AUCKLAND, N.Z. — “You’re too close to the side of the road!” said my wife as we headed north on Highway 1 toward Paihia, on New Zealand’s North Island.  
I congratulated myself that I had missed another oncoming car.  
“Move over toward the centre,” she said as we moved along at 80km/h, a rather modest speed in my estimation.  My judgment on this point was constantly confirmed by the presence of at least one vehicle behind me — sometimes several — waiting for the passing lane before overtaking me.
I had picked up our rental car that morning in central Auckland, receiving a helpful collection of maps in the process, plus some rapid-fire directions on how to get back to my hotel where my wife was anxiously waiting.  

Above: The back roads in New Zealand cut through pretty towns and remote forests.

After a quick briefing on the car controls, and assurance that the owner’s manual was in the glove compartment, I eased my way out into traffic.  In doing so I inadvertently turned on the windshield wipers, thinking I was using the turn indicator.  This would be a continuing problem for the next several days until I got used to the turn indicator and windshield-wiper controls being on the opposite side of the steering column from the models I was used to in the left-hand-drive vehicles of North America.
Driving on New Zealand’s highways was relatively easy, though I tended to focus narrowly on the cars ahead of me, leaving my wife to scan more broadly for the scenery on either side.  She saw much more of New Zealand than I did in those early days before I reached my comfort level.  But always it was the towns and cities I approached with some trepidation.  I learned to manage my speed so that I avoided being the first in line at a stoplight.  It was always better, I found, if a local driver was in front of me, providing a safe example to follow.  Of course I had no way of knowing if the driver in front were not another visitor from a right-hand country, but I found comfort in the thought that most people around me were probably locals.  The odds favoured it.

Above: Rotorua offers symbols of Maori culture, left. The architecture of Tirau leaves many howling with laughter.

My briefing at the rental car agency had included telling me that left turns on red are not allowed in New Zealand, even if there is no traffic coming from the right, and that was easy enough to remember.  More difficult was the etiquette required at an intersection when I wanted to make a left turn and the driver in the oncoming lane wanted to make a right into the same lane, for which he has the right-of-way.
 Most difficult of all were those times when I was the one making the right turn through an intersection, where my natural tendency was to allow the car facing me to make the left turn he was indicating.  It took several instances of initial hesitation before I began to accept the priority of place to which I was entitled.  

Above: New Zealand's incredible natural beauty is framed in your wind screen as you drive.

After several days, I began to feel as if I’d been driving in the islands for years.
Parking was always a challenge, though.  This is one you can practice at home before leaving if you can just find a one-way street that allows parking on the left.  Of course, your steering wheel is still on the wrong side, but it helps.  Don’t try it too many times on the same street, however, lest some neighbour call the police to report a drunken driver.
Having your own car opens up so many possibilities to enjoy New Zealand’s numerous scenic byways and beaches, places you could never go if you were dependent on public transportation, not to mention the freedom to set your own schedule.  All the major international rental car companies can be found here, plus several national ones offering somewhat lower rates.  The highway system is good, and well-marked.
Our experience was a good one.  I must admit to feeling a certain sense of relief when I turned the car in, with nary an additional scratch, at the end of our 11 days of driving.  But I’d do it again, and you can too.  Just don’t forget to buy the extra liability coverage the agencies offer; it reduces the overall stress.
Back home, my wife was not happy the first time I hit the windshield wiper lever in our own car when I wanted to signal a left turn.  It took a few times to break this recently-learned habit.  But at least I was always on the correct side of the road.