Driving courses for tourists

There have been a lot of calls recently for some attempt to improve the driving standards of visiting tourists in New Zealand. The Automobile Association here has put together this video to try and address the need. To my knowledge there's no formal training program that visiting drivers are required to take, although it's being discussed.

I do know that the local driving schools are generally happy to take on specific training tasks for drivers of all levels of experience. Tell them what you want and they'll accommodate it. However, the instructors are frequently booked ahead for some weeks. You'd need to plan it before you arrived here.

I can't say if something like that exists but in general I think you'll be fine. As for regulations, just stay within the posted limits (obviously the speedometer will match the units in the signs). Personally I'm from a right-side country and drove lefty on several separate occasions - you just keep up with everyone around you. It's actually really natural, you'll tend to not to want to drift into oncoming traffic no matter which side you learned on. If you're in a really rural area then you may shift sides on autopilot, but then you'll see another car barreling toward you and remember where you are.

I don't think you need a course. You just need to take it slowly and drive carefully at first. I spent two weeks driving in the UK and I found that it comes naturally because the roads, cars, and signage are all designed for it. The only thing to beware of is your reflexes in a sudden encounter. For example, I was driving on a narrow rural lane barely wide enough for two small cars when I encountered an oncoming vehicle at the crest of a hill. My instinct told me to pull right, which was exactly the wrong thing to do. There was no crash, but I remember the angry look on the other driver's face to this day. That was the only incident I encountered in two weeks of driving. Heck, I encounter more than that on my hometown streets. You'll do fine. Just make sure you rent a car with automatic transmission. You really don't want to be learning to shift a manual with your left hand at the same time.

You really just need to know the main road rules and road signs. If you're visiting New Zealand, there's a tourist road code quiz you can do for free. The agency you rent your car from will have some advice and there's a booklet called 'Driving in New Zealand' which is multi-lingual and usually provided in the glovebox of your rental vehicle. Finally, you'll be amazed at how quickly you adjust. I live in New Zealand, but I've driven in Iceland, Canada, Australia, UK, Fiji and Italy (Sicily, to be precise, which was the most challenging). After the first half an hour, it feels perfectly natural. But, it does help if you know what the signs mean.