eplam123

My wife and I are planning a trip of 3 weeks to NZ this coming October. Can Anyone advise as to which is more worthwhile- renting a car and finding lodging or buying/renting a trailer? Any helo will be much appreciated.

vbca

I assume that by Trailer you are referring to a Caravan, which is towed behind your car.
Although there are caravans for hire in NZ, I very much doubt that you will be able to rent a car with a trailer hitch.(Maybe a 4WD or a SUV) Buying a vehicle for just 3 weeks is a waste of money.
Your options are either renting a car, and staying in Hotels/Motels, or renting a camper van(RV). These are mostly 20 - 25 ft, and not as well equiped as those in the US, but are vey popular just the same, with hundreds available from such as Maui, Britz, Budget, and many other companies.
Personally, in October I would go for a rental car. THere will be plenty of accommodation in most areas, and a car is far easier to get around in than a camper. A car will also cost far less to rent, and to run.

Mademoiselle

I highly suggest renting a car and finding lodging. I drove through most of New Zealand and a lot of it was spent wondering how we were going to stay in the lane, the passenger constantly looking over hoping not to hit the ditch. I drive a pretty small sports car here, but felt like the lanes were very narrow, despite our ultra tiny rental car (equivalent of a Honda Fit).

At one point my friend actually bit it, yes, I heard a loud crash and thought that he damaged the side panel of the car, this happened when an RV was passsing us. The side of the car was ok, the rim of the wheel was pretty damaged though, we hit the side of a bridge apparently.

Also, when driving to Queensland from the Greymouth area there was a steep alpine slope and we barely made it up, I did see RVs going up and was in awe that they could make it up the steep slope.

Besides, lots of nice B&Bs in NZ (though I stayed in Hostels about half the time). I also wanted to stay at a farmstay but couldn't work it out.

kodi

I, too, would recommend renting a car.
Some of the roads are pretty narrow and much of the time you will be going up and down steep hills. I would not want to drive an Rv on these roads.

We stayed in hostels and they were great. Quite different than I thought they'd be. We always had a twin room, not a dorm and stayed in smaller hostels, more like a B&B, but made our own meals.

Neil_Oz

Another vote for a car. I must say though that our experience of NZ roads, both NI and SI, has not been nearly as bad as Mademoiselle's. I will say that our Honda CR-V with four passengers laboured up one part of Arthurs Pass, but I put that down to my good wife's refusal to take my reommendation to viciously kick the beast back to a lower gear.

In fact we found some roads in the USA much scarier; I mention in particular Route 550 between Silverton and Durango in Colorado, which snakes along the edge of a sheer precipice with no, repeat no, guard rails or any shoulder to speak of. Parts of the twisty and narrow Pacific Coast Highway in northern California, also lacking shoulders or rails, are no picnic either. I'd take NZ roads over them any time.

Mademoiselle

Yes, I agree with Neil_Oz that some of our roads (haven't driven Route 550) are not full width. Highway 1 on the coast in Monterrey is definitely windy and very narrow, with some rock at the edge of travel way.

In NZ I didn't have any experiences with rocks edging their way into our lane, for me I think a lot of it was driving opposite of what I am used to. It was fine after awhile, but it always seemed like I was pulling left, I definitely think smaller cars in NZ are better. At one point my friend said, "You can't shop anymore, there isn't ROOM!", The trunk is full, no more, you're done!". That's when I decided to start drinking my NZ wine and making more room *Ü*.

Neil_Oz

M'selle, you're right, driving on the "wrong" side of the road doesn't help. (I support your decision to drink your trunk empty - very sound.)

SenohDH1

OK - Please allow me to give you a very different opinion. I had absolutely no trouble negotiating our campervan around the South Island. It was a small challenge, but actually very enjoyable. The roads were terrific. The suggested speed is posted at every turn and if you stay within it - there should be no problem. The roads are paved and very consistent. However, sometimes there is not much room for passing. Straight away stretches depend upon the area. It is all well marked including no passing zones. Yes, you need to get used to driving (and shifting) on the "wrong side", but it was not as bad as described in earlier postings. I did both. We had a campervan for much of our trip, then we rented/hotel for quite a bit. The positive about the van was the convenience of not packing and unpacking with each stop. The large bed was the better than most hotels. Plus we had a bathroom and kitchen to stop wherever we wanted for a nice romantic lunch break or just to take a rest stop. There are campgrounds which have laundry and other services and you can find them on the i-site. They are called Holiday Parks. While they are not romantic spots like here in the U.S. You won't be at them long and they are very clean. It is an awesome way to go and we stayed in some of the best hotels which NZ has to offer. If you are a good driver, you will have only minor challenges. We rented Kea and thought they were awesome. Maui also seemed to have clean and updated vehicles.

kaneda

Lots of fairly narrow roads in NZ. Fine for a car but I wouldn't like to drive anything bigger on some of them. Lots of B&B's about and you can drive into town without any problem parking.

heathy

I would tend to suggest that car rental would be the best option.
Are you aware that the first week of October is school holiday time here in NZ ? I would strongly advise you not to travel that week !
Hope you have an enjoyable time.

AndrewDavid

yes neil but what about the opportunities for american road food ( not roadkill) along the way?
a/d