# Moving from the USA - what's the deal with driving in NZ



## whelk (Oct 23, 2014)

I'm moving to Auckland in January and am probably going to leave my beloved Mustang in the States. What's the deal with driving in NZ on my US license? Can I import my car?


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## chevychase (Oct 23, 2014)

You might not have to leave your Mustang behind - I'd get in touch with the Auckland Mustang owners club and get some advice because many of those guys will have imported one Auckland Mustang Owners Club. They will have recommendations about which shipping companies are good.

The other things you'll need to do. Well, you're in the USA so you drive on the wrong side of the road 

The first thing you should do is check out the road rules before you get here. This site Free NZ Road Code Quiz | Driving Test has the theory tests. You'll notice quite a bit of difference between your road markings and road signage, plus everything will be reversed as regards roundabouts (which I think you call turning circles), and give way rules. Plus, you'll have the passenger side of the car on your left rather than your right (unless you import your Mustang) and that will take some getting used to, too.

I had a friend move over from Washington and she took 3 practical driving lessons with an instructor before she felt confident driving here. 

NZ Transport Agency's website has a section for new visitors and residents here New residents and visitors | NZ Transport Agency

If you do leave your Mustang and you want to buy a car over here then the two main marketplaces are Trademe (Buy online and sell with NZ's #1 auction & classifieds site | Trade Me) and Autotrader (Buy New & Used Cars, Sell New & Used Cars). 

Once you've decided on a car then you'll want to get a vehicle history report which you can do for about $15 from Checka (https://www.checka.co.nz). If you don't get a vehicle history report you risk that the existing owner has left money owing on the car for which you become liable once the ownership has transferred.


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## whelk (Oct 23, 2014)

Thanks - I'll take a look at those rules and things. So it looks like I can drive for a year before I have to change the license. I'm assuming if I buy a car there from a motor vehicle yard then I don't need to purchase a report?


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## chevychase (Oct 23, 2014)

Correct - if you buy from a dealer then they will be able to supply the vehicle's history and there is the consumer guarantee's act to protect you further.

Regarding the licence and Road Code, police have been cracking down on foreign tourists driving badly, but mostly in the south island where they get distracted by the scenery. The main things you need to know are the give way rules (no 3-way stops), speed limits (everything in 100kph whereas you'll be used to mph), lane rules and markings (including overtaking rules) and the more common signage which is a bit different from the USA.


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## escapedtonz (Apr 6, 2012)

whelk said:


> I'm moving to Auckland in January and am probably going to leave my beloved Mustang in the States. What's the deal with driving in NZ on my US license? Can I import my car?


I wouldn't advise bringing a left hander, simply because nzta are a bit funny allowing them on the roads so far as I've heard, the steering wheel is on the wrong side and they're in mph and miles on the odometer when it's all kph and km's.
A colleague has a large collection of old American classics here in Wellington - 30 I think with 29 of them roadworthy. Will ask their advice when they're back from the States in a couple of weeks. They're over there sourcing parts again.


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## inhamilton (Jun 10, 2011)

I actually saw an old 1950's Pontiac driven down the main street of Hamilton this morning. Left hand drive too. You do see the odd American left hand drive car here and there ...


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## Rssgrove (Oct 23, 2014)

We brought our motorhome from UK last year . "Compliance" when it arrives can be a challenge but all went ok with a few minor repairs. This vehicle is in miles and has not presented any problems. The importer we used was recommended to us by a friend who uses them all the time. Another friend recently brought over a Chevy from USA without problems too so it is possible.


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## Kimbella (Jul 4, 2013)

whelk said:


> I'm moving to Auckland in January and am probably going to leave my beloved Mustang in the States. What's the deal with driving in NZ on my US license? Can I import my car?


I'd look into the practicalities of importing the mustang, if for no other reason than how much greater they are worth over here. A mint classic mustang can go for over $70kNZD, and there is a real and serious market over here for classic American muscle cars. Depending on its condition, what you bought it for, and what it would cost to import, it might even be worth the investment if you can turn around and sell it to a collector.

As for the driving. I'd suggest not getting right on the road in the busiest city in the country, straight off. Your sense of direction will be thrown off initially driving and sitting as a passenger on opposite sides of what you're used to. But, I started driving solo within a month or so of arrival, just in the local side of town initially, then just branching out. Be very careful about our tendency to LOOK at the road and see it as a right hand driving lane when we're dazed or distracted, or driving on autopilot. I'd say the auto-pilot driving is the more serious risk. Just keep telling yourself over and over -- LEFT SIDE DRIVE, LEFT SIDE DRIVE. The drivers here are WAY MORE aggressive than we're used to in the US. They tailgate, pull up at stops to within a few centimeters of your trunk, and will CLOSE OFF the space you've turned your blinker on to move to. Drive *very* defensively, and you'll be fine (hopefully). As long as your US license doesn't expire beforehand, you can drive on your US license for 12 months. If you leave NZ, and return, that time starts again, so long as the US license is valid. I drove for almost two years on my US license, having made a few trips back and forth to California during that time. 
When I got my NZ license, I walked into an AA (automobile association) with copies of my Visa, passport, and US license, filled out the license application, paid $54NZD, had a photo taken, and walked out with a reminder to watch for it in the mail. If you have a long history of good driving in the US, I doubt that taking a driving course would be of much consequence -- unless you're a nervous/anxious driver. But, I can't see a nervous driver owning a muscle car. So, there's that.

The most difficult thing to get used to were the roundabouts, what we call traffic circles in the US, when we occasionally come to them. They vary in size over here, and coordinate lots of cars, to not many cars. They can be very alarming when you first start driving through them, so I'd suggest you get comfortable with the rules NOW. When I arrived, I didn't even know they existed. 
The other rule that can be confusing are the odd red light on a right hand turn. You'll get a green light to turn (green=GO), which will then turn Red (Red=STOP); THEN, the red will just go Black--black ALSO means, GO --> if it's safe. 

Other than that, I actually haven't found the opposite roadside driving to be that hard, and now it's fully second hand nature. So much so that when I see car ads on TV shot in N America, with the steering and driving on the Right side, it looks WEIRD to my eyes! 

Best of luck on the move!

Kim


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## Fuzz (Nov 19, 2012)

Don't know about importing, but classic American muscle cars (60's - 70's) are quite popular in NZ (at least here on the South Island).

And driving on the other side of the road is actually a lot easier than it seems. I drove two days after I arrived and adjusted with no problems -- mind you, this was on the relatively uncrowded roads of the South Island, not a busy highway in Auckland, so YMMV. Didn't have to think consciously about it after the first day or so (it was harder on empty roads; on busier roads you can just follow other cars).

Road rules are pretty similar to the US, e.g. overtaking, yield, stop, etc. Many people make a big deal out of traffic circles, but they're really not that difficult -- they work the same in NZ as in most places around the world (including the few in the US). The only different rule that I have to think about sometimes is the "no turn on red" that applies everywhere all the time here.

Oh, and many back roads have one-lane bridges where you have to pay attention as to whether you're coming from the "yield" side or not.


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