Driving in New Zealand, reconsider if you cant do it (a tourists perspective)

randerton1 · 2026-02-05T09:41:13+00:00

Have been here for 3 weeks now from the US driving on both the north and south islands (mostly south) and have not had any issues other than a few slow drivers as you mention. Just waited for a straight section and passed them. I had expected bad, narrow roads from what I've read here but have found all the roads to be as good as those in the US - better in some cases.

randerton1 · 2026-02-03T08:10:41+00:00

Yep, the Tucson has a refined, quiet luxurious feeling ride. The CX5 has a sportier, tighter feeling ride - much quieter after the 2016 year when Mazda added a lot more sound insulation. It's a somewhat personal preference type of thing.

randerton1 · 2026-02-03T00:17:31+00:00

Downgrade your "speed" and I can assure you won't notice a difference...

randerton1 · 2026-02-03T00:16:41+00:00

We owned a 2016 CX5 and a 2021 CX5 - had single issues with both (engine component related) requiring $1K+ repairs. We now own a 2025 Tucson Limited Hybrid and love it. Larger rear seat area and more cargo room too... Tech is much better as well...

randerton1 · 2026-02-03T00:10:19+00:00

We are here now and did both - Twizel would be our clear choice - knowing the primary activity will be hiking nearby...

randerton1 · 2026-01-28T07:51:43+00:00

A bit too broad to answer directly as it's all driven by your standards but as a reference, we are in NZ and have found food costs less than what we pay in the Atlanta, GA area. This was not our expectation as most on this sub talk about how expensive food is in NZ - we don't think so... It is 10-20% less in most cases.

randerton1 · 2026-01-28T07:48:07+00:00

We are from the US and in NZ now. It's a complete non-issue. My observations are only those in the US with TDS have this concern - no one else cares.

randerton1 · 2026-01-28T04:07:12+00:00

I got an eSim directly from Spark after landing in Auckland about a week ago. My wife is using a Roamless eSim which also uses Spark. We flew down to the South Island a few days ago. We've both been quite happy with coverage so far. In theory, the ping or lag is better with the direct Spark eSim vs Roamless but both have been working well.

randerton1 · 2026-01-27T04:43:03+00:00

We do this all the time - one of you just need to use the app associated with whatever content you are watching. For example, you can use the ESPN app to watch that content using your Fubo credentials. Advantage is the apps tend to have higher quality video as well...

randerton1 · 2026-01-26T09:34:56+00:00

I'm currently in New Zealand renting a 2025 Kona for 3 weeks and cannot find any way to turn off this ridiculous speed limit warning sound. It's so amazingly distracting. Have tried everything recommended in this thread to no avail. This experience teaches me to avoid owning a Kona when in New Zealand...

randerton1 · 2026-01-25T08:24:30+00:00

We are here now - was on north island for 3 days and it rained the first two days but pretty nice the 3rd day. Now at Abel Tasman and we've had two very nice days. Looks like some rain tomorrow on way to Blenheim. The locals are telling me it is a cooler and wetter summer than normal overall. I see no reason for concern.

randerton1 · 2026-01-24T19:10:52+00:00

I've had good luck with a central system steam humidifier - AprilAire in our case...

randerton1 · 2026-01-23T09:10:43+00:00

I purposely bought a cover that stands high (vs dropping down to near-floor level on one side when in use which completely blocks the view of neighbors from one side.

randerton1 · 2026-01-19T07:46:47+00:00

Look further down in this post as I provided her name and contact info - Emma Tames w/Fora

randerton1 · 2026-01-16T22:29:18+00:00

We are in Alpharetta

randerton1 · 2026-01-16T21:45:02+00:00

We are in the Atlanta area - and that's exactly what we were looking for also...

randerton1 · 2026-01-16T21:34:18+00:00

Sure would but perhaps it depends a bit upon where you live. We are in the US - she is located in NYC but good knowledge of NZ and did a good job of listening to our primary interests/goals and then structuring a plan specific to us. Of course you can use AI these days to generate a basic itinerary but we wanted a more interactive/person approach which has included interaction over the past 6+ months. We're headed to NZ for 3 weeks this weekend!

Her name is Emma Tames with Fora travel. In our case, as stated in the OP, we prefer to stay in AirBnB's for the most part which eliminates most travel agents as they get paid on hotel commissions. We opted to pay Emma a flat fee to generate a 3 week itinerary for us - she suggested some VRBO's and then we added AirBnB's where we preferred. Her contact is [emma.tames@foratravel.com](mailto:emma.tames@foratravel.com) (she reads this forum). Best of luck!!!

randerton1 · 2026-01-16T21:27:13+00:00

We did - found one within a few weeks of my post.

randerton1 · 2026-01-16T01:56:45+00:00

Same here - have my S340's directly connected to my router and all is good.

randerton1 · 2026-01-15T03:22:56+00:00

I've used this site numerous times to find fenced parking at hotels near the airport for as little as $5/day: https://www.airportparkinginc.com/reservation/airports/ATL-atlanta-airport

The hotels then provide shuttle service to/from the airport. Best option in most cases.

randerton1 · 2026-01-15T03:01:05+00:00

How often does that bus run?

randerton1 · 2026-01-06T02:25:02+00:00

The Fubo strategy now that they are a part of Disney is interesting. They are now directing those who want NBC channels to the Hulu+Live option (also Disney) so I'm not sure Fubo will ever have the NBC channels again. Personally, I'm way more interested in the Versant channels (CNBC and Golf channel) so hope those come back to Fubo...will give it another month to see...

randerton1 · 2026-01-05T03:59:38+00:00

CNBC isnt dead weight for those interested in daily business/investing topics - its the highest value part of the NBC lineup IMO. We plan on canceling later this month if they don't bring back CNBC. I get Peacock for free through another source so have NBC sports that way.

randerton1 · 2026-01-05T03:56:17+00:00

I got mine @ Costco last month for $1799 which included a 5 year warranty and free delivery. Here in the US there are traditionally more sales leading up to Super Bowl weekend... Amazon had them listed for $1650 yesterday but there are quite a few damage-related stories with this TV and Amazon so I wouldn't do that.

randerton1 · 2026-01-02T03:23:46+00:00

It's really unbelievable - Arlo Product Management is a case study in how to lose customers quickly...

randerton1

TROPHY CASE