It’s our last few hours in our campervan after a 10-day journey around New Zealand’s South Island. We only missed two sections – Marlborough – famous for its Sauvignon Blanc wines, Abel Tasman and Nelson Lakes National Parks; and the scenic East Coast with its famous Moeraki Boulders and sea life. I make notes for our next visit, which of course we’ll add to our always-growing travel list.
As we’re headed back to Christchurch we come out of Arthur’s Pass and Porter’s Pass and down a long highway that leads to the Canterbury Plains, past farmlands and back to Christchurch. We pull over one last time to take in the Southern Alps view and reflect on all we’ve seen over the last 10 days and over 6,0000 kilometers (about 3,000 miles):
- 7 national parks
- Southern Alps from all angles
- Milford Sound
- West Coast
- Arthur’s Pass
- Christchurch
And we learned how to campervan for the first time – how to work all the onboard electric, gas and bathroom cassette, the wastewater drain and fill process, how to break camp and shut (and secure) everything before driving off to the next adventure.
For that I’d have to thank the countless YouTube and Campermate videos, especially these guys who have a nice way of sharing experience so you don’t feel totally inept! Even though they summarize their 3-week trip in Australia, their passed-down tips (such as “tight left, wide right”) really helped break down what you’ll need to know about driving on the left side of the road, size of campervan and basic camper use tips.
Interested in doing your own trip?
A few of our tips to get you started:
- Travel books: We like and used Lonely Planet’s New Zealand’s South Island Road Trips and companion book. The road trips version has four suggested routes and section-by-section descriptions, key sights and more.
- Mapping: If you want to make your own New Zealand South Island journey and are overwhelmed as I was in planning, start with the map and suggested road trips from the Lonely Planet books or take tips from this couple. Nate literally drew out their trip map and I ended up mapping us similar to his route, but with four more days. He gives you basic campervan tips I found very helpful. Note, you’ll want time to stop and view, hike, take photos and maybe rest an extra day or fit in more activities, so be sure to take that into consideration. Also, he and several others noted to be careful about driving distance – it can be further than you think and petrol stations can be far in between so top off whenever you can.
- Freedom camping: While many areas are restricting a bit more, where allowed Freedom Camping is an option if you are “certified self-contained,” meaning you have an onboard toilet and water. These are free camping locations, often nearby lakes and beautiful natural areas. If you want to use more of your van’s higher-amp amenities (TV, microwave) you’ll need to pay for a plug-in spot at a holiday park or similar setup. Advantage of the latter is also the warm shower/bathroom facilities and main cooking areas. You’ll also meet people from all around the world – or in your Portland backyard as we did in Milford Sound.