Can friends who have been there tell me about the road conditions in the South Island? Are there gravel roads and do I need to rent an SUV ?

New Zealand FAQ

1 Answer

User avatar
QEEQ User

A few years ago, we were driving a 1.3L Nissan March with three adults and luggage, and we traveled around the South Island for 14 days in winter. We went to the snow mountains, stargazing, and even drove up the slopes in Dunedin! Hope this helps you.

Related Questions

Do I have to rent an SUV if I want to rent a car on the South Island? I am also a new driver in my home country, and I have only driven about a thousand kilometers ? New Zealand Q&A

12 Answers kilometersouth islandrent a car

Travelling by car in New Zealand's South Island, friends, according to your experience, what type of car is good to rent? Everyone knows that the South Island of New Zealand has many mountain roads, some places are narrow, and whether the road is easy to drive? I need to consider renting a car. Thank you all! ? New Zealand Q&A

5 Answers road tripmountain roadsouth islandnew zealandrent a car

We are Road trip in the South Island of New Zealand from November 24th to December 1st. Today I saw the news and I'm really scared. Can our friends there tell us if it's safe now? Our plan is to go from Christchurch to Akaroa, then to Fox Glacier, then to Wanaka, then to Queenstown, and also to Mount Cook ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers road tripglaciermount cooksouth islandnaka

Do you have friends who drive themselves around North and South Islands from October 16th to 30th? We can share a car. There are two of us here, and two more can fit in the car. ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer road tripnorth and south islandbeidaocarpool

Regarding the recent flooding in the South Island, tourists with travel plans in the near future do not need to panic. The latest information we have is as follows: 1. The water levels in the high-water areas of Lake Wakatipu and Lake Wanaka in Queenstown have reached their peak, and the weather has cleared up. This week is expected to be mostly sunny, with no more rain predicted, so the flood risk has been alleviated. Businesses along the shores of Lake Wanaka have resumed operations. The famous Wanaka Tree will remain partially submerged for a while longer due to the still-high water levels. Queenstown is experiencing clear weather, and recent photos show that while the water levels are high, the risk of flooding has diminished. 2. The South Island highways, which were previously closed, have started to reopen. State Highway 72 has resumed traffic, although there is heavy congestion, so travelers should allow extra time if using this route. 3. There is still flooding at the Rangitata Bridge section of State Highway 1, but once the water recedes, traffic will be able to resume. There is also flooding at the intersection of State Highway 1 and State Highway 79. The Timaru District Council has stated on social media that there is no risk of the recently reopened bridges on State Highway 72 being closed again. 4. The goal is to reopen State Highway 6 on the West Coast before Christmas, but this is entirely dependent on the weather conditions. If the weather remains favorable, the road repair progress will be normal, but if there is another heavy rain, it will affect the repair schedule. Therefore, travelers planning to visit the West Coast of the South Island around Christmas and New Year's need to closely monitor the road repair progress. The New Zealand Transport Agency's update on December 10th at 4pm: SH6 - The past two days have been sunny, and road repair progress has been smooth. The agency has been working to clear the landslide section between Fox and Franz Josef towns, aiming to reopen the Hokitika - Makarora section before Christmas. The Whataroa - Harihari section, which has suffered the most damage, is still closed due to multiple landslides, and the agency is striving to reopen it before Christmas ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer weathertraffichighway 1operating systemfox

What should I do if I drive a Road trip car with four elderly people for nine days in the South Island? Should I rent a Highlander or a larger MPV like the Toyota Alphard? Which one has more space? My main concern is that the MPV may not have enough power, and I don't know what the road conditions are like. I'm worried that it will be difficult to drive. Thank you everyone ? New Zealand Q&A

4 Answers road tripspaceroad conditionstoyotasouth island

Have any of your friends been to Milford Sound and Glenorchy? Did you drive there and take a boat ride, or did you just join a tour group in Queenstown? I heard that the road conditions are not suitable for renting a car to drive on ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers road conditionsqueenstowntake a boatrent a carmifuxia bay

If you can book a motorhome, it is still recommended that you book a motorhome. The travel time is free, there are also many motorhome campsites, and it is also solid. We felt very relaxed during our 15-day motorhome trip in the South Island. There is no need to worry about whether the accommodation can keep up. Motorhomes come in many varieties. compatriots who are not very familiar with right-hand drive and especially dare not drive large cars can choose smaller ones. There are cooking things on the car, which is very convenient ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers right rudderrvcampsitesouth island

1. Left-hand driving: You can get used to it quickly, and even if you violate it, because everyone can see each other, it generally does not cause consequences. Of course, affecting others will be despised and scolded. 2. GIVE WAY and STOP: Most important! Must be strictly enforced! At intersections with GIVE WAY and STOP signs, you must stop and look carefully before entering the main road. Vehicles on the main road (including roundabouts) will absolutely not slow down to let vehicles from the side road enter. 3. Speed limit: If you cannot see the speed limit outside the city or when there is no speed limit, follow the maximum of 100, otherwise follow the speed limit. 4. Curves have suggested speeds, as stated in the driving promotional video for newcomers to New Zealand: 'If you feel uneasy when you see the speed limit, you can slow down.' 5. Speeding: In the North Island, you can drive at the speed limit +10 (on holidays +5), and there are few slow vehicles on the road. The maximum speed for vehicles with trailers may be 80, but everyone can silently follow along... 6. Overtaking: Very few people overtake on most ordinary roads. Highways have sections with overtaking lanes, which are uphill, and vehicles with good power will overtake at this time. (The gentle GL made me give up the idea of using the overtaking lane). There will be signs on the highway indicating the distance to the next overtaking lane, so there is no need to rush to overtake. 7. Windshield wipers and turn signals: Opposite to the right-hand driving position, this is what I am least accustomed to. Every time the windshield wipers resolutely swing in front of my eyes when turning, I can feel the concerned and disdainful looks from the surroundings... And, even if you turn on the turn signal, you may not be able to stop the windshield wipers immediately... 8. Crossing lines: From observation, all the lines here can be crossed, but no one drives on the lines for a long time. 9. Parking: Most parking in the North Island is free. I only parked in a paid parking lot twice, and it was quite expensive. 10. Haven't paid any tolls ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer stopspeedingtollparking lotspeed limit

I'm still working hard to get back the cost of a tank of gas. On the way back from the South Island to Auckland, I took half a day to go to Muriwai Beach and spent half a day looking for a rental car company near the airport. I found a Corolla for 480 yuan with full insurance. When I picked up the car, the salesperson tried to sell me an additional 27 New Zealand dollars of insurance, but I ignored her. When I looked inside the car, the fuel tank only had enough fuel to run 121 kilometers. I told her about it, and she said it was no problem as long as I returned the car with an empty fuel tank. Since the pickup and return process had gone smoothly before, I didn't think much of it. When I returned the car the next morning, there was still enough fuel in the tank to run for more than 130 kilometers. But as soon as I arrived at the airport, I received information that I had been charged 134.11 New Zealand dollars, and when I asked, it turned out to be for fuel. Can you imagine where the credibility comes from ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer pick upreturn the carfull insuranceinsurancekilometer

Recently Answered Questions

So suggest people rent cars with credit cards and make sure your credit cards have rental car insurance. My card has it, so I don't have to buy any collision insurance. After getting home, I just fill out an online claim form, upload all the photos, documents, and credit card records when I rented the car, etc. Two weeks later, I received an email saying the claim was approved, and all the windshield fees that the rental car company deducted from me were returned to me. They asked me how I wanted them to send the money to me ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer claim settlementgo onlinecredit cardswipe cardinsurance

Have you ever used self-service fueling? Is the credit card authorized first, and then the actual fueling amount is deducted after the gun is lifted ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer credit carddeduct feeoilgo for it!self-service refueling

I parked at the dock and paid for parking with a card, with a pre-authorization of 50. Shortly after, the pre-authorization was cancelled. Will I receive a fine? Can I still continue to pay for parking ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer traffic ticketspre-authorizationswipe cardparkingpayment

Hello everyone, I would like to ask if I need to buy full insurance when renting a car. I noticed that full insurance is very expensive in Queenstown. I am planning to go to New Zealand at the end of August, is it considered the peak tourist season? Do I need to book hotels and tickets in advance ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer hotelfull insuranceticketqueenstownnew zealand

The service staff took a lot of pictures when I picked up the car. I thought they were professional, so I didn't take any pictures (besides, I thought that since I had full insurance, there wouldn't be any problems if an accident happened). Today, when I returned the car, a different lady looked at it very carefully and found a little damage to the paint. She didn't compare it to the pictures when I picked up the car. She just emphasized that I didn't need to make any payments, but asked me to sign. I wondered if the insurance company was playing some kind of trick ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers pick upaccidentreturn the carfull insurancecompensation

Can the whole electronic visa passport be scanned (all blank pages are scanned)? Or just the used pages (such as the pages with exit stamps)? In addition, do you need to scan the new passport if the previous passport has many transit stamps and visas? If scanned, do you also need to scan the whole passport, including blank pages? I am a dependent visa holder ? New Zealand Q&A

3 Answers transitelectronicpassportvisaelectronic signature

Apply for an electronic visa to New Zealand online, fill in the name according to the requirements, and find that the displayed name is opposite to the passport. If this is issued, the name should also be reversed. How do you fill in when you apply? For example, the visa is XU ZHANG, and the passport is ZHANG XU. Or do you need to reverse the order of the name when applying for the visa to keep it consistent with the order of the passport ? New Zealand Q&A

2 Answers electronicpassportvisanew zealandelectronic signature

Do I need to print out an electronic visa and keep it in my passport ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer electronicpassportvisaelectronic signature

Is a passport only required for the first page? Do you also need a visa to go to other countries ? New Zealand Q&A

1 Answer passportvisa

Is the New Zealand visa the paper that was sent to me by email? We applied together as a couple. There are two names on it, but only the passport number of the principal applicant ? New Zealand Q&A

4 Answers passportvisanew zealand