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Driving in New Zealand – Recommendations, Tips and Tricks
12. The absence of ambiguous road markings and signs will surely become a pleasant surprise for drivers. You will find it very easy to navigate on the roads of New Zealand. Tourists, who visit the country for the first time, are certainly recommended to buy a map of roads or install a car navigator. It will certainly make your journey more comfortable.
13. Car drivers, who want to make long distance rides, should not forget that it is quite difficult to find a petrol station in the country. Therefore, it is better to fill the tank in the city. Starting a long journey with a limited amount of fuel is very risky in New Zealand.
14. As a rule, petrol stations offer two types of petrol - regular (equal to the petrol of the 92 category) and premium. All petrol stations are self-serviced. Once the tank is filled to the desired level, it is necessary to make a payment through the cashier or through the payment machine using a credit card.
Hints on Car Hire in New Zealand
When choosing a car for your New Zealand trip, don’t forget to check and compare the franchise amount (indicated in the rental conditions) for all cars considered in your selection. The franchise may vary from 200 to 2000 euro/dollars even for cars of the same class. A thorough comparison will allow you to choose the option with the lowest franchise.
During your booking, we will offer you to take a full coverage of the franchise ('No Risk' or 'No Excess' package). If you book a car without full coverage, it is recommended to take it at the pick-up time - this will substantially reduce your financial liability in New Zealand for the whole rental period.
During your car pick-up in New Zealand, do not forget to check what to do in breakdown-, accident- or theft-cases. Most of our offers include 'Breakdown Assistance' package. Besides this, every rental office would be happy to assist you with this package.
Prior to the car return, please check your voucher for the fuel conditions. If it is indicated that a driver shall return the car with a full tank, do not forget to refuel it on the way back, this will save you from additional charges at the rental office.
If you are looking for a car hire in New Zealand, we advise you to check OrangeSmile.com actual rental offers. Just use the orange search form at the top. We guarantee that you would not be able to find better rates anywhere else!
16. It will also not be a problem to find a free parking space. As a rule, it possible to find only paid parking lots in the city downtown. The cost of one hour of their services is approximately 2 NZD. Free parking lots are usually located in remote areas.
17. Regardless of the fact whether it is a paid or a free parking lot, it certainly has a clearly defined limit of use. On free parking lots the limit can be from 15 minutes to 2 hours, and on paid parking lots the limit is usually at least an hour.
18. When leaving a car at a parking lot, do not forget to read its rules. These rules are usually described in detail on a special blue board that is installed at the entrance to the parking lot. If you do not leave the parking lot on time and do not make an additional payment, your car will be evacuated to the penalty parking, and you will have to pay a large fine.
20. Until March 2012 there was a unique rule in New Zealand. This rule has absolutely no equivalents anywhere else in the world. The rule was the following: when making a near turn at an unregulated intersection, the driver needed to give way to a car moving in the opposite direction if it was making a long turn in the same direction.
21. This unusual rule had power on the roads of the country during 35 years, and it is impossible to find out the reason why it appeared. According to one version, at an intersection, drivers had to give way to vehicles that were making a more complicated maneuver. Until recently, that unusual rule was a true "road attraction".
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