Self Drive New Zealand

Don't have enough in your party to hire a Bus? Then how about renting a car or even a Campervan?

New Zealand is a beautiful country with well maintained roads and excellent signage.
Like any country in the world it is vital to know the road laws and be constantly aware of what is happening around you at all times.

Safety
When driving in New Zealand it is advised to make sure you are fully conversant with the rules of the road.

The New Zealand Road Code is a great place to start and available by clicking the image and purchasing from a New Zealand company that ship worldwide.

The most important thing to remember is that New Zealanders drive on the left hand side of the road.

Far too often we have head-on collisions near tourist attractions. Non New Zealand drivers still in ore of what they have just seen or done and automatically revert back to their natural instincts and head off on the wrong side of the road.

In fact the road safety organisations have recognised this problem and are now painting directional arrows on the road either side of the exit and entry points of attractions and scenic locations.

Directions
Now that you have decided to come to New Zealand you will need a good Road Map.

As in the UK the AA (Automobile Association) offer a fantastic range of maps and information guides and the AA Road Atlas New Zealand, is no exemption. Click the image to purchase

New Zealand’s population, is only 4.3 million in a land area of the UK. Traffic congestion is not really an issue.

The South Island, the largest of the three islands, has a total population of just over 1 million people; however the roads are of an extremely high quality.

State Highway 6, that runs down the West Coast of the South Island is totally sealed and wasn’t completed until 1965, whilst a little narrow and very windy in places the surface is excellent. You can travel for hours and you would be lucky to see 25 other vehicles.

What to see and do
I am a Tour Coach Driver and have traveled 1,000’s of kilometers around our country. People often ask me where my favorite place is, my standard answer is “everywhere”.

You can travel for 3 or 4 hours and pass by 3 or 4 totally different landscapes, from cities to farmland to snow capped volcanoes to beautiful lakes.

Of course one of the most important pieces of information is a travel guide.
The biggest selling series of Travel books is the lonely planet guides. I have also listed another, The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide.

Some years ago, a New Zealand couple, Diana & Jeremy Pope wrote what many have acclaimed as the Best travel guides of New Zealand.
In fact these guides became know as the tour guide & divers “Bible”.

They have rewritten the North Island edition and are currently working on the South Island edition.

This is truly the best guide I have ever read or worked with and covers all aspects of New Zealand, from culture to attractions to history and much more. There are very few towns that they do not have a comment about.

All of these books are available from the same New Zealand on line store and if you combine you order you will get better pricing.

Happy and safe traveling in our beautiful country.

Be sure to drop me a line and tell me about your adventure.

support@bus-hire.co.nz

Then of course you will need a Hotel

Click Here for Hotels