You have a preview view of this article while we are checking your access. When we have confirmed access, the full article content will load.The prices of diesel and gasoline soared after the Iran war started, piling more hardship on people in Ruatahuna, one of New Zealand’s most remote villages.A public bus runs once a week between Ruatahuna and the city of Rotorua. It is a cheaper option for the villagers who cannot afford to drive because of high fuel prices.Credit...Tatsiana Chypsanava for The New York TimesHow Fuel Price Shocks Rattled a Remote New Zealand VillageThe prices of diesel and gasoline soared after the Iran war started, piling more hardship on people in Ruatahuna, one of New Zealand’s most remote villages.A public bus runs once a week between Ruatahuna and the city of Rotorua. It is a cheaper option for the villagers who cannot afford to drive because of high fuel prices.Credit...Tatsiana Chypsanava for The New York TimesMay 29, 2026Updated 10:12 a.m. ETIt took just one week for the economic shock wave from the war in Iran to travel about 9,000 miles to Ruatahuna, one of New Zealand’s most remote villages, where life was already tough before fuel prices shot up in March.“We were told right there and then to fill everything up because our prices were going up,” said Huirangi Law, 34, who lives in Ruatahuna with her four children.The village is in Te Urewera, a mountainous rainforest in the ancestral land of the Indigenous Tuhoe people on New Zealand’s North Island. Ruatahuna has no supermarkets or pharmacies and sits more than an hour from nearest towns on narrow, often unpaved roads.VideoA long, winding road leading into Ruatahuna. Living in such a remote area requires a reliable four-wheel-drive vehicle.CreditCredit...With hardly any public transport, cars are essential and 4x4s are preferred. Fuel is a major household budget item.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT