Driving in New Zealand: What Visitors Need to Know Before They Set Off

New Zealand roads are narrower, more winding and slower than most visitors expect, and almost everything that catches people out is easy to handle once you know it is coming. This is what we tell people who are about to drive here for the first time.

Which side of the road do you drive on in New Zealand?

New Zealand drives on the left. If you drive on the left at home you will be fine within a few minutes. If you drive on the right, the first hour is the one to plan for.

It is worth being honest about which group you are in, because it has nothing to do with where you come from and everything to do with what your hands and eyes already do without thinking. Plenty of countries drive on the left, so a visitor from Japan, Singapore or Malaysia is on familiar ground, and a visitor from the United States or most of Europe is not.

Two things catch people out more than anything else. Roundabouts, where you give way to your right and go clockwise. And pulling out of a car park or a driveway after a stop, which is the moment the old habit comes back.

If you are not confident, say so when you collect the car. We will take you for a short drive on the other side of the road before you head off, if there is time and you want it. It is not a test, and not everybody wants one, but it is there.

Why does the drive take longer than the map says?

Because New Zealand roads are rarely straight and rarely flat. A distance that would take two hours on a motorway at home can take three here, and your map application will not always warn you.

The roads out of Queenstown wind along lake edges and over passes. They are sealed and they are fine in a normal car, but they ask for your attention the whole way. Add a margin to every journey, and do not plan a day that only works if nothing slows you down. The pressure to make up time is where most of the trouble starts.

If you want a sense of what the good drives actually involve, our guide to scenic drives around Queenstown that need no four wheel drive covers a few of them honestly, including how long they really take.

How tired is too tired to drive?

Tiredness is the biggest single risk for visiting drivers here, and the most common version of it is landing after a long flight and getting straight into a car.

You have crossed several time zones, you have probably not slept properly, and now you are driving on the other side of the road on a road you have never seen. That is a lot to ask of anybody.

So make the first leg a short one if you can. Stop every couple of hours whether you feel like it or not, because tiredness does not announce itself, and by the time you notice it you have already lost your edge. If you catch yourself drifting, missing a turn, or not remembering the last few minutes, pull over somewhere safe and stop. Twenty minutes is not a delay. It is the thing that gets you there.

If your flight lands late and you would rather not drive far that day, talk to us about the timing when you book.

How do one lane bridges work?

One lane bridges are common on the roads out of Queenstown, and the sign tells you who goes first.

A sign with a large white arrow pointing your way means traffic in your direction has right of way. A sign with a large red arrow pointing your way means you give way to anything coming the other way. There is usually a give way line painted on the road, and the words ONE LANE BRIDGE marked on the surface before you reach it.

Whichever sign you get, look right across the bridge before you commit. Some are long enough that a vehicle can already be on them and out of sight when you set off, and right of way is not much use to you halfway across. A few are shared with a railway line, which is signposted, and the train has priority over everybody.

If in doubt, wait. Nobody here minds.

What should I do about animals on the road?

Slow down, and do not swerve. Steering hard around an animal is what turns a near miss into a crash.

On rural roads you can meet sheep or cattle being moved between paddocks, usually with somebody walking them. Slow right down, follow whatever that person signals, and let the animals come past you. They will sort themselves out around a slow car and they will not around a fast one.

At night, and around dawn and dusk, you are more likely to meet possums, rabbits and hares. Up in the mountains, kea are curious birds and will walk out into the road to look at you. Brake in a straight line, stay in your lane, and accept that sometimes you cannot avoid a small animal. Your safety comes first.

Do I need snow chains?

Only if you are heading up to the ski fields, and only when conditions call for them. It is a mountain road question rather than a general driving one, and we have written the whole thing up in Snow Chains 101.

The short version for a hire car: tell us when you book if you are planning to drive up a mountain road, so we know where the car is going.

What is the Tiaki Promise?

Tiaki means to care for people and place, and the Tiaki Promise is New Zealand's shared commitment to travelling here in a way that looks after both.

It asks visitors to care for land, sea and nature and to leave no trace, to travel safely and with consideration for others, and to respect the culture of the country by travelling with an open mind. There is nothing to join and nothing to pay. It is a promise you make, and it is worth reading before you set off, at tiakinewzealand.com.

We ask everybody who takes a car from us to travel that way, and most of the advice on this page is the same promise in practical form. Give yourself time, look after the people in the car, and leave the places you visit as you found them.

Driving yourself is still the best way to see this part of the country. The places worth going are not on a bus route, and the good parts of a New Zealand road trip are usually the stops you did not plan. If you are weighing up whether you need a car at all, we have written an honest comparison in do you need a car in Queenstown.

And when you get here, we bring the car to you. In Queenstown nobody else does that, and it is the reason Evolve exists. A person hands you the keys and walks you round the car, so if you have a question about the roads, the weather, or where you are going, you are asking somebody who drove them this morning.

Book with Evolve Rentals and talk to us about where you are headed.

FAQs

Which side of the road do you drive on in New Zealand?
New Zealand drives on the left. Roundabouts go clockwise and you give way to your right. The moment to concentrate is pulling out of a car park after a stop, because that is when an old habit comes back.

Why do New Zealand drives take longer than the map says?
The roads are winding, hilly and mostly not motorway, so a two hour distance at home can take three here. Add a margin to every journey and avoid a day that only works if nothing slows you down.

Who gives way at a one lane bridge in New Zealand?
The sign decides. A large white arrow pointing your way means you have right of way. A large red arrow pointing your way means you give way. Either way, look right across the bridge before you commit.

What is the Tiaki Promise?
It is New Zealand's shared commitment to travelling safely, caring for land, sea and nature, leaving no trace, and respecting local culture. There is nothing to sign up to. You can read it at tiakinewzealand.com.