10 helpful tips on how to be a careful camper while visiting NZ in your Motor home.
Knowledge provided from experts with many years of experience and also from valuable customer feedback.
1. Arrival and Pick Up After And Before Long Haul Flights
It is highly recommended that you stay in a NZ Hotel or Motel for your first and last night of your New Zealand visit to avoid being overtired and to start your NZ holiday relaxed and refreshed. Be sure to book into a Hotel or Motel near Auckland or Christchurch Airport in advance.
2. For Peak Travel Over Christmas and New Year - Pre Book Your Holiday Park In New Zealand
We strongly recommend that you pre-book your campsite in advance to avoid later disappointment. Most NZ Holiday parks are equipped to please a wide range of people for a minimal cost. Within an attractive landscaped setting (often beside a beach or lake) they provide sites for tents, caravans and campervans. If you're setting up camp or parking a Motor Home, you can choose to stay on a powered or non-powered site.
3. Freedom Camping
Each district in New Zealand has different rules in regards to freedom camping (and parking of campervans). We suggest that you contact the nearest Visitor Centre in the region you visit, to find out about camping in a particular location. The impact of freedom camping on the environment can be a strain to the environment - New Zealand Tourism does not recommend freedom camping in New Zealand.
In certain Areas in New Zealand it is forbidden to free camp - for example National Parks etc. If you do freedom camp it is very important to remember to not to leave any rubbish behind or any traces of your stay. Please consider the environment when you do free camp and be a careful visitor - leave only footprints! When you hire a Motor home in NZ, most if not all NZ motor home companies provide you with
4. Battery Power of Your NZ Motorhome
It is not always necessary to go to a campground each night but it is recommended to do this every third or forth night to empty toilet and waste water tanks and to get plenty of fresh water. You can camp on the side of the road or anywhere else as long as there are no signs indicating NO CAMPING or PARKING overnight.
5. Toilets on board your NZ Motor home
On board toilets from Motor homes can only be legally emptied into so called Dump stations. These are normally found in holiday parks.
6. Ferry Crossing North to South or South to North Island, NZ
Many visitors ask if they can exchange their Motor home at the ferry terminals in Wellington (North Island) or in Picton on the South Island.
Most campervan companies do not have any facilities or depots in those areas and the vehicle has to go onto the Cook Strait Ferry with you.
7. Peak Season Travel on Interislander or Bluebridge Ferry NZ
During peak season travel (especially during the Christmas and New Year period and during School holidays - availability for motor vehicles can be restricted and it is highly recommended that you pre- book the passage in advance to avoid waiting in long queues at the respective terminals or have to wait for the next day to get on a ship.
A daytime sailing is highly recommended as the journey of about 3 hours is very scenic and often Dolphins swim alongside the ship and make this trip a memorable one.
8. Manual vs. Automatic Transmission
Why are most NZ Motor homes equipped with manual gear shift and not automatic transmission?
Many visitors ask for a campervan or motor home with automatic transmission.
The reason why bigger NZ motor homes are equipped with mainly manual transmission is due to the way roads are built in New Zealand - many hills and mountains which means a vehicle with manual gear shift drives much easier in such conditions.
9. NZ Road Restrictions
There are a handful of road restrictions in place from most if not all NZ motor home and campervan companies - if you drive on any of the following roads - all insurances in place will be voided and you will be in breach of the rental agreement.
North Island:
Ninety Mile Beach - Northland
North of Colville Township - Coromandel
South Island:
Skippers Canyon - Queenstown
Ball Hutt Road - Mt Cook
North and South Island:
Any roads closed by Traffic Police or other authority.
10. Fuel Costs in NZ
Because of constantly changing world oil prices, fuel costs in New Zealand are not easy to predict. Current information will be available upon request from vehicle providers.
There are 1000 or more ways to improve your planning for a successful camper van holiday in New Zealand - we hope that you have found these 9 hints for your campervan hire useful and informative.
Swiss born Heidi was drawn to the hospitality and travel/tourism industry from an early age and her first experience of this was working in a small hotel in a tiny Italian seaside village. Heidi has travelled the world extensively and in 1991 migrated to New Zealand from Switzerland. She still loves living here and calls New Zealand “Paradise”. Nelson became Heidi’s home town in 1993. http://www.click-nz.com
