Campervan Tour of NZ

fun.bobby1981

Hey all,

Going to be in NZ for 18 days next summer and looking at renting a camper van for the duration.

First off, any advice about avoiding pitfalls around hidden charges etc for camper hire? I'm seeing a huge variation in daily rates from $26 per day up to $200 per day!

Also, where are the must see spots? I've heard that we should spend most of our time in the south island, but really have no clue and there's so much to look at in terms of tourist info, I was hoping for some advice on a starting point.

Cheers!

gucci

Hi fun.bobby,

I am afaid I cannot help you too much out with an itenary of the south island as my 2 weeks in NZ was all spent in the north island. (Would love to have done more!) but I can recommend Jucy caravans. They had a good range of options and the Toyota previa was perfect for the 2 of us. Really good condition, easy to drive and comfortable to sleep in. It was quite good value also in comparison to other companies and there was no hidden costs.

Mrs OBumble

We also used a Jucy van, and were happy.

Was a bit of a pain not being able to stand up in the van. But worth it for the increased manouvreability and fitting into parking spaces.

on_my_oe

A four berth campervan sounds like fun, but you'd be surprised at the issues around parking (my university job was a rental agent for a campervan company). A two berth van like a jucy is better as it gives you a bit more flexibility around the odd night in a hotel or hostel. Also a big four berth around some of NZs tighter roads might give you a grey hair.

Tricks to look out for - the one way fee. If you pick up in Auckland and drop off in Christchurch you get stung... It used to be that you got slightly better rates going in reverse eg Christchurch to Auckland.

I'd try to do Christchurch on arrival, maybe head out to Akaroa to swim with dolphins, then Queenstown for 2/3 days, head up the West Coast for a night via Franz Josef, hit the Abel Tasman if you love a bit if kayaking.

Wellingtons ok for a night, good food and the national museum te papa. Hit Taupo, Tauranga, Rotorua, and Waitomo. Now for beautiful beaches I'd suggest either the Coromandel or up north (camping by Kai Iwi lakes near Dargaville definitely worth it).

Ask questions, I'll do my best to help - I've lived in Auckland at the top, Invercargill at the bottom and lots of places in between.

MrCreosote

18 days- I would do a 14 day tour out of Christchurch on the South Island, then fly to Auckland and do 4 days from there, campervan just on the South Island.

on_my_oe

MrCreosote's sugestiom is a good one, you could include see the penguins coming up onto the beach at Oamaru, travel down to Queenstown, up the West Coast, around the top, and down to Kaikoura for the whale watching, before flying back out of Christchurch.

fun.bobby1981

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

Was a bit of a pain not being able to stand up in the van. But worth it for the increased manouvreability and fitting into parking spaces.

Thanks for this, was considering a bigger van for that reason alright.

on_my_oe wrote: »

A two berth van like a jucy is better as it gives you a bit more flexibility around the odd night in a hotel or hostel.

Tricks to look out for - the one way fee.

Yeah we eventually decided to scrap the bigger van idea for the sake of an easier drive ... it is part of our honeymoon & it'll be hard enough sharing a camper space for over two weeks without my road rage kicking in!!! :-)

on_my_oe wrote: »

I'd try to do Christchurch on arrival, maybe head out to Akaroa to swim with dolphins, then Queenstown for 2/3 days, head up the West Coast for a night via Franz Josef, hit the Abel Tasman if you love a bit if kayaking.

Wellingtons ok for a night, good food and the national museum te papa. Hit Taupo, Tauranga, Rotorua, and Waitomo. Now for beautiful beaches I'd suggest either the Coromandel or up north (camping by Kai Iwi lakes near Dargaville definitely worth it).

Ask questions, I'll do my best to help - I've lived in Auckland at the top, Invercargill at the bottom and lots of places in between.

Cheers for the itinerary! Like I said, it's good to have a few suggestions and we can then see what suits us best from there.

One question about the camper & you may not be able to answer, depending on the time of year you did your touring .... during July, would it be a good idea to hire snow chains, or would the weather be mild enough?
We're probably going to spend most of our time on the South Island anyway, so if that helps, I'd be very interested to find out if it's worth the extra cost for safety. Also, I've never driven with snow chains before. Anyone have any experience with them?

zbluebirdz

When I was in NZ, I hired a Holden Commodore and stayed in motels.
Way more comfortable than driving/staying in a campervan in the middle of freezing winter.

Car rental is quite reasonable.
- Toyota compact for about €53/day*
- Holden Commodore for about €70/day*

Motels are quite reasonably priced, warm, comfortable and have hot showers ... much more suitable than a campervan in the middle of the freezing winter in the South Island. A campervan will become an icebox during the night ...

You could compromise - hire a 2 bed campervan for driving around and stay in motels overnight.

Tip #1:
When you're in the Milford Sounds area (a beautiful place!), watch out for the Keas - they will try to tear your car/campervan to pieces if you stop by the roadside!

Tip #2:
When you land in NZ, get hold of a motel directory book - either Jasons or AA Travel Guide. This will give you a bit of flexibility in your journey around NZ - you can spend more/less time in certain places.

* Car rental prices for 2 weeks, July 2015. June 2015 / August 2015 will be a bit more expensive.

fun.bobby1981

zbluebirdz wrote: »

When I was in NZ, I hired a Holden Commodore and stayed in motels.
Way more comfortable than driving/staying in a campervan in the middle of freezing winter.

Thanks for this. The more I hear about it, the more I'm thinking it might be an option just to hire a car & stay in hostels/motels.
Having looked at the cost of hardstands at campsites (which we would need for the use of toilet/shower facilities), we might be as well off to pay a lower price for a small car and stay within. 4 walls and a roof, like you said for the comfort and warmth.
Might be a lot easier to get a more economical car also, which would reduce fuel costs for the trip!

This decision is getting more difficult instead of easier!!! :-(

on_my_oe

If you are travelling during July, please stay in a hotel! Go outside, stand and wriggle your toes - that's July in NZ for you.

As for the snow chains, yes if you're heading South to Queenstown etc (which I hope you are!)

cpoh1

Would definitely re consider the camper idea if its July in the south island.

A cheap rental from jucy/omega/apex for around $40 a night plus double rooms in a hostel ~$80 is a much better idea and nearly as cost effective, snow and ice is not fun in a camper and depending on your luck it might be 8 degrees every day or you could be buried knee deep in snow. Chains are a must.

fun.bobby1981

Some great info & advice there so far, thanks everyone.

Will definitely re-think the idea of staying in a camper. I don't know why I assumed the winter in NZ would be a lot milder than it is here ...

Nekarsulm

Hope you have a great honey-moon! We did the same thing for ours back in 2001. Flew into Auckland, couple of days there, then flight down south to Queenstown. Due to a mix-up with the rental company, our camper was still in Christchurch, so they give us a car for a couple of days, free, till that was sorted out. We had hired a transit based camper, and it was fine. wouldn't like anything bigger! When you are crossing a mile wide estuary on a single lane bridge, and you realise that not only are the front wheels only a foot away from the timber bumpers each side, but there are train tracks running down the centre of the bridge! We went up the west coast. Fox glacier, etc. Great little towns all the way. About a thousand streams and rivers to cross. Visited a brewery in Greymouth. Great day visiting wineries and then the ferry across to the north island. Lake Taupo is stunning, we went trout fishing there, and horse riding. We ran out of time to visit the Coromandel peninsular, I think everyone runs out of time in NZ. I'm a farmer so found lots of things fascinating there, which may be of no interest to you at all. Dunno about a trip in the Irish summertime. We went in October, Spring there, and it was chilly enough. Kiwi's are a hardy race, and don't waste their money on unnecessary heating. Came across a Classic Car rally one morning, and everyone was walking around in shorts and sandals.The frost was white on the ground. I had to go back for more jumpers and socks. we stayed every second night in a motel or guest house. It was seriously cheap at the time, less than 20 Punts per night. You often got offered an apartment for the same price as a room. Have a good one!