Roadtrip to New Zealand

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mistral
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Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by mistral »

mikehindsonevans wrote: Tue Mar 22, 2022 22:50 We plan to "do" New Zealand in March to April of 2024. Any experience from your trip will be gratefully received in due course.
mistral wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 16:17
ChrisH wrote: Thu Mar 17, 2022 15:05Very jealous of your trip by the way! What's the rest of the itinerary?
So far, the only bit of the driving itinerary that we've sorted out is for the South Island of New Zealand. That is (for now);

12/1 : Auckland - Christchurch
13/1 : Christchurch (Pick up the car) - Tekapo : 219 kms
14/1 : Tekapo
15/1 : Tekapo - Wanaka : 201 kms
16/1 : Wanaka
17/1 : Wanaka - Invercargill : 246 kms
18/1 : Invercargill
19/1 : Invercargill - Manapouri : 167 kms
20/1 : Manapouri - Doubtful Sound
21/1 : Manapouri - Milford Sound : 139 kms
21/1 : Milford Sound - Manapouri : 139 kms
22/1 : Manapouri
23/1 : Manapouri
24/1 : Manapouri - Haast : 383 kms
25/1 : Haast - Punakaiki : 375 kms
26/1 : Punakaiki - Blenheim : 292 kms
27/1 : Blenheim
28/1 : Blenheim
29/1 : Blenheim - Kaikoura : 144 kms
30/1 : Kaikoura
31/1 : Kaikoura
1/2 : Kaikoura - Christchurch (Return the car) : 184 kms
2/2 : Christchurch - Auckland

Still haven't even really considered what to do on the North Island, beyond visiting Rotorua, Wellington & some vineyards! That may be a topic for another thread. :)
As I said in the American thread, our flight itinerary for New Zealand is as follows;

Jan 10th : San Francisco - Auckland (Jan 12th : 06.00)
Jan 12th : Auckland (11.00) - Christchurch (12.30)
Feb 2nd : Christchurch (Midday) - Auckland (13.30)
Feb 21st : Auckland (01.20) - Singapore

The cost of using the Wellington - Picton ferries is just so high, that it's much better value to just split the trip into two portions; the flights are a quarter of the ferry fare!

As I said earlier, I still haven't really got around to planning anything for the North Island. Does anyone have any personal knowledge of any roads worth driving, places worth visiting or any towns or areas that should be well & truly swerved?

As for the South Island, while we've provisionally booked all the overnight stops, they're all changeable until the middle of December. Roadswise, the only routes with no feasible alternatives seem to be the road to Milford Sound, and the SH 6 from Wanaka up towards Westport. As with the North Island, I'm still very open to any suggestions.
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by Owain »

No road suggestions, but I recently bought a Pinot Noir that claims to come from the world's most southerly wine region on the South Island. As you live not far from the French home of Pinot Noir, surely that has to be worth a visit?
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

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Owain wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 09:56 No road suggestions, but I recently bought a Pinot Noir that claims to come from the world's most southerly wine region on the South Island. As you live not far from the French home of Pinot Noir, surely that has to be worth a visit?
That's already in the plans!! :) 🍷
On March 24th, mistral wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 03:46 15/1 : Tekapo - Wanaka : 201 kms
16/1 : Wanaka
17/1 : Wanaka - Invercargill : 246 kms
I'm very much hoping to get to some vineyards or tasting rooms while we're there.

Further on into the itinerary, we'll be staying in the middle of a vineyard just outside Blenheim, in the heart of the Marlborough wine area. A couple of days sampling (copious amounts of) Sauvignon Blanc should be fantastic. Fingers crossed. 🤞
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

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mistral wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 15:11
Owain wrote: Sat Apr 16, 2022 09:56 No road suggestions, but I recently bought a Pinot Noir that claims to come from the world's most southerly wine region on the South Island. As you live not far from the French home of Pinot Noir, surely that has to be worth a visit?
That's already in the plans!! :) 🍷
On March 24th, mistral wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 03:46 15/1 : Tekapo - Wanaka : 201 kms
16/1 : Wanaka
17/1 : Wanaka - Invercargill : 246 kms
I'm very much hoping to get to some vineyards or tasting rooms while we're there.

Further on into the itinerary, we'll be staying in the middle of a vineyard just outside Blenheim, in the heart of the Marlborough wine area. A couple of days sampling (copious amounts of) Sauvignon Blanc should be fantastic. Fingers crossed. 🤞
Excellent - be sure to let us know how it goes.

I might even have tried my NZ reds and whites (that Pinot Noir* and three Sauvignon Blancs, which are currently lost among the 400+ other bottles in my garage) by then ...

*EDIT - I'm drinking it now - you inspired me to go looking for it!
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by mistral »

A few months later, the plans are starting to come together now.

=========
Summary
=========

==================
South Island Itinerary
==================

========
January
========

Tuesday 10th : San Francisco - Auckland

Wednesday 11th : Missing Day (Clocks go forward 21 hours from GMT -8 to GMT +13)

Thursday 12th : NZ 7 San Francisco - Auckland (06.00) : 10,487 kms : 13 hours 5 minutes
Transfer in Auckland Airport (5 hours)
NZ 535 Auckland (11.00) - Christchurch (12.25) : 745 kms : 1 hour 25 minutes
Christchurch Airport - Christchurch (Yaldhurst) : 6 kms : 10 minutes (by taxi) or 25 minutes (by bus)

Friday 13th : Christchurch (Yaldhurst - Harewood) : 6 kms : 10 minutes (by taxi)
Christchurch (Harewood) (Pick up Car) - Lake Tekapo : 224 kms : 2 hours 51 minutes

Saturday 14th : Lake Tekapo

Sunday 15th : Lake Tekapo - Wanaka : 203 kms : 2 hours 23 minutes

Monday 16th : Wanaka (Wine Tasting)

Tuesday 17th : Wanaka - Cromwell : 53 kms : 40 minutes ... and then some wine tasting.

Wednesday 18th : Cromwell (Wine Tasting)

Thursday 19th : Cromwell - Queenstown - Manapouri : 221 kms : 2 hours 44 minutes

Friday 20th : Manapouri - Doubtful Sound (Boat Trip) - Manapouri

Saturday 21st : Manapouri

Sunday 22nd : Manapouri - Milford Sound (Boat Trip - Manapouri : 140 kms (22 kms to Te Anau; 118 kms (by bus) to Milford Sound)

Monday 23rd : Manapouri

Tuesday 24th : Manapouri - Queenstown - Haast : 373 kms : 4 hours 45 minutes

Wednesday 25th : Haast - Punakaiki : 365 kms : 4 hours 40 minutes

Thursday 26th : Punakaiki - Renwick : 292 kms : 3 hours 48 minutes

Friday 27th : Renwick (Wine Tasting)

Saturday 28th : Renwick (Wine Tasting)

Sunday 29th : Renwick - Nelson : 108 kms : 1 hour 41 minutes

Monday 30th : Nelson (Wine Tasting)

Tuesday 31st : Nelson (Wine Tasting)

========
February
========

Wednesday 1st : Nelson - Christchurch (Return Car) : 405 kms : 4 hours 59 minutes
Christchurch (Harewood - Yaldhurst) : 6 kms : 10 minutes (by taxi)

==================
North Island Itinerary
==================

Thursday 2nd : NZ 542 Christchurch (Midday) - Auckland (13.25) : 745 kms : 1 hour 25 minutes
Auckland Airport - Auckland (City Centre) : 28 kms : 25 minutes (by taxi) or 1 hour 20 minutes (by bus & train)
Auckland (City Ferry Terminal) - Waiheke Island : 31 kms : 52 minutes (40 minutes on boat, 5 minute transfer & 12 minutes on bus)

Friday 3rd : Waiheke (Wine Tasting)

Saturday 4th : Waiheke (Wine Tasting)

Sunday 5th : Waiheke - Auckland (City Ferry Terminal) : 31 kms : 52 minutes (10 minutes by taxi, 10 minute transfer & 40 minutes on boat)
Auckland (City Centre) - Onehunga : 12 kms : 15 minutes (by taxi) or 40 minutes (by bus)
Onehunga (Pick up Car) - Whitianga : 187 kms : 2 hours 28 minutes

Monday 6th (Waitangi Day) : Whitianga

Tuesday 7th : Whitianga - Ōhope Beach : 266 kms : 3 hours 50 minutes

Wednesday 8th : Ōhope Beach

Thursday 9th : Ōhope Beach

Friday 10th : Ōhope Beach - Gisborne : 176 kms : 2 hours 20 minutes

Or

Ōhope Beach - East Cape - Gisborne : 405 kms : 6 hours 11 minutes

Saturday 11th : Gisborne (Wine Tasting)

Sunday 12th : Gisborne - Rotorua : 314 kms : 4 hours 45 minutes

Monday 13th : Rotorua

Tuesday 14th : Rotorua

Wednesday 15th : Rotorua

Thursday 16th : Rotorua

Friday 17th : Rotorua - Auckland (Drop off Suitcases) - Onehunga (Return the Car) : 239 kms : 2 hours 55 minutes
Onehunga - Auckland (Parnell) : 9 kms : 35 minutes (by bus)

Saturday 18th : Auckland (Strand) (07.45) - Wellington (18.25) (Northern Explorer) : 681 kms : 10 hours 40 minutes

Sunday 19th : Wellington

Monday 20th : Wellington (City Centre) - Wellington Airport : 10 kms : 15 minutes (by taxi)
JQ 262 Wellington (17.40) - Auckland (18.45) : 480 kms : 1 hour 5 minutes
Transfer in Auckland Airport : 6 hours 35 minutes

Tuesday 21st : SQ 282 Auckland (01.20) - Singapore (06.45) : 8,409 kms : 10 hours 25 minutes (Clocks go back 5 hours from GMT +13 to GMT +8)
Transfer in Singapore (Changi) : 3 hours 5 minutes
SQ 728 Singapore (09.50) - Phuket (10.45) : 976 kms : 1 hour 55 minutes (Clocks go back 1 hour from GMT +8 to GMT +7)

====

I've cut down the driving on the North Island; the original route that I'd planned was just too ridiculously long, and I just seemed to be driving somewhere every single day. Hopefully, the current route will give us a decent flavour of New Zealand, as I'm pretty sure that this will be the first & last time that I get to visit.
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by Peter Freeman »

Weatherwise, January is a smart month to visit South Island, especially Invercargill!

I'm surprised you haven't allotted some time in Christchurch and Auckland. Both are very nice cities. The city centre rebuild from the ChCh 2011 'quake, still not quite complete, is impressive.
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

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Peter Freeman wrote: Sat Nov 05, 2022 23:47 Weatherwise, January is a smart month to visit South Island ...
It's more to do with the daylight. In the middle of January, there's 15 and a bit hours of daylight in Fiordland, versus just under 14 hours in the middle of February.
Peter Freeman wrote: Sat Nov 05, 2022 23:47 ... especially Invercargill!
We've decided to skip Invercargill (and Kaikoura); there aren't any decent sized whales to be seen off the coast of the South Island at that time of year; they're all feeding off Antarctica instead!
Peter Freeman wrote: Sat Nov 05, 2022 23:47I'm surprised you haven't allotted some time in Christchurch and Auckland. Both are very nice cities. The city centre rebuild from the ChCh 2011 'quake, still not quite complete, is impressive.
A stay in Auckland was part of the original plan, but the hotels there are really very poor value for money.

As for Christchurch, we might nip into the City Centre one evening, but I never really considered spending any significant amount of time there. The lure of lakes, fjords, mountains & vineyards elsewhere on the island won the day. :)
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by ChrisH »

Looks like a fantastic trip. When you say you'll be getting a flavour of New Zealand, your itinerary suggests those flavours will be largely of the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir varieties :D
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by mistral »

ChrisH wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 08:42When you say you'll be getting a flavour of New Zealand, your itinerary suggests those flavours will be largely of the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir varieties :D
Very droll. 👍

More generally, I've been a little surprised at how big New Zealand actually is. The distance from the top to the bottom of the South Island is similar to that between the top and bottom of France ... and that's only half the country!! With countries like South Africa, the United States & Argentina, your mental map has already told you that a lot of driving will be required, but I wasn't really expecting that in New Zealand.
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by jnty »

mistral wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:02
ChrisH wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 08:42When you say you'll be getting a flavour of New Zealand, your itinerary suggests those flavours will be largely of the Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir varieties :D
Very droll. 👍

More generally, I've been a little surprised at how big New Zealand actually is. The distance from the top to the bottom of the South Island is similar to that between the top and bottom of France ... and that's only half the country!! With countries like South Africa, the United States & Argentina, your mental map has already told you that a lot of driving will be required, but I wasn't really expecting that in New Zealand.
Indeed - and north-south journeys, particularly on the South Island, are on relatively slow roads. East-West is often even slower although obviously there's less distance to cover!
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by RichardA626 »

My parents had a driving holiday around New Zealand a few years ago, which was very good. They hired different cars on each of the islands to save on ferry costs.

They had to get used to automatic petrol stations, especially in rural areas.

One freak accident they had was when they hit a bird & the windscreen broke! Luckily they weren't too far away from a town & didn't have too long before the hire company could send out a replacement car.
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

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RichardA626 wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:41 My parents had a driving holiday around New Zealand a few years ago, which was very good. They hired different cars on each of the islands to save on ferry costs.
In March, mistral wrote: Thu Mar 24, 2022 03:46 The cost of using the Wellington - Picton ferries is just so high, that it's much better value to just split the trip into two portions; the flights are a quarter of the ferry fare!
The cost of the ferry fares was also the principal reason for splitting our trip in two. The original plan was to rent a car in Auckland, and then just wander around the country for six weeks, but the Interisland & Waiheke ferries are eyewateringly expensive ... travel plans were changed swiftly in response!
RichardA626 wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:41They had to get used to automatic petrol stations, especially in rural areas.
They're the norm in most parts of France, so that shouldn't be too much of a problem for us.

One of the 'rural' aspect that is concerning me a bit is the prevalence of single track roads (with passing places) in parts of the South Island. I haven't driven on any roads of that nature since I was last in the Scottish Highlands in the mid 2000s.
RichardA626 wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:41One freak accident they had was when they hit a bird & the windscreen broke! Luckily they weren't too far away from a town & didn't have too long before the hire company could send out a replacement car.
One 'rule' that I learned a long time ago is to never drive in the dark in seriously rural parts of the world; I almost hit a very large deer in California back in 1990, and that was at sunset. Fingers crossed that I don't get any daytime dramas like your parents had!
jnty wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:40
mistral wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:02 With countries like South Africa, the United States & Argentina, your mental map has already told you that a lot of driving will be required, but I wasn't really expecting that in New Zealand.
Indeed - and north-south journeys, particularly on the South Island, are on relatively slow roads. East-West is often even slower although obviously there's less distance to cover.
The poor quality of many Kiwi roads has come as a bit of a shock when I've been streetwiewing them. A significant amount of them are really quite iffy; narrow, poor sightlines, rather limited signage & substandard road surfaces ... it'll be a bit of an adventure!
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by jnty »

mistral wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 13:03
jnty wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:40
mistral wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:02 With countries like South Africa, the United States & Argentina, your mental map has already told you that a lot of driving will be required, but I wasn't really expecting that in New Zealand.
Indeed - and north-south journeys, particularly on the South Island, are on relatively slow roads. East-West is often even slower although obviously there's less distance to cover.
The poor quality of many Kiwi roads has come as a bit of a shock when I've been streetwiewing them. A significant amount of them are really quite iffy; narrow, poor sightlines, rather limited signage & substandard road surfaces ... it'll be a bit of an adventure!
Definitely. The highways are generally OK, albeit with one-lane bridges, but it can certainly degrade quite fast off the beaten track. One of my fondest NZ memories is going down a dusty unsealed road in the blazing sun in an ageing rented convertible...certainly something you wouldn't expect to be able to do in the UK!
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by mistral »

Has anyone done the Crown Range Pass (near Queenstown)? Is it worth the effort?

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/ind ... w_Zealand)

From the SABRE Wiki: SH89 %28New Zealand%29 :


The SH89 was one of the most stunning routes in New Zealands State Highway Network. It was downgraded to be a local road in the early 1990s, albeit with a short section in Wanaka at the northern end later becoming the SH84. It is still an amazing drive, and the quickest route between the West Coast Glaciers and Queenstown - both major tourist centres on South Island.

The route started on SH6 and headed west into Wanaka. It is this section

... Read More
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

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mistral wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 16:55 Has anyone done the Crown Range Pass (near Queenstown)? Is it worth the effort?

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/ind ... w_Zealand)
I have never been to New Zealand, but considering that your SABRE Wiki link suggests that this road is "one of the most stunning routes" in the country, I'd suggest that - at only 50km in length - it would be a missed opportunity if you didn't!
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From the SABRE Wiki: SH89 %28New Zealand%29 :


The SH89 was one of the most stunning routes in New Zealands State Highway Network. It was downgraded to be a local road in the early 1990s, albeit with a short section in Wanaka at the northern end later becoming the SH84. It is still an amazing drive, and the quickest route between the West Coast Glaciers and Queenstown - both major tourist centres on South Island.

The route started on SH6 and headed west into Wanaka. It is this section

... Read More
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by jnty »

mistral wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 16:55 Has anyone done the Crown Range Pass (near Queenstown)? Is it worth the effort?

https://www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/ind ... w_Zealand)
Pretty stunning as I recall. If you're going that way anyway and the weather is favourable I don't really see why you wouldn't. Wanaka is a pretty wee place too.

From the SABRE Wiki: SH89 %28New Zealand%29 :


The SH89 was one of the most stunning routes in New Zealands State Highway Network. It was downgraded to be a local road in the early 1990s, albeit with a short section in Wanaka at the northern end later becoming the SH84. It is still an amazing drive, and the quickest route between the West Coast Glaciers and Queenstown - both major tourist centres on South Island.

The route started on SH6 and headed west into Wanaka. It is this section

... Read More
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by mistral »

Weather permitting, I think we'll be having a go at the Crown Range, even though the road surface looks a tad ropey in places. :)
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

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mistral wrote: Tue Dec 13, 2022 22:19 Weather permitting, I think we'll be having a go at the Crown Range, even though the road surface looks a tad ropey in places. :)
Huh, that's not my recollection although I went in the middle of summer. I wonder if the surface gets ravaged by winter weather, ski traffic and snow chains and is usually patched in spring?
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by mistral »

jnty wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 15:32
mistral wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 13:03
jnty wrote: Mon Nov 07, 2022 10:40
Indeed - and north-south journeys, particularly on the South Island, are on relatively slow roads. East-West is often even slower although obviously there's less distance to cover.
The poor quality of many Kiwi roads has come as a bit of a shock when I've been streetwiewing them. A significant amount of them are really quite iffy; narrow, poor sightlines, rather limited signage & substandard road surfaces ... it'll be a bit of an adventure!
Definitely. The highways are generally OK, albeit with one-lane bridges, but it can certainly degrade quite fast off the beaten track.
In the Western USA & Mexico thread, mistral wrote: Sat Jan 07, 2023 21:26 Some more thoughts on the trip so far.

1 : Mexican Driving : The difference between urban and rural driving habits is just incredible. In the towns, the driving is polite & courteous, with people respecting things like stop signs, zebra crossings & traffic lights. However, once they're out on the open roads, they drive like absolute maniacs. It's really quite disconcerting when you're already doing about 10 km/h over the speed limit, and you keep on seeing headlights roaring up into your rear view mirror. Then, they just proceed to just sail past you over the solid yellow line, at speeds that would not be out of place on a German autobahn!

2 : Mexican Roads : I've been staying in Baja California Sur, and I fervently hope that the roads here are not a reflection of the roads in the rest of Mexico. I've driven 700 kms in the last couple of days (mostly on MX1), and it's been educational!! For want of a better term, the rural roads are just atrocious. For starters, they're incredibly narrow, with no runoff or shoulder whatsoever. There are random potholes dotted all over the place, there is next to no signage warning you of sharp corners, and some of the blind summits are just epic. Some of the engineering on these roads is akin to what we would associate with 'heritage roads', such as some of the more remote roads in northern Scotland.
One of the upsides of driving in Mexico in the past few days is that it has given me an early indication of what it's like to drive on seriously bad roads.

I can only hope that the standards of driving are significantly better than they are Mexico; it's the tension of thinking that someone might hit you imminently that makes the driving so tiring and mentally draining.

Anyway, on to New Zealand!
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Re: Roadtrip to New Zealand

Post by Peter Freeman »

New Zealand is in no way like Mexico! Don't worry about the driving standard: NZ's firmly in the First World.

As noted upthread, it's larger than a first impression, with it tucked away on the map in a corner of the south Pacific Ocean, would suggest. Hence its road density is very low outside of major cities, and its few million population cannot afford fancy long distance roads.
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