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I'm planning to do a road trip in New Zealand, South Island.

The itinerary looks like Christchurch-Oamaru-Dunedin-Invercargill-Stewart island-Te Anau-Milford sound-Queenstown-Mt Cook village-Christchurch. We're going in May.

Any recommendations on the type of car we should rent, and any precautions we should take?

Thanks

From the "Ask Jack" archives - 19 April 2010

You need to choose a car that suits the number of passengers.

If there are just two of you ,then a medium sized car such as a Toyota corolla , Mazda 3 would suit.

It should be as late model as possible to ensure you have the latest safety features.

It is for this reason we recommend one of the major rental car companies operating in NZ as their fleet is usually no more than one year old.

There are a lot of long roads in the South Island with not a lot of traffic, so be aware, it's easy to go faster than the law allows.

It would be a good idea to look at the NZ road rules before starting your holiday. The NZ Transport Agency website (www.nzta.govt.nz) offers an online roadcode to learn our rules and regulations. You can also use our online Roadcode Quiz.

Have a great holiday.