The following notes summarise our experience of 3 journeys through New Zealand, each forming part of a separate round-the-world journey.
In 2000, we cycled 4,500 miles (7,200 km) in 5 months from Auckland to CapeReinga in the far north, down to Stewart Island in the far south and back to Auckland.
In 2002 we spent nearly 4 months in New Zealand. Initially, we hired an 'Adventure' motorhome in Christchurch on the South Island and returned it to Auckland, via a circuitous route. This was followed by a 1,500 mile (2,400 km) bicycle ride from and back to Auckland via East Cape, the Wairarapa and Taranaki.
In 2005, we have hired a 'Tui' motorhome in Auckland for a 7-week, 3,000-mile (5,000 km) circular tour through the NorthIsland.
Motorhome vs Campervan: In New Zealand, as in Australia, a motorhome is usually defined as being any vehicle which contains the normal requirements for living, eating and sleeping plus a toilet and shower. Campervans tend to be smaller (based on a panel van, such as the Toyota HiAce), with a fixed high roof or a raising roof ('pop-top'). Campervans do not usually have a toilet or shower.
Unlike Australia, the great majority of New Zealanders prefer a motorhome or campervan to a caravan or camping trailer. In fact, caravans capable of movement are quite rare! The narrow, twisting roads and many hills are much less suited to towing. A very large number of campervans and motorhomes are available for hire and are popular with British and German visitors, among others.
Buying vs Hiring: For a short visit, hiring is the only possibility. There are many motorhome and campervan hire companies in the country and it is possible to pick up the vehicle in one town and leave it in another, usually without extra charges. In this way, the motorhome journey can be part of a longer one – for example, you can fly into Christchurch on the South Island and out from Auckland in the North.
Hiring a Motorhome: Mid-November through March is the high season and prices are significantly lower outside this period (as are other costs, such as caravan park fees).
In September to early November 2000, we hired an 'Adventure' motorhome from their depot in Christchurch and returned it to Auckland. This was the low season, 'Adventure' were keen to move the motorhome back to its home base in Auckland and nothing was too much trouble for them. They collected us and our bicycles immediately from ChristchurchAirport (where we'd spotted their 'low season special offer' advert). They even provided a cycle rack to carry our bikes and lent us a car to go shopping and have lunch while they fitted it!
It was a small 4-berth coach-built motorhome on a Toyota ToyAce chassis, a strange little vehicle. For example, the four rear wheels were smaller than the 2 front ones, forcing the carriage of 2 spares! But it was very well converted and equipped, and the cost of solving a problem we had with batteries was readily reimbursed. A rear U-shaped lounge formed one good double bed, along with the table; a second bed was available above the cab although we used that space for storage.
We have more information and images of this 'Adventure' motorhome, stored in our own motorhome, which is in the UK. They will be added here at a later date. See also www.adventuremotorhomes.co.nz
In July 2005, we hired a Ford Transit-based 6-metre long coach-built motorhome. The hire company was 'Tui' based in Auckland and Christchurch – see www.tuicampers.co.nz. We actually booked in advance on the internet through an agent, as our arrival coincided with the British Lions rugby tour, when it was almost impossible to get any kind of campervan. However, using an agent did cost extra in commission (unlike Australia, where booking via an internet agent secured a very good discount). If you want to use an agent, visit www.travelnz.com for a wide range of campervans and motorhomes of different sizes and specifications, and a table showing how costs vary with the season.
The 'Tui' had a turbo-diesel engine with a 5-speed manual gearbox, just about adequate for the task. It returned about 8.5 km per litre (about 24 miles per gallon) and it used no oil or water on its 5,000 km journey. There was a heater in the cab, along with a radio and CD player.
In the living part, we had a gas-fired blown-air heater which needed 12 volts, 12-volt lighting, a 12-volt compressor-driven refrigerator, a mains-operated microwave, a 4-burner gas hob with grill, cassette toilet and small shower with a fold-down hand-basin. Water for the shower and sink was delivered under pressure by a 12-volt pump and heated by gas. Four cupboards, a small wardrobe, 6 overhead lockers and space under the seats, along with a large unused sleeping area above the cab, gave more than enough storage space. The table plus another piece of wood filled the gap between the U-shaped bench seats in the rear of the van to make a very large and comfortable double bed.
'Tui' provided a good range of linen, bedding and equipment and we had little need to supplement it, although we did buy a small electric fan heater for the mid-winter evenings. As a couple travelling in what could have been a 5-berth motorhome (a single bunk folded down over the rear bed if needed), we found it spacious and there was more than enough bedding and kitchenware. For example, we got 2 duvets (doonas), 4 towels, 4 pillows and 5 sets of crockery and cutlery. All this was of much better quality than the one-dollar-shop products supplied by 'Maui' in Australia.
Visitors staying for longer than a couple of months in NZ may consider buying a low-priced motorhome or campervan, to sell at the end of their stay or to keep for the next visit!
Older but serviceable campervans are quite affordable by world standards. Auctions and newspaper columns may be a good source. Vans may also be advertised on Backpackers' Hostel notice boards by travellers about to go home. The 2 main arrival/departure points are Auckland and Christchurch. The dominant pattern is to buy in Auckland and sell in Christchurch, so buying in Christchurch may give a bigger selection.
Even Third Party motor insurance is not compulsory in New Zealand, but it is essential. Obviously, an accident could leave you responsible for thousands of dollars worth of damage.
When buying, make sure the vehicle has a WoF (Warranty of Fitness). This is valid for 6 months, but must be less than 28 days old at date of sale. The AA offers a pre-purchase vehicle inspection service for a fee, as do some garages. An on-line search to verify the seller's ownership of the vehicle is well worth the price of $NZ 3 – visit Personal Properties Securities at www.ppsr.govt.nz for this service. The road licence fee should still be valid – to renew it costs approx $NZ 55 for 3 months, $NZ 105 for 6 months or $NZ 200 for one year.
To transfer ownership, both buyer and seller fill out a form and lodge it within 7 days. The buyer pays the $NZ 10 fee.
Useful websites include:
www.aatravel.co.nzthe website of the Automobile Association, which can advise on purchase, taxing, testing, registering and insuring a vehicle.
www.nzmca.org.nzthe website of the New Zealand Motorcaravan Association, whose members always have vans for sale.
www.mccmagazine.co.nzthe website of a motorcaravan and caravan magazine, which has vehicles for sale.
www.mauidirect.co.nz the website of a major hire company, which may well have ex-hire vans for sale.
www.bbh.co.nz the website of Budget Backpacker Hostels, a group of over 350hostels, offers a 'Globe Trotter' third party vehicle insurance policy, and may have campervans for sale.
Caravan Parks: Around the coast and in most towns there are good municipal and private caravan parks. Groups giving a 10% discount to members include Top 10 Holiday Parkswww.top10.co.nz (reciprocal membership with the Big Four group in Australiawww.big4.com.au) and the Kiwi Holiday Parkswww.kiwiholidayparks.com (linked with Australian Top Tourist Parkswww.toptouristparks.com.au). Membership, valid in both countries for 2 years, costs $20 in each case. Prices in New Zealand in 2005 averaged about $NZ 24 per night for 2 adults, with an electric hook-up (a 'powered site'). Occasionally, we saw parks exclusively for campervans or motorhomes (no space for caravans or tents), charging a little less.
Caravan parks always provide good 15-amp hook-ups, plus a non-powered area for a couple of dollars less. Ablution facilities are usually good enough - clean toilets with paper and very hot showers, although there is sometimes a small charge (20 or 50 cents) for that privilege. Caravan parks with en-suite sites are a rare find, but nonetheless welcome (eg Dargaville). We even found one with a private bath in Whangamata. There will be plentiful tap water, good enough to boil and drink, and usually a dump point for cassette toilet-emptying. Laundries are equipped with coin-op washers and driers, large sinks with hot water and often ironing facilities. Rotary- drier clothes lines are provided for fine weather.
Most caravan parks have well equipped camp kitchens, where you can cook, eat and wash up. Many also have electric or gas barbecues, or fireplaces if open fires are not banned. Some even offer games rooms with table tennis, darts, snooker, etc. The TV room might house an unofficial book, magazine and tourist info swap-shop, where we've found some interesting reading matter. Open-air swimming pools are common on non-coastal parks for the summer months. Reception ('the office') will generally offer a shop for basic items, a public phone, tourist info, gas bottle refills/exchange, perhaps even a simple coin-in-the-slot kiosk for accessing the net and emailing Unlike their counterparts throughout Europe, caravan parks in New Zealand (and Australia) stay open all year round and they always have a selection of relatively inexpensive cabins (from air-conditioned en-suite units to backpackers' bunkhouse) and 'on-site vans' (furnished static caravans let by the night). Linen and towels cost extra.
The DOC (Dept of Conservation) manages over 150 vehicle-accessible 'conservation campsites' with simple facilities from about $NZ 5 per person. The most basic ones are free of charge and the most popular have a booking system in peak season. Get a brochure from any DOC office or visit www.doc.govt.nz.
It is noticeable that many long-term New Zealand motorhomers rarely (or even never) use a caravan park. They are often seen camping wherever there is a safe parking place, using public toilets and filling with water at service stations when they buy fuel. Some towns offer a public dump point, for sewage disposal. Public launderettes (laundromats) are available in towns.
Climate: There is a wide range of climatic conditions from the semi-tropical north to the temperate south. Winter ski-ing is available on both North and South Island, while summers become quite hot and UV levels can be dangerously high. Riding in summer, we lost a pair of cycle pannier bags when the material became very brittle with the radiation, our T-shirt backs went into holes and we had to use plenty of factor 30 sunscreen and lip salve.
New Zealand is also well known for its winds from the west and the north-west, off the Tasman Sea, often accompanied by rain. Cyclists will experience more side winds than head or back winds and should carry good rain gear.
However, there are also many halcyon days – warm, blue skies, white clouds and cool evenings. If it were in the northern hemisphere, most of New Zealand would lie south of Italy. That is, it is above 40 degrees south. This makes the length of the day fairly uniform, compared with much of Europe, and the sun sets fairly quickly!
Clubs: It is worth contacting and maybe even joining the New Zealand Motorcaravan Association (known as 'Wings'). They offer a monthly magazine, insurance, a Members' Market with vehicles for sale, publications, caravan park discounts, offers to swap, opportunities for 'freedom camping' on each other's property, and a website: www.nzmca.org.nz. Currency: £1 was worth around $NZ 2.5 during our 2005 visit. ATM's are widely available and UK credit and debit cards are accepted everywhere, including major supermarkets and fuel chains. Many shops operating EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) offer cash-back at the same time.
Cycling: New Zealand (especially South Island) is promoted as good cycling country, though the hills and winds make it unsuitable for those new to cycle touring! For the experienced, it offers unrivalled coastal or mountain scenery, plentiful food and good budget accommodation. There are plenty of places to pitch a tent, well equipped campgrounds with cabins, or backpackers' hostels. Visit www.bbh.co.nz for backpacker accommodation. There are also over 60 Youth Hostels listed at www.stayyha.co.nz.
Detailed entertaining information about cycle touring comes in 2 small volumes (one for each island) – 'A Pedaller's Paradise' by Nigel Rushton. More on www.paradise-press.co.nz and in the Maps and Guides section, below. The national cycling body can be visited on www.cyclingnz.org.nz.
Cycle helmets are compulsory (as they are in Australia) and we have heard of spot fines for not wearing them. See Road Safety below, wear bright yellow and fit a mirror. There are very few dedicated cycling paths or trails, but we did appreciate the work which has gone into the Otago Central Rail Trail on South Island, which uses an old railway line (complete with viaducts and tunnels) for a splendid 3-day ride. For details, see www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz.
Ferry: To cross Cook Strait (the deep wet bit between North and South Island), theInterislander vehicle ferries take 3 hours between Wellington and Picton. Book at travel agencies, or call 0800 802 802 toll-free, or visit www.interislander.co.nz.
Food: Expect a British diet plus many 'veggies', with plentiful fish, meat, dairy produce and, of course, kiwi-fruit (sweet and golden). Excellent supermarkets include New World, Woolworth's/Foodtown and Pak+Save. Look for bargain meals open to all at Bowling and Golf Clubs and the RSA (Returned Servicemen's Association). Fast food chains - McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Burger King, Pizza Hut etc - are now present all over New Zealand, but pubs and bakeries also provide 'a good feed' for those on the move.
Fuel: For our visit in 2005, diesel averaged just below $NZ 1 or £0.40. Petrol was usually over $NZ 1.3 (£0.50 or so) per litre. Unlike Australia, supermarkets do not generally sell fuel, nor issue discount vouchers. Service stations are everywhere and usually stay open all hours, including weekends.
Geography and Geology: Briefly, the NorthIsland is volcanic in origin and nature; the South Island is alpine. They are very different but both are prone to earthquakes since the alpine upthrust and the volcanic origins stem from the Pacific Plate pushing up against the Australian Plate.
Being a young country, the volcanic nature of the North Island has been little modified by erosion. Everywhere there are volcanic cones, from those measuring a few metres in height to those thrusting a snow-capped 9,000 ft (3,000 m) into the sky. This makes for interesting cycling and driving as roads twist and turn to avoid or climb over these endless cones. Typical hill-climbs are not great – 100 to 300 metres – but there are many of them!
The Alps in the South Island reach up to 12,000 ft at Mount Cook, which is still growing by a few centimetres a year! There are about 100 glaciers in and around the Mount Cook area; some glaciers melt down into temperate rain forest a short distance from the sea.
Health Care: There is no government-funded reciprocal health care agreement for foreigners, although travellers are covered for medical care resulting from ACCIDENTS (including motor accidents). Details on www.moh.govt.nz. ILLNESS has to be covered by your own travel insurance policy. We use Endsleigh Insurance – visit www.endsleigh.co.uk and book on-line for a discount, rather than by telephone or post.
New Zealand has no dangerous animals or venomous creatures and is free of rabies. Nor are there any tropical diseases, such as malaria, typhoid or cholera, so there are no vaccination requirements. Tap water is usually safe, but boil it if uncertain.
Internet: Some public libraries offer internet access but (unlike Australia or the UK) this is not a free service, and many have yet to install any computers. Even quite small towns have simple (and often very slow) facilities for internet/email.. However, it is not common for you to be able to use your own laptop, nor can you easily plug in a USB flash drive. This means that you may have to use CDs or 3½” floppies to transfer data to and from the internet centre, but libraries are not keen on these. Most centres also have a printer, at 20 cents a page.
Visitor Centres sometimes have a terminal and will also direct you to other outlets. Costs vary from $NZ 5 (= £2) to as much as $NZ 10 (= £4) per hour. Strangely, the best centres were often combined with another business, the computers being at the back of a laundry, clothes shop, jeweller's or barber's!
Maps and Guides: The official national tourist office is on www.purenz.com.Most towns have a Visitor Centre with plenty of free local maps, leaflets and advice - see Visitor Information Centres on www.i-site.org.
Take your UK AA/RAC card to get a wide range of free or subsidised route, town and regional maps from AA offices (visit www.aatravel.co.nz). The AA also produces a free guide to a wide range of accommodation in 2 volumes, one for each island.
The HAPNZ (Holiday Accommodation Parks of NZ) have a free map and directory listing 280 of the best – also on www.holidayparks.co.nz. Jasons publish a free annual guide to Holiday Parks, Campgrounds and Backpackers' Lodges, and another to Motels and Lodges - see www.jasons.com. All these are readily available without charge at Visitor Information centres, campsites and backpackers' hostels: you do not need to buy them (though some bookshops do offer them for sale!)
The Lonely Planet (on its home territory) or Rough Guide is an essential companion to the country. Both are very thorough. If visiting both Australia and NZ, you can save money and weight by buying Lonely Planet's new 'Australia and New Zealand on a Shoestring', published April 2005, price £15.99 in the UK – a good summary of their 2 separate guidebooks.
Cyclists should look for Nigel Rushton's 2 excellent informative and entertaining little guides to cycling – one each for the North and SouthIslands. Not least, they give profiles of every rideable road and the location of all important teashops, hostels and campgrounds. They are called 'Pedallers' Paradise' (the name of the backpackers' hostel he runs in LakeTekapo, South Island) – visit www.paradise-press.co.nz and email Nigel Rushton: Buy his books at good cycle shops, Whitcoull's bookshops and some visitor centres. They are much cheaper, lighter and infinitely better than the Lonely Planet Guide to Cycling in NZ.
Media: Radio stations on AM and FM are available except in the most remote locations. National Radio is the equivalent of the BBC with news/talk and classical music channels. In towns, National is supplemented by local commercial stations on FM and AM.
TV stations (one state-owned and serious, plus commercial stations) broadcast on UHF in or very near towns. Caravan parks may provide a TV set in communal areas – typically the kitchen or games room.
Newspapers are excellent for both national and international reports. In NorthIsland, the NZ Herald (published in Auckland) or the Dominion Post (from Wellington) are the best. In South Island, look for The Press (from Christchurch) or, our favourite, the ODT (Otago Daily Times, published in Dunedin). Not least, we enjoyed the crossword puzzles and weather forecasts.
Post: In towns, Post Office counters are usually inside 'Books and More': a chain of book shops which provide an excellent service for mail and sell stationery, boxes, cards, printer cartridges, blank CDs, magazines – all kinds of stuff. Mail sent Poste Restante is held for up to a month and we haven't had to pay a fee on collection. In rural areas, the village store may also act as the postal agency.
Sending letters overseas takes up to 10 days. International parcels can be sent Economy (3-5 weeks), Airmail (1-2 weeks) or Express (a few days). See www.nzpost.co.nz for all its services.
Road Safety: In New Zealand the pro-rata accident rate on the roads is higher than that of most other developed countries, including the UK. It is even higher than Portugal and Greece (which are among Europe's most dangerous roads).
Even the main roads can be narrow and poorly surfaced, while dual carriageways are a rarity away from the immediate vicinity of Auckland and Wellington. Few roads of any kind have an adequate shoulder. Many country roads are unsealed and can be muddy or rocky, depending on the season. Off-road, ground clearance is often more important than four-wheel drive.
New Zealand drivers are competent on the whole, but there is a noticeable minority of younger drivers in older cars who drive much too fast and overtake in situations which could only be called suicidal, if they did not involve the murder of innocents coming the other way! The speed limit in towns is usually 50 km/hour (31 mph) and 100 km/hour (62.5 mph) on the open road. Both of these are much too high for the conditions. Children can have a licence on their fifteenth birthday, use a mobile phone while driving and 3rd-party insurance is not compulsory! Drive defensively (on the left)! Seat belts must be worn.
Large trucks, particularly logging trucks, rarely hesitate to overtake, even on narrow winding roads. Many truck drivers are paid by the trip, so they try to get as many trips into a working day as they can! Cyclists quickly learn to get out of their way.
In emergency, freecall '111' gets you the emergency services.
Safety in General: We felt very safe throughout our stays, although we were warned not to 'free-camp' in certain remote areas and not to walk through certain southern suburbs of Auckland at night.
Services: Service stations abound and they usually stay open across the weekend. They offer fuel, food, drinks, newspapers, maps and advice.
Telephones: Mobile phone networks, including Vodafone (www.vodafone.co.nz), have very good coverage now, throughout most of the country. A New Zealand Vodafone pay-as-you-go SIM card can be bought for $NZ 35, which includes NZ$ 15 worth of calls. State-owned Telecom has by far the biggest network (www.telecom.co.nz).
Numbers starting 0800 are toll-free. Local calls are free on private phones, or cost a fixed 50 cents from public phones (no time limit!)
Telephone Cards: Public telephones are operated by Telecom and take coins or cards. Phone boxes can usually be found outside Post Offices, supermarkets and service stations and on caravan parks. Cards can be bought from Post Offices, service stations, newsagents, supermarkets, etc, and can be used for local, national and international calls.
The prepaid Telecom card goes in a card-phone slot. Another kind ('Telecom Yabba' – minimum NZ$ 5) has a pin number to be dialled in, revealed by scratching the back. This can be used to pay for calls on any phone, public or private, and works out a little cheaper for long or international calls. It can be recharged by credit card (minimum NZ$ 10) – see www.yabba.co.nz. Rechargeable prepaid cards are also available from TelstraClear – details on www.telstraclear.co.nz or from BBH Hostels.
Visas: For a UK citizen, a 6-month tourist visa is normally issued free of charge on landing, with no advance application required. It can be extended for up to 9 months at any New Zealand Immigration Service office. Visit www.immigration.govt.nzfor full details.
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