History:
The history of the News Zealand is not long, it dates back to with-sorrow thousand years. It knew only two people, Maori and Europeans.

At the beginning were Maori who probably arrived about year 1000 coming from the Islands of Polynesia without knowing exactly which ones. Skilful sailors they operated long boats with beams and arrived by successive waves. They are attested as of the 13th century. From the 15th century they became farmers and fishermen. Wars tribes made the constitution of villages strengthened by Pa, construction sophisticated out of ground. They knew neither metals, nor alcohol and drug and did not have a writing. Their civilization is very advanced with a complex religion, dances and songs known under the name of kapa haka. The population would have been 85000 to 110000 Maori in 1769. In 1840 they were approximately 70000. The reduction was the consequence as well as interethnic wars as diseases brought by Europeans. It did not have destruction as in Australia or America.

In 1642 Abel Tasman, a Dutch captain, arrived coming from Dutch East Indies, Indonesia. He did not unload following a dispute with Maori but left the name of the country, Niew Zeeland, New Zealand. In 1769 the inevitable Captain Cook as well as Jean de Surville came into peaceful contact with Maori. In 1772 Marion of Fresne slackened several weeks in Bay of the Islands. From 1790 the fishing vessels to the whale were able regularly to rest and have fun. First missionaries was established in Bay of Islands since 1814. The trade of flax and timber started about 1820.

Towards 1840 Maori called Europeans, Pakeha. The Treaty of Waitangi was concluded on February 6, 1840. At that time there were approximately 2000 Europeans. Then the increase became exponential, 22000 in 1850 and 500000 in 1880. What caused dispute between Maori and settlers. Most significant was Waikato War of 1863 to 1864. Sporadic conflicts lasted until 1916.

The political organization of NZ was dominated by the liberal party from 1890 to 1912 which was worth to its the reputation of World Social Laboratory. Indeed the voting rights were granted to the women in 1893 and one pension for the old people in 1898. Up to the entry of the United Kingdom in the European Union, the NZ was regarded as the hinterland of the motherland by supplying it out of meats, milk, butter, flax, wool etc. Then the NZ turned to the countries of Asia Pacific. The 21st century sees the explosion of the NZ as well in the food production as cultural creating an enthusiasm to come in NZ like tourist or resident. Currently the Asian are more numerous than Maori. But the NZ remains an agricultural country, the bringing together with the cousins of Australia is inevitable for the future of the country. The imports of manufactured goods are higher than agricultural exports, the balance of payments is dramatically negative.

The behaviour of the NZ and NZers proceeds of the origin of the settlement of the country. With the difference of the other colonies, Canada, the USA and Australia the first settlers fled the injustices of the mother country. Very quickly the concept of welfare state appeared in the conscience of NZers and the political community. Sport and particularly Rugby play a paramount role in social cohesion. Several facts enamelled the political life of this little country affirming its personality at the world level. The Eighties marked a major evolution. The round of Rugby with South Africa caused a hard dispute against the policy of Apartheid. This event in 1981 is always referred as -The Tour- In 1984 a antinuclear protest blocked the entry of the US fleet with propulsion nuclear and armed with ballistic missiles. The US excluded it from the treaty of the ANZUS regarding the NZ as a friend but not an ally. In 1985 an improbable fact completed this evolution. An attack of Rainbow Warrior by French government agents and the muted or nonexistent condemnation by the allies left an indelible mark. In 1987 the NZ Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament & Arms Control Act was promulgated. The NZ did not take part in the US intervention in Iraq. Despite everything it assumes its international obligations in Afghanistan. Many other facts characterize the specificity of the NZ and NZers.

The surface of the NZ is higher than that of UK with a population of only 4,2 million inhabitants and approximately 40 million sheep!

I Team:
I left my truck in Australia, shipping too expensive and as complex as to enter Australia. I rented a budget class car for the duration of my stay with change of vehicle in Picton to cross the Strait of Cook on foot by a ferry. Of course according to the English statement: What you pay what you get.

II Journey:
The journey initially planned for my truck was to last approximately 45 days. But the change of means of transport, the projects for the future countries and the expiry date of the carnet de passage en douane reduced it to 29 days, some drastic choices were made.
2.1 the trip: The previous road plan is put in prospect with lived reality. I traversed +5000 kilometres is on average +200 kilometres a day what was sometimes a rally.
2.2 the road network: The road network is sufficient for the size of the country but strange fact there are many one-lane bridges and the roadway is not very broad contrary in Australia. Geology and geography of the country have as consequence windy rolling roads. Motorways exist or are under construction, they are toll roads without tollgate, a photograph of the vehicle is taken and the payment is by Internet under five days. Vertical and horizontal road signs are of good quality. The highway patrol seems more present than in Australia. I was never controlled.
2.3 Australian drivers: The speed limits are 50 downtown and 100 on open roads. Downtown the motorists are very careful on the other hand in the countryside they drive at the speed limit and are not tolerant for the slow vehicles. Of course there is no road trains as in Australia but only long vehicles driving at the speed limit. I was pleased not to have taken my truck.
2.4 The insurance of the vehicle: The rented car had a complementary insurance with frankness zero.

III Bivouacs:
With the accommodation AA guidebook and Kiwimaps for the Island of North and the South I visited the country without any difficulty. Although my electronic prostheses, GPS connected to a laptop equipped with digital maps were lacked, inevitably I sought on my right, in my truck, to look at the screen of the laptop. For bivouacs I used the cabins in the caravans parks. All the bivouacs are given with the GPS co-ordinates, cf campsite position.

V Supply of food:
Supermarkets, Woolworths, are present in all the NZ under other names. I went sometimes to McDo but there is no WiFi access. The Top10 caravans parks have a Wifi access, paying by bank card. Indications of price are given by the Information page.

IV Fluids:
It is necessary to have an eye on the petrol gauge, petrol stations are sometimes seldom in countryside.

VI Money:
HSBC Bank is only in Auckland. The bank card is less used than in Australia and it is surtaxes from 1 to 5% by the caravans parks.

VII Guide books:
As before I used Lonely Planet, Lp, with a critical eye. Tourist booklets are abundant and very well documented. The i-Sites are a true mine of information and the staff was very helpfull.

VIII Passport, visa, border crossing:
The entry in NZ is easy, with a return ticket and a bank statement one obtains a three months VOA. The return ticket is requested at the embarkation airport. The bank statement avoids all questions at the control of immigration on arrival.

IX My appreciation:
9.1 I liked:
-- the landscapes are splendid with a changing luminosity.
-- I discovered Maori civilization at the time of my visits either in museums or in topic parks.
-- British colonial architecture is less ostentatious than in Australia. Of course the Golden Rush poured less money.
-- Museums of big cities gather objects of Maori civilization primarily.
-- Motivation of first settlers was quite different from that ones in Australia inducing a specific social behaviour.
9.2 I hated:
-- I do not find anything with saying because I did not hate anything. The country is splendid and the accessible and helpful population.
9.3 I regretted::
-- 29 days are too short and the season was not favourable with pedestrian tourism in national parks.

X Relevance of the trip by camper:
I did not use a campervan consequently I do not have any opinion. On the other hand I chose a small rent car by calculating that its cost and the cost of a cabin in caravans parks were cheaper than the costs of a camper and the site in same caravans parks. And moreover drive as well in downtown as on road was easier, without concern.