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| Home > City Guide - Auckland - Getting There By Road | ||
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Getting There By Road Driving in New Zealand is easy, inexpensive and – although Auckland is one of the busiest areas, in terms of traffic – by European standards, is still relatively quiet. Nearly all roads are State Highways, designated by ‘SH’ and a number. Small numbers refer to the major routes between destinations – such as SH1 from Auckland to Wellington – while larger numbers indicate smaller roads linking smaller destinations, or recently built roads – such as SH94 from Te Anau to Milford Sound. All other roads, of which there are a few, are known– although not officially – as ‘B’ roads. These are often little more than ribbons of tarmac. A valid national driving licence is all that is required for driving in New Zealand, for up to 12 months. The legal driving age is 18 years. Insurance is not mandatory but is recommended. Traffic drives on the left and most roads are quiet. The maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio for driving is 0.08% (0.03% for drivers under 20 years). Speed limits are 100kph (62mph) on open roads, 50kph (31mph) in urban areas and 20kph (12mph) in the vicinity of a stopped school bus. There are ‘Limited Speed Zones’ where the speed limit is often reduced from 100kph to 50kph in adverse conditions. The New Zealand Automobile Association (website: www.nzaa.co.nz) provides information on road conditions (tel: (0900) 33222) and general information (tel: (0800) 500 222). Emergency breakdown service: NZ AA (0800) 500 222 Routes to the city: SH1 north runs parallel to the east coast of North Island to Warkworth and then on to Bay of Islands, Northland Forest Park and Cape Reinga. SH1 south heads toward Hamilton and Wellington, which links with SH5 to Rotorua, SH29 to Taurangia, SH2 to Gisbourne, SH3 to New Plymouth (via the west coast and linking with Raglan or Waitomo), SH5 to Napier and SH4 to Wanganui. Approximate driving times to Auckland: From Rotorua – 2 hours 30 minutes; Bay of Islands – 3 hours; Wellington – 8-9 hours. Coach services: Auckland has good coach links with other main New Zealand towns and cities, as well as the more popular tourist areas. Coaches operate from the Intercity Coach Terminal, at the Sky City Casino, 102 Hobson Street (tel: (09) 366 6400), where there are basic facilities, such as left-luggage, a café and toilets. Coaches also operate from the Northliner Travel Centre, 172 Quay St, opposite the Ferry Building. The biggest coach service provider throughout New Zealand is InterCity (tel: (09) 357 8400), with Newmans (tel: (09) 309 9738) also having a good service. Smaller operators include C Tours (tel: (09) 758 1777) to New Plymouth, Geyserland Express (tel: (09) 357 6616) to Rotorua, The Little Kiwi Bus (tel: (0800) 759 999) to Hamilton and Northliner Express (tel: (09) 307 5873) to the Bay of Islands. |
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