New Zealand trip planning

[Bisbonian]

We're heading to New Zealand at the end of October for a few weeks so I need to get moving with some trip planning.

We're considering hiring a smallish campervan and tooling around rather than hiring a car and staying in hotels every night.

Budget is an issue so we're trying to get by somewhat cheaply.

I still have a lot of searching to do, but for those who know more than me (probably almost everyone) does this sound feasible?

I know we'll end up paying a bit more for fuel and will still have to pay for RV parking at night but it might work out cheaper overall. Right now I'm looking at about $1500nz for the whole 19 days for a van with an extended roof and a bathroom.

[Kiwi all]

There are plenty of camper an hire companies but I don't think you will get one with a bathroom for that long at that budget.
Where are you flying into ? I assume Auckland.
Have a look at a website called transfer car, they sometimes have one way rentals from Christchurch to Auckland at a very cheap rate. You may be able to add some extra days and have a cost effective holiday.

[wrbix]

Hope you've got your Airline tickets reserved and purchased. We found could not happen on short notice (like mos in advance).
We toured the South Island via motorcycle, hotelling it and trout fishing along the way. Accommodations were always available at quite reasonable prices. Most every little town has a pub/hotel plus any number of hostels here and there. When we do it again we will do the camper van thing.
Enjoy...great country and fine folks. Cuisine is "uniform"

[Bisbonian]

We've had our plane tickets for a while now but have procrastinated on everything else.

I've just started getting serious tonight looking at alternatives. I'm looking at Lucky rentals right now who have something similar in size to a VW Vanagon (I think), with an extended roof. They're not brand new but should be sufficient. Without a bathroom looks around $1000nz and with a bathroom around $1500nz.

I'm looking at the Holiday Parks right now for parking at night, they seem to range between $20-$40 per night. Is there a better choice for camping or are the Holiday parks a good deal? They look nice from Internet pictures and if the have bathroom facilities then it's not that important for us to have them in our van.

We are leaning toward the campervan, we think it will add a nice sense of adventure and freedom to our trip.

[malik]

There's lots of holiday parks all over - full facilities (kitchens, bathrooms, laundries, etc) & powered sites. There's also lots of free camping places, almost everywhere, though there are a few area which don't encourage it. The Dept of Conservation has some great free places all over - well worth checking out. Also google "free camping new zealand". You'll pick up more info from the other caravaners once you are on the ground. The country is set up for tourism, so information & assistance is available easily & the locals, too, are friendly.

The Top Ten parks I've come across have all been excellent - join up for a small fee & get 10% off - they have some reciprocal rights deals, too. Probably most of the chains have the something similar.

While you are there anyway, the Tattley Rappets (Guzzi rally) is in Invercargill this year - the last weekend in October. The Burt Munro Challenge (5 days of racing) is in Invercargill at the end of November & the following weekend there should be a couple of days of classic racing at the Levels at Timaru (http://www.cams-racing.org.nz/). Just in case you experience withdrawal symptoms.

You'll have a ball & probably be reluctant to leave.

Mal

[Bisbonian]

We jumped in with both feet last night and reserved our camper. We fly into Aukland October 26 but we've decided to immediately take a local flight into Christchurch and do a one-way rental ending up back in Auckland.

If the rally is over Halloween weekend then we can totally be in, would it be strange for my first motorcycle rally to be halfway around the world?

My wife is very excited, she's been wanting to take a caravan trip since I've known her.

[malik]

It's on NZ Labour weekend 23-26 October, so it looks like you'll miss it, just.

At the Beach Road Holiday Park in Otatara, Invercargill - 03 213 040 - tell them you are coming for the rally. - apparently taking rally bookings only.

Rally info available at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tattley-Rappet/134200636637935

The locals are very welcoming of foreigners, even those of us from just over the ditch. I'll really miss not being able to get there this year.

Have fun,

Mal