Next winter, head south for some freedom camping in the "Land of the Long White Cloud." I don't mean pavement parking in Arizona.  I mean south -- way south -- New Zealand. Where freedom camping means firing up your barbe next to a rugged river, the Tasman Sea, or a reserve in a small town. Where you enjoy happy hour with a Kiwi -- a New Zealand citizen, not the hairy brown fruit or a flightless, sightless, nocturnal bird that spends most of its time grubbing in the dirt.

Why that far? Because New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, seasons are reversed. Summer is from December to March. Time it right around December 21st, and you'll leave on the shortest day of the year and arrive in Auckland, New Zealand on the longest day of the year. School holidays are from mid December to the end of January and motorcamps begin filling after Boxing Day, December 26th.

New Zealand is clean, green, and spectacular. How spectacular? Check out Lord of the Rings and The Two Towers, which were filmed in New Zealand. Kiwis love the outdoors. You'll find boating, fishing, diving, and skiing. Almost anything you like to do, you can do in New Zealand -- at a reasonable price. Also no creepy crawly poisonous critters -- a real plus!. There is a rarely seen poisonous spider, but you can slosh through the mangroves or plunk down in the bush without checking first for an unfriendly resident.

I've covered the where when and why. RV in NZ covers the how. It isn't a travel guide trying to wow you with tourist delights or a How to Live in New Zealand on a Dollar a Day. RV in NZ will take you on a tiki tour in your rental movan then show you step by step how to buy a motorcaravan and spend three to four months each winter south--way south.

Marble Mountain Press Medford, Oregon 97504 marblemountain@snowcrest.net