constant hazard (frowned upon but not illegal). Why do they always toot horns in the Mt Victoria tunnel? Nobody seems to know for sure (I've asked a couple of taxi drivers), but apparently it's a tradition! There's more on driving in NZ here.

Insurance

Vehicle insurance is not compulsory in New Zealand (but recommended), although changing this has been mooted to try and curb the boy racer menace. Dad arranged for us to be added to his existing policy; there was a change in the premium resulting from a change in the usual location of the vehicle.

Actions Send this article link by e-mail Print this article without other content Follow responses to this article (comments feed) Share this on del.icio.us, Digg, StumbleUpon Translate this page: DE | ES | FR Follow tag feeds: car, New Zealand, Project Koru, wellington. Buy for yourself on Amazon.com or Amazon.co.uk, leave a "tip"