RichardJ

Before all of our trips to Europe, I always print out precise driving directions from www.mappy, michelin, mapblast etc . Those printed turn by turn directions saved hours of driving and many arguments (especially near Milan!)Those websites aren't working for the south island of nz. I did find wises.co.nz but whenever I put in a destination it states "not found". Is there a better website which could help?

wilees

Just buy a decent map book of NZ.

However, Auckland can be a nightmare. Use wises.co.nz/route for this one if you are happier. But definately have another detailed street map as well.

Might want to do this for Christchurch, Dunedin and Wellington if you'll be there.

But to be frank no where else is that big. wises doesn't do that because there just isn't the demand or need. For a lot of roads there is only one road in and out. No arguments to be had there! Except for Auckland there are very few dual carriageways with exit junctions.

General rules - you are on the wrong road (i.e. not a highway) if
a) it is dirt
b) there are no painted lines (except Milford road which doesn't have them)

If you get lost. Stop the car and ask somebody. We mostly speak English (newZealandish) too!!

kodi

I just tried www.wises.co.nz and went into "get driving directions' and it worked fine. You might want to try it again.

Also, although it doesn't exactly give you driving directions, I also used www.aatravel.co.nz , then go into maps and guides.
Also look at www.nzmaps.co.nz for the greater Auckland area.

Good luck with wises.co.nz.

lchin

We bought the "new Zealand Touring Atlas" by Hema Maps. It was excellent!

CDJD

I am leaving for New Zealand in 2 weeks and also prefer to print out driving directions before I depart. I have printed out directions using wises.co.nz but I am have some some of the terminology used is different from what I would encounter in the US. For example can someone please explain what is meant by "turn 1 clockwise". My initial impression was that it was referring to a roundabout however part of the directions say "Turn Right [turn 2 clockwise]" and all roundabouts would be entered from the left. I would greatly appreciate if anyone can further elaborate on the meaning of this terminology.

vbca

I've had a look at Wises route finder. as you say, it's most confusing, however I plotted an imaginary route from Oxley Ave (ChCh) to Riccarton Ave (ChCh) and I think I have is sussed.

1. Start: OXLEY Avenue, , ST ALBANS 0
2. Proceed OXLEY AVE, ST ALBANS 0.3
3. Proceed CRANFORD ST, ST ALBANS 0.5
4. Bear Left [ Turn 2 clockwise ] SHERBORNE ST, RICHMOND

(Turn left into Sherbourne. There will be one street on your left, Sherbourne is the 2nd one)

5. Turn Right [ Turn 2 clockwise ] BEALEY AVE, RICHMOND 1.7

(Turn right into Bealey. There is a street on your left (Continuation of Bealey Ave)).

6. Bear Left [ Turn 2 clockwise ] HARPER AVE, MERIVALE 3.7
7. Bear Left [ Turn 1 clockwise ] DEANS AVE, MERIVALE 3.8
8. Proceed DEANS AVE, RICCARTON 4
9. Turn Right [ Turn 3 clockwise ] RICCARTON RD, RICCARTON 4.4
10. Turn Left [ Turn 1 clockwise ] MATIPO ST, RICCARTON 5.7
11. End: RICCARTON Road, Riccarton, Christchurch 5 km 709 m

They are treating each intersection as if there was a roundabout, even though most of them are not roundabouts. In this context the directions make perfect sense.

9. Turn Right [ Turn 3 clockwise ] RICCARTON RD, RICCARTON 4.4

Enter the roundabout and proceed clockwise; Take the 3rd exit.

I would think that for someone out of town, driving on the wrong side of the road, these directions would be worse than useless.

As the previous posts say, apart from Auckalnd and Christchurch, most NZ towns/cities are not that big, and you should have little trouble finding your way around.

If you are just passing through a town/city, the route is usually well marked, and very obvious, Just stay on the same road, and look for signs. It's just when you get to the larger centres that it gets a bit compicated.

My parents navigated their way through Seatle using a map of Washington DC, and Jenny and I tried to travel South into LA using the North-bound highway schematic map. We all lived to tell the tale. Just part of the joys of travel.

CDJD

Thank you very much for taking the time to address my question. Although I completely understand your explanation, it definitely seems that I will be much less frustrated if I just stick to using the maps and asking for directions. Thanks again. Cheers

margo_oz

We were in NZ last year.

We used Wises for driving directionsand they were fine - if a little confusing. (Good for directions out of Auckland, though!)

The best thing was New Zealand Road Atlas, again by Hema Maps. It was just outstanding. I bought it at Borders in Sydney, cost about $27. I also saw it in Auckland at about the same price. Especially driving outside cities - even minor roads are marked - so we always knew where we were.

If you are used to following driving instructions, perhaps the combination would be good. We've used Via Michelin in Europe, but, for this trip, we ditched our instructions and just followed the maps!

Have fun!