Because New Zealand is so sparsely populated, you can get away with winging it and being spontaneous here. There is always a campsite and always somewhere to sleep. They are crooked, they are winding, they are gnarly, and above all, they are unforgiving. All the roads are basically one lane in either direction, so that was different for me to get used to. In the US, highways have big medians and dividers between you and oncoming traffic and big break down lanes on the side.
Not in New Zealand. Prepare yourself. The roads, especially around the South Island, needless to say, are nothing like our roads in Virginia haha. For example, when the road bends, there are massive yellow reflective signs warning you in advance and on the curve to lower your speed. Sometimes they say 85 kph sometimes they say 20 kph. Heed them, always. If a road is winding for a long time, there will be yellow curvy road warning signs for a center number of kilometers.
If there is ice or snow, it will say ice or snow. The one lane bridges, and there are lots of them all have signs with the bigger arrow indicating who has the right of way. There is also some one lane bridge etiquette in New Zealand.
All the towns are well labeled as well with yellow street sign-style signs labeling how far away it is, as well as any cultural, campsite, viewpoint, toilets, picnic tables or really anything interesting is marked. Seriously, New Zealand loves their labels. They are there for a reason, pay attention. I think it was at least a month before I was zooming around like a local. And hey, no worries man. It took me a while to begin noticing that locals will pull over off the road when they can to let faster cars by.
This is usually in chain bays on the mountain passes where bigger cars slow down everyone, or in safety stops on the switchbacks or big curves. You can always spot the foreign drivers from the locals this way. New Zealand is way too friendly a place for that kind of oblivious, rude behavior. It blinds even the best of us. It still happens to me.
