Why must it be an SUV? Are the roads to places other than Heaven Town in Nan Island so bad ?

New Zealand FAQ

6 Answers

User avatar
QEEQ User

The road conditions are very good. I personally don't think it's necessary to have an SUV.

User avatar
QEEQ User

It's not necessary to rent an SUV. I rented a Corolla and had no problem driving on the paved roads in the South Island. The locals also have non-SUV cars, right?

User avatar
QEEQ User

SUVs are just for ripping people off. The two of us rented a compact Corolla with two big suitcases, including insurance it cost 3600 dollars for 10 days. We started from Christchurch, went to the West Coast and then to the Fiordland, and then back to Mount Cook before returning to Christchurch. No stress on any kind of road, and the mountain roads were a breeze for the Corolla, no need for an SUV.

User avatar
QEEQ User

There is no good road on the west line. It's better not to drive from Wanaka to Queenstown if you don't have ten years of driving experience, or choose a route that is twice as long. The road to the fjord is also exceptionally bad.

User avatar
QEEQ User

You don't necessarily need a car, it also saves fuel.

User avatar
QEEQ User

Because driving an SUV is very enjoyable in the South Island

Related Questions

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

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