Una autocaravana puede ser legal con una licencia de Clase 1 y aún así sentirse completamente diferente a un automóvil. La entrega deberá establecer altura, ancho, largo, peso cargado y cada vía excluida por el contrato de alquiler.
Medir antes de moverse
Registre las dimensiones del vehículo donde el conductor pueda verlas. Las rejillas de ventilación del techo, las unidades de aire acondicionado, los portabicicletas y el voladizo trasero afectan la distancia y las maniobras.
Todos los pasajeros necesitan asientos y sistemas de sujeción aprobados mientras viajan. Las camas y las áreas de estar traseras no son posiciones para pasajeros a menos que estén certificadas como tales.
Dale espacio al vehículo
Frene antes, tome las curvas lentamente y deje un espacio más amplio para seguir. Utilice los espejos deliberadamente y deje pasar al tráfico que le sigue en áreas seguras.
Un viento cruzado fuerte puede hacer que un vehículo alto cruce el carril. Reduzca la velocidad o deténgase cuando las correcciones de dirección sean constantes.
Respetar las exclusiones
Los contratos de alquiler pueden prohibir playas, caminos no asfaltados o rutas remotas con nombre incluso cuando exista acceso público. El seguro puede depender de las mismas condiciones.
Deténgase ante un ramal bajo, un puente de peso limitado o un vado incierto. La recuperación del vehículo no sustituye al despacho de aduana.
Know your dimensions before you drive off
Write down the height, length and weight of the vehicle and keep it where the driver can see it. Height is the one that causes expensive damage, on car park entrances, drive-throughs, service station canopies and a number of urban underpasses.
Check the mirrors, blind spots and reversing camera before leaving the depot, and walk the vehicle. Most rental campervan damage happens in the first two days, at low speed, in car parks.
Everyone travels in a proper seat
Beds, dinettes without belts and living areas are not passenger positions while the vehicle is moving. Every occupant needs an approved seat with a working belt, and child restraints are required for under-sevens with specific standards applying.
Secure everything loose before every drive. A cupboard door, a gas bottle or a full kettle becomes dangerous under emergency braking, and campervans brake later and harder than a car.
Wind, and why it matters more here
A high-sided vehicle catches crosswind badly, and New Zealand is a windy country with exposed coastal roads, bridges and mountain gaps. Overtaking trucks and emerging from cuttings both produce sudden lateral shoves.
Hold the wheel firmly with both hands in exposed sections, slow down before rather than during a gust, and be aware that some routes close to high-sided vehicles in strong wind, including the Rimutaka Hill Road and parts of the Desert Road.
Overtaking and being overtaken
A campervan accelerates slowly, so overtaking requires far more clear road than a car needs and is rarely worth attempting. Most of New Zealand's highways are two-lane with limited passing lanes and a poor overtaking crash record.
When traffic builds behind you, pull over where safe and let it past. If five or more vehicles are queued behind you, you are required to do so as soon as it is safe, and it also removes the pressure that causes people to overtake badly.
Parking and overnight legality
Parking a campervan is a different question from camping in it. A vehicle can be legally parked somewhere and still be prohibited from being occupied overnight, and that distinction is what most infringements actually turn on.
Height restrictions in urban car parks catch campervans out constantly, and the barrier is usually the first indication. Look for signed height limits before entering, and use the surface or overflow parking most towns provide for larger vehicles.
In cities the practical approach is to leave the vehicle at a campground or park-and-ride and take public transport in. It is faster, cheaper and avoids the entire problem rather than managing it.
Ferries, tunnels and height limits
Cook Strait fares are set by vehicle length and height, and both are checked. Some urban tunnels and older bridges carry height or weight restrictions, and a few routes are closed to high-sided vehicles in strong wind.
Know your dimensions precisely and check them against any route with a tunnel, a low bridge or a ferry booking. Guessing is what produces an expensive adjustment at a terminal or worse on a road.
Lugares a lo largo del camino
Comprueba antes de ir
Las reglas y condiciones cambian. Vuelva a consultar la fuente oficial y la página de su parque o campamento exacto antes de la salida.
Llévalo a la carretera
Guarda las paradas. Planifica todo el viaje.
Cree una ruta ordenada a partir de lugares guardados, calcule la distancia y mantenga adjuntas fechas, notas y tareas pendientes.