Uma campervan pode ser legal com uma licença de Classe 1 e ainda assim parecer completamente diferente de um carro. A entrega deverá estabelecer altura, largura, comprimento, peso carregado e todas as estradas excluídas pelo contrato de locação.
Meça antes de mover
Registre as dimensões do veículo onde o motorista possa vê-las. As aberturas de ventilação do tejadilho, as unidades de ar condicionado, os suportes para bicicletas e a saliência traseira afetam as folgas e as manobras.
Todos os passageiros precisam de assentos e sistemas de retenção aprovados durante a viagem. As camas e as áreas de estar traseiras não são posições de passageiros, a menos que sejam certificadas como tal.
Dê espaço ao veículo
Freie mais cedo, faça curvas lentamente e deixe uma folga maior. Use espelhos deliberadamente e deixe o tráfego passar em áreas seguras.
Vento cruzado forte pode mover um veículo alto pela pista. Reduza a velocidade ou pare quando as correções de direção se tornarem constantes.
Respeite as exclusões
Os contratos de aluguer podem proibir praias, estradas não pavimentadas ou rotas remotas nomeadas, mesmo quando existe acesso público. O seguro pode depender das mesmas condições.
Pare antes de um galho baixo, uma ponte com peso restrito ou um vau incerto. A recuperação do veículo não substitui a liberação.
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 ao longo do caminho
Verifique antes de ir
Regras e condições mudam. Verifique novamente a fonte oficial e a página do seu parque ou acampamento exato antes da partida.
Leve-o para a estrada
Salve as paradas. Planeje toda a viagem.
Crie uma rota ordenada a partir de locais salvos, calcule a distância e guarde datas, notas e tarefas anexadas.