It was a pretty easy decision for us to go for a camper van rental when we were planning our trip. We have over 80k miles on our current van in the states, and have taken it from Baja to Banff, Bellingham to Bete Grise and Bend to Blanding. Sorry about the alliteration, I was on a roll. It’s how we transitioned in midlife from true dirtbags to dirtbags that can weather a wind event while sleeping in a comfy bed. We did zero research on Airbnbs, hotels, or Book a Bach. We looked at where we wanted to go, and New Zealand had cheap, or free, camping there.
We ended up getting a van from Barefoot Campers that we booked through Ratpack Travel. We ended up with a 2018 Toyota Hiace that came equipped with a very attractive paint job, and a fiberglass topper that could house a third person if you really like that third person.
Our little van had the current freedom camping certification. The 100 amp hour lithium battery that recharged while driving that was sufficient for running the fridge and charging our phones. We spent four nights at Totoranui without moving. Probably couldn’t have gone one more day without starting the van up. 20 liters of fresh water and a 20 liter grey water tank serviced by a small sink and water pump was more than adequate. We usually needed to fill up the fresh water twice a week. We drank more water than, we put down the sink, so we didn’t have to empty the grey water very often. Many places didn’t have potable water, but everywhere we filled up, the water was very good quality. We usually did dishes in campground kitchens when it was available.
The van came with two butane single burner stoves and a basic kitchen set up. Small pot, fry pan, plates, silverware, shitty knife, cutting board and coffee cups. I, of course brought my own knives in my checked luggage. We travel with a Jetboil in our van since we like to make our coffee and tea fast. It doesn’t take up any space, and it’s sooo much faster than those butane canister stoves. The kitchens at the campgrounds often had on demand hot water heaters. There was also a couple of camp chairs and a small camp table. One chair was ripped, and the table was bent, so I would suggest pulling those out before you start.
We got about 10-12 KPL 🙂 about 20 MPG.
The infrastructure for camping, particularly in a van or camper, is incredibly dialed on the South Island. Water and power outlets are completely standardized. Most every water supply was equipped with a quick disconnect fitting that is identical to what every camper comes equipped with. The South Island has so many places to go to the toilet, and get rid of your recycling and rubbish, you can tell there were issues with human waste in the past. Talking to old Kiwis, we heard of some pretty disgusting tales. It sounds like the island had quite an issue with toilet paper and rubbish.
We bought the Department of Conservancy annual pass. I think it was $235 for the two of us and we could stay at almost every DOC campground for free. If you wanted electricity, I think it cost $3 USD with your pass. Most DOC sites are pretty inexpensive, and we got our money’s worth out of the pass. The most simple DOC campgrounds have nothing more than a “long drop” toilet – what a great name. Some of the nicer DOC camps had pay showers, laundry, great indoor kitchens, electricity, water and dump stations. When we hit the North Island, we were a little surprised by the lack of DOC campgrounds, but on the South Island, they are plentiful.
I am curious if summer campers have the same experience that we did while on our trip. Even though, most campgrounds at popular destinations were pretty full, and there really isn’t much space between campers, everyone is super courteous and quiet. There was a fire ban everywhere, so I’m not sure if that helped with the noise level, but well before the 10 pm quiet time, it would be super quiet. In our 63 nights, we were never bothered or awakened by anything more than a closing car door. We never heard a bluetooth speaker, or incessantly barking dogs. Especially, in places that had lots of outdoor activities, people were tired, and ready to go to bed. We ended up not being bothered by not having absolutely pristine spots to camp where we were off by ourselves like we do in the states. Since you are out in the stunning wilderness all day, actually having a neighbor to say, “hi,” too and compare notes on cool things to do and see, was nice.
In addition to the DOC pass, we ended up becoming members of Top Ten Holiday Parks. They have them all over the North and South Island, and when you are living on the road, it is nice to have someplace comfortable every week or so. Their parks are franchises, but they all have a certain standard. Pretty good kitchens, super clean, a place to do laundry, and classic rock playing in the bathrooms. Barb and I would have actually been pretty happy if they were a little less consistent on the bathroom music, but other than that, we were always ready to have a spot where we get cleaned up with hot water. Even though we ended up using Top Ten as our main choice for Holiday Parks, we did stay at several independently owned parks that were all great.
Freedom camping was the third option to DOC or holiday parks. Generally, freedom camping was nothing more than a parking lot with a toilet. In cities, they would be restricted to a certain number of parking spots. Out in the country, it would be an open area that you would just find a place, and park. There were times where we be packed in less than an arms length apart. But like all of our camping experiences, people were super courteous, friendly, and quiet.
How did we fit everything?
The van company was a little shocked by how much we were carrying when we picked up the van, but everything fit quite well. Sneaking a peak into other vans, I would say we would have won an award for how tidy we kept our living space.
The van had storage under the benches that consisted of five individual cubbies. There was a sixth space that was occupied by the cassette toilet. We had a bin for our day to day hiking gear. Boots, day packs, hiking poles, etc. One bin was the boat, paddles, pfds, and other boat gear. We had a spot just for food, one housed the boards that made the bed, cleaning stuff, and dirty laundry. The last bin held our backpacks, tent, and things we didn’t need to access.
The fiberglass topper that held the bed for that third, non existent, person was the perfect place to stash our clothes, and also made it so we could stand up in the van. I’m used to sitting on a stool in our van since we don’t have a high roof van.
63 days is a long time to spend in a little van with another person. We learned how to perform the dance of our daily rituals, and Barb did learn to control her yelps, gasps, ghost brake stomping, and the sudden flailing when she felt we were careening out of control off the edge of the road we were crawling down at 25 mph. She can share her strategies for dealing with the numerous, shear edges that New Zealand has to offer. We did have a tent in our possession in case we needed to split up for a night or two, but it turns out that our 30 years of marriage was still pretty strong.
Let us know if you have any questions. I do plan on doing a quick little write up on all the little places we stayed.
