Visiting from a country that drives on the right? You do not have to drive here
New Zealand drives on the left, and the roads are narrower and more winding than most first-time visitors expect. If you normally drive on the right, you can still see everything on your list — with someone else at the wheel.
What you don't have to deal with
- No adjusting to left-hand driving on day one, straight off a long-haul flight
- No wrestling with an unfamiliar vehicle, indicators on the other side and a manual gearbox
- No New Zealand road rules to memorise before you arrive
- No international driving permit paperwork required
- Mountain passes, gravel roads and one-lane bridges handled by a local
- Door to door, with your luggage, at a fixed price
The honest version
Visitors from North America, most of Europe, China, South America and the Middle East all drive on the right at home. Swapping sides is manageable on a quiet road with a clear head — it is much harder in the first hour after landing, in city traffic, at a roundabout, or when you are tired at the end of a long day and something unexpected happens. Instinct is the problem: under pressure, people revert to the side of the road they learned on.
The other surprise is the roads themselves. New Zealand's state highways are mostly two lanes, they wind, they climb, they often have no shoulder to pull onto, and passing lanes can be a long way apart. Side roads to lookouts and lodges are sometimes unsealed. Mountain routes into the Southern Lakes can require snow chains in winter. None of this is dangerous for a driver who knows the road; all of it is a lot to take on for a driver who does not.
Booking a private driver removes the whole question. You are collected from the airport, hotel, cruise terminal or ferry with your luggage, driven in a modern insured vehicle by an NZTA-licensed, P-endorsed local, and dropped at the door. There is no rental counter, no paperwork, no navigation, no fuel stop and no parking — and no international driving permit or licence translation to organise before you travel.
It also works well for the parts of a trip that are hardest for anyone: the arrival day, the long intercity leg, a full day of sightseeing on winding roads, a wine region where nobody wants to be the designated driver, and the early-morning run back to the airport for a flight home.
A private driver, not a rental and not a shared ride
Highway 1 Tours & Transfers is a New Zealand owned private transfer company with NZTA-licensed, P-endorsed drivers. Every booking is a private hire: your own vehicle and driver, a fixed price agreed before you travel, door-to-door pickups from airports, hotels, cruise and ferry terminals, and the same team for airport transfers, point-to-point trips between towns and full days of sightseeing anywhere in the country.
Frequently asked questions
Read next
- Rental car or private driver in New Zealand? An honest comparison
Hiring a car is the default for a New Zealand holiday, and for some trips it genuinely is the right call. For plenty of others it quietly adds cost and stress you did not budget for. Here is a straight comparison so you can decide before you land.
- Winter roads, snow and ice — without driving them yourself
Alpine passes, ski-field access roads and frosty early mornings are the drives visitors are least prepared for — especially if you have never fitted snow chains or driven on ice.
- Auckland without a rental car
Auckland is where most visitors land, and it is the worst possible place to meet left-hand driving for the first time. It is also the easiest New Zealand city to enjoy without a car of your own.
More on travelling without a car: all rental car alternative guides · private day tours (13 guides in this series)
Other services we offer
A private transfer is only part of what we do. The same NZTA-licensed drivers and vehicles cover tours, hourly hire, airport and cruise work, corporate travel and group bookings throughout New Zealand.
Private, luxury & multi-day travel
Private touring, chauffeur hire, honeymoon travel and a driver for your whole New Zealand trip.
Explore private travelArriving in New Zealand
First-time visitor guides to landing at Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown, Wellington and Dunedin.
Read the arrival guidesIsland & region guides
What each part of New Zealand is known for, how long the drives really take, and how to travel it without a rental car.
Explore destinationsVisiting New Zealand
Driving on the left, kilometres to miles, money and tipping, the seasons, and travelling without a rental car.
Read visitor infoAirport shuttle alternative
Private airport transfers instead of a shared shuttle — your group alone, direct to the terminal, price agreed first.
Compare the optionsCity taxi, upgraded
A fixed-price private car instead of the taxi rank — city-by-city guides across New Zealand.
See your citySuburb airport transfers
Local detail on the run to Auckland, Christchurch or Wellington Airport from your own suburb.
Find your suburbPrivate day tours & sightseeing
Keep the same driver for the day and shape the route around what you'd like to see nationwide.
See private toursBy-the-hour driver hire
A driver and vehicle held for a block of time — best when your travel starts and finishes in the same town.
Book hourly hireAirport transfers
Flight-tracked pickups and drop-offs at every main New Zealand airport, door to door.
Airport transfersCruise port transfers & shore days
Met at the terminal in Auckland, Tauranga, Akaroa or Picton — back on board well before all-aboard time.
Cruise transfersSki field transfers
Winter-ready vehicles and alpine drivers for Queenstown, Wānaka, Mt Hutt and Ruapehu — gear included.
Ski transfersCorporate & executive travel
Business accounts, client and staff runs, event movements and consolidated invoicing.
Talk to usGroups, fleets & rental car alternative
Multiple vehicles on one booking for larger parties, or a driven alternative to hiring a car.
Rental car alternativeWhat transfers and taxis cost
Plain answers on what moves the price of an airport run in New Zealand, and how a fixed total compares with a meter.
Fares & costsWeddings, balls & big occasions
Private transport for weddings, school balls, corporate events, funerals, large groups and accessible travel.
Occasion transportConcerts & event transport
Ride there and ride home for the big nights — concerts, festivals and events across New Zealand.
Event transport
Please note: by-the-hour driver hire is only suitable when your travel starts and finishes in the same town. If you're finishing somewhere else, book a private transfer or a day trip so your fare covers the driver's travel.