NZ: Rental car or camper van??
 

I'm just beginning to plan a trip to NZ for 13 nights in Feb and am just at the transportation stage of planning. The camper van sounds interesting...I can see some pros (complete freedom from having to be at a particular place for a reserved room, and basically being able to change itinerary on the fly if necessary). But I can also see some cons: becoming stir crazy after being cooped up in it for so long, gas prices (glug,glug).
Has anyone done this and how was it? Will it be hard to find space at campgrounds during the peak season? Will a van like that be able to make it up all those mountainous roads?
Also, as far as price...what's a good deal? Most of the deals I see on the internet include airfare, but we're using Skymiles so airfare is already taken care of.
The only reason I'm contemplating a van over a car is the fact that we are usually shoulder season travellers and typically like to just drive and find a room as we go, but I hear that wouldn't be such a great idea during peak season...and I just hate to have to tie us down to being at certain hotels on certain days.
What do you think??
Thanks,
Lisa

Campervans are a very popular way of seeing New Zealand. There are tons of campsites to stay at, or you can just free camp. You can stop in rest areas around NZ and stay the night as long as there are no signs and you are not in anyones way, for free. It is not illegal, as the police would rather see you sleep than drive sleepy. Campervans let you stay in some beautiful remote parts of NZ. At the time of the year you are arriving the weather will still be great and at the end of the high season so you may not have to book any campsites or accommodation as the main Christmas holidays are over and you are in a campervan so you have options. Campsites in general are of a very high quality. Your 13 days in a campervan should not drive you crazy.
You can also hire cheap cars and stay at the many backpackers around the country. This can work out a bit cheaper but you are not as flexible.
We have found Adventure Kiwi (www.adventurekiwi.co.nz) are good for a cheap campervan or car.

You can find a complete list of New Zealand campervan and motorhome companies daily hire rates at www.newzealandatoz.com. This should speed up your search process.

Good luck and enjoy you trip.

cheers,
Dougie

I personally like the campervan option. Particularly if you are short on time (only 2 weeks), you will save a lot of time that you would have spent loading/unloading, checking in/out, etc. It is so nice to roll out of bed in the morning, turn the key, and you are off! I agree with GBZ that there are a lot of places to stay, so it will be a rare occasion when you can't fine a place. NZ is covered with 'Holiday Parks' that have electrical hookups for campervans, ablution blocks (bathrooms/showers) and communal dining facilities. The latter is what will keep you from feeling cooped up in your campervan, and it is a great way to meet fellow travelers.

Yes, it will cost you more in petrol (they hate it when us Yanks say, 'gas'), but if you get a small economical campervan (Mazda or Toyota Hi-Top styles, for instance), you won't notice much of a difference. Those small vans can handle any of the narrow twisty roads that you may encounter with ease. Those big motor homes may be comfortable inside, but they can be challenging to drive on some of the smaller roads.

By the way, most Holiday Parks also have, 'tourist flats', which are usually small cabins/rooms that are a real bargain. If you choose to hire a car instead, this would be a good option for accomodations.

Thanks ALF and GBZ,
Do you recommend any campervan companies with good, reliable Toyota high top vans? And I think I'm most concerned about showers...are there very many campgrounds with the big places for you to take a private shower with hot water?? And what about places to blowdry your hair or will I be air drying everyday? I know that's kind of girly but it only takes me five minutes to blowdry and I hate walking around with wet hair...don't laugh...this camping thing would be a first time adventure!
Also do you know if certain companies over others would let you pick up in one town and drop off in another? And for what kind of charge?
Thanks :)

Here is a list of campervan and car hire companies:

http://www.touring-newzealand.com/rental_vehicles.htm

We have hired campervans from United and Wendekreisen, and had good experiences both times. Wendekreisen seems to have the best rates, assuming that you are willing to settle for a vehicle that is a little older than most of the campervan fleets. They also have newer vans that still seem to be a bit less than the competition. Britz and Maui are the big guys, and you can't go wrong hiring one of their campervans - they charge a premium price, though.

In February, expect to pay NZ$120-S175 per day for a campervan, as opposed to $70-$90 per day for a car. Some companies charge $150-$200 as a drop-off charge, while others don't. Also, the odds are that if you want to take your vehicle between islands, you will have to drop it at one side and pick up another one on the other side. This is not a big problem - most companies are set up to do it, and you will save the cost of paying to transport a rental vehicle across the Strait.

Most holiday park ablution blocks have separate shower stalls and plugs for hair dryers. My wife used a dryer for her hair at several parks without any trouble.

We have heard good things about www.adventurekiwi.co.nz.
Cheers

You guys are great!! Thanks so much for your advice! I've been doing ALOT of research here and have seen that you have been helping people on this site for quite a long time!! I'm always amazed that there are such great people that will take so much time out to help others with their travel plans!! We're so lucky to have people like you!!
So, bear with me if you've answered these questions 100 times before. I think I'll go look at all your previous posts before I bug you with more questions:)
Except for one that I'm super curious to know your opinion on....if you do the camper van thing and you really want to do an overnight cruise on Milford or Doubtful Sound...do you just not worry about the cost and forget about the fact that your paying at least $175 for the van and not using it...or do you go with just a car? Nit-picky, I know, but just wondering what most folks do.
Thanks again,
Lisa

Personally, I would still go on the overnight cruise, which should be fantastic (we overnighted on Doubtful Sound - one of our major highlights). I guess that I would look at it as costing NZ$80-$100 more to leave a campervan sitting unused for one night, versus a rental car. When we did that overnight cruise, we had purchased a campervan, so any lost nights didn't matter to us. Of course, it ended up being a very poor investment, as we took a huge beating when we sold it at the end of our trip - it might have ended up costing less to have rented it.

February can be an expensive time to rent a campervan in New Zealand. In saying that it is a great time to travel around New Zealand, as it is the best month of summer.

If you want to save some money, but still get around New Zealand, I would recommend a car instead. They are much cheaper than a campervan and there are a number of good operators that have some slightly older cars, which are consequently much cheaper. They are kept in good order and the rental car companies offer breakdown service. Try the companies like Ace or Snap Rentals www.snaprentals.co.nz

At the end of the day it wont matter if you get a rental car or a campervan, you will still have an amazing time in New Zealand!