Driving & Road Conditions

Make sure you have plenty of time when planning your self- drive itinerary around Northland. Remember the road trip will be a big part of your Northland experience.

Driving through native forests. More [?] This is real New Zealand at its best, so look out for one lane bridges and other quirky features which will have you thinking you have stepped back in time. The coastal nature of this region means roads can be winding and often narrow – no motorways or long stretches of dual carriageways here. In fact once you leave Auckland the only place you’ll encounter traffic lights is Whangarei – something many of you will not be accustomed to.

On the other hand what you can look forward to is driving through thick dense native forests, tiny townships in rural or coastal settings, then, an hour or two later, on another coastline passing through more established areas such as Whangarei or the Bay of Islands.

So don’t be deceived by looking at the map and the distances between towns. A good rule of thumb, if you are from a fast paced city and used to speedy highways, is to work out the kilometres/miles per hour and allow at least one third of that travel time again. Safe travels!