New Zealand, with its exceptionally picturesque and exotic nature, is not yet so popular with tourists from the northern hemisphere. But the beauty of this country is worth the long flight. You can see the whole country, spread over two large islands, while driving. Car rental is very developed here, so it won't be difficult to find transport. But it is worth preparing in advance, because the roads in New Zealand have a number of peculiarities.
Country road network
New Zealand consists of two huge islands and a number of smaller, mostly uninhabited islands. The bulk of the population lives on the North Island, because thanks to the more flat relief, most of the country's cities are built here, including the capital, Wellington. The southern island is partly occupied by mountains and partly by farmland.
The development of highways for the government of New Zealand is one of the priorities, because it is the transport network that can connect the few cities of this state. As a result, over a hundred highways have been built on the islands, the main of which is the SH1 highway, which runs through both islands from one end to the other.
Due to the difficult terrain, almost all roads have one or two lanes, winding and twisting in numerous turns. As a rule, there are no roadsides. In most cases, the quality of the roadway is excellent, the tracks are monitored here and all defects that have formed are repaired in a timely manner. True, in mountainous areas you can find worse roads, but their level is still quite high.
The abundance of mountain passages has led to the fact that there are strict restrictions on the speed of movement. Even on large highways, you cannot drive over 100 km / h, and in settlements the maximum speed drops to 50. This may seem unusual, but for local residents, accustomed to the measured pace of life, this kind of driving is more than familiar.
Features of moving on the roads of New Zealand
As in any foreign country, before renting a car, it is worthwhile to study the peculiarities of local traffic. In New Zealand, they are as follows:
- Traffic is left-hand here. At first, this may seem extremely unusual, and a visiting driver, no, no, and will inadvertently drive into the oncoming lane. Fortunately, the traffic density on the country's roads is very low, so most of these mistakes go without consequences.
- Never exceed the speed limit. After all, you can not only get a large fine, for a particularly strong excess you face imprisonment.
- On the roads you can find a lot of local animals. Especially goes to possums, the knocked down bodies of which can often be found along the way.
- When planning your route, you need to understand that any journey from one point to another will take a lot of time. Primarily due to the winding local roads. So it is necessary to add a few hours in advance so as not to be late.
Having driven through New Zealand by car, the traveler gets a unique opportunity to get acquainted with the local unique landscapes and see rare animals that are found only here. But it is important to remember to observe the speed limit and be careful if left-hand traffic is not your habit.
