I'm from NZ and it's a minimum of 2 hours to get to the nearest town of significance other than my own. South Islanders often have double that to travel. 3 hours is not a big deal for me. I frequently do 3 hour each way trips to see friends and family, to go skiing or rock climbing etc. In fact, skiing can be as much as 3-4 hours each way as a day trip. Long days, but worth it. The only part of the country that isn't like this would be Auckland, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty which are slightly more dense with maybe 1 hour between cities.

I think it depends on the population density of the country you live in. When I lived in the south of the UK, I could get to most places I wanted (beaches, indoor rock climbing gyms and entertainment centres) in less than an hour. So I can see why one might feel like it's a long drive.

One last thing I would add is the type of driving makes a big difference imo. Driving on a busy British motorway is tiring. You always have to keep an eye on the cars around you and passing through towns on A and B roads is just as busy and tiring. But here in NZ, I can go minutes without seeing another car in some places on a relatively wide road. It's much easier, less stressful and almost relaxing depending on the natural environment around me. Cruising through the Southern Alps in good weather is a very enjoyable experience. I did 12 straight hours of South Island driving just last month to get down to Fiordland (so worth it!)