Renting a campervan is the best way to embrace the outdoors of New Zealand. But what are
the costs, campervan options and restrictions? We’ll go through all that and more coming
up in this essential guide to renting a campervan in New Zealand.
Hey guys, we’re Robin and Laura the team behind BackpackerGuide.NZ helping you plan
an epic trip in New Zealand! In this video, we’ll go through budgeting
for renting a campervan, what restrictions you might find, where you can actually camp,
how to choose the right camping vehicle, how to choose a rental company and finally, what
to expect when booking and paying for your rental. With that, you’ll be ready to explore
the landscapes, epic activities, wildlife and culture that New Zealand has to offer!
Plus, stick around until the end of this video where we’ll be giving you 10 Things You
Really Need to Know About Campervan Rental in New Zealand.
But before we get things rolling, make sure you hit the like button to show us that you
want us to make more New Zealand travel tips videos. Look, we’ll even pause the video,
so you have time to do that. And with that, let’s get on with the video.
First up, Can you afford to rent a campervan in New Zealand?
Well, that would be helpful wouldn’t it? Like any trip, you need to budget, but perhaps
even more so when campervan rental often has more costs than what meets the eye.
The first biggest expense is your flight to New Zealand. Check out our video on how to
book a cheap flight to New Zealand linked up in the description below.
Next, think about the base price of renting a campervan. The way most campervan rental
companies do it is by setting a flat rate per day. Rental costs can be anywhere between
$19-$350 per day depending on the type of vehicle and season.
While standard insurance is included in all campervan rentals, it’s between $10-$30
per day to reduce the excess. Consider extras fees that might apply to you
like a young driver’s fee, additional driver’s fee or a one way fee which is fee paid when
your pick-up and drop-off location are not in the same place.
If travelling between the North Island and South Island, you will need to pay for the
ferry crossing which is can be around $180 for one passenger and a small campervan or
$250 for one passenger and a motorhome or RV. That’s depending of course on sailing
times, season and how far in advance you book. Take into account any optional extras from
your rental company like hiring a GPS, snow chains, picnic tables and chairs, for example.
Campgrounds and holiday parks are another expense. Campgrounds are between zero to $15
per person per night, while holiday parks are usually around $40 for two people in a
powered site where you can hook up your camper electricity.
Finally, you need to take into account the fuel consumption, cost of food and activities.
While we’ve listed a few prices here, you’ll get more of an idea of prices in our video
“What is the Cost of Backpacking in New Zealand” linked up in the description below.
The next things to think about when planning your campervan trip are the rental restrictions.
While there are not that many restrictions for renting a campervan in New Zealand, here
are a couple that may affect you. You can rent a vehicle in New Zealand as long
as you have a full valid drivers license that is written in English. If you don’t, make
sure you get an International Driving Permit or IDP to accompany your driving license.
You will need both. Find out more about the IDP in an aritlce we’ll link up in the description.
Your age also determines what type of campervan you can rent. You can usually rent a campercar
and small campervan if you are 18 and over without a problem, although some rental companies
may include a surcharge if you are under 25 years old. For motorhome rental, most companies
prefer the driver to be 21 years old and over. Find out more about possible age restrictions
in our age restriction article linked up in the description below.
Next, Where can you camp in a campervan?
Contrary to popular belief, you cannot just park up anywhere and camp the night in New
Zealand. There are laws in place in order to keep New Zealand beautiful so you need
to be a responsible camper when hiring a campervan in New Zealand.
To recharge the power in your camper, dump your waste and get some quick comforts, you’re
likely to use a holiday park at least once on your campervan road trip in New Zealand.
Holiday parks have powered sites and non-powered sites to park up your vehicle and make use
of their facilities, including dump stations, kitchens, laundry, showers and sometimes more.
To see what a holiday park is like in New Zealand, take a look at our Accommodation
Guide to Holiday Parks in New Zealand which is, you guessed it, in the description below.
Another option is campsites. Campsite are a little more basic than holiday parks, offering
much less facilities. For this reason, they are cheaper - sometimes even free - and have
the bare essentials to keep the environment tidy. Most of the campsites are run by the
Department of Conservation or local councils. Park over properties is another option. Some
land owners allow self-contained vehicles to stay on their property overnight for a
small fee. Finally, freedom camping. If you have a certified
self-contained campervan, then you can camp for free for up to three days in certain areas
around the country. Each district and region has their own rules about this, so you should
do your research before arriving in an area to park up and camp the night. Make sure you
check out our freedom camping video and our video about self-contained campervans, if
you are planning on doing some free camping around New Zealand.
Now you need to choose a camping vehicle to rent.
From small campercars to 6-berth motorhomes, you are spoiled for choice with the types
of rental campervans on offer in New Zealand. Choosing a campervan to rent depends on budget,
how many people you are travelling with, comfort and how easy the vehicle is to drive.
The smallest type of camper is a campercar. They are the size of an SUV or people-mover
with the seats taken out and replaced with a bed. There is also likely to be a fold-out
kitchen area out of the back of the car. They are the cheapest options, easiest to drive,
and likely to be the most uncomfortable. Being the size of a van or minibus, campervans
are the most popular option among backpackers because they have enough space for all your
essential amenities, such as a kitchen and possibly a toilet. These vans can usually
sleep two to four people at a push, yet still feel compact as they tend to be filled with
more features. They may even come certified self-contained meaning you can freedom camp.
Finally, motorhomes or RVs are larger vehicles which usually come fully self-contained with
everything you need from kitchen, toilet, shower with hot and cold water, bedding for
multiple people, dining area and more. They are by far the more comfortable and spacious
type of camping vehicle but that comes at a higher rental price and are not as easy
to drive. For a more in-depth look at the type of camping
vehicles you can rent in New Zealand, take a look at Which Campervan Rental Vehicle is
Right for You? Linked up in the description below.
Next up, you need to choose a campervan rental company.
There’s no right or wrong answer. If anything, you will experience extreme decision fatigue
when comparing the campervan rental companies in New Zealand – there’s that many.
It’s not just about comparing the prices when choosing a campervan rental company.
You will also need to consider: availability of campervan types, any age restrictions,
what the service is like, what’s included and additional costs like insurance.
Choosing a rental company should not be a quick decision so really take the time to
find the right one for your needs. A great place to start is with all our rental company
comparison articles on BackpackerGuide.NZ. Booking and picking up a campervan rental
After watching our 21 ways to save money on car rental video, so you have no regrets,
start booking your campervan rental. You will either have to pay in full or put down a deposit
when booking your campervan. Most deposits are non-refundable.
If you are required to put down a deposit then you will pay for the rest of the price
when you pick up the vehicle – not after. Don’t worry if you have forgotten to add
any optional extras, as the campervan rental company will be delighted to sell these items
to you on the day of pick-up. Finally, on pick-up be sure to inspect every
dent or scratch of the vehicle with the rental company employee so you are not charged for
any damage you did not cause to the vehicle. And now you are ready to hit the road!
So that’s it for our essential guide to renting a campervan. But, as promised, here
are 10 things you need to know about campervan rental in New Zealand.
Number 1. Season seriously effects price with the highest prices being in the New Zealand
summer and lowest in winter. 2. Your international driving permit is not
enough on its own. You need to show the rental company your real drivers license and your
IDP together in order to rent a campervan. 3. Be aware of the one-way fee. It can be
as much as NZ$300 extra to drop off your campervan in a different depot to the pick-up location.
4. Look for campervan relocation opportunities where rental companies let you rent for free
to relocate the campervan from one of their depots to another. More information is on
BackpackerGuide.NZ. Number 5. There’s actually a lot of inclusions
like towels, all the utensils and bedding so there’s no need to pack too much.
6. Be aware of the Road User Charge when hiring a diesel vehicle. Although diesel is cheaper
in New Zealand, you’ll need to pay a tax on diesel at the end of your rental.
7. If you see a $19 a day rental deal then it’s probably too good to be true.
8. As mentioned, you can’t park up and sleep anywhere. Illegal freedom camping can incur
an instant $200 fine. 9. Wise up on how to drive in New Zealand.
Unless you are from Australia, there’s definitely going to be a few road rules that are different
to where you are from. And finally, number 10. Many rental companies
require some credit card details on pick-up, which acts as insurance for them if you destroy
the vehicle. If you don’t have a credit card, pick a rental company that allows you
to rent without one.
So that’s it, we hope you found this video useful and again, if you did, show your support
by smashing that like button and hit subscribe for more New Zealand videos just like this
one. Plus, get some awesome New Zealand bucket
list inspiration from our web series, New Zealand’s Biggest Gap Year, where we’re
doing 365 activities in 365 days! Until next time, travel awesome!