OT Touring in New Zealand

GarethHowell

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Hi there, not strictly continental as implied by the forum title, but hey, NZ is on ‘a’ continent.

We are hiring a camper in NZ for 7 weeks next Feb-April; picking up in Auckland and dropping off in Christchurch. There are loads of specimen itineraries out there, but not that long. I’m looking to extend a couple I have seen but I’m trying to get a feel for how to split North v South Island. It has been recommended that we book the ferry in advance, so I need to have an idea.

Has anybody in here done something of this length in NZ? How did you split North vs South?

Gareth
 
I wish you well Gareth. Like so many countries, NZ has issues around First Nations and it is becoming an issue.

A niece lived on South Island for a couple of years (south side of The Remarkables) and loved it.

My nephew hired a campervan in NZ (both islands) for a year, and came home only days before the Islands shut down due to COVID. The photos he shared made the typical hired camper at that time look dreadfully scruffy.

This year, a friend visited with his family for five months and said that during COVID the locals had bought up all the campers for their own use and so he hired a car. His family had a great time too, although his son lives there and knew all the wrinkles.

You will know that North Island was battered by Cyclone Gabrielle (particularly the NE) and the area is still struggling.

From both families experience, it is wise to book as much as possible in advance, and that requires good planning.
 
HurricaneSmith said:
From both families experience, it is wise to book as much as possible in advance, and that requires good planning.
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That’s OK, the van is already booked. We’ve been advised by Trailfinders that the only other element we need to book is the ferry. Hence the question about the split between north and south.
 
Gareth hi ...we did NZ over 4 weeks in 2019 in a small hire van from Escape Rentals. We flew in and out of Aukland but spent most time on S Island ..... so much to see down there! We didn't book the ferry too far in advance ...just a couple of days. 4 weeks was just about enough for South Island.
Jeremy
 
We exported a van to NZ and spent 4 months there pre-covid, toured from northern tip to the southern and were blown away with it all. But we wouldn't dream of advising what you should see. It all depends on your preferences . . .
There are lovely time-warp small towns, magnificent scenery, tourist hotspots (which we tried to avoid), and some very entertaining drives. We wouldn't miss the Franz Josef glacier, for instance, but you might be up for bungee jumping. It's a personal thing.
Our best advice is join the NZMCA, the motor caravan association, as soon as possible.Their app is excellent, and you also get ferry discounts.
 
You can find all the places to stop in apps such as Thlroadtrip and Rankers. You’ll find these and others on the App Store. We found them very useful for planning our trip in uk before we went. They give all the different types of site, including dump stations and propane bottle places.
 
Done NZ twice - 3 months and 8 months. Second time shipped van out and sold for a good profit at end. You obviously won’t be doing this but try to research as much as possible and pick the places that suit you.
Some recommendations:
South Island- Most go to Milford Sound but we chose Doubtful Sound as it’s less crowded and used ‘Deep Cove Charters’ for an overnight cruise. We did it on both trips as we enjoyed it so much. They have a 6 berth boat so only take up to 12 people. It is take your own booze but they supply plenty of food. You can kayak, fish, enjoy some fantastic scenery and wildlife - penguins, dolphins and seals to name a few.

North Island:
A not so well known sulphur park - orakeikorako.co.nz
Fantastic place to visit and used to be able to wildcamp on the car park.

NZ is a great place to visit but my advice is not to try to ‘do’ all of it. You just end up needing a holiday to get over it and spend all your time driving from place to place. Pick your priorities carefully and enjoy them. The advice on joining the NZMCA is good as it will open up a lot of possibilities, just make sure you do it in plenty of time so you get the joining pack before you go.

Enjoy!!
 
If you like what we do, wild, totally unspoilt and quiet areas plan to spend more time in South Island. We started off in South Island and had planned a month in each island. Talking to many folk from North Island whilst travelling in South Island and them asking why we would want to go to North Island we extended our month in South Island. Whilst we enjoyed North Island we didn't regret our descision.
 
I hope you don't mind me asking but what sort of budget do you need to do this? We fancied it very much, and our local excellent travel agent did an itinerary to include a couple of hotel nights to get over jet lag. The end result for flying there and hiring a camper for 4 weeks was £22,000 and we had to decline it.
I had also wondered about buying a 'cheap' MH here, shipping it out there, using it, selling it but I haven't done any costings.
 
gasgas said:
I hope you don't mind me asking but what sort of budget do you need to do this? We fancied it very much, and our local excellent travel agent did an itinerary to include a couple of hotel nights to get over jet lag. The end result for flying there and hiring a camper for 4 weeks was £22,000 and we had to decline it.
I had also wondered about buying a 'cheap' MH here, shipping it out there, using it, selling it but I haven't done any costings.
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Cost us about £14-15k for two months 2018 inc 4 nights hotels en route to NZ, MH hire and premium economy flights, plus spending money for food, fuel campsites etc.
 
Thanks Barge. Given all that has happened since 2018 I suppose £22k would be about right for now. I guess we won't do it then . . . . :(
 
Blimey! I think we spent about £4.5K in total for our month including flights and Escape van hire. OK it was a budget Escape campervan and we went sort of out of season .. but you really only sleep and drive in it? We mainly used top ten sites. Had a great month on S Island
Jeremy
 
Hmmm that's interesting Marshman. Perhaps I need to do some investigating and rethink. When you say 'Escape van hire' do you mean you hired an Escape panel van or do you mean you hired a van from a company called Escape ?
 
gasgas said:
Thanks Barge. Given all that has happened since 2018 I suppose £22k would be about right for now. I guess we won't do it then . . . . :(
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We did it in 2017 few into South Island and out from Auckland. Hired a car and air b&b around. Better hire rates that way as they want vehicles taken back up north. Same in Australia go north Cairns and drive south.
 
The company is called escape rentals. They use Toyota? vans then convert them luke VW campers. Very basic but they do the job.
We went in 2019.
www.escaperentals.co.nz

Escape Campervan Rentals New Zealand

Escape Campervans Rentals provides reliable, cheap campervan rental vehicles for backpackers and independent travellers.
www.escaperentals.co.nz www.escaperentals.co.nz
Jeremy
 
Marshman said:
Blimey! I think we spent about £4.5K in total for our month including flights and Escape van hire. OK it was a budget Escape campervan and we went sort of out of season .. but you really only sleep and drive in it? We mainly used top ten sites. Had a great month on S Island
Jeremy
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Our ageing bones wanted a bit more comfort, and because of medical problems wanted everything tied up as a package. We used Trailfinders who we always find helpful and reliable…but not their eye watering insurance.
 
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