The Latest Bicycle Touring News from DownTheRoad.org

We are still in New Plymouth and putting the last finishing touches on our second book. We are starting to do day rides and the area is beautiful with Mount Taranaki in view when its not cloudy.

I feel it is necessary to add some tips on riding in New Zealand, first they drive on the left and they have different road rules then we are use to. Let me try and explain. They have a law that a driver always yields to the right. This makes sense when you are at a round about, you give way to your right. Ok it does not make sense to me when you are making a left hand turn.

Imagine driving down a two lane road and I turn on my turn signal to go left, meanwhile a car is driving towards me and they want to make a right hand turn across the lane I am in. Who has the right of way? In New Zealand the person making the right hand turn across my lane has the right of way. I must stop and give way to them because they are on the right. Check out the rules at the New Zealand road code

http://www.landtransport.govt.nz/roadcode/about-driving/the-give-way-rules.html

Yikes, in my 20 + years of driving I would have thought I had the right of way, turned left before the other car crossed my lane and never consider they might turn in front of me. Hence the confusion in New Zealand. Bam! two vehicles wanting to be in the same place at the same time. Now if two cars in the same place at the same time you have a fender bender but when one is a car and the other is a cyclist well you know who always loses that battle. So it is not a no brainer to ride here you have to think about who has the right of way at every intersection. It scares me a bit to say the least.

Read all of Cindie’s New Zealand Journal Here