Very cool picture John, looking forward to seeing you in October! I forgot to mention in my emails that I will be attending Targa this year afterall!
In regards to the weather in New Zealand. The old saying is, "if you don't like the weather, wait ten minutes." It is true that some parts of the country do get a lot of rainfall however not all of the country is like that. Just stay away from "windy" Wellington. It is a fun city but the weather down there is NUTS!!!
Also, as John mentioned, New Zealand's car culture almost rivals Southern California's. They are truly car crazy down there!