Top gear (by Joe)

We've covered massive distances on our NZ road trip - over 2000 miles - and it's been fabulous, especially through South Island.

We hired a 1.3 Sirion Daihatsu for our full three weeks here (see top). It's no high-performance sports car, but on these roads driving a Model T-Ford would be pretty exhilarating.

South Island is just a driver's dream: we've motored over mountain passes, by the sides of long crystal clear lakes, through miles of farmland, through thick forests, and alongside windswept coasts and beaches ... and all on wonderfully clear, well-maintained and well-signed single-lane highways.

Driving in the UK is always so disappointing - so much traffic, too many restrictions, so many speed cameras. Here, it really is as it's always depicted in car ads - clear roads, beautiful scenery: 'freedom'.

I reckon it's got to be the best driving experience you can get these days outside PlayStation. And in our case, it's all been to a 'Best of Oasis' soundtrack: perfection.

Here's a few pics:

Joe