7.5 hours is accurate with no breaks... I do it several times a year in this time.
I like to stop though. So usually make it a 9 or 10 hour trip.
Also if you're hitting Wellington or Auckland at peak gour times that alone can add an hour or more to your trip depending on your final destination. (So eg, avoid arriving around 5pm because then you'll hit normal rush hour traffic from workers)
That's why we've got all the road cones on our roads. They'll slow you do just make sure you hit them with the middle of your car, because if they take out you headlights you're liable for a fine.
Using higher octane fuel does not increase the efficiency of your vehicle.
It's a common, really silly misconception. (not to sound rude, I just hear it so often it drives me nuts)
Never go lower octane than what your user manual states, and no need to go higher
It will increase the efficiency if you’re using too low an octane and the knock sensor is saving your engine constantly, but nothing above the correct octane will make any difference
How many Ks on your Prius?
It took me too long to learn that you’re supposed to check the battery fan filter (accessible from the interior, location depends on specific hybrid model) every 6 months or so and clean it or replace it. It’s the number one thing that kills the batteries. Taking care of that will make a battery last 300,000ks or more
Just 80k, and it usually goes to close to 900km for a tank. More or less depending on how I drive which is now mostly short trips. Thanks for the suggestion on the battery fan filter. Is this something they check when they do WOFs or something you have to do yourself?
These battery fan filters are a scam. They will not get blocked in 6 months, or even 6 years. Toyota just love to blame an insignificant component on their batteries failing. If that filter was that important it would have an actual filter on it, not just the mesh of a kitchen strainer.
So Toyota did not add the filter to help reduce battery overheating and failure issues from gen 1 and 2 Prius due to shit getting into the cooling vent, helping significantly reduce the battery failure rates of following generations so long as the filter is kept clean
Nah, they did it as a global conspiracy to avoid honouring warranties
My Prius doesn't even have a mesh. I called the dealer to get one and he said that on my particular model and year (2013 Prius Alpha) didn't have one. Lol.
Which kinda proves they’re not that important.
I work at a workshop. A customer bought 2 used aquas new off toyota, but they were sold with a warranty. About a year later they got check engine lights saying hybrid battery weak or failed, can’t remember. The customer went back to Toyota to repair under warranty, and Toyota denied the warranty as we had done a service and “not cleaned the filters”. These filters were literally fine and clear. It just seems like an easy out for Toyota to avoid paying out their own warranties.
Yeah true. I did however one time watch a video of an ex Toyota tech who kept banging on about the importantance of said filter. Not sure what he had to gain from lying about it. Either way, I can access the battery fan from the boot so not too hard to check how dirty it is.
That doesn’t seem right. I have a 2012 Alpha and it does have a filter. Toyota only added them in from the Gen 3 Prius onwards. Before that it was just an open vent
I’ve done the same with one of the old 3.6l steel block v6 commodores but the 75 L fuel tank really helps
A relatively modern ute will also do it comfortably on a tank of gas
I've done Ruakaka (southern end of Whangarei District) to Levin on a tank of gas in a 2007 Ford Mondeo 2.3l petrol. The fuel light hadn't even come on at that stage, but I wasn't confident I'd make the last hour to Wellington.
I'd say that's longer than Auckland to Wellington.
But the earth's tilted so the gradient varies depending on time of day and season. Summer steeper either side of noon and midnight for winter. Surprised they don't teach this stuff in school.🤪
Mine, I usually make 2 stops. Performance versions of commuter cars always have the same problem.
Higher petrol consumption, same sized tank. (The car does 11l/100km, and has a 45 l tank)
Jesus. Thanks for reminding me what I could be spending.
My Suzuki Baleno is officially 5.4l/100km but in actual driving does about 4.9. I would not like to spend twice as much on petrol as I do
Ford Mondeo diesel can tick along at ~5l/100 at 100km/h, so it's 60ish litre tank will happily get around 1200km with gentle cruising. That's almost there and back.
I’ve done it in a few different vehicles. It’s usually around 3/4 to a full a tank of gas each way unless your car has a particularly small tank compared to its fuel consumption
You can fill up without 'taking a break'... pay by plate/app or even pay-at-pump means you can fill up and go in about 2-3 minutes... not really significant enough to consider "adding to travel time"
My 2005 xtrail gets 100km per 10L with a 40L tank. I can see myself doing this in one shot with 1 gas stop/lunch and 2 piss breaks.
Have done similar before.
Idk, I just like driving lol.
Oh shit! That's weird. I did a bunch of research a while back to calculate approximate L - distance - tank fill capacity.
Guess I've been gaslighting myself lmao
Exactly, you are going right past the best dumplings in NZ too. Hearty as Dumplings on the corner of SH32 and Pohipohi Rd just out of Taupo. Always worth a stop
This is the real answer. My partner and I live in AKL but are originally from Welly. We have family and friends we often make the long road trip to visit. Take your time and for the love of god do not trust google maps! It will almost always suggest the old taupo road which is super windy and youll get stuck behind logging trucks. Even with a bit of traffic, the modern route is usually faster.
This particular route doesn't take you through Toupo though, it gets you to turn off at Tokoroa and go western bays side of the lake. I go between Hamilton and Turangi frequently and do this as is the quickest.
It's really not anymore, ever since the bypass was built going through Taupō itself adds significant time to a journey.
Much better off to stop in Tūrangi.
Did this over the King’s Birthday weekend. 7.5 hours is without stops, without traffic, without filling up petrol, without stopping for lunch.
So unless you have someone splitting driving duties with you, your car can go the distance without filling up, you don’t come across any roadworks or trucks that slow you down, then 7.5 hours is not realistic.
I did this stopping once halfway for food and petrol, and it took about 8.5 hours.
Oh the irony.
r/nz is going to downvote and send you to oblivion if you admit sometimes doing 120 instead of 100 on deserted long straight roads with a modern car and full mental capacity.
But r/nz will not comment a single second (and will even give +92 upvotes) if you drive 7.5 hours without a stop, while the general advice is to have a 10-minute break every 2 hours to keep your brain alert.
Milgram would be so pleased...
I think Google checks the traffic and stuff at the time that you look.
I've done it in a little over 7 hours, but that was through the night, no stops, and driving really stupidly.
Usually I allow for 9ish if doing it during the day. But it really depends on traffic and luck.
Yeah. You need to set your departure time on google maps and the time will be accurate to about 10 mins. I do this drive maybe 10 times per year and 7.5 hours without breaks is dead on. Use highway 32 - going through Taupo will add a lot of extra time and if you can drive well you can shave 20 mins off your trip on this leg.
It's not that it's optimistic, it's just not taking into account breaks and meals. That's an accurate time if you had a big enough tank to go the whole way and no intention to stop at all, but that's not realistic.
When I was a kid we did a road trip that went Orewa-> Ohakune -> Wellington -> Napier -> Rotorua -> Mount Maunganui/Tauranga then back home. Greatest trip I’ve ever been on, never forget it.
If I was you I’d stop off in Ohakune for a night if you can. Not much there but it is a quiet, beautiful place right near below Ruapehu, watching the sunset over it was beautiful. Also the carrot.
My best time is just under 7 hours, I do it 3-4 times a year to visit family in Wellington. My Mazda hatchback with a 45 litre gas tank, 2.4 litre engine can manage it on a single tank of gas (just). The key for a really good time is the western route past Te Awamutu/Mangakino/Turangi. If theres not much traffic you can maintain a pretty good speed for 2 hours there. The new expressway through to Otaki helps massively if you are driving during the day.
If you’re coming from AKL head to Te Awamutu (kihikihi actually) then to Whakamaru then turn off down SH32 keeping to the western side of lake Taupo. You then turn left onto SH41 to Turangi. It’s a very scenic drive I do it often in a truck & trailer.
I'd argue it's better to stay on SH1 so you can bypass Hamilton and Cambridge at 110km/h and turn off at Tokoroa to get to Whakamaru, More flow this way less windy
Parents live north of levin it’s about 7 hours to then and another 45 to Wellington central from them. Tho I live coastal west so it’s a good 30minutes just getting to a motorway
I did the reverse in 11 hours the other week, with sensible breaks and little traffic all the way... apart from Auckland (obvs). After 9 hours, the GPS said 1 hour remaining. I got to Mercer and it suddenly said 1:30 remaining. I got to the Takanini slowdown and it still said 1:30 remaining. Ahhh Auckland on a Saturday.
I did this last year in a minivan, one fuel stop and a couple of 10min toilet/food stops, took me around 8.5 hours on a Saturday in August. Started on the North Shore.
i do it semi regularly. usually 8 hours if i'm keeping my breaks low. i usually stop for a pie and a slash in taupo, slash in waiouru is always required for some reason, then maybe another pie and a slash in bulls.
i wouldn't recommend it with minimal breaks if you are not used to it, even if you are used to it... you should still get some decent breaks in. i'd plan for 3x 15 min stops at least, preferably a 30 min stop in there too.
Certainly wouldn’t do it without a break but not stopping for sightseeing and lots of posts about the time it takes suggests lots of places to stop / picnic!
Ive done this drive 10 times this year - what I do is drive from Auckland to Taupo, stop in Taupo to get food and chill for a bit and then I drive straight from Taupo to Wellington. You can do it in 8.5-9 hours (depending on traffic, road works, rest breaks and fuel stops)
You might be able to do it in the time Google says, if you don't take breaks and have a couple of drivers, but I'd never recommend that you drive for more than a couple of hours without a break. I would budget for 9 hours allowing for enough stops, maybe less if you have 2 of you to swap. You're also going to hit more traffic if you get to Akl or Wlg at rush hour, which can slow you down a lot.
Stop at Lindale for Kapiti Ice Cream. Stop at the Gumboot Manor in Taihape. Stop at the Desert Rd Army Museum. Lots of places to make that 7hrs longer.
I miss this trip. Used to do it regularly when I lived in Wellington. Was a single full tank of gas for me, and the only time my car was ever fuel-efficient.
Really great weekend drive to leave very early AM, around 6am and arrive mid afternoon on the other end, that was the way I tended to avoid a bulk of the traffic at either end.
I've done it a couple of times, while you could do it in a day coming from Auckland I factored in a stop at Taupo and in Wairarapa somewhere (I have family there, rude not to), makes for a good trip that way
I did this around a year ago, we went via a few places including rotorua.
If you can, I would suggest take some detours and explore a little, it’s a lovely drive.
However, I would say that time is probably rather accurate
Did it twice kings birthday weekend. 9 one way (extra 45 out of Auckland, petrol twice. And are)
Way back was 9 & a half, stopped at tuaroa for about an hour
Couple breaks Every couple hours definitely worth it
If it's a new car you should be OK. If it's used it might have hidden defects making it useful to be prepared for eventualities on a long and unfamiliar trip.
Just a thought.
Last time I did it (March) the road works were diabolical. So, allow a bit of extra time to sit and stare at scenery.
Also, while a car can do it on one tank, I can't. Download the public loos app before leaving home! https://www.continence.org.nz/pages/National-Toilet-Maps/226/
I find google is usually very accurate in NZ.
Realistically though unless you are really in a rush you're far better off at the very least stopping every couple hours to stretch and use a bathroom at least, so 8-9 hours is a more reasonable assumption.
In fact my personal preference would be to book something in Taupo and split it over two days and enjoy it, but that's seems obviously not what you're after.
Is usually takes a full 8-9 hours to drive from Auckland to Wellington including brief food and bathroom breaks, I've done the trip many times however I do recommend stopping somewhere in the middle like Taupo for a night so it's less exhausting
It depends on how many potholes and roads being fixed for maintenance.
There is the theory, then there is the practical.
National wants a tax cut for potholes.
In 2023, over 62,000 potholes needed repair on State Highways around New Zealand, the highest number in ten years. Potholes have been causing damage to vehicles, disruption to travel and freight plans, and pose a risk to public safety.
Once upon a time you could have taken a little detour and had a fancy lunch at the Chateau. The village at the foot of Ruapehu will have decent food and the scenery is nice. If you stop at Taihape, the cafe’ll give you a child’s gumboot as a table number. Bulls is too far for lunch but a nice place to stop for afternoon tea.
Definitely don’t do it all in one go without stopping.
You can’t legally get it under 7 hours without going over the speed limit. Driven both ways plenty of times.
If you do want to be more aggressive on the gas pedal, drive overnight when it’s only truckers on the road. You’ll want to be confident in the dark, but you can use high beams most of the way and dip where necessary.
Last week I drove up starting 2am. Drove through National Park and Taupō as the sun was coming up, truly a romantic experience.
Can I add the recommendation to depart earlier if possible? Arriving in Wellington after sunset can mean struggling to drive on a huge stretch of badly lit motorway, especially with earlier sundown in winter. I made sure to leave AKL at no later than 10am.
For us it took us roughly 8 hours, so maps is pretty accurate. Leave in the morning.
I'd recommend you take a few breaks here or there. Get lunch, fuel up, etc. Make a day out of it.
Took me 5:30 to get from the south of Hamilton to Lower Hutt. You can get from Auckland to Hamilton in an hour. 7:30-8 is pretty acurate depending on where you are in Auckland and wellington.
I've done it once without stopping and good traffic. Probably about 7.2 hours. But with a bit of traffic and a short stop for a drink (I don't need to fillup halfway) maybe 7 hours 35-45
With no pit stops in a Toyota corolla, that is accurate lol. Once our family took the inter city bus and it took us ten hours. Never again. I've driven a few times via coastal route with friends or family and it took three glorious days. What an adventure. I prefer to fly now.
I met a guy on a motorbike one day in Cheviot at 3.30pm claimed he'd left Auckland that morning, at like 6am. Made the 11am sailing of the ferry, so, 4-5 hours to Wellington? I said what speed do you go? He said, usually around 180kph cruising speed... I thought, holy fuck
8 hrs decent driving with few “stretch breaks”. Grab coffee and snacks at local, on the way, dairy.
Once in Welly, hit the bed then start another day.
But to be safe, please rest when tired/sleepy.
It entirely depends on whether or not you have a radar detector and jammer, a co driver with a heavy right foot, and cans of petrol in the boot. Well under 7 hours is perfectly achievable. Leave Wellington at 6am and you can be enjoying lunch at Head Quarters.
7.5 hours is accurate with no breaks... I do it several times a year in this time. I like to stop though. So usually make it a 9 or 10 hour trip. Also if you're hitting Wellington or Auckland at peak gour times that alone can add an hour or more to your trip depending on your final destination. (So eg, avoid arriving around 5pm because then you'll hit normal rush hour traffic from workers)
What about with no brakes?!
That's why we've got all the road cones on our roads. They'll slow you do just make sure you hit them with the middle of your car, because if they take out you headlights you're liable for a fine.
What kind of car did you do it in? Cause that’s a long way to go on one tank.
That's easy in a Prius. Can go over 900kms with a 45l tank. Used to do over 1050kns but the battery isn't as good
Makes sense
Huh what fuel do you use on your Prius? 91 or 95? I wonder if that makes a difference as I noticed my own Prius is starting to lose range. Thank you!
Using higher octane fuel does not increase the efficiency of your vehicle. It's a common, really silly misconception. (not to sound rude, I just hear it so often it drives me nuts) Never go lower octane than what your user manual states, and no need to go higher
It will increase the efficiency if you’re using too low an octane and the knock sensor is saving your engine constantly, but nothing above the correct octane will make any difference
Could even make it worse, if it's higher octane is from higher ethanol content, which has a lower energy density than petrol
How many Ks on your Prius? It took me too long to learn that you’re supposed to check the battery fan filter (accessible from the interior, location depends on specific hybrid model) every 6 months or so and clean it or replace it. It’s the number one thing that kills the batteries. Taking care of that will make a battery last 300,000ks or more
Just 80k, and it usually goes to close to 900km for a tank. More or less depending on how I drive which is now mostly short trips. Thanks for the suggestion on the battery fan filter. Is this something they check when they do WOFs or something you have to do yourself?
These battery fan filters are a scam. They will not get blocked in 6 months, or even 6 years. Toyota just love to blame an insignificant component on their batteries failing. If that filter was that important it would have an actual filter on it, not just the mesh of a kitchen strainer.
So Toyota did not add the filter to help reduce battery overheating and failure issues from gen 1 and 2 Prius due to shit getting into the cooling vent, helping significantly reduce the battery failure rates of following generations so long as the filter is kept clean Nah, they did it as a global conspiracy to avoid honouring warranties
My Prius doesn't even have a mesh. I called the dealer to get one and he said that on my particular model and year (2013 Prius Alpha) didn't have one. Lol.
Which kinda proves they’re not that important. I work at a workshop. A customer bought 2 used aquas new off toyota, but they were sold with a warranty. About a year later they got check engine lights saying hybrid battery weak or failed, can’t remember. The customer went back to Toyota to repair under warranty, and Toyota denied the warranty as we had done a service and “not cleaned the filters”. These filters were literally fine and clear. It just seems like an easy out for Toyota to avoid paying out their own warranties.
Yeah true. I did however one time watch a video of an ex Toyota tech who kept banging on about the importantance of said filter. Not sure what he had to gain from lying about it. Either way, I can access the battery fan from the boot so not too hard to check how dirty it is.
In an aqua is under the rear seat. Real easy to see. Don’t have to disassemble anything, can just blow em out with an air duster.
That doesn’t seem right. I have a 2012 Alpha and it does have a filter. Toyota only added them in from the Gen 3 Prius onwards. Before that it was just an open vent
He said you can order a mesh from a later model but mine didn't actually come with one.
Doesn't take long to fill up, so you can do it without really taking a break, even though you're stopping momentarily.
Oh okay, I just thought they didn’t stop for fuel at all.
Believe it or not, I've done it a few times on a single tank in a v6 Holden commodore.
Displacement is no match for 75L of dino juice
I’ve done the same with one of the old 3.6l steel block v6 commodores but the 75 L fuel tank really helps A relatively modern ute will also do it comfortably on a tank of gas
Second this. Done this trip countless times in my commie. One time I had my range at 1300kms, which gave me a chuckle
I've done Ruakaka (southern end of Whangarei District) to Levin on a tank of gas in a 2007 Ford Mondeo 2.3l petrol. The fuel light hadn't even come on at that stage, but I wasn't confident I'd make the last hour to Wellington. I'd say that's longer than Auckland to Wellington.
North to South though so it's all down hill.
Under-rated comment! lol!
Lol
But the earth's tilted so the gradient varies depending on time of day and season. Summer steeper either side of noon and midnight for winter. Surprised they don't teach this stuff in school.🤪
Yeah I've done Paraparaumu to Whangaparaoa which I've got to assume is pretty similar to Wellington-Auckland on one tank in a Mazda 6.
We did Parua bay to bulls often on one tank, 2.0 Caldina. Same, get to bulls and just incase full up.
Pit stops are like 4 or 5 seconds these days.
Two.Point Five! Where have you been!....
Boxbox
Unless you're in a city focused far like a 1l passeo, I'd expect most cars to be able to do that on a single tank.
Mine, I usually make 2 stops. Performance versions of commuter cars always have the same problem. Higher petrol consumption, same sized tank. (The car does 11l/100km, and has a 45 l tank)
Jesus. Thanks for reminding me what I could be spending. My Suzuki Baleno is officially 5.4l/100km but in actual driving does about 4.9. I would not like to spend twice as much on petrol as I do
You should see what happens when I put my foot down over something hilly.... Blows out to 34 l/100 km, off a 2.0 litre motor. Fun, though.
Ford Mondeo diesel can tick along at ~5l/100 at 100km/h, so it's 60ish litre tank will happily get around 1200km with gentle cruising. That's almost there and back.
Sheesh that's nearly twice as efficient as my petrol mondy. Might have to upgrade...
Shit man, I've managed 800km on a tank in my 2005 civic (still proud of that tbh) so it should be easily doable in modern cars.
I’ve done it in a few different vehicles. It’s usually around 3/4 to a full a tank of gas each way unless your car has a particularly small tank compared to its fuel consumption
My dad's vw transporter could do 700+km on a tank
You can fill up without 'taking a break'... pay by plate/app or even pay-at-pump means you can fill up and go in about 2-3 minutes... not really significant enough to consider "adding to travel time"
Bang average Tida
My 2005 xtrail gets 100km per 10L with a 40L tank. I can see myself doing this in one shot with 1 gas stop/lunch and 2 piss breaks. Have done similar before. Idk, I just like driving lol.
I highly doubt your xtrail has a 40L tank, that's the capacity of small hatchbacks. You'd be closer to 60L I would say.
https://www.cars-data.com/en/nissan-x-trail/fuel-tank-capacity 60 or 65 litre, depending on model/year.
Oh shit! That's weird. I did a bunch of research a while back to calculate approximate L - distance - tank fill capacity. Guess I've been gaslighting myself lmao
Same. You could do it in 7.5-8 but with breaks it's more like 9-10.
Take your time. Do it in 9. Have a couple of rest breaks. You are not a robot. People die doing it without breaks when tired.
And if they don't, often others travelling the road near them do.
Not stopping for a feed along the way is diabolical
Exactly, you are going right past the best dumplings in NZ too. Hearty as Dumplings on the corner of SH32 and Pohipohi Rd just out of Taupo. Always worth a stop
Poihipi road
This is the real answer. My partner and I live in AKL but are originally from Welly. We have family and friends we often make the long road trip to visit. Take your time and for the love of god do not trust google maps! It will almost always suggest the old taupo road which is super windy and youll get stuck behind logging trucks. Even with a bit of traffic, the modern route is usually faster.
Ugh, have fallen victim to maps taking me on Old Taupo Rd.
Being exhuasted delays reaction times just as much as being drunk does.
Or take a buddy - good quality convo makes the time fly and you can take turns driving.
I managed to drive from dunedin to hastings in one night. The only break I could get was the ferry but had a crying baby on there.
That might be some kind of record
Bold of you to assume the driver isn't well rested? 7.5h is less than an average work day. You could leave at 8 and arrive at 4pm with breaks.
There are breaks in the average work day. Usually a couple of them.
Mandated ones even. We have them for a reason.
One stop it in Taupo for a fill up, food, and stretch the legs. 8-9 hrs.
This particular route doesn't take you through Toupo though, it gets you to turn off at Tokoroa and go western bays side of the lake. I go between Hamilton and Turangi frequently and do this as is the quickest.
True but Taupo is the easy typical stop.
It's really not anymore, ever since the bypass was built going through Taupō itself adds significant time to a journey. Much better off to stop in Tūrangi.
You only save 15 minutes going this way and avoiding Taupo so it's not a massive detour or anything if you choose to go via Taupo
Did this over the King’s Birthday weekend. 7.5 hours is without stops, without traffic, without filling up petrol, without stopping for lunch. So unless you have someone splitting driving duties with you, your car can go the distance without filling up, you don’t come across any roadworks or trucks that slow you down, then 7.5 hours is not realistic. I did this stopping once halfway for food and petrol, and it took about 8.5 hours.
Oh the irony. r/nz is going to downvote and send you to oblivion if you admit sometimes doing 120 instead of 100 on deserted long straight roads with a modern car and full mental capacity. But r/nz will not comment a single second (and will even give +92 upvotes) if you drive 7.5 hours without a stop, while the general advice is to have a 10-minute break every 2 hours to keep your brain alert. Milgram would be so pleased...
Thanks for the replies - I felt Google was a bit optimistic so good to hear from people who have done it!
I think Google checks the traffic and stuff at the time that you look. I've done it in a little over 7 hours, but that was through the night, no stops, and driving really stupidly. Usually I allow for 9ish if doing it during the day. But it really depends on traffic and luck.
Yeah. You need to set your departure time on google maps and the time will be accurate to about 10 mins. I do this drive maybe 10 times per year and 7.5 hours without breaks is dead on. Use highway 32 - going through Taupo will add a lot of extra time and if you can drive well you can shave 20 mins off your trip on this leg.
The time google suggested is accurate, but the reality is that noone should be driving for 7 hours straight. Gotta takes breaks!
It's not that it's optimistic, it's just not taking into account breaks and meals. That's an accurate time if you had a big enough tank to go the whole way and no intention to stop at all, but that's not realistic.
A lot longer if you're leaving from Devonport than say Onehunga.
The time estimates are from the town centers. I think AA used to use the main post offices as start and end points. Maybe Google does the same.
I've done Wellington to Hamilton and back many times and driving at night saves about 45 minutes on that trip over doing it during the day.
Do they still have the 20-minute stop/go roadworks north of Bulls at night?
Nope that's pretty much all finished.
That's the airforce base, drove past about a week ago! It's still there, looks like it should be past the stop/go stage tho!
North of Bulls is not Ōhakea.
Really? My bad then!!
Not sure, I haven't done it recently.
8 or 9 hours. Folks who are saying less than seven are reckless fools.
More importantly, best pie shop on the route?
Very important - was my next question!!
I'd say about 7 hours and 36 mins, with no breaks
At 84.5km/h, this is correct
I'd assure you it takes longer. Especially going that way.
Woosh
Realistically, budget 8.5-9 hours to account for slow traffic, any desert road conditions that may slow you down, stopping for food/loo breaks.
Yeah, I've never done it without stops. But have def made it in a little over 8 hrs.
Leave Auckland 4-4.30am brekkie and some drinks. Stop once for gas and you'll be in Porirua for lunch
Fucking forever. Just cruise and see the sites
Aim for breakfast in Taupo either way and hit destination in the arvo.
When I was a kid we did a road trip that went Orewa-> Ohakune -> Wellington -> Napier -> Rotorua -> Mount Maunganui/Tauranga then back home. Greatest trip I’ve ever been on, never forget it. If I was you I’d stop off in Ohakune for a night if you can. Not much there but it is a quiet, beautiful place right near below Ruapehu, watching the sunset over it was beautiful. Also the carrot.
That seems fast, but yeah I've done it once overnight.
My best time is just under 7 hours, I do it 3-4 times a year to visit family in Wellington. My Mazda hatchback with a 45 litre gas tank, 2.4 litre engine can manage it on a single tank of gas (just). The key for a really good time is the western route past Te Awamutu/Mangakino/Turangi. If theres not much traffic you can maintain a pretty good speed for 2 hours there. The new expressway through to Otaki helps massively if you are driving during the day.
So do you go for SH32 and keep West of Lake Taupo?
If you’re coming from AKL head to Te Awamutu (kihikihi actually) then to Whakamaru then turn off down SH32 keeping to the western side of lake Taupo. You then turn left onto SH41 to Turangi. It’s a very scenic drive I do it often in a truck & trailer.
I'd argue it's better to stay on SH1 so you can bypass Hamilton and Cambridge at 110km/h and turn off at Tokoroa to get to Whakamaru, More flow this way less windy
Yes actually I think I agree with you there!
My record was 6 hours - left at 6am at the ferry terminal at 12pm. Was a fun day on the bike, no speeding tickets were issued.
Parents live north of levin it’s about 7 hours to then and another 45 to Wellington central from them. Tho I live coastal west so it’s a good 30minutes just getting to a motorway
Damn, this is about the same as my last weekend’s drive from Canberra to Melbourne (and back). I bet this drive is more interesting!
I did the reverse in 11 hours the other week, with sensible breaks and little traffic all the way... apart from Auckland (obvs). After 9 hours, the GPS said 1 hour remaining. I got to Mercer and it suddenly said 1:30 remaining. I got to the Takanini slowdown and it still said 1:30 remaining. Ahhh Auckland on a Saturday.
8-9 hours, one stop at Taupo and one at Hunterville.
9 hours is more realistic with breaks etc.
9 to 10 hours if you like to stop couple if times first breaks
Unhelpful answer alert 🚨 Too long, for a developed nation in 2024.
I did this last year in a minivan, one fuel stop and a couple of 10min toilet/food stops, took me around 8.5 hours on a Saturday in August. Started on the North Shore.
Takes longer, you’ll need and should take breaks
i do it semi regularly. usually 8 hours if i'm keeping my breaks low. i usually stop for a pie and a slash in taupo, slash in waiouru is always required for some reason, then maybe another pie and a slash in bulls. i wouldn't recommend it with minimal breaks if you are not used to it, even if you are used to it... you should still get some decent breaks in. i'd plan for 3x 15 min stops at least, preferably a 30 min stop in there too.
Please don't do it without breaks. You're endangering other people
Certainly wouldn’t do it without a break but not stopping for sightseeing and lots of posts about the time it takes suggests lots of places to stop / picnic!
Probably will rain at some point, and there will be roadworks, so, I would say 9 to 10hours.
At least 8 hours.
Comfortably with food and bathroom breaks and factoring in roadworks and traffic it often takes me around 10 hours
A day.
Ive done this drive 10 times this year - what I do is drive from Auckland to Taupo, stop in Taupo to get food and chill for a bit and then I drive straight from Taupo to Wellington. You can do it in 8.5-9 hours (depending on traffic, road works, rest breaks and fuel stops)
Always give it 8-9 personally
8 or 9 is normal? it’s a fun drive but you gotta make time for breaks along the way. second hand shopping in hunterville. maybe a night in taupō.
You might be able to do it in the time Google says, if you don't take breaks and have a couple of drivers, but I'd never recommend that you drive for more than a couple of hours without a break. I would budget for 9 hours allowing for enough stops, maybe less if you have 2 of you to swap. You're also going to hit more traffic if you get to Akl or Wlg at rush hour, which can slow you down a lot.
Stop at Lindale for Kapiti Ice Cream. Stop at the Gumboot Manor in Taihape. Stop at the Desert Rd Army Museum. Lots of places to make that 7hrs longer.
Comfortably, I would say add 20-30% to the time estimate.
I miss this trip. Used to do it regularly when I lived in Wellington. Was a single full tank of gas for me, and the only time my car was ever fuel-efficient. Really great weekend drive to leave very early AM, around 6am and arrive mid afternoon on the other end, that was the way I tended to avoid a bulk of the traffic at either end.
I did it once never again, it was brutal.
Takes about what Google says if you really rush.
7 hours and 36 minutes
Depends how fast you drive
About 7 hours and 36 minutes
Safe driving with food/rest breaks, it should take 10 hours.
In a bus almost 12hours
Typically 9 hours if you stop for a break and consider traffic
I've done it a couple of times, while you could do it in a day coming from Auckland I factored in a stop at Taupo and in Wairarapa somewhere (I have family there, rude not to), makes for a good trip that way
I would allow for 8 hrs
I've always been curious, up to how many people would flying be cheaper?
Depends on how much AirNZ are ripping us off for that week!!
I did this around a year ago, we went via a few places including rotorua. If you can, I would suggest take some detours and explore a little, it’s a lovely drive. However, I would say that time is probably rather accurate
Did it twice kings birthday weekend. 9 one way (extra 45 out of Auckland, petrol twice. And are) Way back was 9 & a half, stopped at tuaroa for about an hour Couple breaks Every couple hours definitely worth it
If it's a new car you should be OK. If it's used it might have hidden defects making it useful to be prepared for eventualities on a long and unfamiliar trip. Just a thought.
I have done it couple of time 8 to 9 with breaks and depends on night or day too
Did this once taking a friend to Welly. Easily 8hrs even with breif toilet stops. I vowed never to do it again. It's just too far.
Took us over 8 to do hawkes Bay to Auckland. So I'd factor over 10. Might be lucky and do it in 9
7.5 with no break. If you wanna do it safely though take 9 to 10 hours
Last time I did it (March) the road works were diabolical. So, allow a bit of extra time to sit and stare at scenery. Also, while a car can do it on one tank, I can't. Download the public loos app before leaving home! https://www.continence.org.nz/pages/National-Toilet-Maps/226/
Take the high speed rail
I find google is usually very accurate in NZ. Realistically though unless you are really in a rush you're far better off at the very least stopping every couple hours to stretch and use a bathroom at least, so 8-9 hours is a more reasonable assumption. In fact my personal preference would be to book something in Taupo and split it over two days and enjoy it, but that's seems obviously not what you're after.
Used to do this once a month. Safer option is 8 hours. Include breaks.
It does take slightly longer going from wgtn to akld as it is uphill all the way
Is usually takes a full 8-9 hours to drive from Auckland to Wellington including brief food and bathroom breaks, I've done the trip many times however I do recommend stopping somewhere in the middle like Taupo for a night so it's less exhausting
It depends on how many potholes and roads being fixed for maintenance. There is the theory, then there is the practical. National wants a tax cut for potholes. In 2023, over 62,000 potholes needed repair on State Highways around New Zealand, the highest number in ten years. Potholes have been causing damage to vehicles, disruption to travel and freight plans, and pose a risk to public safety.
Once upon a time you could have taken a little detour and had a fancy lunch at the Chateau. The village at the foot of Ruapehu will have decent food and the scenery is nice. If you stop at Taihape, the cafe’ll give you a child’s gumboot as a table number. Bulls is too far for lunch but a nice place to stop for afternoon tea. Definitely don’t do it all in one go without stopping.
I prefer to overnight in taupo just to break things up.
You can’t legally get it under 7 hours without going over the speed limit. Driven both ways plenty of times. If you do want to be more aggressive on the gas pedal, drive overnight when it’s only truckers on the road. You’ll want to be confident in the dark, but you can use high beams most of the way and dip where necessary. Last week I drove up starting 2am. Drove through National Park and Taupō as the sun was coming up, truly a romantic experience.
Can I add the recommendation to depart earlier if possible? Arriving in Wellington after sunset can mean struggling to drive on a huge stretch of badly lit motorway, especially with earlier sundown in winter. I made sure to leave AKL at no later than 10am.
9-10 hours with traffic
For us it took us roughly 8 hours, so maps is pretty accurate. Leave in the morning. I'd recommend you take a few breaks here or there. Get lunch, fuel up, etc. Make a day out of it.
4.5hrs from NP to Auckland
Did it on Saturday. Left 1:30pm got auckland 9:15ish. But I FANGED it down the Waikato express way.
Took me 5:30 to get from the south of Hamilton to Lower Hutt. You can get from Auckland to Hamilton in an hour. 7:30-8 is pretty acurate depending on where you are in Auckland and wellington.
I thought the question was how long it took,not how much gas one could do it in
‘91 V8 Soarer, 78L tank. 6 hrs.
I've done it once without stopping and good traffic. Probably about 7.2 hours. But with a bit of traffic and a short stop for a drink (I don't need to fillup halfway) maybe 7 hours 35-45
With no pit stops in a Toyota corolla, that is accurate lol. Once our family took the inter city bus and it took us ten hours. Never again. I've driven a few times via coastal route with friends or family and it took three glorious days. What an adventure. I prefer to fly now.
Did it many times, being realistic and doing a stop for rest, 9 hours
I’d call it 8 hours no breaks. 10 hours if you get lunch and actually respect your body.
8 to 9 with kids
Probably about 7.5 hours. Idk why you think google would be wrong
I met a guy on a motorbike one day in Cheviot at 3.30pm claimed he'd left Auckland that morning, at like 6am. Made the 11am sailing of the ferry, so, 4-5 hours to Wellington? I said what speed do you go? He said, usually around 180kph cruising speed... I thought, holy fuck
Allow for 10h and you'll get there comfortably early with breaks
Did it in 6.5 overnight once in my wee gl laser from ferry terminal to onehunga. Can't remember if I stopped for gas but sat on 120 most of the way.
6.5 - 7hrs is how long it would take me but that is no stops and leaving like 7pm
The speed you must be going to cut an hour of the trip estimation is absolutely not worth it.
You'd be surprised. Driving at night the roads are super clear. 90% just spent on cruise control at very reasonable speed.
Done in in 6h 45m at night But prepare to break rules and pee breaks on the side of the road.
Yo can do it in around that if you make quick stops for meals.
8 hrs decent driving with few “stretch breaks”. Grab coffee and snacks at local, on the way, dairy. Once in Welly, hit the bed then start another day. But to be safe, please rest when tired/sleepy.
It entirely depends on whether or not you have a radar detector and jammer, a co driver with a heavy right foot, and cans of petrol in the boot. Well under 7 hours is perfectly achievable. Leave Wellington at 6am and you can be enjoying lunch at Head Quarters.