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Thread: Best GPS for Auckland

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2009
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    59

    Default Best GPS for Auckland

    Which in-car GPS unit is best for Auckland?
    When there in September our rent car had a Navman and it was terrible [slow and more than once had us get off a highway, drive through heavy traffic in residential areas, only to get back on a highway that intersected with the first, rather than just stay on the highway].

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    We took our UK tomtom 2 years ago and added the NZ map for £50 and it was abolutely flawless. Even to the point of having hte campsites built in with the phone numbers.

    Will just be updating the map when we get there soon.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Apr 2009
    Location
    Chicago -> Auckland
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    160

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    When I was there in 2008 I rented a car from Avis and they had a Garmin that worked brilliantly. I ended up buying a Garmin myself in the US and got the Aus/NZ chip that adds all the maps. I have already plotted out many points of interest in my Address Book and I don't leave for NZ until tomorrow!

  4. #4
    Join Date
    May 2006
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    NZ - Hibiscus Coast
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    635

    Default

    Would have to go with Duncan on this one. We've both been using the TomTom for a couple of years now and it works brilliantly for us !

    Cheers,
    Silver

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
    Location
    Helsinki, Finland
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    I don't have an opinion about the TomTom vs. Navigon vs. Garmin vs. Mio vs. ... thing but I've been playing with an idea;

    Instead of buying an PND, you can get a phone like Nokia 5230 for under 150 euros. It's relatively small. It has a high-resolution 640x360 3.2" display, better than most PND's. With Ovi Maps you get free navigation for 70+ countries and the maps can be downloaded on a memory card. As a bonus you get the 3G phone, FM radio, phone camera, web surfing, and perhaps even unlimited free music downloads. Put a pre-paid SIM card in it while traveling.

    I usually need navigation "here and there", and it would cost a fortune to get the maps using the traditional pricing model.

    The hardware in most PND's is outdated, just compare how iPhone TomTom feels to the standalone units. Your average mobile phone probably has better hardware than the PND.

    The navigation market is changing right now. Google Maps (that requires mobile data access) is arriving with phone navigation, TomTom's and Garmin's trying to compete against the phones, Nokia exploiting their NavTech assets to keep their market share, etc.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    75

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Duncan74 View Post
    We took our UK tomtom 2 years ago and added the NZ map for £50 and it was abolutely flawless. Even to the point of having hte campsites built in with the phone numbers.

    Will just be updating the map when we get there soon.
    Duncan, I was planning on doing this as well. I think the cost for a NZ map for mine is around £60. But I have owned the system for around 4 years now so i was wondering whether I may be better in the long run to just sell in on fleabay and buy a new one in NZ?

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    Hmm, depends if you're going to travel outside of NZ. I actually replaced the 920 with the europe and added NZ maps on with a 940, but will take the 920 with me (after I've dug it out the cupboard) to use for a few months then add the new maps to the 940 once the OH comes over. Check the prices, but for me despite rubbish customer support normally, then it works very well. We had the built in sat nav in the saab, but ignored that and never used it in all that time, jsut using the tomtom anyway. The x40 series are a lot better than the 700, and 920 I've had before, so I'd definately consider buying new. But check the prices, as if you are thinking about using when on holidays (after you move to NZ) then it may still be best to buy in europe with the US maps, and then add NZ anyway.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    75

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    I have (I think) a 920, with Europe and US added. I cant remember, and will need to check but if I get NZ map does this replace the existing maps or is it an addition?

    I have built in BMW sat nav which works great with traffic updates and re routing. My wife had built in Nissan system which she cant get on with, hence she will use the tom tom I bought before.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jun 2009
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    Manchester > Now Tauranga
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    It's in addition. You need to 'swap' maps, but there's space on the 920 to jsut add NZ without losing the UK or europe unles you've loads of downloaded voices or other add ons. But if you buy the map it's tied to that device. You can't swap it to a new one later. So like me, it's stuck on teh 920, and I need to rebuy for the 940, I can't 'move' the license.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    N. Yorkshire, UK
    Posts
    33

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    I recently needed to buy a new Sat Nav for use in the UK and searched for one that I can use in NZ in due course. I found that open source maps (free, though you can give a donation to the project) for NZ are available from http://nzopengps.org/ which will work on Garmin devices. After getting my new Garmin Nuvi I downloaded the NZ map onto a miniSD card which the Sat Nav recognises and I can find streets in towns in NZ.

    For some reason I can't map a route from North Yorkshire to Auckland ;-) ......

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