Petrol price lowest in eight years

National cut-price petrol chain Gull's lead in dropping prices in Hawke's Bay to the lowest in eight years was being matched by a Caltex rival in Napier. Photo / Brett Phibbs

National cut-price petrol chain Gull's lead in dropping prices in Hawke's Bay to the lowest in eight years was being matched by a Caltex rival in Napier.

Just a few hundred metres apart, the Gull Taradale Rd and Caltex Hyderabad stations were each charging 156.9 cents a litre for 91 Octane fuel, undercutting Gull's new self-service Hastings Karamu Rd station by a cent.

While most others in Hastings appeared to be selling at 160.9c, BP stations in Clive and Napier were selling at 180.9c.

The new lows dipped below the 159.9 bottom price of last summer, which was the lowest in Napier-Hastings since 2007.

But Gull was promising to go as low as 142.9c in some parts of the country, as it was reported to have done in Rotorua.

Gull general manager Dave Bodger said the company was "feeling the Christmas cheer".

"We know this can be an expensive time of year, and also that many people are filling up their tanks for summer road trips," he said.

"This is our way of celebrating the festive season and thanking Kiwis for their loyalty this year."

During the promotion period, the price would range from 142.9c to 159.9c a litre, while diesel would range from 65.9 cents to 82.9 cents a litre.