As announced a couple on months ago, I am about to move from Ohio to Auckland. To find my way around, I figured a decent GPS for the car would be a nice thing to have. It's a non issue where I live - traffic jams are a foreign concept in small-town Ohio - but I know that some of the bigger cities in the US have systems in place that allow GPS devices to access current traffic conditions. Does Auckland have that? If yes, what GPS would I need to make use of that? Any advice from soon-to-be-fellow Aucklanders would be greatly appreciated!

I've used navmans with success. In Auckland its all about knowing alternate routes and times that the traffic starts to build up and weather you are going towards the CBD our way from it at these times.

We just use our i-phone and if it says 45 mins for something that normally takes 20 we look at a different route although if its a motorway crash then the side roads are also traffic heavy. Radio gives out updates on traffic during peak hours.

I use my iPhone with either apple maps or google maps.. both have traffic data and will choose fastest way depending on traffic.

As announced a couple on months ago, I am about to move from Ohio to Auckland. To find my way around, I figured a decent GPS for the car would be a nice thing to have. It's a non issue where I live - traffic jams are a foreign concept in small-town Ohio - but I know that some of the bigger cities in the US have systems in place that allow GPS devices to access current traffic conditions. Does Auckland have that? If yes, what GPS would I need to make use of that? Any advice from soon-to-be-fellow Aucklanders would be greatly appreciated!

Most people I know use their phones. Standalone GPSes are getting to be obsolete.

I gave away my Navman when I got a Nokia Lumia as the 'Free' Nokia navigation software is way better and easier to use than the expensive Navman. And the map updates on the phone are free too.

Thanks for all the feedback! Seems like a smart phone will be the way to go. I have to say that right now I have no cell phone at all, let alone a smart phone. Never seen the need. Looks like in Auckland that might change.

I'll also bring my ancient TomTom One from the US for the initial period before we sort ourselves out with accommodation, phones and such. They want US$80 for NZ maps, which isn't cheap, but in the grand scheme of this move not worth worrying about.

Any tips regarding a smart phone purchase in Auckland for somebody who knows nothing about cell phones? I am philosophically opposed to anything i-Apple - proprietary systems locking people in, and so on. My computers are all PCs running mostly freeware on top of windows. Once day I'll switch to Linux, but haven't done so yet.

I see nothing wrong with you using a GPS if you do not have a smart phone. $80 for maps is way cheaper than buying a phone you may not use for anything else.

I would have said only the young think anything other than their precious iphone is obsolete but Ira doesn't fit that category either

We have both a Navman (used the most) and a Tomtom (won it). I like the size of the screen on the Navman but recently bought a new car we put a radio/camera etc in and it has an even larger screen GPS on it. Not sure if it gives traffic updates though as I have not yet used it.

I suffer from ATTDD (almost totally tech deficient disorder) and use a local radio station that does traffic updates when driving.

I have a spare old navman that I don't use (I use my phone) it would be good to get you around most areas, you are welcome to borrow it when you get into the country if you want it, if anything it might save you buying maps for yours until you get a phone and use that as a GPS.

I have the Garmin Nuvi 50 and it is great I use it in both Auckland and Wellington and it came with lifetime map updates. I wouldn't have gotten around Auckland or Wellington without it. Also we do use the Smart phone if forgot the GPS. It is better to get one with lifetime updates of maps or else you have to pay to update.

At the moment you are able to purchase a navman or Tomtom from The Warehouse for around NZ $100 with lifetime map updates

www.thewarehouse.co.nz Would be better than to buy a map for an old gps.

The GPS I got for my wife is a tomtom Go600 which costs about $350, and provides live traffic update, provided you have bluetooth teethering on your phone.

At the moment you are able to purchase a navman or Tomtom from The Warehouse for around NZ $100 with lifetime map updates

That sounds like a super deal. As it happens, by the time I read this I had already upgraded my old TomTom One with a NZ map. It works like a treat in Auckland. Now living in Birkenhead if anybody is curious.

I bought a Volvo V70 with built-in Japanese nav system. Would be cool to get this working. If anybody has experience with this, please let me know, but not an urgent project right now with a gazillion things still to organize related to the big move.