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First time driving a campervan, tips?

Alun

I'm heading off to New Zealand in November and will be hiring a campervan. I've never driven anything that size before (7m long, 2.3m wide) so would welcome any tips. At least they drive on the same side as us, so that's one less thing to be worrying about.

I suppose my main worry is road positioning, especially on some of the mountain pass roads, and also parking / reversing / manoeuvring in tight spaces like camping sites.

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Big Bag of Chips

If you wanted to you could get some driving lessons in a small truck first. Just to get you used to the added size/length. Corners will have to be taken a little wider. You'll need to be more conscious of pedestrians and cyclists on your inside. It'll be bigger, heavier and slower than your car so something to consider when taking off or pulling out into traffic. You'll need to give yourself a bit of extra time and space.

It's not all that different, and you'll quickly get used to it. But a few driving lessons mightn't do you any harm. They'll remind you of the bad habits you have developed as a driver, anyway!

km991148

At least rent a van - ideally a big van (but that will be 100 a day) or sign up for GoCar if near you and drive a normal transit van - not quite the same, but better than a car if thats all you are used to.

But ye cornering and whats on your blind spots - i.e. i.e. a greater awareness of whats around you, checking the mirrors (no rear view).

spaceHopper

Drive it like you stole it ;-)

OK take you time avoid rush hour. Have a passenger keep look out too. Let traffic pass every now and then when it's safe by pulling over to the hard shoulder but also don't be afraid to throw up the indicator and pull back out of you are running out of room and some ejgit is taking to long to pass.

Get passenger to hop out and help you revers in to places, open both windows if you do this and have a system, there's 3 ft 2 ft .. holding up hands to show room, and not to be standing there waving with out letting you know how far...

alias no.9

At 7m long, there will probably be a long rear overhang which will mean a big tail swing. You'll be fine on open roads but you'll need to watch it in any tight maneuvers. Where possible get someone to stand behind you to direct you for any tight stuff. Other than that you'll be fine.

Make sure the hire company shows you how to empty the toilet cassette, nothing worse than splashback when you're doing that

elperello

Mirrors are your friend.
You can practice this in a car by not using the interior mirror.
Get used to judging your position on the road using the exterior mirrors.

When you do get the van whenever you drive into a car park or similar and there is space to turn towards the exit do it then, don't wait until you return to the vehicle and the place is full.

Freedive Ireland

Plan to park a bit further away to give yourself more space, If reversing with help use the 54321 count in terms of space left but always keep in mind if they are on one side of the vehicle they won't see anything on the other so use the mirrors and be aware of the extra height in terms of overhangs of buildings etc. You'll be fine, if in doubt jump out and check yourself in terms of reversing. Lastly in a big empty carpark get to know the steering lock of the campervan, play about a bit in safety until you're happy.

Take your time and just be aware you need space on the opposite side at the rear when turning sharp corners and also be aware of branches and bridge heights. Enjoy

Nekarsulm

Alun wrote: »

I'm heading off to New Zealand in November and will be hiring a campervan. I've never driven anything that size before (7m long, 2.3m wide) so would welcome any tips. At least they drive on the same side as us, so that's one less thing to be worrying about.

I suppose my main worry is road positioning, especially on some of the mountain pass roads, and also parking / reversing / manoeuvring in tight spaces like camping sites.

Once you are out of Aukland/Christchurch its very like rural Ireland.
If you can drive in leitrim, you can drive in rural NZ.
Some bridges need a bit of planning, as they can be quite long, and single lane, but common sense will get you through no problem. ( mainly on the west coast of the South Island)
Watch out for people swerving to hit possums, and farmers moving cattle or sheep on quieter country roads.
Youll love it, and there is so much scenery to see you need at least 6 weeks to hit the main sights.
My wife drove the Transit motorhome we had hired, and had no problems. The only thing she had ever driven before was a Peugeot 205!

Alun

Thanks Nekarsulm. Yes, that's the impression I get about driving in general in NZ too. We're picking it up at their base which is very close to the airport (the next day, don't worry!) so we'll be straight on to the open road, and hopefully no worries about busy traffic or anything. I've read about the one way bridges all right, some look very long!

Nekarsulm

Best of luck Alun, I'm sure you'll have a great time.
First impression driving out of the Airport for me was the number of Americian trucks on the road.
Kenworths and Macks and Peterbilts, fantastic!

( one bridge we came across was at least 200 yards long, single width, with old railway sleepers used as "kerbs" each side to keep your wheels in place.
The sleepers weren't there by accident, you shared the bridge with a single track railway line !

Itineoman

Two quick tips (learned the hard way mostly)
First is tailswing - when your turn right ( or left ) the rear of your van will pivot in the opposite direction and can easily wipe out a parked car or other solid object. Sharp turns are a bad thing. Never banged anything myself but saw a few others do so unfortunately.
Second is there are three dimensions if you're driving a van. Learn the height of the vehicle ( It'll probably be on a label somewhere on the dashboard if the owner has any sense) and double check these before driving in or out of any place that may have a height barrier. Become aware of height warning signs.
And don't drive too far on any day and just relax and enjoy it. The mistake most people make is to drive too much so it becomes a chore and a hassle. The fun starts once you step out of the van. Or sit and relax under the awning with a beer. Trust me.

StupidLikeAFox

You mentioned the length and the width but don't forget to check the height. I tried to drive into an underground car park once with my camper, thinking "it couldn't be over 2m high". With the roof rack it could and it was

Del2005

Itineoman wrote: »

And don't drive too far on any day and just relax and enjoy it. The mistake most people make is to drive too much so it becomes a chore and a hassle.

A few friends made the mistake of going for a driving holiday and forgetting about getting back, 2 weeks of nice easy driving followed by a few days of huge distances to get back. Make sure the trip is planned so that you are close to the drop off at the end.

Nekarsulm

Two things about camper-vanning in NZ, Kiwis live their lives at the opposite end of the day to us.
We found that the campsites were a hive of activity at 6.30 in the morning, with everyone up and getting breakfast and packing up.
Place would be empty by .
Then they would be heading for their evenings meal and entertainment anytime after 5.30 , home from the pub and in bed asleep by 9.30 or 10.
Manys an evening we arrived in some town at 8.30, only to be told, "naw, kitchens closed and chef's gone home".
The NZ version of the Chip Van , the Pie Wagon was a welcome sight.
Second point, keep the van filled with diesel.
If you are in the interior, say crossing from Christchurch to Queenstown, there can be long distances between filling stations.

stapeler

We did similar last year, mostly spent on the south island. We hired a 6berth 7meter VW motorhome for a few weeks and also a 3 berth Hiace for a week.

Roads are plenty wide and certainly the south island has very little traffic/population. Mostly visitors in campers.
Streets are wide with lots of space for parking. The country is very well kitted out for motorhome.
Campsites very spacious also.
Mountain roads display speed limits before each bend, obey these as they're accurate

Our rental MH (which was fairly standard) was an automatic and had reversing cameras/gps/air suspension which made the travelling very easy.

One thing to watch for is fuel stations as they aren't as frequent as here, when going to remote locations ensure your diesel is topped up.

Factor in the fuel tax also which is charged by the rental company at the end of the trip.

Perfect time to travel. Enjoy.

a

Alun wrote: »

I'm heading off to New Zealand in November and will be hiring a campervan. I've never driven anything that size before (7m long, 2.3m wide) so would welcome any tips. At least they drive on the same side as us, so that's one less thing to be worrying about.

I suppose my main worry is road positioning, especially on some of the mountain pass roads, and also parking / reversing / manoeuvring in tight spaces like camping sites.

iguana

In addition to everyone else's advice be prepared for your momentum to be different on hills due to the weight of the van. Accelerate into an incline and you may find you need to drop a gear early on the way up. On the other hand ease off the accelerator before you crest the hill and be prepared to brake on the way down. In general leave more braking distance between you and the traffic in front of you as if you need to brake hard at any point the weight behind you can shunt you forward more than you'd anticipate.

CelticRambler

I second elperello's advice: practice using your wing mirrors (and only those) before you go. Both of them. And way more often than you would in a car. You'll have a massive blind spot behind you, and other road users have a habit of sitting in it for no good reason. The more often you check your mirrors, the more likely you are to spot someone tucking themselves in there before they disappear from view for twenty minutes. My (HGV) driving instructor said you should spend at least as much time looking in your mirrors as at the road ahead! :cool:

Another good piece of advice of his, which I still find regular use for, was this: when coming up behind stationary traffic, always ask yourself "how do I get out of here if the vehicle in front doesn't move?" Leave a decent gap between yourself and the vehicle in front.

And one last thing: use your indicators!

landmarkjohn

Reversing: Don't be afraid to ask (tell :-) your passenger to get out and watch you back, even if all looks good.

DJIMI TRARORE

If any mates have a big van/ small truck try it for practice in a car park or closed area

John_Rambo

If you (like me) have an inclination to pull in slightly to let faster drivers get by when there's a bit of space make sure to indicate out in to the driving lane well before you run out of space. Sometimes people take it as an open invitation to overtake no matter what's heading towards them.