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What is different about driving in New Zealand? - HOW DO I / International students / Living in New Zealand - NMIT Support

What is different about driving in New Zealand?

The New Zealand Transport Agency provides an excellent, free, downloadable Driving in New Zealand guide. Information is provided in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, simplified and traditional Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Arabic.

Roads in New Zealand can be quite different to roads in your country.

  • We drive on the left hand side of the road.
  • Outside of the cities, our roads are mostly two-way, with one lane in each direction. We have few motorways.
  • Roads are narrower, more winding and sometimes steeper than you might expect.
  • Not all New Zealand rail crossings have automatic alarms and arm barriers.

The www.newzealand.com website includes a  New Zealand Police Tips for Driving in New Zealand video and other useful information about driving here.