Help - passion for driving is fading here
Discussion
This may have been brought up in previous threads, so apologies in advance, but… I need to rant. Is there any point in owning a fast vehicle in New Zealand?
As we know the authorities treat speeding not too dissimilar to aggravated robbery. NZ doesn’t have proper modern motorway network infrastructure throughout the country, it’s like it’s stuck in the 1950s with ‘passing lanes’ both sides with no median barriers separating oncoming traffic – no wonder there are so many fatalities...
If you get caught doing 40kmh/25mph above the speed limit you get your car impounded for 28 days and instantly banned for six months and there are plenty of cop cars ready and waiting with their radars for spirited drivers at silly o’clock on a morning, rather than attend burglaries (NZ Police policy is strictly not to attend a burglary unless there’s been an assault).
I’ve been back here just over two years now and I’m having the passion for driving sucked out of me. Anything with more than 250bhp just seems a complete waste of time, imo. And then there’s the noisy slush the NZTA likes to call roads; still using that hideous chip-seal rubbish for the vast majority of surfaces, instead of building roads with proper asphalt tarmac like every other first-world country.
How do owners of 911 GT3s/BMW M5s etc cope? I've got a Z4 Coupe 3.0SI and I'd wager I never use more than 50% of its performance potential here.
There's a lot I like about NZ, but driving here isn't one of them. I think a move back to the UK may be in order...
As we know the authorities treat speeding not too dissimilar to aggravated robbery. NZ doesn’t have proper modern motorway network infrastructure throughout the country, it’s like it’s stuck in the 1950s with ‘passing lanes’ both sides with no median barriers separating oncoming traffic – no wonder there are so many fatalities...
If you get caught doing 40kmh/25mph above the speed limit you get your car impounded for 28 days and instantly banned for six months and there are plenty of cop cars ready and waiting with their radars for spirited drivers at silly o’clock on a morning, rather than attend burglaries (NZ Police policy is strictly not to attend a burglary unless there’s been an assault).
I’ve been back here just over two years now and I’m having the passion for driving sucked out of me. Anything with more than 250bhp just seems a complete waste of time, imo. And then there’s the noisy slush the NZTA likes to call roads; still using that hideous chip-seal rubbish for the vast majority of surfaces, instead of building roads with proper asphalt tarmac like every other first-world country.
How do owners of 911 GT3s/BMW M5s etc cope? I've got a Z4 Coupe 3.0SI and I'd wager I never use more than 50% of its performance potential here.
There's a lot I like about NZ, but driving here isn't one of them. I think a move back to the UK may be in order...
Edited by A44RON on Thursday 17th May 02:50
A44RON said:
This may have been brought up in previous threads, so apologies in advance, but… I need to rant. Is there any point in owning a fast vehicle in New Zealand?
As we know the authorities treat speeding not too dissimilar to aggravated robbery. NZ doesn’t have proper modern motorway network infrastructure throughout the country, it’s like it’s stuck in the 1950s with ‘passing lanes’ both sides with no median barriers separating oncoming traffic – no wonder there are so many fatalities...
If you get caught doing 40kmh/25mph above the speed limit you get your car impounded for 28 days and instantly banned for six months and there are plenty of cop cars ready and waiting with their radars for spirited drivers at silly o’clock on a morning, rather than attend burglaries (NZ Police policy is strictly not to attend a burglary unless there’s been an assault).
I’ve been back here just over two years now and I’m having the passion for driving sucked out of me. Anything with more than 250bhp just seems a complete waste of time, imo. And then there’s the noisy slush the NZTA likes to call roads; still using that hideous chip-seal rubbish for the vast majority of surfaces, instead of building roads with proper asphalt tarmac like every other first-world country.
How do owners of 911 GT3s/BMW M5s etc cope? I've got a Z4 Coupe 3.0SI and I'd wager I never use more than 50% of its performance potential here.
There's a lot I like about NZ, but driving here isn't one of them. I think a move back to the UK may be in order...
Moving back to the UK? For a national speed limit of 70mph (112kph) instead of 62mph (100kph) here? Wow, that will really make big difference As we know the authorities treat speeding not too dissimilar to aggravated robbery. NZ doesn’t have proper modern motorway network infrastructure throughout the country, it’s like it’s stuck in the 1950s with ‘passing lanes’ both sides with no median barriers separating oncoming traffic – no wonder there are so many fatalities...
If you get caught doing 40kmh/25mph above the speed limit you get your car impounded for 28 days and instantly banned for six months and there are plenty of cop cars ready and waiting with their radars for spirited drivers at silly o’clock on a morning, rather than attend burglaries (NZ Police policy is strictly not to attend a burglary unless there’s been an assault).
I’ve been back here just over two years now and I’m having the passion for driving sucked out of me. Anything with more than 250bhp just seems a complete waste of time, imo. And then there’s the noisy slush the NZTA likes to call roads; still using that hideous chip-seal rubbish for the vast majority of surfaces, instead of building roads with proper asphalt tarmac like every other first-world country.
How do owners of 911 GT3s/BMW M5s etc cope? I've got a Z4 Coupe 3.0SI and I'd wager I never use more than 50% of its performance potential here.
There's a lot I like about NZ, but driving here isn't one of them. I think a move back to the UK may be in order...
Edited by A44RON on Thursday 17th May 02:50
Plus all the extra traffic to get in your way, how much of the Z4's performance potential can you use back there?? One option would be to buy a lower-powered car and you can use more than 50% of its performance a lot more of the time
Option two - and very obvious - track days. Go as fast as you like with no worries about cameras - or traffic coming the other way
Option 3 - and you'll see a lot of Porsche GT3s, M-series BMWs etc is to do the Targa Tour http://www.targa.co.nz/ Five days of closed roads and speeds of up to 160kph......
Edited by Caterhamfan on Thursday 17th May 21:41
I get where you're both coming from, but when I lived in the UK I drove faster cars than the Z4 Coupe and used a lot more of their performance, with no issues at all.
We know that the vast majority of cars on UK motorways travel a bit more than 70mph
and the traffic just seems to flow better and much quicker there - when you're not in rush-hour and/or London. That combined with proper lane discipline and it's less stressful as a result.
Provided you're not driving like an idiot, nobody bats an eyelid there and that's what I also miss. Yes the population density is much higher, but then the road network infrastructure is 20x better too with plenty more roads to cope. Many times I can remember driving up the middle of the country on a weekend and having all three lanes of the motorway to myself. Or flowing down a well-sighted country A-road with nobody in sight.
I will miss the $80 annual road tax/rego, cheap car insurance and a handful of South Island roads. However I won't miss the moronic driving standards, lack of choice, dreadfully-built roads, the quick-fix bodge jobs on said roads and the relentless tv adverts on speed.
We know that the vast majority of cars on UK motorways travel a bit more than 70mph
and the traffic just seems to flow better and much quicker there - when you're not in rush-hour and/or London. That combined with proper lane discipline and it's less stressful as a result.Provided you're not driving like an idiot, nobody bats an eyelid there and that's what I also miss. Yes the population density is much higher, but then the road network infrastructure is 20x better too with plenty more roads to cope. Many times I can remember driving up the middle of the country on a weekend and having all three lanes of the motorway to myself. Or flowing down a well-sighted country A-road with nobody in sight.
I will miss the $80 annual road tax/rego, cheap car insurance and a handful of South Island roads. However I won't miss the moronic driving standards, lack of choice, dreadfully-built roads, the quick-fix bodge jobs on said roads and the relentless tv adverts on speed.
I can kinda see where you're coming from, but it isn't nearly as bad as you're painting it.
You don't get demerits when you're pinged by a speed camera, just a fine. And there are a great many fun roads that the Police don't really frequent, and if they are there they're usually easy to spot since there are relatively few unmarked cars.
This part is just plain wrong ...
A44RON said:
If you get caught doing 40kmh/25mph above the speed limit you get your car impounded for 28 days and instantly banned for six months
40kmh over a fixed limit gets you an instant 28 day licence suspension. Which is a PITA since you have to get someone to pick up your car or bike. Though the last one I had the cop let me ride home.That said, you're right about most of the roads here. Horrid three-lane highways, dreadful road surfaces and the vast majority of Kiwi drivers have no place being in control of a car. The driving test here is a complete joke.
k
I wholeheartedly agree with the OP regarding road surfaces and the state of SH1 in the South Island - large stretches of it are too coarse to drive on without ear defenders -why can't they put any tar in the tarmac over here? It's like they are trying to replicate a gravel road without the gravel moving.....
There are some decent roads which could be made far more enjoyable by building them from the correct materials - they do in some places, but often a few hundred metres down the road it's back to the sharp stones set on their ends...
And why isn't the main road in the largest island country a dual carriageway from end to end?
There are some decent roads which could be made far more enjoyable by building them from the correct materials - they do in some places, but often a few hundred metres down the road it's back to the sharp stones set on their ends...
And why isn't the main road in the largest island country a dual carriageway from end to end?
So you enjoy following convoys of HGV's for hundreds of kilometers at 40-90 km/h when a car would be capable of going faster, with less accelerating & braking?
Why wouldn't the road designers future-proof the main highway while they have the opportunity? Also, a wider road would be usable more quickly in the event of another earthquake. It the same argument as building single lane bridges - the NZ disease, short-termism.
Why wouldn't the road designers future-proof the main highway while they have the opportunity? Also, a wider road would be usable more quickly in the event of another earthquake. It the same argument as building single lane bridges - the NZ disease, short-termism.
Are you going to pay for it all then? Simple fact, the South Island having ~1 million people in an area the size of England+Wales means a lot less tax money available to spend on roads (as well as a pleasant lack of overcrowding and a lot less whinging ).
I can only presume you are driving something track-focussed with horrific NVH if you really think you can't drive on SH1 without ear defenders.
Why would you be looking to main highways for fun driving anyway though? Traffic isn't much fun when its there, motorways are boring even when they're empty, if you want to play then go explore some backroads, do trackdays or take up motorsport.
As for driver standards... not disputing that there are plenty of bad kiwi drivers, but living in a fairly touristy part of the country the vast majority of dangerously bad driving I see is from rental cars and campervans. I see low level numptying from locals (like forgetting who has right-of-way or stopping for empty roundabouts), but the ones pulling out blindly in front of open road traffic or weaving all over the road while their speed swings between 60 and 120 at random generally seem to be tourists.
).I can only presume you are driving something track-focussed with horrific NVH if you really think you can't drive on SH1 without ear defenders.
Why would you be looking to main highways for fun driving anyway though? Traffic isn't much fun when its there, motorways are boring even when they're empty, if you want to play then go explore some backroads, do trackdays or take up motorsport.
As for driver standards... not disputing that there are plenty of bad kiwi drivers, but living in a fairly touristy part of the country the vast majority of dangerously bad driving I see is from rental cars and campervans. I see low level numptying from locals (like forgetting who has right-of-way or stopping for empty roundabouts), but the ones pulling out blindly in front of open road traffic or weaving all over the road while their speed swings between 60 and 120 at random generally seem to be tourists.
Edited by GravelBen on Monday 21st May 09:25
I'd tend to agree there's little point in a hugely powerful sports car, given the roads and speed limits. Plus their width makes them less than enjoyable on the more enjoyable roads. Modern cars seem to emphasise the noise difference between road surfaces too, and big, wide low profile tyres are even worse.
Remember, 'tis more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
So rather than something refined, modern and powerful, maybe you need to look at getting your driving enjoyment back in other ways. Maybe get an older 911 or early Elise or go even older to something like a 105 series Alfa? More fun at sensible speeds. It's as much fun caning my 602cc Dyane over the Rimutaka Hill as it is my Alpine (and even that's anaemic by modern standards), and both are more fun than most modern, powerful cars.
Remember, 'tis more fun to drive a slow car fast than a fast car slow.
So rather than something refined, modern and powerful, maybe you need to look at getting your driving enjoyment back in other ways. Maybe get an older 911 or early Elise or go even older to something like a 105 series Alfa? More fun at sensible speeds. It's as much fun caning my 602cc Dyane over the Rimutaka Hill as it is my Alpine (and even that's anaemic by modern standards), and both are more fun than most modern, powerful cars.
dobly said:
I wholeheartedly agree with the OP regarding road surfaces and the state of SH1 in the South Island - large stretches of it are too coarse to drive on without ear defenders -why can't they put any tar in the tarmac over here? It's like they are trying to replicate a gravel road without the gravel moving.....
There are some decent roads which could be made far more enjoyable by building them from the correct materials - they do in some places, but often a few hundred metres down the road it's back to the sharp stones set on their ends...
And why isn't the main road in the largest island country a dual carriageway from end to end?
Same. My car rides on 17-inch wheels and doesn’t have particularly low-profile tyres, but the road noise on chip-seal surfaces is horrendous. It really gets amplified when you go from a (short) proper tarmac stretch back to chip-seal.There are some decent roads which could be made far more enjoyable by building them from the correct materials - they do in some places, but often a few hundred metres down the road it's back to the sharp stones set on their ends...
And why isn't the main road in the largest island country a dual carriageway from end to end?
As beautiful as NZ is, the lack of modern infrastructure and choice frustrates the hell out of me. Myself personally, I just found commuting less stressful in UK outside rush-hour.
I’m heading back to the UK in October for a few weeks to catch up with friends. It’s going to be a culture-shock going back to crowds again, but if I slot back in to life there quickly then a move back will be on the cards
Surely the rebuilding of SH1 should come out of EQC money. If NZ actually made a decision where the inter-island port is going to be, then the road could be upgraded to proper dual carriageway to let motorists (100/110) pass trucks (90?) safely.
I don't use SH1 for pleasure driving - it is purely to get from A-B. That said, it should be a pleasure to drive along because of the impressive scenery at times, but isn't often because of the piss-poor standard of the road in places.
I don't use SH1 for pleasure driving - it is purely to get from A-B. That said, it should be a pleasure to drive along because of the impressive scenery at times, but isn't often because of the piss-poor standard of the road in places.
RobDickinson said:
Eqc is government backed insurance for private residences? Hardly appropriate for roads.
There's huge chunks of sh1 hardly used at all. Those that are get upgraded, between chc and ashvegas will end up mostly dual lanes one day
I'd be amazed if that happens within the next 10 years. It needs to happen though. iirc the current SH1 upgrade only includes dual-laning from Christchurch down to just before Dunsandel? With the number of trucks on the road they may as well continue it to Timaru or Dunedin. But I'm dreaming There's huge chunks of sh1 hardly used at all. Those that are get upgraded, between chc and ashvegas will end up mostly dual lanes one day
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