Last Updated: June 16, 2023
One of our fondest memories from our RTW Trip was campervanning in New Zealand.
Aside form the fact that the country is amazing anyway, the added adventure of doing it in a campervan made the whole thing even more magical.
And doing it as a family is such a rewarding experience.
We had so much fun together and the kids absolutely loved the novelty of having our own house on wheels!
Seeing New Zealand in a campervan has to be the best way to do it.
It gives you the freedom to explore the vast landscape this country has to offer and it is extremely easy and economical to do.
It also means you can squeeze so much into your time in this amazing country and if you want to read more about some of the great things to do head to our New Zealand Guide here.
It can be a little overwhelming when first starting out and if you’re not used to driving a big vehicle you may be a little apprehensive.
But trust me, you will not regret it if you do this and it will likely be one of the best things you’ve ever done.
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Hiring a Family Campervan in New Zealand
You will probably want to start looking into getting a campervan a couple of weeks before you plan to start campervanning, and maybe even sooner during peak season, which is the summer months from December to February.
There are an abundant to choose from, but it is also very popular. So if you are after something in particular you should start researching as soon as possible so you don’t end up disappointed.
As usual, we left it a bit last minute, but still got the sort of thing we were after. But we had a very limited choice.
When looking at the type of campervan there are some key elements to decide;
- Birth – You obviously need enough space to fit you and your family, both seating and sleeping. Also New Zealand has some laws around car seat requirements for toddlers. So if you need one, (as we did for our 3 year old) ensure the seating set up allows for a car seat, as not all do.
- Size – This is not the same as above as I mean physical size here. You can get a huge variation in size for 3 or 4 birth campers. From smallish vans to the big RVs. The size will be a compromise on comfort and drive-ability as well as cost. The big RVs are obviously the high end luxury, usually with showers and big living quarters. But you need to decide what sort of vehicle you are comfortable driving, as the big RVs take a little more skill than the vans.
- Company – There are loads of companies to choose from. Some are more reputable than others so choose carefully. We’ve never been one for getting too sucked into reviews as one person’s hell can be another’s heaven. But you will want to do some research just to check you’re not getting one from a cowboy company.
- Self Contained or Not – If you are wanting to do ‘freedom camping’ (more on this later) you must ensure it is ‘certified-self contained’. This basically means you have a toilet and a waste water tank. If you don’t and you try to freedom camp, you may be fined.
- Budget – All the above are highly driven by budget. The big RVs come at a significantly higher cost. Not just for the camper itself, but also running costs such as petrol/diesel and gas etc. So whilst you might want the luxuries, ensure you can afford it. Also the companies vary in price. The more reputable and high quality companies with newer vehicles obviously cost more than others.
With such an array of choice it can be difficult to know where to start. So a good idea is heading to one of the comparison websites.
You don’t necessarily have to book through them, but it’s a good way to get a feel for the type of campervan you want and the costs of the different companies. Use the search and filter boxes to tailor it to your requirements and you can then decide on what is your best fit.
Our preferences were for 4 seats (with toddler car seat compatible). Small and easy to drive, but with the ability to stand up (I hate having to move around all crouched over). Self contained. And within the £50-£75 a night range.
So we ended up with a Freedom Campers, 4+1 Pathfinder. And we absolutely loved it!
Kid’s Quote: “I miss our campervan, why did we leave our campervan, can we go back to New Zealand and get it!?”
Aden, Age 3
We fell in love with our camper and still miss it now. It was a Toyota Hiace model with a high top. So not too big that it was difficult to drive, but also big enough to give us enough space so we didn’t kill each other!
Freedom Campers are a budget to moderate company and so it wasn’t the newest of vans and had a few minor problems (the door was a bit sticky to lock from the inside and the skylight mesh kept falling off). But these were no big deal and gave it some character! And the essential things, such as electrics and gas, worked well and the engine never let us down.
The alternative to hiring is buying. This can save you a lot of money as you can buy one when you begin and then sell it again when you finish, potentially spending nothing but your running costs if you buy and sell well.
This is quite common practise in New Zealand for tourists so it’s very doable. But, it does take a bit more effort and research and it’s recommended not too buy before you actually view it physically.
So you will need a bit more downtime before you get your van and set off on your journey. You can do some research beforehand though by joining the many Facebook groups out there for buyers/sellers, so start there.
We looked into buying, but hiring, whilst more expensive, was the better option for us. We had limited time and I don’t know a hell of a lot about cars and even less about vans. So hiring gave us a bit more security and ease of process.
Basics for Family Campervanning in New Zealand
If you’ve never used a campervan before (like I hadn’t) you might be a little apprehensive about how it all works. But it is very easy.
I’m by no means an expert and your hire company will show you the ropes properly when you take the van. But as a start, there are some basics that should give you an idea of the simplicity. Wrote by a layperson for laypersons!
- Filling – You will need to fill your van with fresh water as you go. There will usually be an opening on the side of the vehicle that may look a bit like a petrol hole (don’t get the two confused!) and a hose to attach to drinking water sources to fill up. It’s as simple as attaching the hose to the tap, sticking it in the hole and turning the tap. Some vehicles may just have a container that you take in and out of the vehicle to fill.
- Dumping – If you have a waste tank you will need to dump your waste water every now and then. Ideally whenever you have the opportunity to empty out you should as this will help you be lighter and reduce fuel consumption. When you do, there will usually be a capped waste pipe at the side or back of the van. You will then have a hose to attach to it (don’t get the waste and fresh water tubes mixed up!). You need to find ‘dump stations’, which are sometimes on campsites, but also in other random places as well. When you find a dump station, park next to it, attach the tube to the pipe and the other end into the dump area, open the valve and it should flow out. You may also need to dump manually as well, such as for a porter potty or some vehicles also have tanks that you take out and empty externally.
- Electrics – Most campers have at least a dual battery system, which means a second battery (in addition to the usual engine battery) will be charged whilst you are driving and some things can then be ran off this battery without the worry of your engine battery running out. This usually only applies to some of the powered accessories such as interior lights and/or fridge. This will run down (there is usually a gage showing how much you have) and only recharge when you switch your engine on again. Other powered items, such as your main plug ports, will probably only work when you are plugged into a power source on a campsite. Ensure you have the cable when you get your camper, then it’s as simple as plugging in the cable to your van and the power source on the outside.
- Gas/LPG – Depending on your size of vehicle will determine how the gas is set up and how often you need to change it. Most petrol stations and garages do LPG tank swaps so it’s pretty easy to get it changed on the go. We had a pretty small tank, but never had to change it and we cooked in the van a lot. So, unless you really go to town on the gas, you shouldn’t need to change it too many times for a trip of a few weeks.
- Engine & Maintenance – As always with driving, keep an eye on the usual; oil, water, tyres and petrol/diesel. You need to plan a bit sometimes with petrol/diesel as you will probably go through some pretty rural areas at times so may not have a garage for some miles. So ensure you check your fuel gage before you set off each time and plan where you will fill up when needed.
Driving In New Zealand as a Family with Kids
Driving in New Zealand is extremely safe and easy. Being from the UK we have the added bonus of driving on the same side as the Kiwis (left) so this made life easy for us.
Unfortunately the majority of the rest of the world who usually drive on the right may have to ease into this a little to begin with. But once you overcome that obstacle you should enjoy the pleasant roads of New Zealand.
The roads can be quite winding and hilly at times, so consider this when deciding your campervan size. But just take your time in the hilly areas and it’s no drama.
Also, if you’ve got a high-top or anything bigger, remember you’re now tall!
It’s easy to forget this if you’re not used to it, but a lot of campers have a sticker on the dash stating the height of the vehicle. If they don’t, write it on a bit of paper and stick it on to remind you.
The good news is there aren’t many low bridges, so it’s mainly when you’re parking and when there are low trees you need to remember this.
As there are a lot of tourists that drive in New Zealand, the country provides a lot of information to assist visitor drivers. The New Zealand Transport Agency is a good place to start with a section dedicated to tourists.
Some of the main things to remember as a start;
- They drive on the left in New Zealand.
- There are very few highways/motorways/expressways with the majority of roads being two way.
- There are a lot of single lane bridges, so slow down when you see the signs.
- There are a lot of rail crossings and not all have barriers, just a sign, so you have to look for the trains and give way.
Traffic is pretty much non-existent outside of the major cities. You will sometimes drive for dozens of miles without seeing a sole.
But, due to the small amount of roads, when something does go wrong it really goes wrong.
We got stuck in the south of the south island for 2 days because of some heavy rain and two bridges being out of use. Believe it or not these two bridges were the only way up to the north of the island from where we were!
Once they finally opened one of the bridges, there were obviously a lot of people who had been stuck for a few days, and the bridge was a single lane! So this resulted in us taking 3 hours to get 20km! But hey, there’s worse things to be stuck in a traffic jam in than a campervan. We just made sandwiches and played board games until we moved!
Apps for Family Campervanning in New Zealand
Campervanning around New Zealand is very easy, but there are some apps that can make it even easier!
There are quite a few apps that can make finding campsites an absolute breeze. You don’t have to download them all as they mainly do the same things.
We used Rankers and Campermate which were both very good and gave us everything we needed.
These apps have a map of New Zealand and can show you the nearest freedom camping area, campsite, dump station, petrol station etc. And they offer download options so you can even use it without data or WIFI. They usually have some small info and reviews of the various camping spots as well.
Secondly download the Google Map of New Zealand on your phone and then you have a free GPS for your duration.
I’m still surprised how many travellers don’t know that the GPS element of Google Maps doesn’t use data, it’s the actual map itself.
So if you download it whilst you have WIFI it usually doesn’t take up to much memory and you can just delete it when you leave again.
You can then switch off your data and navigate without having to worry about horrendous roaming charges.
Family Campervan Stays In New Zealand
There are soooo many places you can stay in your campervan as you navigate the country.
We didn’t pre-book anything and just stayed in places on the fly using the apps to find places. This meant we had complete flexibility as we travelled which made us feel so liberated and free.
There were a couple of times that we got to a campsite and it was full, but this was mainly around the larger cities. And you’re usually not very far from an alternative so you can just drive to the next one until you find something available.
However, we went in shoulder season, and it can be much more difficult if you go in peak season so keep this in mind.
There are a wide variety of types of places to stay in your campervan. From high end holiday parks, to basic camp sites, to ‘freedom camping’.
Freedom Camping or ‘Wild Camping’ is the practise of staying overnight on public property instead of in holiday parks or campsites.
You’re unlikely to have facilities whilst Freedom Camping. So its important to know that you can only freedom camp if you have a ‘certified-self-contained’ vehicle.
We would recommend getting a self-contained vehicle as it just makes life so much easier to find places to stay for the night on the fly.
And the best bit is it is free! We freedom camped the majority of the time and there are some absolute gems you can find.
It’s worth noting that you can’t just rock up anywhere to stay overnight. There are some rules and regulations around freedom camping, which is governed by each local authority, so can vary by region.
The best way to find good freedom camping spots is to use the apps which will give you various options to check out. Most areas have signs for restrictions etc. so check these out when you arrive to avoid breaking any rules.
We did stay at campsites as well, this is mainly so we could plug in every few days to charge things like our laptops.
You can read about some of our favourite family campervan stopovers in New Zealand here.
And the campervan stays is one of the best parts about New Zealand.
We couldn’t believe some of the places we were able to stay for free!
Pulling up next to a lake with the whole area all to ourselves, sitting under the incredible starry sky, with the kids sipping hot chocolates = New Zealand Family Campervanning!
Packing for a Family Campervan Trip in New Zealand
What you pack can be key for a good trip. If you’re coming in internationally you might have some limitations as to what you can bring through customs, but if you’re hiring or even buying a lot will be included (such as bedding etc.)
For some more details on what to pack you can head to our Packing for a Family Campervan Trip post.