Renting cars in New Zealand and Australia

In Australia and New Zealand, cars are driven on the left hand side of the road and the steering wheel is on the right hand side of the car. For those of us who are not already use to this, it takes a lot of concentration to drive. Even if you think it's bothersome or not necessary, I recommend having a passenger be a backseat driver with reminders. Having an annoying backseat driver is better than the alternative of causing an accident. During my visit, there was an ongoing debate amongst locals about tourists renting cars and causing devastating accidents. See one article here. 

Four of us and all of our luggage fit into our Toyota Corolla.

New Zealand has a website which offers helpful information for anyone driving in the country. I have looked for this kind of information from other countries when I have rented cars abroad I and never found a site so thorough. 

http://nzta.govt.nz/m/driver-info.php

Taking all of this into account, I would still recommend renting a car to travel around either country. If you have room in the budget (in November 2014, a gallon of gasoline was $8 USD) and if you are pressed for time, it's the way to go. I spent a total of seven days on the south island and am so glad that we had a car to get around quicker than using public transportation. We would routinely pull off the main road to explore the parks, hiking trails, or other natural beauty that these amazing countries have to offer.

We found this river after pulling over in one of the many National Parks in New Zealand.

Over the three weeks of my visit, we rented four cars. The majority of the time, we rented from Budget. We were happy with their service and pricing. We were also interested to find out that Budget does not charge extra for additional drivers. We also rented one car from Hertz. Hertz allows additional drivers who share the same address as the primary driver to be added without an additional charge. Do beware that in Australia both companies charge a fee for a mandatory toll transponder for the rental car. We were not allowed to opt out of this charge.

Roadtrip from Christchurch to Queenstown, New Zealand

On the route to Queenstown we made a few stops to enjoy the scenery. At Lake Tekapo, there is a stone church just on the banks of the lake. It's a great place to stop for photos or have a picnic lunch. We then drove down around Lake Pukaki and north up its western edge to reach Mt. Cook.

Lake Pukaki

Mountains overlooking Lake Hooker

From the parking lot and visitor's entrance of Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, there is a well maintained trail to Hooker Lake. It takes about three hours and is 5.5 miles round trip. I would categorize this as an easy hike as it's not very hilly. The trail goes through the valley and not up Mt. Cook. There are a few suspension bridges over a river and wooden walkways built over grassy land. When we hiked this trail, it was cold, windy, and rainy but the views along the way were breathtaking.

After our harrowing hike to Lake Hooker, we needed to find an affordable place to stay for the night. We had not booked anywhere in advance, so I Googled a few hotels while en route to the towns of Twizel and Omarama. We settled on a hotel in Omarama called the Countrytime Hotel. Walking into the lobby and the rooms was like stepping back in time. This was probably THE place to go in the 1960s. Since then, not much has been updated. There was a radio built into the wall near the bed, and the counter top, which held a small fridge, was carpeted. Despite the hotel's dated appearance, the staff were very inviting and accommodating. There is a dining room for meals and a bar and lounge area where we hung out most of the night huddled around a roaring fireplace. The views from this gem were amazing and at $98 NZD for a double room on www.booking.com, it was a great deal. It was definitely one of our favorite places we stayed during the trip.

In the morning, we went down the road for breakfast at Ladybird Hill Cafe, a place known for allowing you to catch your own fish and then pay $38 NZD for the restaurant to cook it for you. We did not choose this option. Instead, we ordered from their regular menu and were pleasantly surprised with delicious sandwiches options. At around $10 NZD per meal, it was a great deal and awfully filling. We also did a wine tasting while we were there. After breakfast and wine, we headed farther south to the town of Wanaka. We stretched our legs by walking around town and then along the lakefront for a few hours. It's a wonderful little town to visit. If I had more time, I would have liked to stay a few days to explore the town, the winery up on the hill, and to enjoy all of the water sports they offer on the lake.

On the shores of Lake Wanaka

Later, on our way north back from Queenstown, we detoured to St. John's Observatory. The observatory has amazing views overlooking Lake Tekapo and houses the Astro Cafe. We did not eat at the cafe, but the views from the top were well worth the slow winding drive up.

Rotorua, New Zealand

In November 2014, I traveled around New Zealand and Australia with my husband and two terrific friends. We started our journey by flying into Auckland and making a beeline for Rotorua. This area has some amazing geothermal sites to visit. We visited both WaimanguVolcanic Valley and Wai-O-Tapu. For the money, I really enjoyed the latter more because visitors have closer access to the geothermal activity in Wai-O-Tapu. The admission costs $36 NZD and $32.50 NZD, respectively. Both sites can be accessed by car or by day tour. We had a limited amount of time for this trip, so I cannot comment on public transportation options. If you are in the area but do not want to spend the money to enter these sites, visit the mud pits that are just outside of the gates of Wai-O-Tapu.

There aren't a lot of restaurant options in the area of Wai-O-Tapu but we popped into the Wai-O-Tapu Tavern. It's just a little snack shop with a pool table but it was good, basic food (sandwiches, burgers, and the best wedges we had on the trip) at around $13 NDZ per meal.

The town of Rotorua itself was lacking in character and people when we were there. I would guess this is because Rotorua is more of a day trip by tour bus than a town to spend time in. This might also be the case because the sulfurous odor from the geothermal activity can be smelled everywhere.

Outside of town is a great thermal bath called WaikiteValley Thermal Pools. While this type of attraction is not usually a big draw for me, this location had seven pools heated to different temperatures which made the experience much more appealing. For an entrance fee of $15 NZD, I found it to be a good deal especially after walking around in the cold and rainy weather all day.

Roadtrip through Panama

On a recent trip to Panama, we decided to do something completely new to us and rent a car. In the past we have always stuck to public transportation whenever we travel internationally. But this time, since there were four of us, we thought we would roadtrip it from Panama City to Bocas Del Toro. While driving cross country was an adventure, it was definitely more stressful than taking the buses. It was a different kind of adventure for us; winding, mountainous passages, potholes galore, police checkpoints, and unforeseen sinkholes in the road not to mention the lack of signs anywhere. And the roads in Panama are supposedly the best in Central America! Also, be warned that some car rental companies (Alamo, I'm looking at you) charge mandatory car insurance that do not tell you until you return the car. We asked repeatedly if there were any other charges and we were told no over and over. So while we thought the rental car would cost $68 plus gas, it actually cost $131 plus gas.