Un camping-car peut être légal avec un permis de classe 1 tout en restant complètement différent d'une voiture. La remise doit établir la hauteur, la largeur, la longueur, le poids en charge et chaque route exclue par le contrat de location.
Mesurer avant de déménager
Enregistrez les dimensions du véhicule là où le conducteur peut les voir. Les aérations de toit, les climatiseurs, les porte-vélos et le porte-à-faux arrière affectent les dégagements et les manœuvres.
Tous les passagers ont besoin de sièges et de dispositifs de retenue approuvés lorsqu'ils voyagent. Les lits et les espaces de vie arrière ne sont pas des positions passagers à moins d'être certifiés comme tels.
Donnez de l'espace au véhicule
Freinez plus tôt, prenez les virages lentement et laissez un écart plus important. Utilisez délibérément les rétroviseurs et laissez passer le trafic suivant dans des zones sécurisées.
Un vent latéral fort peut déplacer un véhicule de grande taille à travers la voie. Réduisez la vitesse ou arrêtez-vous lorsque les corrections de direction deviennent constantes.
Respecter les exclusions
Les contrats de location peuvent interdire les plages, les routes non goudronnées ou les itinéraires éloignés désignés, même lorsqu'un accès public existe. L'assurance peut dépendre des mêmes conditions.
Arrêtez-vous devant une branche basse, un pont à poids limité ou un gué incertain. La récupération du véhicule ne remplace pas le dédouanement.
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.
Lieux sur le chemin
Vérifiez avant de partir
Les règles et conditions changent. Revérifiez la source officielle et la page de votre parc ou terrain de camping exact avant le départ.
Emportez-le sur la route
Enregistrez les arrêts. Planifiez tout le voyage.
Créez un itinéraire ordonné à partir de lieux enregistrés, calculez la distance et conservez les dates, les notes et les tâches en pièce jointe.