How to Rent a Campervan in New Zealand

[@nocheckedbag]

Closed Captions are now available!

[@heikogehrig]

My wife and I are planning our trip to NZ. This is probably the most detailed, information rich video on Camper Van rentals I've found so far. Great job on the video! Priceless!

[@florl8921]

Thank you so much! I can not thank you enough. This was one of the most helpful New Zealand itinerary videos I’ve seen so far. I really appreciate it!

[@nocheckedbag]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@brilliantbutblue]

This was the best most detailed and accurate vid on doing NZ in a Campervan on YT, given the current world situation and limited travel options from Australia and the potential for a trans tasman "bubble" for us with NZ l was scouring YT for some advice and not just another scenery vid. This vid should be trending on YT its very very well done a one stop need to know. Thanks to you both👍👍

[@Gerrard519]

As a Kiwi, I found this video very informative and appreciated. A job well done!

[@nocheckedbag]

Many thanks!

[@susanmacinnis7615]

I am planning a trip to New Zealand with my daughter. Thanks for all the helpful information.

[@JenYasha]

I am planning a trip with my dad. we r going together for 22 days on the North Island and I will continue on for another 47 days covering both Islands. Your tips are a great help in the planning process

[@Hemdog1]

There are a few comments & pointers that you said & will be handy for anyone wanting to travel NZ. I am a Kiwi looking at traveling my own country. Thank you for all the information given. Cheers

[@65Gooders]

I'm currently planning a month's trip, for the whole of March. Have booked flights but something was holding me back with the campervan. On waking this morning, I had an epiphany - get 1 van in the South Island for 2 weeks, return it, fly up to Auckland and get another for the 2nd 1/2 of the trip. Then not having to deal and pay for the ferry, or the one-way van fee. So I was so happy to see your advice confirming my idea! Also, you've reassured me about freedom camping - I also saw something that says there are free waste dumps for loos in most towns. Thank you!

[@nocheckedbag]

I am so happy we were able to help someone!

[@fredMplanenut]

A nice and honest video, thank you. I went in May and found lots of ways to budget, but we stayed in the back packer hostels.

[@steger1492]

Fantastic video. All the "in & outs and tips & tricks." Very useful and inspiring.

[@CruisingTheCut]

That was really, really useful. Especially the idea about renting separate campers and flying between the islands. Thank you.

[@nocheckedbag]

Thank you. We have been following your channel too. I have enjoyed all of the canal footage. We are in planning stages for a canal boat trip Europe.

[@CruisingTheCut]

@@nocheckedbag Excellent, thank you. I hope you have a splendid time :-)

[@BarbaraMulligan-v8m]

Very good info, well presented. We regard the ferry as a fun part of any trip south - the views are awesome & it positions you for more excitement. Take your own snacks, read, relax, perhaps even enjoy the free movie screening.

[@banditoo7]

I live in Taupo North Island. Planning a camper trip South Island in May. Your video was very helpful thank you.

[@andycommonsincanada]

We are going to New Zealand in March for a month in a Campervan. Thanks for all the tips and tricks.

[@nocheckedbag]

Have fun!

[@bendover-bz4bc]

Covid 19 :- no

[@andycommonsincanada]

Whiteman Well, we had a fantastic time until the Lockdown began. Had to spend the last week in a Top Ten Holiday Park on the Coromandel. So basically massive empty beach all to ourselves and just hang around until we could fly home. I am just working on that video right now so check it out in around a week or so. Andy Commons Canada on KZbin.

[@deanparker2724]

Great video guys, we are from Australia and are heading to NZ South Island in Sept 2021 for a 12 day self contained camper holiday. Your video has been one of the best informative videos, we've seen so far. Keep up the great work.

[@BrentonCollas]

This has been by far the best new Zealand video I've watched. Everything resonated with me. Well done, thankyou and keep travelling! Can't wait to get over there eventually.

[@nocheckedbag]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@toddwalsh3332]

You deserve more subs and views ! Fantastic video !

[@nocheckedbag]

Thanks! I think this is the best comment we've ever received.

[@toddwalsh3332]

no checked bag we are going to NZ this dec and you guys basically answered every question we had ! Plus we enjoyed the info graphics you used. We will be checking out the rest of your videos too ! Thanks again .

[@wilcyn71]

Very nicerly done .

[@marleencaswell4348]

Excellent video! You have answered so many of our questions! Planning for October 2024. We are hoping the prices aren’t too much more than 4 years ago! We will do our research. Now we have your advice on how to do it!

[@wickedfox20]

great information!! planning our new Zealand trip for this October for our 6th wedding anniversary

[@nocheckedbag]

Good luck!!

[@hermagan6021]

We wanna start plannimg for our 2020 trip.. really good tips. Thumbs up!

[@nocheckedbag]

Thank you, hope you have fun.

[@johansonbong8260]

So do I 😁

[@journey2fifty]

Helpful video! We hope to rv in New Zealand one day! Looks beautiful.

[@mohdyalthuffah4732]

Thank you very much, Very informative, we plan to go in August

[@BillandKelleyAdventures]

Very well done!!! We are planning a trip in 2021 so trying to start planning and getting ideas now. This had a lot of great info.

[@nocheckedbag]

Thank you. We too may be going back in 2021. Maybe we might run into each other.

[@jaramtata6592]

brilliant video

[@nocheckedbag]

Thanks!

[@samystarfish5056]

I love the depth of your video and also the price breakdown..thanks and please do more such videos of your trips

[@wendyroberts4885]

thankyou very much for visiting New Zealand

[@nocheckedbag]

Hopefully travel will open up soon. We so want to visit again.

[@roamingwithmike4252]

Thanks for sharing! Planning to do this in September.

[@manyazid_travel]

the best video guides about campervan in NZ so far.. which you have more subs.

[@KellyDubbeld]

Thanks for all the tips. Very helpful 😊

[@etudiantsenjournalismedela4428]

Wow! Thanks for the advices! Especially the one about the ferry! You're right: I will rent 2 camper van!!!

[@raherakara6274]

Kia ora, Here is some handy tips for overseas travelers! The ferry is a ship not a boat, it's for your own safety why people cannot return to your campervan, vehicle, trucks, motorbikes, its called common sense, big containters are under the ship, if that falls on you, whom at fault? Traveling by the ferry takes 3hours an 30minutes not a whole day like he mentioned, departure the north island (Wellington) to the south island (Picton). This ferry accommodates not only tourist people but, our truckies that do delivers around New Zealand. our ocean is called the cook straight, it's one of the dangerous oceans in the south Pacific, that's why it takes that long. This is a better option if you want to soak in the atmosphere and rest up etc. The other option is, listen to his advice an fly down and rent another campervan but, you will miss the true meaning of our history between the north and the south island , when booking your ferry ask if they have a tourist guide on the ferry to share about the landscape and the history between both islands. Pre-park snacks, lunches too take on too the ferry so you can save on money or even better eat before you board. Take on your water bottle too! Yes there is certain places where you don't have reception, reason for this is to protect our ozone layer! We don't sell plastic bags, in all of our stores the bags are $1.00 - $2.00 even better just take the trolley straight to your campervan to unload which most of us New Zealanders do or you can pack your supplies in boxes that are provided by our stores and return them to the store. Our country is eliminating plastic drinking bottles my suggestion is too ask the company that you rent your camper van from, if they provided a water container and buy a pack of ice when you purchase your supplies, water bottle too pak n save is the cheapest super market, countdown is super cool for hygiene supplies and large packs of bread rolls. There is alot of camping sites that provide taps for water. If you want history of our land for example each tribe of New Zealand Google "Maaori tourist" our people are very friendly and helpful when giving the history of each town etc. We have self laundry services all over for your washing. Our motto in New Zealand is clean after yourself, you see it clean you leave it clean, for the next person. Each town provides toilets, if you go too Taupoo they have showers which it's a small charge fee, remember most of the camping sites are in control by Department of conservation, they will steer you on the right track also. Give them a Google! They provide activities also throughout new zealand. Bring all seasons of clothing, march too October is our coldest months, November - feb is our hottest. Far north too the east coast is our hottest destinations, west coast shore line is the same depends on the months. Each town has it's own weather pattern, for example, Wellington could been sunshiny then in Paraparaumu raining. The whole country is not the same. Unless there is a huge storm in the Pacific, our country will get the end of it, the whole country will be affected. Meet alot of locals because next time you return they will put you up at their home with your campers Van's. In the city's go to our bakery or cafes most bakery have seating and good food and less for your money. You got too try our fish n chips, always ask "what's the fish of the day" if they say Tarakihi, Warehou or kahawai you are in for a great treat, most of our fish n chip shops sell family packages. My little advice, happy camping, be safe on our roads yes it's only one lane in parts, our speed limit is 50km, 60km or 80km in cities, on ouropen roads 100km -110km

[@raherakara6274]

Ps, if you go too our local gas stations especially BP ask for a fuel card, $40 gives you 5-6 cents savings on your next fill up, when filling if your tank is let's say 1/4 tank, fill with $40.00 then go into the station, provide your fuel card then save it, then repeat the step until your tank is fill. You only can use this at BP gas stations. Caltex service stations have Airnzpoints card, this will help towards points towards airflights if this is a better option. Get the app so, you can see how much savings you have regarding the both cards.

[@raherakara6274]

Great video guys, I hope your experience here in Aotearoa was worth your money, apologies about Airnz but, they are very usually helpful.

[@eluberopaullo]

What a great video! So excited for our campervan trip now 👏🏻☺️

[@nocheckedbag]

Hope you enjoy it!

[@SparklingGem-y9y]

Beautiful vlog. Wishing you more subscribers!!! enjoy

[@Dutchbelg3]

I am sure Kate and Nara loved the shout out! 😛 (I know you did it only once ! 🙂) Great video over all !

[@StartupPlaybookwithPraween]

Very informative and useful video for newzealand

[@nocheckedbag]

Thanks a lot

[@apekshachaubey944]

such a detail information.. thanks a lot Sir .. I can plan a better trip ..after watching ur video !!

[@nocheckedbag]

Thank you so much.

[@santanugoswami4517]

Thanks for details. I would like to travel in June 2024. So please guide me about camper van for rent. Thank you

[@AmazingSabah]

This is so informative! Thank you for this!

[@cptlloyd9644]

Spot on description of NZ!

[@littlemissmissy1313]

Can you provide more info about driving the camper vans north for the company for rental of camper? That is a fabulous idea.

[@nocheckedbag]

It's called "relocation rental" and there is usually a link on the rental dealer's website.

[@georgevinish2681]

Great Video !! very helpful information! Thank you for all the tips..

[@Andy_M986]

It only gets dark quickly in winter,obviously you went in winter,Air NZ and Jet Star,are notorious for changing flight times,as are Qantas,American airlines,British airways,and a few more. if you shop at Pac n Save,it's always at least $50 -$80 cheaper for the same amount of groceries.

[@nocheckedbag]

Yes, winter "off season" has perks and drawbacks. Thanks for the pac'n'save tip!

[@cortneyhammond-cortes9521]

FANTASTIC VIDEO!!!

[@nocheckedbag]

Thank you.

[@melaniebalthasar2628]

It doesnt Rain all the time at all you guys came during the Winter and unfortunately the rain just followed ya. Spring, summer is definitely the time to be here beautiful

[@melyssaExplainsItAll]

This was such a good video 🎉 I hope I can do the relocation discount thing. I couldn’t find it on thier website I will email them

[@jsullo22]

Nice video. Loved the introduction

[@nocheckedbag]

Thank you for the kind words.

[@deniseaguado-aguila2205]

Great video! Really appreciate the tips 😊

[@nocheckedbag]

Thank you.

[@ggracer599palasigue8]

I Love your video esp the content, Ive learned a lot. :)

[@nocheckedbag]

Awesome, thank you!

[@zhenshanxu6159]

Great video. People in NZ are also great

[@nocheckedbag]

Yes, the people were wonderfull.

[@ibmtpx24]

My fiance and I are visiting the south island for 12 days using the campervan this April. The freedom camping areas are a lot less and the overall cost increased a lot based on our research. We will be getting 12yr old campervan with medium height roof and no furnace for more than 1,200 USD. I just hope there are no flight change. That will totally impact our itinerary.

[@sceptic56]

Well done. Good on ya mate.

[@EK-lp8od]

Nice Vlog! I'm currently planning a north island surf trip from Auckland and looking for a small camper van preferably with a toilet. Any recommendations? I'll look up Apollo in the meantime. Where you satisfied with them. Did you look at others? Thanks Eric

[@ibrahimandong1572]

Very helpful thank you for the info

[@winnie363]

Thank You Thank You many times! Planning our trip next fall! With your cost at hand how much more do you think our fall trip will run. We may sent has much as 14 days is that to long.

[@nocheckedbag]

When you say 'fall', do you mean March-May? That is fall in New Zealand. Fourteen days will be perfect for you. If you did both islands with two separate rentals (ditching the ferry idea), I calculate your total cost for fourteen days would be $2300-$2500 US, including groceries.

[@alexho633]

THANK YOU for the tips :)

[@marg20]

Hi!! Thanks so much for your video it will help me alot to plan my campervan rental to NZ! The only thing is I have only found a campervan in around $300 NZ / day! Super expensive, I want to go in december which is high season but I think still, it is pretty expensive! Even the same one you rented is excessively more expensive. Do you have any tip for where to find a cheaper one but still good? Thank youu

[@nocheckedbag]

Peak season vs. Off-Peak. It is a BIG difference.

[@alelanzafame93]

Great video , well done guys ! 👏🏻 everything is very well explained and very interesting stuff too . I was really taken by the “Goodies Table” topic. I would love to have more info about it. Is Apollo in Auckland giving this option ? Hope to hear from you soon ! ;).

[@nocheckedbag]

It was Apollo in Auckland where we discovered the concept.

[@lynncraft2746]

Great video, very helpful information! Thank you for all the tips and do's & don'ts. We are planning a trip next year and everything you have discussed in this video will come in very handy. Did you folks make reservations/plan ahead for each campsite that you stayed at? Or was it more spontaneous, depending on what was nearby when you reached your destination? Mahalo!

[@nocheckedbag]

Lynn, we din't make any reservations, other than the ferry, which we latter learned wasn't really necessary. I planned an itinerary based upon the 4-hour driving per day model. It gave us a general idea of where we would be each night, but not enough to want to commit to a reservation. We always new there were plenty of freedom campsites to fall back on. Going in the off-season has a lot to do with this. Have fun!

[@johansonbong8260]

When will the best off peak season to visit new zealand, wandering & plan on the trip next year too

[@MegaSingGirl]

Great Movie! :) Cheers, Hanna

[@nocheckedbag]

Thanks!

[@cangkirkopiraden]

At the first time i saw this video, a lot of information, thanks..👍

[@justafterdark1177]

Great video, thanks!

[@nocheckedbag]

You welcome. Hopefully you can visit NZ one day.

[@k9nick]

Pit toilets. Kiwis call them a long drop. I hope your not complaining about spotty cell phone coverage. That's the beauty of New Zealand. You can disconnect.

[@jaybeecov3109]

Question; although the ferry is time consuming and expensive. Was it worth the scenery.. leaving the South Island?

[@PacificWaffle]

Greatly helpful. My wife and I are planning a 4-5 week trip there this November. We know we want a small campervan for the south island, but do you think a cheap car rental + airbnb is a better way to tour the north island?

[@thecompetentman1]

I say campervan both isles. You'll love it.

[@nocheckedbag]

hotels or air bnb will chain you to a schedule. A campervan lets you stay flexible where you want to be each day.

[@clairecharmasson-armstrong6256]

Very thorough explanation. Well done!

[@joecharmasson]

Took forever to edit. A bunch of audio was corrupted and had to dub over most of it. Also longest video I've ever done.

[@rajenkumarpatel6213]

Informative video, nice work.

[@trfahy]

enjoyed the video. Very well done

[@zvids627]

Great video.

[@pattiposton3884]

Great video!

[@TheChewyleaf]

Hi thanks for the great video! I have a question for you. I'm coming out to NZ in a month on a spontaneous trip and on a budget. I've never driven or really been in a campervan, my driving experience is limited to 2 years in a stick drive in London. The most I've driven is 5 hours to Wales from London. Will the leap to driving a campervan around NZ be too much? If I'm going for more than a week how do you refuel the propane, clear out the septic tank etc? Thank you!

[@nocheckedbag]

There are ample places along the roads to empty the cassette and grey water tanks. You can refill propane at most petrol stations. Download the Campermate app on your phone. It will guide you to needed resources. As far as your driving ability, I can't be the judge of that, but I have seen lots of other 'newbie' drivers on the roads in rental vans having no issues. I have also seen some experienced drivers crashing into fixed objects.

[@yan870126]

great tips dude!

[@scottpatrick556]

Thanks great video

[@denis9319]

What was your Caravan rental agreement

[@ljlim-hewitt7987]

Very helpful. Thank you.

[@yyl5194]

Hi, thanks for the informative video. How long did you go without getting hooked up to power?

[@nocheckedbag]

We never needed to hook up to mains power. The batteries charged each day from driving. I suppose if we stayed in one place more than a couple days it might have been a concern.

[@eniamrahc90]

I was thinking to rent a motorhome for my trip and im soo worried how often i will need to find a powered campsite (that increases the cost greatly) vs freedom camping! What do u think? Does driving charge up most things or do we really need to park to powerup certain items? Thanks a bunch!

[@nocheckedbag]

With the exception of the one night at Franz Joseph, we freedom camped the entire trip.

[@rajenkumarpatel6213]

If I want higher rv in NZ and we have 4 members it's ok... Same like u.

[@choppersworld5094]

as a kiwi i will tell you it’s expensive and cellphone coverage is not always available outside of towns. by the way there is no way you could have spent 230’on fuel it would have cost more for example now your looking at that price for 2 days just with gass been between $2.59-3

[@davidbell1676]

You really do need 10 days for each Island because you never made it to Milford Sound is one example..

[@nocheckedbag]

You really need a month for each, but alas we take what we can. Once I'm able to retire and travel full time, I will make it back. Cheers!

[@gregreed402]

The South Island is much safer to freedom camp .Its totally different in the North Island

[@hoo-u7q]

Thank you!!!!!!

[@bonjbonc]

Terima kasih

[@nocheckedbag]

Sama sama

[@Skiwi51]

I'm a kiwi...I can't understand how you believe holiday parks here are expensive, I would have thought that $25 US was a reasonable price...? In seven days you barely scratched the surface, I would suggest 3 weeks minimum...the ferry crossing is never an "ordeal"...unless it's really rough...and it does NOT rain all the time.... A lot of negativity here and you didn't say why Air NZ altered your flight plans..??

[@nocheckedbag]

Stephen, we loved visiting New Zealand. We wish we had more time, but alas, now we just have to come back. Already thinking 2021. Our point about Holiday Parks, compared to free camping, was that they are ...well..., expensive. Three weeks at $25/night would blow the budget pretty fast. I also want to encourage people to ditch any pre-conceived concerns and try free camping and not feel tied to power and water hookups. As far as the ferry, $400 and almost a whole day lost, yeah, a pretty big ordeal. Any negativity was addressed in our opening; we want people to visit New Zealand, and we want them to learn from our mistakes so that they can have an even more love able trip than we did. Thanks for your feedback. If you can, please tell us why Air NZ felt compelled to alter our flights. We are still wondering.

[@Skiwi51]

@@nocheckedbag Hey, thanks for your response... I can understand that the holiday park costs would hurt the budget...I usually stay in these establishments but not for weeks at a time, so fair call. We have had problems with freedom campers recently...human waste on beaches, in the Bush etc so I'm pleased you had a compliant campervan... However, I will not agree on your opinion of ferry crossing...I travelled South to North last year, queued for 30 minutes, crossing took just over 3 hours, not a whole day...!! Ferry departed at 11 am, 3 hours later I was in Wellington, 2 hours after that I was 150 km north of there, enjoying a beer in my accommodation for the night... So no, not a wasted day... Please come back, take more time and see the real NZ....😊😊

[@paulwright3394]

that was not right . the way you did this trip south island is the bottem and north island top where you said boat to north island is wrong

[@Andy_M986]

Nate and Kara,not Kate and Nara.

[@nocheckedbag]

Haha, I wondered how long it would be before someone caught me on that. 😂

[@brilliantbutblue]

I laughed so hard at that. Fortunately he popped them in the card at the top of the screen to avoid any confusion.👍

[@Andy_M986]

The Tim Tam slam,is an Australian thing,not a Kiwi thing,Tim Tams are an Australian biscuit.

[@andreiiasi]

You said you answer to everyone....first question....who on earth earth would go to New Zealand for such a short period of time and expect to enjoy it? Who on earth would go with such a limited budged? This is crazy.LOL

[@nocheckedbag]

Obviously we did, and we enjoyed it. If you check out our other videos, you'll find we regularly take short trips on a limited budget. This video is intended to show you CAN go to NZ on a budget and how to make the best of a short stay. We learned a lot from our experience. Hopefully others can take our tips from this video and have an even better trip than we did. Thanks for your feedback.

[@andreiiasi]

@@nocheckedbag Well of course you would say that but to me it doesn't make sense to fly for crazy long hours back and forth and stay for a week...I will be going in December when the weather would be hopefully perfect and I will be going for a month renting a small car and airbnb along the way....in this way I get the comfort of a proper bed at night , time to enjoy the surroundings at the peak of the season when the weather is more likely to be alright. going off season is a huge gamble espeacially when it comes to New Zealand. to me that is common sense.

[@thecompetentman1]

@@andreiiasi That sound like a great trip. I can't wait to see your video and compare your costs to nocheckedbag's.

[@nocheckedbag]

@@andreiiasi this was only one week of a three week trip that included Hawaii and Fiji. The flights were not so crazy long. Your trip sounds fun. It also sounds very expensive. Please post a video when you return and share your experience.

[@andreiiasi]

@@thecompetentman1 I already have the budget for this trip... it's $ 10.000...$4.000 for the activities and food. and $6000 for plane tickets car rental and Airbnb plus Ferry crossing. Well around that since my budget is in British Sterling. put this this way...the car, ferry, plane and airbnb is already paid for.LOL..

[@abdullaaldark7842]

Please don't let that lady talk again