  New time-series VI CCD photometry of the globular cluster NGC 6362 is studied
with the aim of estimating the reddening, mean metallicity and distance of the
cluster from its population of RR Lyrae stars. The Fourier decomposition of
carefully selected single-mode RR Lyrae light curves, and the use of
well-established semi-empirical calibrations and revised zero points, lead to
the values of [Fe/H]UVES =1:066 +// 0:126 and -1:08 +/- 0:16 and the distance
7:93 +/- 0:32 and 8:02 +/- 0:15 kpc from the RRab and RRc stars respectively.
The distribution of RR Lyrae stars in the horizontal branch shows a neat
segregation of pulsating modes about the red edge of the first overtone
instability strip, which is not necessarily expected in an OoI type cluster
like NGC 6362. Four RRab stars are found likely advanced in their evolution
towards the AGB. One new foreground SX Phe star, some 4 kpc in front of the
cluster and projected onto the field of our images is reported. We comment on
the heavy light contamination, by a very close neighbouring star, of the
peculiar double-mode V37 variable, recently postulated as a non-typical RRc
variable.
