Rent a car; drive with care...

Press, 31 May 1977, Page 31

Rent a car; drive with care...

Hiring a rental car to drive the 400 km around Viti Leva can be an interesting adventure, particularly if you want to escape the roar of jets at Nandi or the jingle of cash registers in Suva.

There are probably more than a dozen rental firms but many are one or two car concerns operated by local garages. Prudent tourists hire only from reputable dealers like Avis or Tasman. Medium-sized Japanese cars can be hired for about $9 a day, plus mileage. Road conditions vary. There is now more than 70km of seal on the Queen’s Road between Nandi and Sigatoka, but from there to the Pacific Harbour resort, the road is often narrow and corrugated. The worst section is the 30km section between Pacific Harbour and Suva, which is at present being reconstructed. Considerable care (and patience) is required, particularly after heavy rain. The,, King’s Road has a gravel sur-

face (with a number of exceptionally rough patches) between Nausori and Tavua. There is then seal all the way to Nandi. If you plan hiring a car, pay a little extra to get one with air conditioning. Driving in comfort with the windows closed is a lot more pleasant than slowly choking in dust. Other points to remember are: — A current New Zealand licence is acceptable for driving in Fiji, but rental firms will not hire vehicles to persons under 21. — Driving laws are based on the English right-hand-rule system and traffic keeps to the left. — There is no speed limit on the open road, but there are very few sections where it is either wise or possible to exceed 50 m.p.h. —Although the roads have been improved during the last three years

much work still remains to be done; so don’t expect to maintain an average speed of even 50 k.p.h. this —Slow down through villages and watch out for pedestrians and, at time of the year, the sugar trains that trundle across the main highway at unexpected places. . —Most rail crossings are clearly marked, but none have warning bells or lights. —All speed restrictions and distances are shown in miles. Improvements and realignments on some roads

have effectively shortened distances shown on even the latest maps by as many as 15 miles. —lnternational road signs are being erected, but dangerous corners and narrow bridges in many cases remain unmarked. —High octane petrol costs sl.lO a gallon and most of the bigger centres operate a 24-hour service. —Parking meters cannot be escaped — even in Fiji. In Suva they consume five cents every 30 minutes and it is permissible to feed them-