[DanFromCali]

Anyone have GPS that they use in their car? It is a convenience that my wife has grown accustomed to and i'd like to get that in our car there... Or does anyone know of a good aftermarket brand/model that they recommend?

[mgbridges]

Its been discussed quite a bit on here before so if you do a search for Sat Nav you might find some useful threads.

We have a Nav Man system which proved to be incredibly useful when OH was here going to interviews and then again when we/I was house hunting. I don't use it so much for local trips anymore now I've gotten to know my way around the immediate area but for trips further afield its not let us down yet.

HTH
Anneliese

[Georgebulldog]

I can't wait to get another one, had one for when we hired when we first arrived & haven't replaced yet, trying to get to know the area but would feel happier with one & a must for doing longer trips, we always had a Garmin which has always been great both here, UK, Cyprus & USA, got us there everytime
Just been told I need to go to petone & already I'm dreading it for fear of getting lost :wah

[Derv]

We just use a map. It's a lot easier than a GPS; there are not many roads to choose from on the Mainland so navigation is very easy, and a map is far more reliable than a GPS.

However, if you do want a GPS there are plenty available here but make sure that the one you choose is up-to-date as there have been problems with models which have old mapping software and so don't incorporate new roads.

[benandclare]

Our friends who've just flown back to UK today after a 4 week tour round North and South islands using a UK Tom tom.

They'd downloaded up to date NZ maps and it also bleeped at them every time the speed limit changed, very helpful for the less observant drivers :nice1

They found it spot on apart from odd times on the west coast when it would occasionaly suggest they were off the highway, but for navigation it was spot on :clap

[mgbridges]

What one has to remember when using a satellite navigation system is that its not infallible. It needs to be used as a navigation aid not as a finite 'this is the only way to go, trust it all the time' device! I've found its made me a much less nervous driver on the occasions when I'm going somewhere new and/or I'm on my own and don't have somebody to map read for me.

Classic example - I needed to get to Glover Park in St Heliers to meet OH after he did the Round the Bays run. The Sat Nav kept trying to take me along Tamaki Drive to get there but I knew that road was closed for the runners to run along. Ignoring the Sat Nav and stopping occasionally to look a the A to Z got me there in good time and in a fairly direct manner. If I'd only done what the Sat Nav said I'm sure I would have run up against blocked roads again and again!

I'm not sure how it would perform out in the boonies but again we always have a map with us and use the Sat Nav as an aid.

Anneliese

[DMcG]

One of the problems with SatNav units in NZ is that not all of them differentitate between "minor" roads and the "unsealed, windy, steep, OMG we're going to die :eek: " type of road.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/topic/story.cfm?c_id=224&objectid=10352215

:D

Dougie

[JandM]

we always have a map with us and use the Sat Nav as an aidHear, hear - so you don't need to be looking at the map all the time, but you know if the little box is having a funny five minutes. Don't get why anyone wouldn't trust their own eyes and instead obey a computer that's telling them to turn onto an alleged road that's visibly a river bed, railway line or building project.

[Ojai]

I use the map all the time. My only real gripe is that, at least in Wellington, Kiwis don't mark the road you are actually one, leading to guesswork. "Is this still Adelaide? I think I'm on Riddiford. No, wait, it's Adelaide." A lot of the cross street signs seem to be mounted on buildings, printed on posts, or overgrown with shrubbery.

I have mastered the right-hand drive U-turn!

[PeteS]

My "Sat Nav" is called Janet. It's sat in the front seat with a map and navigates. Voice commands can be a bit tedious though, it appears to be stuck in "nag" mode.....

[dbonnett]

My "Sat Nav" is called Janet. It's sat in the front seat with a map and navigates. Voice commands can be a bit tedious though, it appears to be stuck in "nag" mode.....

Hmm... My model has a bad time lag - "Oh, you should have turned back there" - but she does make sure to bring chocolate along every time. :laugh (Good thing she is out of town visiting the parents!)

[Caniwi]

My "Sat Nav" is called Janet. It's sat in the front seat with a map and navigates. Voice commands can be a bit tedious though, it appears to be stuck in "nag" mode.....

LMAO - I have one of those.....it's called Shawn :p