Would it be a good trip not to make any room reservation but rent motorhome for traveling in New Zealand?

Question

I have planned to travel in New Zealand but I am not sure that it is a good idea to rent motorhome for this trip.
Are there any parking places for the motorhome? How safe it is?
Should I rent the Navigator too?

Answer 1

I say go Motorhome, yes!!!! I travel in a camper and there is no problem at all. There is FREE book by Jasons you can get from the info centre at the Airport /camping grounds/info centres that lists all Camping Grounds that take motorhomes and there are many. Go to Jasons.com, these are the ones that put this book out. Although not every camping site is shown in the book as you plan your trip you will definitely come across a Information Centre that can give you all the info you want. All major Camping grounds have facitilites for Motorhomes and a lot of towns have waste dumping stations. You will probably find that the hirer if the Motorhome will have a list of where they are, otherwise any Council office or Info Site will be able to tell you. It costs approx $14 per adult to camp in a Motorhome in a Camping Ground. There are also some free DOC (Dept of Conservation) camping grounds but they don't have a power supply. Some Councils also allow you to park overnight in some of their reserves provided you are fully self contained. It is very easy to travel through New Zealand with a Motorhome. Only thing to watch for as a tourist is 1. Driving on the opposite side of the road if you are from Europe or USA. 2. Some roads are not sealed so you need to be careful driving on gravel/metal, this is more so if you are travelling to smaller places. 3. A lot of our roads are quite windy and hilly so driving a large vehicle will make you slower than the average traffic. You need to pull over and let traffic pass if there is a build up behind you, the NZ driver will be very grateful for this.
I don't see any reason to rent a navigator, it is easy to find your way around with a map. If you miss a turn off you can usually turn around. Only Auckland and Wellington highways are where you need to watch turn offs.
Always make use of the Information Centres, they are a wealth of info (funny that!). They have guided us to many wonderful places to stay that we did not know existed, so we use them a lot.
With regard to safety, Camping Grounds are fine. Just always lock your vehicle. At tourist sites there are normally a few campers parked at the parking places. As long as you lock up and take/hide any valuables you should be fine. NZ always had a good safety record but it is changing so Common Sense applies.

Answer 2

Renting a motorhome is an excellent way to see NZ. It's much less hassle finding a parking place for one here than in most countries. If you've got plenty of money, hire a Navigator, but a road map and Lonely Planet guide are perfectly adequate. Safety? I've never had any problems, but there have been a few high-profile attacks on tourists. NZ is a very safe place to visit. But if you've got any doubts, stay in camping grounds; they're quite cheap. Overseas visitors seem to have more road accidents here than locals. Don't forget to drive on the left. If you're not used to it, stick a reminder on the dashboard. Mostly NZ roads are good, but unlike some countries we've also got some dirt roads. Slow down on these.

Answer 3

Yes it's an awesome way to see NZ ! i did it myself last year with some friends, touring the south island. There are plenty of campsites with power and dump sites for the van and it's not to pricey either average price $15-30. we where fine with a map but a navigator might be a good idea. I highly recommend !!