Driving tests
There are three types of road signs: compulsory signs, warning signs and information signs. Information signs are mostly black and white, blue and white or green and white, and are rectangular. They display: Distances to places (green and white) Parking…
Historic tourist information signs were yellow pole-mounted signs, and you can still see some of these around in rural areas. Newer signs are brown with white writing. Not all tourist facilities warrant a sign. NZTA divides tourist facilities into five…
There are three videos in this article with 50 road signs in each to help you learn them for your test. The first video shows you the following signs: Speed limit 50kph (default urban limit) Compulsory stop Right turning traffic must…
When you start driving you will see three types of speed sign: a public regulatory limit, a private regulatory limit and a suggested safe (advisory) speed. Speed limit Public regulatory limits always end in zero. They start at 10km/h (which…
If you’re heading away to South or Central America on a holiday or big OE you’ll see signs for animals that we don’t get in New Zealand, plus a few you’ll be familiar with Sloths are one of the…
When driving through Africa you’ll see animals that make the ones we get in New Zealand look tiny – an elephant can dwarf a big SUV, and a giraffe can be over a metre taller than a large truck. If…
Heading over to the UK on your OE? If you’re driving around you’ll see a few new animal signs that won’t be familiar from driving on New Zealand roads. This specialist sign means that police dogs might be on patrol…
A trip to Australia is almost a given for Kiwis – many of you will end up living over there at some point in your life – and if you’re going to drive over there you’ll need to be aware…
Here are all the temporary warning signs you are likely to see on New Zealand’s roads. They are primarily deep orange and/or white with black writing. Remember to check out our other sign guides starting here. Road workers will be…
Permanent warning signs are mostly yellow with a black border and black writing with a few exceptions. Speed cameras may be present Warns of a speed limit coming up ahead, for example, if you are on a motorway where the…
General advisory signs are usually (with a couple of exceptions) white with a black border and black writing. No exit signs. The blue and black variants are not official versions and it’s unlikely you’ll see them frequently, if at all…
The following are general and class-restricted parking signs and are all blue signs with white writing. They indicate where you are allowed to park, for how long or when, and what type of vehicles the parking applies to. Then try…
The following are regulatory parking signs in New Zealand. Once you’ve studied them, check out the Road Code sign questions here. You may want to check out our other road sign posts such as these regulatory road signs and these…
Here are regulatory signs that relate primarily to heavy vehicles. You can check out road sign questions from the Road Code for heavy vehicles here. Heavy vehicles are not allowed Bus lane This shows the maximum length of…
Here are the road signs you’ll come across in New Zealand that are regulatory, i.e. they prohibit you from doing something, or restrict you to doing something. To test your knowledge after you have viewed these signs, head over to…