campervans/rv in New Zealand
 

We are planning to spend 3weeks in New Zealand Nov/Dec 2006. Having difficulty finding camp grounds/camping directories. Is camping there like it is here in the USA.
Would prefer camper with automatic transmission. Does anyone have any suggestions? Thank you.

These sites might help:

www.nzcamping.com/

www.jasons.co.nz/new-zealand-campgrounds.htm

www.top10.co.nz/

Most parks have power & water hookups. Very few have full hookup, but most have sewerage dumps.

Camper-vans/RV's are not like those in the states. They are generally smaller, and built on a light truck chassis, so they ride like a truck. Some are a bit more up market. but mostly they are in the 20 - 25 ft range & sleep 4-6 people, although for comfort 2-4 would be better.

If you are used to RV parks you will be aware of the dissadvantages, , the main one of which is having to break camp every time you want to drive anywhere, like down town for groceries. Most camps have a store of variable size and quality, but you are certain to want to drive somewhere at each overnight.

IMO you should seriously consider the benefits of hiring a car, and using Motels, which are everywhere in NZ, and of very high quality (generally). Prior to Xmas the place is relitively uncrowded, and you should have plenty of choice.

Hi Travelerpeg,
We're planning on spending 2-3 weeks in NZ around the same time as you. I'm still debating where we want to go with a campervan or car/hotels. Have you planned your itinerary yet. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the most for our time there. Are you doing both islands? I would love to hear what your travel plans are and get some tips. Maybe our paths will cross in NZ.

The cars/motels vs. camper/campground decision is difficult; there are pros and cons each way. Personally, I much prefer using a campervan, particularly if you don't have a lot of time. It is so nice to wake up in the morning, turn on the key and set off, as opposed to re-packing and checking out of a motel. We tooled around NZ for over 5 months in a campervan that we purchased, and felt that our experience was greatly enhanced by meeting so many locals and international tourists that frequent the ubiquitous holiday parks.

Even if you do decide to hire a car instead, consider staying in some holiday parks, many of which have, 'tourist flats' which are commonly less expensive than motels.

As for automatic transmissions, they are relatively rare in the smaller van-based campervans. Auto transmissions are more common in the larger motorhome-type vehicles.