Is travelling in a campervan in New Zealand worth it?
Here’s what I think about renting a campervan in New Zealand
Rental campervans lined up in a carpark at Lake Pukaki.
My campervan was almost never tidy.
If it wasn’t muddy hiking boots in the front footwell, it was a sandy beach towel; my cooler was foisted onto my bed when I was driving; frequent tea breaks meant spoons left in my sink.
It wasn’t glamourous. But travelling New Zealand in my campervan made me unbelievably happy.
Rolling open your van door, and seeing the beach, or a forest, or an epic view right in front of you, is magical.
New Zealand’s main attractions are its landscapes and outdoor activities.
So, travelling by campervan here makes a lot of sense — it’s a lifestyle. (And not a way of saving money. More on that below).
Campervan rentals in New Zealand can be expensive, especially if you want to travel in the warmer summer months.
In many cases, renting a campervan costs more than renting a car and booking hotels for accommodation. With this kind of math, you’re probably wondering if it’s even worth it to rent a campervan in New Zealand.
I can’t make that decision for you, but I can share my experiences and maybe some advice. Stick with me here, and maybe this will help you decide whether or not to rent a campervan in New Zealand.
The short version:
You should hire a campervan if you enjoy budget/back to basics travel, love scenery and views, enjoy being outside, and want to pack in the maximum to every day.
You probably shouldn’t hire a campervan if you like to shower every day and you find it hard to pack light.
Should you rent a campervan or a car in New Zealand?
A Jucy van in Mount Aspiring National Park.
The main difference between campervans and car rentals is that campervans give you more freedom and a more adventurous style of travel.
Hiring a campervan isn’t necessarily cheaper than renting a car and staying in hotels.
The cost of campervan travel in New Zealand has climbed a lot.
Campervan travel no longer means ultra-low budget travel.
There are still people who use a campervan to get around on a budget, but these people tend to be visiting New Zealand for longer and buy their own vehicle, to stay in cheap and free campsites.
If you’re visiting for 2-3 weeks and don’t have the time or wherewithal to buy a vehicle, renting a campervan is your only option.
It can be expensive to hire a campervan, especially if you’re travelling in the summer months — between November and March, availability is lower and prices are higher.
You might get better deals outside of those months, but then you have to factor in colder and wetter weather (which might mean paying for more premium campsites with hot showers) and less daylight for activities.
On top of your campervan hire costs, you have to budget for petrol (which is more expensive for heavy campers than it is for small hire cars), powered campground costs, and so on.
This can add up to more than the cost of car + hotel.
So, it’s better to think of hiring a campervan in terms of how they give you access to more of New Zealand’s wild places.
New Zealand is different from places like the United States or England, in that there aren’t that many big towns. You can drive for hours in some places without coming across a hotel or other facilities, so the best thing to do is camp.
On the West Coast of the South Island for example, some of the best places to stay are close to the walks and beaches — away from the (frankly uninspiring) towns like Greymouth or Westport.
Staying somewhere like Gentle Annie’s Seaside Campground (one of my all time favourites) means you get to experience more of the wilderness and have access to more walks.
Campervan travel means you get to see New Zealand’s wild places
Gentle Annies Campground — photo by BareKiwi
The pros of renting a campervan
There are plenty of positives to renting a campervan in New Zealand.
You can save money on food
You can easily cook your own meals (much harder in hotel rooms) and often you’ll be cooking dinner somewhere very beautiful.
You get to visit more remote and beautiful areas
You get to spend more time in epic places — you can watch sunsets from lots of campgrounds.
You don’t need to worry about booking accommodation each night
Sleeping/eating in a campervan can be less work than finding paid accommodations and places to eat every day.
If you’re travelling in a group, they can work out to be cheaper
They can be cost effective for families or groups
Every hour of the day is an adventure
You get more out of each day, when the whole 24 hours is an adventure.
Cons of renting a campervan
If you want to know whether it’s worth shouldering the cost of a campervan in New Zealand, these are the disadvantages to consider.
Campervans can be big and clunky to drive on New Zealand’s roads
In New Zealand, locals can get impatient when caught behind lumbering campervans on narrow roads.
There are usually lots of passing bays, or safe spots to pull over and let traffic pass. This is a lot less stressful than having people attempt risky manoeuvres to get around you.
You might encounter some wildlife on New Zealand roads, notably possums at night (they’re nocturnal), rabbits, and pukekos, a native bird that looks like a blue chicken.
Most roads outside of towns have no street lights, which can make driving at night quite tiring.
Campervan hire is expensive during peak periods
You need to be pretty organised and disciplined to keep it tidy
I guess the same could be said of a rental car (I have a talent for turning any space into a bomb site)
But it takes a lot of energy to keep on top of campervan chores.
Here are a few tips for staying organised:
Have a snack bag handy, in an easy to grab spot (you can pack your other groceries away more securely).
Have a laundry bag for dirty clothes, to help keep everything tidy.
Have a small towel or bath mat you can use to wipe shoes on before you hop inside the vehicle, also to keep things clean and tidy.
Packing cubes were an absolute lifesaver. Ones with net tops let you look in and see whether that’s the one you want to open or not. Also, soft luggage (like a backpack) is easier to store than a rigid suitcase.
Give everything a spot — Being organized and knowing EXACTLY where everything is kept (and putting it back there) is huge.
Freedom camping can be unglamourous
A freedom campsite in Dunedin (it’s just a carpark by the train station)
Travelling in a campervan doesn’t always mean that you will be parked in beautiful spots by the beach.
On the contrary, a lot of the freedom camping spots are just carparks.
If you’re committed to campervan life to save money, you can expect a lot of sleeping next to busy roads, doing your business in grubby long drops, and generally living a life that isn’t at all like the van life of social media.
A tip for van life: Go to public swimming pools if you want a hot shower. They are often a lot cheaper than a campsite and you get a swim into the bargain.
How much do campervans cost in New Zealand?
The cost of campervan rentals in New Zealand varies widely depending on the time of year and the company. A budget campervan can cost around $100 in summer, or $50 in winter.
Between November and March, bigger campervans with more facilities can cost as much as $400 a day.
If you’re planning on travelling in the summer months, book well in advance.
You’ll get cheaper prices after Easter, from May onwards, up until around October.
If you can, try to avoid paying for excess reduction. Your travel insurance should cover excess reduction as part of your policy, and if it doesn’t you can usually add it for a one-off fee that’s less than the daily cost of excess reduction most campervan rental companies offer.
Campervan relocations can be a good way to travel for cheap, but you’ll be very limited in what you can do.
The initial price you see probably won’t be the price you end up paying. On top of the base price, you need to factor in excess reduction/insurance, any add ons (you might have to pay for extras like tables, heaters).
Here are some other costs to factor into your campervan hire:
The cost of the gas in your campervan — some rental companies require you to fill up the gas bottle before returning the vehicle.
Petrol
If you have a diesel vehicle, you might also need to pay road user charges (RUCs)
Toll roads
Things to consider when choosing a campervan
What facilities do you need?
Campervan facilities range widely — you can choose from cassette or flush toilets, an inside or outside kitchen, a shower or no shower.
I’ve never hired a campervan with a shower.
You can find free showers at a lot of public beaches in New Zealand, although they are cold and open air (usually attached to the toilet blocks so people can shower after a swim).
You can also pay to enter public swimming pools, which have shower facilites.
For me, I was happy to go swimming a lot and call that a wash. You can find lots of good swimming spots in New Zealand’s rivers, so I stayed pretty clean in summer.
Size of the vehicle
campevans in new zealand come in a ragne of sizes from compact camping cars to X-berth motorhomes.
pick a size that suits you
I’ve travelled in a 3-berth Jucy with 2 friends and it was comfortable,
Tip: Unless you have a high-top van, pick a model with the kitchen in the back (like in my van, pictured up the top). This means you can cook standing up and won’t have cooking smells in your sleeping space.
Freedom camping and self containment
When looking at campervan rentals, you’ll need to choose between self-contained and non-self contained.
The key difference is that self-contained has all the facilities you need for a few days of travel, so you can stay in freedom camping areas and use your own toilet and kitchen.
Bigger motorhomes and campervans are often self-contained as they have more space for facilities, whereas smaller campervans like Spaceships Rentals quite often only have a bed and kitchen, and aren’t self-contained.
What you’ll find is that most people alternate between free and paid campgrounds. This lets you make the most of the budget travel and remote camping areas, while getting to have a shower every couple of days.
If you’re struggling to decide whether or not to pay a premium for a self-contained campervan, here’s a quick summary:
Pros of freedom camping:
Save money on campsites
Stay in awesome locations (many freedom camps are beach front)
Enjoy a freewheeling lifestyle without the need to book anything in advance.
Cons of freedom camping:
Few facilities — there might be a toilet, but rarely a shower
Freedom camps can often be designated parking spots, so you’ll be sleeping overnight in a car park
In the busy summer months, you’ll need to arrive early to secure your spot in a freedom camp. Some places only have a few parks available for campervans and they fill up quickly.
You can’t reserve your spot — if you want to pop out in the evening to explore, you might lose your park.
Using your self-containment facilities means you need to factor in a trip to a dump station every 2-3 days, to empty your grey/black water and top up your fresh water tanks.
The best campervan rental companies in New Zealand
Wilderness Motorhome Rentals
Wilderness Motorhomes is probably the best of the more luxurious campervan options.
Their motorhomes come in a range of sizes, but they are all equipped with high end amenities. If comfort is a priority for you, the beds and bathroom facilities in a Wilderness vehicle might suit you.
I’ve never travelled in a Wilderness motorhome — I’m too chicken to drive a vehicle this size.
One of my colleagues at Jucy used to swear by Wilderness though. She had high standards of luxury (without good showers, the Jucy vans didn’t cut it for her) but Wilderness met all of her needs.
Another great thing about Wilderness is that they really encourage you to explore. Wilderness has a no roads restriction policy, so you can get as far off the beaten track as you want.
Also, the New Zealand family behind Wilderness comes from Thames, which is (nearly) where I grew up (I went to high school there).
JUCY
Full disclosure — I used to work full-time for Jucy, and I still work with their marketing team writing articles for their website on a freelance basis (take a look at their blog!).
I might be slightly biased, but I can say that I’ve been on multiple trips with Jucy campevans and loved all of them.
Jucy was started by two New Zealand brothers who are very dynamic and travel oriented. The Jucy campervans are true to this style, with plenty of details that have been carefully thought out to maximise your time on the road.
There’s nothing subtle about the bright green campervans, so forget trying to blend in at campgrounds. If you don’t mind the paintwork though, you’ll get to enjoy compact campervans that are relatively easy to drive, yet come with plenty of amenities.
One of the great things about Jucy is the support you get on the road. On one trip, our van broke down and we had to phone the reservations team for help. They directed us to the nearest garage, where a mechanic was able to take a look and fix the issue within a couple of hours.
Other campervan companies:
Travellers Autobahn
Spaceships
Happy Campers
Booking a campervan from private renters
Peer-to-peer van sharing services can be a great way to find unique campervans, and you can find great deals, too.
Quirky Campers
Quirky Campers specialises in handcrafted campervans which have been lovingly created by independent owners.
If you want to find a campervan that is unique and luxurious, with a distinct style, you might find your perfect van life wheels through Quirky Campers.
Camplify
Camplify can be a great cheap option, and you’re hiring directly from an individual, but you might not have the ease of rental companies.
Just be aware that you might get vehicles of much more variable quality than you might get through a campervan rental company.
Renting a vehicle through Camplify means you might get a much older vehicle.
You will most likely also need to collect the campervan from a random location (the owner’s private address) which means you have to factor in the cost of an Uber or taxi for pick up and drop off (campervan hire companies usually have places right next to the airport).
Tips for picking up your campervan
Some things to look out for:
Good campervan rental hire places will do a proper valet of each campervan before it goes to the new owner, but it’s still good to have a look through to make sure it’s clean. Check in places like fabric pockets and storage compartments, which can harbour dirt.
Ask lots of questions, and video the answers if the person is comfortable with that. If you get a complete run through of that, you should identify if there are things that don’t work and that you know how to use everything (making a video can save you trying to Google or Youtube something later, when you might not have data). You shouldn't have to use your data to see instructions, and every van is different so might not show the exact model or info you need.
Some campervan tips:
An inverter to plug into the cigarette lighter is great for charging (some power ports will only work if you’re on a powered site)
Note that some of the cheaper ones do not have the means to plug into campsites, nor have a gas / diesel heater, so you will need to really rug up in winter.
One of the most important things to look for when hiring a campervan is local support — i.e., a New Zealand number you can call if you run into problems.
What’s in a campervan (your campervan packing list)
Electric items like kettles and toasters are less useful than a kettle you can pop on the gas.
These things should be included in your hire, if not they’re cheap and handy to get:
Can opener
Knives
Chopping board
Wooden spoon
Storage things, like ziploc bags and tupperware, are great for helping store food. Tupperwares can come in handy for all sorts, from packing up leftovers to serving as extra bowls, and for making sure nothing leaks.
Extra things that are handy:
Rubber gloves, if you’re going to be emptying wastewater.
A big container of water, as you typically can’t drink the water from the campervan tanks. One big container of water huge container of water at our first grocery and then used that through the entire trip as our water container.
In winter:
A headlamp can be handy, especially if you’re also planning on hiking. I used mine around the van quite a bit in the winter months, when the sun sets around 5.30pm. I had fairy lights, but it’s handy to have a lamp for trips to the toilet in the dark.
Some things you might not use:
Cards
How far in advance do you need to book a campervan?
If you’re planning on travelling during the summer season, you will need to book at least 2 months in advance.
Thanks for reading this far! Have I missed anything?
If you still have questions or would like to know more about anything I’ve mentioned above, please feel free to drop me an email at hello@petrinadarrah.com.
I hope this helped you decide whether or not you should rent a campervan in New Zealand.
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