{"id":19376,"date":"2022-10-09T10:18:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-08T21:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/.com\/nz\/?p=19376"},"modified":"2025-11-01T13:00:52","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T00:00:52","slug":"the-tiaki-promise-while-travelling-in-a-campervan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www..com\/nz\/the-tiaki-promise-while-travelling-in-a-campervan\/","title":{"rendered":"Tiaki Promise While Travelling In A campervan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Tiaki<\/em> is a M\u0101ori word that means to care for people and place. As the promise acknowledges, Aotearaoa New Zealand is special, and everyone who lives and travels here has a responsibility to look after it.

In Te Ao M\u0101ori<\/em> (the M\u0101ori worldview), it’s everyone’s responsibility to protect and preserve the environment, rather than just conserve it for future use. According to the M\u0101ori creation story, we are all born of Papat\u016b\u0101nuku <\/em>(Earth Mother) and Ranginui <\/em>(Sky Father) and therefore have an ancestral duty to maintain their mauri<\/em> (life forces). Essentially that means <\/em>doing all we can to be responsible travellers and look after the land, sea and sky of this beautiful country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is the Tiaki Promise?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Launched in November 2018, the Tiaki Promise is a set of guiding principles for visitors to follow, showing us how to contribute to preserving and protecting the land as kaitiaki<\/em> (guardians of the land). It was created by seven private and public sector organisations who came together to create a commitment we can all make, to care for New Zealand, for now and for future generations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While travelling in New Zealand, I will
Care for land, sea and nature, treading lightly and leaving no trace
Travel safely, showing care and consideration for all
Respect culture, travelling with an open heart and mind<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019ve made the promise \u2013 and whether you are in a Quirky Camper or not, here\u2019s a practical guide to following the principles when travelling in a campervan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Drive Carefully<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A good start here is to pick the most suitable van for your trip<\/a> in the first place. It\u2019s not the time to opt for a manual drive vehicle when you\u2019re most familiar with an automatic. And you need to feel comfortable and confident with the size of your campervan so that you\u2019re not putting yourself or others in danger when manoeuvring.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Use a route planning app or satnav if you can, to help you avoid road closures and possibly divert around queues and incidents. You just might need to ignore the estimated time of arrival (ETA) as remember, you\u2019re in a bigger, heavier, slower vehicle. It\u2019s not a race! If you need to call it a day earlier than expected, pull over and search for a nearby campsite on one of our recommended camping apps.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The roads in NZ can twisty, hilly and narrow which will slow you down even more so remember take your time and drive to the conditions. It’s the best thing you can do care for the roads, yourself and the other drivers around you. It can be all too easy to feel pressured to speed up when there are cars behind you but simply pull over in a safe place and let them pass. And don\u2019t worry if they honk their horns! That means \u201cthanks\u201d!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re completely new to driving in New Zealand, check out our top tips for a first time campervan trip<\/a> which outlines the main considerations when driving and links to more information about New Zealand road rules.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Be Prepared<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s easy to throw caution to the wind and think it\u2019s all part of the adventure, by not planning ahead. We don\u2019t want to take the fun out of your trip but there a few simple things you can do to make sure you\u2019re not caught out!<\/p>\n\n\n\n