HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Hi,

We are currently visiting New Zealand and considering moving over here from the UK. My hubby is in IT and has a good job offer based in Auckland. We are going to be moving on to Australia in ten days to have a look over there too. We like a lot of what we see here but have a few worries too, can anybody offer some light on these.

We went to a fireworks display last night and there were hardly any police around, lots of teenagers that seemed to be drunk and many of them racing around in what seem to be very powerful cars. We have heard the term “hoons" is this a big problem?

Driving around Auckland has been pleasant but it seems that there are high levels of aggression with the young drivers here. We also find that truck drivers here tailgate most of the time and casually drive in the fast lane (when there is one one !!!) We were told to phone the police if we had any bother but we hardly ever see police around.

Everywhere we have been here we hear cars screaming late at night and seem to be racing but never hear or see any police or even people talking about this subject. When we asked locals about the cars racing around during the night they said there is nothing that can be done. Is this the attitude here?

The roads here are in very poor condition, we have looked at the public transport system, and it seems that if we were to move here we would be forced to drive due to lack of public transport.

I am not too happy driving in this traffic and I know it sounds silly but this is a big part in us making our decision. When hubby is at work and we want to live outside the city I will be forced to get a car and the driving here makes me nervous.

Our concern is also that if these “hoons” are running around all over the place and doing what they like, if there is no police presence what does one do here if it is a problem in your area ?

Of course the UK has problems too, but the UK bobbies are very strict compared to what we see here so far.

New Zealand really is a beautiful country but do not want to decide on a move that could become a nightmare, I know this may sound trivial but it will play a big part in or decision. Also you see all the nice things on holiday ( except for this part ).

Thanks

Tanya

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Heya Tanya

Ok lets put this in perspective and that the problem IS in ISOLATED pockets.

I have said this a million times before if you expect utopia then dont come to New Zealand better still dont stay on planet Earth. We live in a quite part of New Zealand and to be honest we feel the same way when we go to Auckland as we used to feel when we went into London in the UK.

There is no such thing as a "Fast Lane" and to be honest you are suffering culture shock by the sounds of things. Been here for a few years now and have accepted the lack of public transport in certain areas (mainly Auckland) and the conditions of the roads. To be honest you should have come here over 10 years ago when the Napier-Taupo road was unsealed :blink:

Anyways when you go to Australia you may find the same thing.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

You get the assholes with loud exhausts everywhere, Young kids ( older drivers to ) driving around late at night with their pissed up mates in the back throwing beer bottles out the window. Mr&Mrs Kiwi seem to find this acceptable behavior.

As a rule Mr&Mrs Kiwi are crap drivers, they do not pay attention when they drive too busy day dreaming. I don't think they are particularly agressive though.
Nz is OK but this is one part of thier their culture you will have to come to terms with. Easier said than done.
Good luck

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

hi jacky g here,where were you staying in auckland?were in howick and apart from the odd boy racer,its generally alright here...

we also went down to firworks display,we went to clevedon and couldn't believe how family orientated it was,and we are from a small village that hardly has any bother in scotland....

loads of things for kids,food stalls,boucy castles,people having picnics,there was even a mobile eftpos machine brought in....and it didn't even have security gaurds there:blink:nothing like scotland:thumbsup:

as for the roads i felt much the same as you when i first arrived,i'm not a confident driver,but give it a few weeks and you will be zipping about with the rest of them,i am:thumbsup:

yes theres the gang culture here,the same as anywhere you go,but imho its much smaller than uk.it all depends on location,pick your area to live well,research everything and you should be fine.....gl with your choices....

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Hi Tanya, yes the roads do seem a bit scary at first. After nearly 12 months here though I find it not so different to driving around any small town in the UK. We live in Bucklands Beach, east of Auckland. We are walking distance to Half Moon Bay where you can catch a ferry into Auckland. Hubby may find driving into Auckland from most places a bit daunting though as the motorways do get clogged up in rush hour. The ferry is roughly a half hour trip and a much less stressful journey than the roads. We dont have any need to go into the city much and we find that where we live we have all we need on our doorstep. Shopping malls, Botany and Sylvia Park, cafes, supermarkets, cinemas, ice skating, bowling, lots of beaches, parks and countryside. The kids both walk to school. We find that we dont need to travel too far in the car anyway.
The 'hoons' cause us a small problem from the noise they make. We live in a rental on the corner of a busy road and hear the odd couple of an evening. One time when they were particularly noisy my husband called the local police who did do a recce of the area and said we should call 111 if it happened again. We will be looking for a rental in a quiet cul de sac after Christmas! I think you just picked a bad night really, where there were lots of people gathered, bound to get the idiots out too. Prob best you saw it for yourself though. Just a small problem, in my opinion, compared to the problems in the UK. The best bits far outweigh the worst bits of living in NZ for us.

Hope this helps. Enjoy OZ and good luck with your decision
Carol

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Not down here on the Mainland :thumbup:

Drivers are courteous here in Chch (or maybe a bit timid or a lack of road-sense), to the extent that it can be frustrating waiting behind others at roundabouts when the roundabout is clear but someone is approaching from another direction and there was time to drive a tank across!!

You do get the odd 'hoon' - but no more than the UK, and like others have said it depends on the area.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl:

I thought Christchurch was street racers paradise or is that just at the weekends :p

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

They took all their cars away a few weeks ago in a crack down! http://www.nzherald.co.nz/category/s...ectid=10465397

We get hoons on our street... or we did... they seem to have gone quiet lately (maybe they've had their car impounded or run out of money for new tyres). Saying that, last night we heard a dreadful racket, went to the window to see a toyota hiace van being fishtailed all over the road. The wet weather brings them out because it's easier to do skids. :frown:

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

.........all the time.......

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

:rofl::rofl::rofl::blink::blink::blink: not words you'd usually see in the same sentence!

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

More so on Friday and Saturday nights, but yeah...

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Just look at it this way.. if you were 15 and could afford to drive a fast car with a big exhaust that the girlies (or at least some of them, and probably the sort of girl you are after at 15!) thought made you cool, wouldn't you??

:thumbsup:

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Yip like they stop the kids from drinking in parks on Friday and Saturday nights being abusive to adults as they walk past them.

NZ police have the law that they can seize any car from a boy racer and impound it for 28 days meaning that what these kids are doing are running that risk.

Well this will depend on where you move which requires doing some homework, we live in Wellington easetern suburbs and not heard of any boy racers around our streets. Saying that they are around the town and out towards the Hutt.

But if the boy racer issue is a problem then maybe NZ maybe the wrong place for you. You could always try the States (gun crime), Australia (racism and snakes), France (the french). Everywhere has its problems

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Even England has it's problems, take southeners for example ... :p

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Our town is , thankfully, not big enough to suffer these problems to anything like these extents.
We went to the public fireworks display last might, and the biggest problem we had was the eight year olds playing one on one rugby. There wasn't even a beer tent, so no pessed(sic) youths.
This whole country suffers from boom boom stereo drivers with bean can exhausts, but it's a small price to pay compared to lager louts in UK.
Still, makes me glad me glad we didn't choose to live in the cities:thumbsup:.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Tanya, you're correct, there is a problem with the driving here, especially in the country roads. Basically, the roads are too narrow and winding for the volume of traffic and the capacity of the cars.

Would love to travel around a bit more, but honestly it's not pleasant on those narrow roads with traffic racing round corners on the opposite side.

Even a journey up to Warkworth a few weeks ago was really scary with the volume of cars on the road and the speed they were going.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

I'm a bit confused by this thread. I've driven from the top to the bottom of both islands and loved every minute of it. Compared to driving in the UK or even Oz it's great. Roads aren't too bad and ok so the driving isn't great, but i must have lived in a strange part of the UK cause i didn't think the driving in the UK is that great either.

Each to their own I suppose, but I know where i'd rather drive. :D

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

I am confused by this statement:confused: Having lived in Rural England I have found few if any roads that compare to a country lane in Southwest England :p As for amount of Traffic :confused: I am even more confused because there has been occasions I have driven nearly 100km plus without seeing another car in daylight hours. Not even the Uk I could do that :D

Guess when your talking Auckland and a weekend migration North yep can see that but no worse than a B road in the UK.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Well we all come from different places with differing perspectives of volumes of trafiic, types of driving conditions and drivers. I am an ex London driver and I was convinced that I had come to live in Auckland only to suffer some dreadful death at the wheel of my car. Every time I went out, I was certain I wasn't going to get back home in one piece.

Now it's just second nature, there are indeed more than anyones fair share of arses on the road, who'd happily kill you as soon as look at you, but you soon learn to watch out for them and can usually second guess their lunatic driving antics. Most of their cars are all noise and no guts anyway.

The sooner they raise the age and stop children driving the better.

Getting to know the roads and more to the point, where you are going seriously improves your confidence on the roads. Not sure when the turning point was, but now I only have to cuss and swear at a handful of people each day, rather than the whole nation :rofl:

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

I live in Auckland - I think the roads are in a much better condition than the ones that I used to travel along in SE London and Central London. Some of the pot holes I used to just miss in the UK could have easily housed a few families :rofl:

Yes there are some poor drivers here, but I have seen similar poor driving in the USA and the UK. I always drive defensively (always expecting the worst) hoping that this will save my life. Plus I ensured that I bought a car with all of the safety gizmos. :D

As for traffic well at times there is none - granted that is not the case in Auckland. But I know as I have travelled in the North and South Island there can be times when you see nobody.

I hope that you give NZ a chance. I think the key thing is that it is different here and if you can take some time for you to feel at home and accept the place for all of its idiosynchrosies (excuse the spelling).

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Only one road I can think of that I hate to drive because its so damn unpridictable as to what bit is still there has got to be SH4 between Wanganui and Raetihi over the paras.
They spend thousands repairing sections only for another bit to fall away. It really makes you drive a car.:eek: as long as you dont get stuck behind a timid driver its ok.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

I think NZ drivers are no better or worse than UK ones.. but when UK drivers drive at full speed they are on a motorway with a massive barrier between them and oncoming traffic, not the case in NZ. It does take you by surprise when you are not used to it.
I dont think there is any doubt that open road driving in NZ is more dangerous/challenging/rewarding in NZ. Also driving in a city is 100 times easier in NZ cities. UK drivers in cities are crazy aggresive.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

I find this thread somewhat ironic/amusing having just returned from a month in the UK - involving a lot of touring by car - after 2 years living in NZ. Things I noticed about UK roads and driving:
- Lots of people drive significantly over the speed limit. If you're doing 75-80 on a dual carriageway with a 70 limit, you feel slow
- There is an obsession with keeping left on multi-lane roads, to the point of people driving very fast (see above) swerving from lane 1 to 3 to allow some mythical and invisible even faster driver to overtake
- There are far fewer cops on the roads, but thousands of speed cameras. Everywhere. And even more signs warning of them
- The roads are narrow, there are lots of them, and there are lots of cars on them. And often, you have to wait behind a parked car for someone oncoming to get past before you can swerve round and continue your journey
- Motorways get you places fast, but are boring. And if there is a holdup, it'll be a long one
- All the cars are so new!
- People refuse to merge if you use anything but the left lane going into an obstruction / traffic lights etc. They would rather run you off the road and/or crash than give up their place in the sacred queue
- A lot of people drive at a random speed well below the 60mph limit on a perfectly good road. Some of these seem to drive at 43mph regardless of the limit higher or lower)
On the whole I find driving in NZ way more relaxing and enjoyable. I'd say 90-95% of drivers are decent and drive within 10kph of the limit. It's just a shame the other 5% are complete lunatics driving 15yr old Impreza WRXs!

I think I must be turning kiwi!

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

You have something there. New Zealand doesn't do cities well. Europe, Asia and to some extent Latin America all have fabulous urban environments. Cities are not the reason to move to New Zealand.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

When you read a post like that it is so refreshing to remeber what you forgot about and left behind many years previous.

Think we all can agree those that have made it south of the Bombays that driving changes depending on where you live in NZ? Guess you have to live in various places in New Zealand before judgeing that statement.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

I'd never, ever say that driving in NZ is relaxing and enjoyable. It requires constant attention to the roads which, as I said, are narrow and not built for the volume of traffic on them. Look at last weekend's accident figures -about six deaths on the road. The figures here must be some of the highest for road deaths and driving accidents.

This is one of the things which surprised me when I came here. I'd heard how empty the roads were and how great it was to drive around. Sadly, it's just not true. Speed and small, country roads just don't go together.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Whitesand where do you live to think you can make that comment?

If as I assume you have never been outside of Auckland let alone been to the South Island then your statements of Road conditions is quite inaccurate.

There are just over 4 million people in New Zealand and only 1 million in the South Island the largest concentration of people is Auckland where nerly a third of the total population live. With a total country area the same as the British islaes population 60 million.

Your telling me you have never encountered a quite road in New Zealand? South Island has some lovely straight wide open quite roads and beautiful scenery as well.

I am sorry to say this until you have travelled to al 4 corners of New Zealand you dont know what you are talking about. Yes there is a bad accident record but think about it for a moment what are the odds of you being involved in an accident if there are no other cars around? Less than driving in London for example.

Sorry get out of Auckland and see the Real New Zealand, sorry rephrase that to get out of Auckland and see the rest of the Real New Zealand.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Several years ago during the height of the tourist season in January we drove from Queenstown to Christchurch. The section between Cromwell and Fairlie (quite a long distance) was notable for the singular lack of cars. I think we saw only three or four cars between Cromwell and Omarama.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

It seems to be a common complaint about bad drivers in NZ and it worried me too before we came, but to be honest I love driving here compared to uk. Yes agreed, they don't always handle roundabouts well or junctions and I've got use to the turning right thing now but what has amazed me most is that there is no road rage - at least I've not witnessed any where I live or when I've been driving around Christchurch. People make mistakes and wave at each other but by way of apology not out of aggression. I occasionally get tailgated but it doesn't bother me, I stick to the speed limit anyway. I love the wide open roads, the passing lanes for slower traffic and the way everything is set out in blocks. Its so easy to find your way round, and if you do get lost, its easy to get back by just going round the block!
I did however have one mishap when we were first here and picking my OH up from work. I didn't realise the road he works on was one way so following the map with help from my 11 yr old we got to the correct junction and at the green light turned right - and then discovered I was going the wrong way up three oncoming lanes! Fortunately no traffic, so I pulled over quickly, jumped across to the passenger's seat so that passers by wouldn't know it was me that made the mistake!

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Pete n Shell, I stand by everything I've said. The roads are too narrow and windy for the volume of traffic. It's dangerous having small windy roads with numerous bends and people flying round those bends. Haven't you seen the adverts on TV warning about this?

And, yes I have been around NZ - that's why I'm living in Auckland, as I prefer it. Have lived in many places and travelled the roads from Invercargill to Kaitaia. Yes, some roads (especially in the South Island) are quiet due to small population, but generally people drive far too fast on those country roads. The accident figures speak for themselves!

Because folks live in Auckland, it doesn't necessarily follow that they know nothing about the rest of NZ.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Hoons and road traffic accidents are a BIG problem in NZ and I've seen more accidents in a year in NZ than anywhere else in my life. IMO a lot of the problem is due to a number of factors:

Car insurance isn't compulsory
Kids can get their licence at a very young age
Inexperienced drivers drive cars that are too powerful for them
The road surfaces are really bad, uneven/lumpy, rough surfaced, patched poorly, potholed and not designed for speed.
A culture of drink driving and drug taking
Kids think they're all professional drag racers and drifters.
Road rage seems to be common problem. Trucks drivers and hammers spring to mind!

I was talking to a Kiwi taxi driver a while back and he was saying that in his youth him and his mates would get tanked up and race round the roads in old bangers. If they rolled a car they'd just heave it over and set off again. If it was totalled - no problem, just walk home and buy another one.

You're right to be concerned about it.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

NZ drivers are different animals than in the UK. Placid most of the time but very unaware of other road users. ( Phoning and texting on the move )
The merging from 2 lanes into 1, they never think ahead and end up side by side going into one lane. No forward planning and thought about where to filter in. They don't read the road when approaching roundabouts grinding to a halt even when there is no traffic. Also having no use for their mirrors.
In the UK it is far more congested and aggressive but drivers are road aware.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

As compared to what...

I enjoy driving in NZ on the whole. I'd much rather drive from home to say Oamaru along a great coastal highway, than from where we lived in London to the south coast on the M3.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Mucuddy mobile phone usage whilst driving is common practice isn't it, no one seems to bat an eyelid about it either

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

So what do you propose to do with the roads in New Zealand given the population we have? Straighten them and make them into Dual carriegeways?
Everyone likes to blame the bends for the accidents yet how come on straight stretchs of road for example SH1 between Hamilton and Auckland there are so many crosses at the side of the road?

The accident figures do not speak for themselves the people who interpret them do.

I have been driving over 20 years a quarter of that overseas most of that 5 years in New Zealand. In that time I have never had a motoring offence and I have not had an accident in New Zealand, Compared to the UK which I have lost count of the amount of times my car was hit by other motorists. That either says I am a good driver or it says the odds of colliding with a bad driver in New Zealand is much lower.

Most of my New Zealand Driving these days is around the lower western Quarter of the North Island a big area, and to say what you have is inaccurate and misleading.

Given what I know I prefer to be driving on the quite country roads than the bumper to bumper unpredictable Auckland roads. Guess its what your used to the ironic thing is that its when the City folk come south of the bombays when the accidents seem to occur because they are not used to the wide open quite roads.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Not around my neck of the woods there is hardly any coverage ;)

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

I would rather drive in the South Island less traffic :p

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Mcuddy1 has given a good analysis of the driving here. It's exactly what I've experienced.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

But this can also be said of UK drivers. Obviously its dependent on if you live in a major city (Auckland) or not. The only bit of reckless driving I see is

a) From dannyf ;)

b) Motorway driving.

Road rage isn't such a big thing here, unlike the UK, and with cheaper Jap imports maybe cars can be seen as a disposible asset.

True 15 is too young to drive hense the age is going up to 16. I personally think it should be 18. But boys will always be boys not matter what the age. And maybe we should have maturity tests as opposed to driving tests to determine whether a driver is mature enough to drive a car.

Re: HELP are New Zealand roads like this all the time ?
 

Agreed!

But you get used to it. I've seen loads of accidents on the roads here compared to hardly any on 13 years of driving on UK roads. But most have been minor shunts, fortunately.
The age of the cars and appalling attitudes to maintenance don't help. The WOF is also fairly basic.
I've never seen so many bald tyres before! And I mean tyres that look like racing slicks, on standard saloons and even SUVs!

And as for the boy-racers. Muppets. I'm becoming a grumpy old man commenting on the speed they go past my house!! I might go out in the night and dig some pot-holes, slow the buggers down!