The route for the 2008 AA ENERGYWISETM Rally has been announced today.

The Rally will start on Monday 24 November in Auckland and heads to Palmerston North via Hamilton, Taumaranui and Wanganui.

On Day 2 it leaves Palmerston North for the Horowhenua, Kapiti Coast and Wellington, before returning to Palmerston North via the Wairarapa.

On Day 3 it travels from Palmerston North to Wanganui, Taranaki, Whangamomona, and Rotorua.

On Day 4 the Rally leaves Rotorua for Cambridge, Hamilton and finishes in Auckland.

The Rally will cover approximately 1626 kilometres.

Stella Stocks, AA General Manager of Technical Services, says both vehicles and drivers will be put to the test with a combination of driving on motorways, unsealed roads, rural state highways and in peak hour city congestion.

"The AA ENERGYWISE TM Rally is a great way to demonstrate just how much fuel motorists can save by choosing a more efficient car or driving in a fuel efficient manner," says Ms Stocks.

Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) Chief Executive Mike Underhill says that in the current worldwide financial situation Kiwis are, more than ever, looking for ways to cut their household expenses without cutting their quality of life.

"Driving less is obviously the best way to lower fuel bills, but for many people that's not an option. Changing the way you drive could save the average New Zealand motorist about $62 dollars over this Rally route - or over $500 on the yearly fuel bill - and it's something every driver can easily do."

The AA ENERGYWISE TM Rally is held every two years and is jointly organised by the AA, the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), and Gull Petroleum. A record 60 cars have been entered in this year's Rally, in six different categories, competing for the title of the most fuel efficient in each class. The supreme winner is the vehicle that costs the least to run over the whole Rally.

Full details of the Rally route and other information is available at www.aaenergywiserally.org.nz

For more information contact

Stella Stocks
General Manager Technical Services
New Zealand Automobile Association
T. +64 9 966 8908
M. +64 21 772 242
E. sstocks@aa.co.nz

The New Zealand Automobile Association is an incorporated society with over one million members. It represents the interests of road users who collectively pay over $2 billion in taxes each year through fuels excise, road user charges and GST.