Andrew_Famly

What is the road like between Auckland and Tauranga? Is it a nice drive? Maps indicate that the drive takes about 2 hours but is that realistic? The reason I ask is that as we would never have driven in NZ before just thinking whether it would be better to drive straight to Tauranga or stay in Auckland after arrival. I think it would be better to have at least 24 hours in Auckland to get into the time difference, any thoughts??

TommyLuck

The roads are perfectly fine, as is the two hour estimate.

Depends if it's important that you save tim. Also, what time do you arrive in Auckland?

Personally, I would want to bed down somewhere and get some rest.

I once arrived in Sydney from the UK and got in a car and drove north for as long as possible. It knocked me sideways for about 4 days.

Hokey-pokey

Hi. It can take me upto 3 hours to drive from Tauranga to Epsom Auckland. Out of habit I always stop off at Ngatea for refreshments. I drive within the speed limits.
From Auckland airport to Tauranga it does take about 2 hours, but as you havent driven here before I'd allow for some extra time. Its a lovely drive once you're off the motorway. Its quite windy in places but I always enjoy it.

concretepump

hi time difference, is not to bad when you arrive in Auckland, its only when you get back to uk that it will hit you , when we go normally get in to the airport at 700am we just get the hire car company to pick us up stop off in the bank by

(the warehouse) then drive non stop to Tauranga its about 280km two and a half hours drive within the speed limits still not tired until about 9pm hope this helps

TommyLuck

Jet Lag is not an exact science.

I too don't get affected coming to NZ from the UK, but my wife does.

Concretepump make a good point though - if you know of your Jet Lag tendancies then factor this in.

If this is the first time you've encoutered such a journey and time difference, then I'd back the safe route and rest - I wouldn't want test my reaction to long distance travel from behind the wheel of a car.

MrsFychan

I would also say have a rest. My husband wasn't to bad on our arrival but myself and the kids were knocked out and we had a nights stop over on the way.
If you are not required to be there as soon as give yourself some time and relax.

RedDragon2008

I have often spent more time on the M25

I used to catch a bus that took 4 hours direct from Auckland to the Mount.

Half way was Paeroa (lunch was bottle of L&P and a Pie)

It was great when the road went from metal to sealed.

Lots of the curves have been straightened.

Cruise control (even better with active) makes it a smooth drive. Plenty of places to stop off and enjoy the fresh air and stretch the legs.

Justcol

I did the run regularly on my motorbike and never once did it in two hours, nearer 3.
what time do you get in at the airport, that would be the deciding factor for me, but I would also
think about how tired I might be after the flight. I wouldn't want to commit to a journey only to
find I'm too tired (and dangerous) to make the trip

nero

Depends what time and day you arrive in Auckland. I would personally err on the safe side and have a nights rest before the drive (but if time is critical this may not be viable).
Try to avoid heading south out of Auckland on a Friday afternoon as the SH1 can be at standstill. The same can be said for any afternoon at about 4pm onwards.

gazmac

Buy a sandwich and stop off at the Karangahape gorge, theres a rest area there and its on the way - no detour. Good place to stretch the legs and very scenic.

The road to Tauranga can get a bit boring, Come Waihi im usually in need of a strong coffee.

jmh

There have been a few fatalities from jet lagged drivers, not all of them going straight from the airport. There was a guy who fell asleep at the wheel and crashed into a lamp post the day after he arrived from the UK, on a 20 minute car journey. He survived but his 3 year old grandaughter who was in the car with him was killed. Jet lag was considered a factor.

My thought would be to find somewhere to bed down and get some kip the day you arrive but pay the bill before you go to bed. Then you will probably be up bright and perky at 3am and that would probably be a good time to travel. There will be 24/7 places you can get food in Auckland, fewer as you travel down I think. I don't know the road so I'm sure someone can chip in there.

Northern Henry

Although not yet based in NZ, we travel long haul a lot. Jet Lag is a cruel mistress and affects different people in different ways. Given you are looking at a 1hr+ drive after arrival the safest prospect would be to stay local over night and even then break up your journey where possible. 3 days isn't unreasonable to be affected greatly by the time difference, bear that in mind. Share the driving/ stop on route have numerous stops for coffee/ drinks even the day after.
Also consider being careful with any alcohol intake during the flight (if you are to drive on arrival avoid completely on last leg).

NH

Purrball

The only time I've managed to hit the ground running in New Zealand straight after a long, virtually direct set of flights, was to do night-shifts — sleeping during the day — in the UK about ten days before flying and trying to keep the same sleep pattern on the flights.

Gatwick>Dubai>Sydney>Auckland>Nelson with a couple of hour stops to only change planes would have knocked me sideways for up to a week. Instead, I was in bed and fast asleep at 8pm in Nelson the day I arrived, up at 5am and the next day was a breeze, except for being a bit stiff after sitting in plane seats for 24+ hours.

Normally, I wouldn't advise people to set up anything that needs any attention and care for about 3-4 days after arriving, just low-key activities that aren't too heavily scheduled. The jetlag between the East Coast of the US and the UK can be bad enough; 12 timezones can be punishing, leaving you with a weird adrenaline-fuelled (at first) excitement at being somewhere new, until you hit the wall three hours later, only to wake up at 2am wondering why the sun isn't shining.

What's the road like? Here you go.

Andrew_Famly

Wow had to watch the journey link, the roads do look good. Thank you for all the feedback it is really appreciated. I think if we ever make it over then we will probably stay a day or two in Auckland to ensure that we adjust to the time difference although there are two of us to share the journey. Looking at the roads I don't think I would have a problem with driving on them.

Thanks again