Adventures of the Brown Kiwi's: It's Official! I'm Licenced and Dangerous!

God Bless the Kiwis for thinking that I deserved a driver's licence. Its an amazing thing, you just fill out an application, show your US driver's licence and another form of ID and viola! You can drive all you want on the wrong side of the road!!!

I'm now an official Moving Violation!!!

Its very interesting because you would think that I should have taken a practical test or something but this is what NZ Transport Agency has to say:

"You must also pass the appropriate NZ practical driving test unless you have held for at least 2 years a driver licence issued in: Australia, Austria,......Japan, Portugal, South Africa...the United Kingdom or the United States of America"

I honestly think that we shouldn't even be in that sentence! We drive on the opposite side of the car on the opposite side of the road!!!! It definitely took some getting used to!!!!
Like the book worm I am, I still studyed the Driver's Book and took several of the online drivers test...just for fun! Passed them all! Think you're NZ road worthy? Take some of these practice questions and see how you do! Practice Driving Test

Other reasons why its hard to drive in NZ:

The dreaded "Give Way Rules"
Many people including Kiwi's have tried to explain this to me...apparently, the Kiwi's have created their own "give way" or yielding rules which is different from anywhere else on the planet! It is difficult to figure out but a friend just told me a quick and dirty way to remember it: if you are planning on making a turn and you would hit the drivers side of an oncoming vehicle, you were supposed to give way..if you are planning on making a turn and the other car would hit you on the driver's side then they were supposed to give way....ahhhh...that totally helps...(NOT!)..Oh and you gotta remember that the DRIVER side is on the passenger side of the car (for us North Americans!)

This is what the NZ road code says:

What are the Give Way rules?

If you are turning at an intersection, give way to all vehicles not turning.

If you are turning left at an intersection, give way to vehicles coming towards you that are turning right.

In all other situations, give way to all vehicles coming from your right.

If you are leaving the path of a marked centre line, you are deemed to be turning and must give way to vehicles that are following the centre lineRoundabouts:

huh?

Be careful at roundabouts - in New Zealand they may be different from roundabouts in your home country. For example, if you usually drive on the right-hand side of the road and drive around roundabouts in an anticlockwise direction, in New Zealand you will be driving in the opposite direction from the one you are used to! Remember, drive on the left-hand side of the road and drive around roundabouts in a clockwise direction.