One region, three towns
New Plymouth is Taranaki's main city, with about 60,200 people in June 2025. Stratford is 39 km south on State Highway 3, under the eastern slopes of Mount Taranaki, and Hāwera is about 75 km south, the second-largest centre in the region.
That's a lot of highway between them, so there's no point driving to the city for a warrant. Put the postcode where the car actually lives on the card, and the job goes to a mechanic in that town.
Taranaki roads and weather, before the inspector sees the car
The sunniest city in 2021
New Plymouth was named the sunniest place in the country in 2021, with 2592 hours. Years of strong sun turn plastic headlight covers yellow and cloudy, and a dim beam is something the inspector notices. Lenses can often be restored rather than replaced, so ask.
Rain on the mountain side
Stratford averages 1,993.4 mm of rain a year. Wipers that work that hard wear out sooner, so if they chatter or leave a film across the screen, replace them before the WoF.
The Forgotten World Highway
State Highway 43 runs 146 km east from Stratford to Taumarunui, and a sign on it warns there's no petrol for 150 km. Before that drive, have the tyres, brakes and lights right, warrant due or not.
Surf Highway 45 and the dairy country
Hāwera sits on State Highway 3 and Surf Highway 45, near the South Taranaki coast, and dairy is the town's mainstay. Salt air from the coast and mud off rural roads both collect underneath, so ask the mechanic to look for rust on an older car.
What the inspector will pick up, so fix it first
- A blown bulb anywhere: headlights, tail lights, indicators, brake lights or the number plate light.
- A chip or crack in the windscreen in front of the driver.
- Wiper blades that are split, hard or leave streaks.
- Tyres worn down at the edges, or with a bulge or a cut in the sidewall.
- A seat belt that's frayed, won't latch or won't wind back in.
- Rust holes in the sills or the floor.
- A warning light that stays on after the engine starts.
After a fail
The inspector gives you a sheet listing what didn't pass. Photograph it and put those items in the note on the card, so the mechanic knows the job before they ring.
Small items like bulbs and blades are usually quick. Rust repairs and suspension parts aren't, so get those priced in writing before saying yes, and ask the inspector how the recheck works where you went.
If it were our car
We'd look hard at the headlight lenses and the wiper blades, the two things Taranaki sun and rain wear out fastest, and get the WoF in the car's home town. Before a run on the Forgotten World Highway, we'd want tyres and brakes checked whatever the sticker says.