Camper Van Hire In New Zealand - 12 Tips And More To Maximise Your Stay

Camper Van Hire In New Zealand - 12 Tips And More To Maximise Your Stay

Travelling around in New Zealand with a camper van or Motorhome is the most popular and preferred ways to discover the magic of our country. Knowledge is often power - view our 12 tips and more below to make your stay and experience in your camper van for NZ as stress free as possible.

Many visitors come to New Zealand for the very first time and then they decide to want to come back because they didn't allow themselves enough time to visit both Islands.

Be sure to ask all your questions in advance - and at any stage of your holiday planning, so that you have as much information as possible to make your planned stay as enjoyable as possible.

12 tips and more for your camper van hire in New Zealand:

- Hires out of Auckland for peak season travel availability from Auckland can be very restricted, limited or not possible.

- Plan to stay at least for 3 weeks - 10 days North Island and 10 days South Island.

- All Motorhomes and camper vans go onto the Cook Strait ferry and cannot be exchanged at the respective Wellington or Picton ferry terminals (Wellington is on the North Island - Picton on the South Island).

- First and last day count as hire days - camper van and Motorhome hires are based on calendar day hire - so you can pick up on day one first thing in the morning and drop the vehicle off on your last day at the latest by 5 pm.

- After hour pick up is a hassle. Allow 2 hours for Auckland pick up and at least 1 hour for Christchurch pick up. For plane arrivals after 3 pm - it will not be possible to collect the camper van on same day.

- Most NZ Motorhome companies want their vehicles in Auckland - so the preferred option of hire is from Christchurch to Auckland.

- Pick up and drop off either at Auckland or Christchurch - depots are usually located close to the airports.

- Children under 5 years of age have to be seated in an approved child car seat - no need to bring your own - this can be provided at very little extra costs.

- New Zealand Roads are most suited for vehicles with manual gear shift - most 4 or 6 berth Motorhomes are equipped with manual gear shift only.

- For long haul travellers we strongly recommend to have their first night in a hotel or Motel etc and start their Camper van holiday the next day.

- You do not need a special drivers licence to drive a Motorhome or camper van in New Zealand.

- For peak season travel we strongly recommend to book at least 3 months ahead to avoid disappointment later on.

- Over the Christmas /New Year period please pre-book your site at caravan parks as in some hot spots availability will be restricted.

- Most roads in NZ are sealed roads however some road restrictions exist and it is prohibited to drive a rental vehicles on those roads.

- Breakdowns do happen - 24 hour road assistance is offered but can often be delayed depending where visitors are stranded therefore not always possible.

There are 100 or more ways to improve your planning for a successful camper van holiday in New Zealand - we hope that you have found these 12 tips and more for your campervan hire useful and informative.