Fuel tax in Auckland offset by Kiwi Fuelcards
Regional fuel tax is expected to be in place for Aucklanders before the end of 2018, to help fund a multibillion-dollar investment in light rail for the city.
The new Labour-led Government has confirmed it will change the law to allow Auckland Council to introduce a regional petrol tax, likely to be set at 10c a litre and introduced in the next 6 months.
While the new light rail system will provide the beginning of a fantastic long-term solution for Auckland’s infamous traffic congestion, it will also be a hard pill to swallow for everyone living in Auckland who will be asked to pay more for their fuel.
At Kiwi Fuelcards, we believe there’s a solution to every problem, and this one easy! You see, with a Kiwi Fuelcard, you can save up to 10 cents (sometimes more!) per litre, every time you fill up. This means with a Kiwi Fuelcard, you can simply avoid the price hike and carry on paying the same price for your fuel – in fact, if you sign up now, you’ll save even more!
The new Government has committed to make an immediate start on modern trams to Westgate and West Auckland as well as trams from the airport to the Auckland CBD. Incoming Transport Minister Phil Twyford also expects to have commuter rail between Auckland and Hamilton running in the next year.
He has said the money raised from petrol taxes would contribute about 10 per cent of the $15 billion, 10-year infrastructure programme that Labour has committed to.
NZMCA Annual Rally heads north
We’re proud to have partnered with the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZCMA) for over 10 years, and we’re super excited their 2018 National Rally and AGM is being held in our neck of the woods, in Northland!
We can tell you better than anyone what an absolute marvel the Northland region is, with its sub-tropical climate, tremendous natural beauty and warm temperatures (even if it’s raining… how else do you think our forests stay so lush!) If you’re new to Northland, we have something for everyone, with four sub-regions; Whangarei and Tutukaka Coast, Bay of Islands, Top of the North and the Kauri Coast and Hokianga. Northland is known for its spectacular coastline and bays, marine reserves and kauri forests.
And we do summer better than anyone! There is plenty happening next April, including (of course) the 62nd NZMCA National Rally (from March 29 – April 2), the Northland Fieldays, the Fritter Festival and 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza, so it’s the perfect time for caravanners (and soon-to-be-converted caravanners) to head north and experience our amazing hospitality, great fishing, great food and music and so much more.
With the annual Covi Motorhome, Caravan and Outdoor SuperShow to be held at the ASB Showgrounds in Auckland two weeks before the National Rally, there is a real opportunity for those NZMCA members coming north to connect these events, leaving ample time to have a good look around the region.
Most of Northland is very motorhome friendly so there are lots of opportunities for overnight parking. Make the most of your visit and go to the NZMCA website for their full, suggested itinerary or you can also follow these links for more information about Northland or Whangarei.
If you’re interested in caravanning and not currently a NZMCA member, this is the perfect opportunity to meet the NZMCA team, the Kiwi Fuelcards team and loads of other caravan enthusiasts who will have you hooked before you know it! You can find out more about the event here.
“Hey Mum, are we there yet?”
Ahhh, the dreaded question no parent wants to hear while travelling. Here’s a few ‘Surviving Road Trip’ tips to help you get through the tough times…
Tip #1: ‘Plate Poetry’
Get the kids to make up a story or poem using the first letter of every number plate they see as the first letter of each word. They can write these down (or if that tends to turn them a little green in the gills they can just say their story out loud as the cars are going past). Hopefully they’ll be so distracted looking for oncoming traffic that they forget how far you’ve still got to go…
Tip #2: ‘Road Trip Scavenger Hunt’
Make up a travelling scavenger hunt and see who finds everything first e.g. red letterbox, yellow car, 2 horses, truck and trailer, speed sign, road name starting with W. You can make it as long or short, and as hard or easy as you like, depending on how long you’ve got to go!
Tip #3: ‘My town is famous for…’
So, we all remember as kids travelling through towns with giant shearers (Te Kuiti) or fizzy drink bottles (Paeroa) or carrots (Ohakune)… so, the game is, if you had your own town, what would you be famous for and what giant symbol would you have on your main street? Give the kids a few minutes to think about this and then see who can be the most creative. How about a town famous for a Jenga-making factory, with a stack of Jenga blocks 100m high that you can climb up? Or a town famous for bike riding, with a bike statue so big the wheels are actually giant ferris wheels? Or a town famous for making computers, with a giant laptop where you can jump on the keys and make different images appear on the screen….
If you have others, we’d love you to contact us and share your ideas, so we can help other parents get through the tough times too.
