When planning our trip to Auckland, New Zealand, we initially planned to hire a driver to take us to attractions further South. My husband was hesitant about driving in a country where drivers drive on the left side and are seated on the right side of the car (I definitely was not going to give it a try - I have enough anxiety driving anywhere!).
However, the costs started adding up after communicating with numerous tour companies.
After speaking with several people who had recently visited New Zealand and rented a car, I was convinced (and ended up convincing my husband), that we should rent a car and drive on our own.
We rented through Avis, since it was a short walk from our vacation rental, and the staff was extremely helpful.
There were many signs and instructions reminding drivers of which side of the road to be on, and my husband did a great job on his first international driving adventure, although he did acknowledge hugging the left side of the curb too often.
During our drives there seemed to be a lot of road work and construction, which made travel times slower than typical.
Navigating on the opposite side of the road did take some getting used to, but we are glad that we rented a car versus spending hundreds of dollars more on a rental.
If you can afford it, hiring a driver will save you some anxiety, but renting a car in New Zealand was definitely a good decision for us.
