So, if you didn’t already know, van life is pretty much a way of life in New Zealand. I’ve lived in my RV for nearly 2 years now, but I have never done van life before, so I was excited to try it and it did not disappoint.

Before we dive into the fun stuff, one thing I want to note as you begin to plan and prepare for your trip, is that if you decide to visit the North Island first, vans are a little harder to come by and therefore require much more advanced planning. To give you an idea of what I mean when I say that- I booked my van almost 6 months before my trip and already half of the rentals were sold out (many were the more affordable options, so it wasn’t surprising everyone else also wanted them). This is also likely due to the fact that most people tend to primarily travel to the South Island because that’s where the majority of the hiking, backpacking, camping and just the general outdoors culture tends to be, and you need to take a ferry or fly to access either island so logistically speaking if there’s more demand on the South Island for vans…well then that’s where most of them are going to be, but I figured if I was going to fly 17 hours one-way then I was going to make the time to travel to both! Another detail to note with rentals is that it also costs more to rent and drop off in different locations much like any car rental so keep that in mind when determining your overall cost/budget. Either way, whether you decide to visit both islands or spend time on one, you won’t be disappointed by the plethora of things to do and see which is why I also wanted to provide not only a few key things to “know before you go,” but also my exact itinerary to help you when you start planning your own adventure!

I did A TON of research when planning my trip and while I feel like 3 weeks was enough time to visit both islands there is still so much I wish I could have done. Keeping that in mind, when you hire a van, this also gives you far more flexibility with your schedule- while I had a good idea of things I wanted to do and see and a general itinerary to help keep me on track, there were some things I just didn’t get to, feel like doing day of and places I frankly just wanted to spend more time in or experiences I decided I wanted to do last minute… like Heli hike onto Fox Glacier!

Not booking places to stay really provided me with the ultimate flexibility and if you plan to camp, make sure you rent a SELF-CONTAINED vehicle otherwise you’ll be seriously limited in where you can park at night, so make sure you download offline maps and use the Rankers Camping NZ app to find all the best overnight camping spots in your area- easy as that!

Essentially, it’s a great idea to have a rough outline of what you want to do and things you want to see, it’s also a good idea to pad in a few days with nothing planned and to stay flexible because New Zealand will continuously keep you in awe with endless options.

I hope my itinerary provides you with a helpful starting point and if you enjoy what you read, I hope that you continue to follow me here and on my Instagram @hikinglegsmegs for more free adventure content!

Other things you should know…

Visa

Apply and pay on the New Zealand Government website or using their free mobile app. 

Van Companies

• Lucky Rentals (I booked my van Happy Campers through this website)
• Jucy
• Maui Rentals
• Travellers Autobarn
• Mad Campers

Camping Apps

Rankers Camping NZ is a must have

** almost all camping spots I stayed at on the North Island were free and while there are some free camping areas on the South Island be prepared to pay a small fee in many places with basic accommodations or opt to pay more for nicer spots with showers, wifi, etc. which brings me to my next topic…

Have Local Currency

While I used my credit cards the majority of the time, there were some camping areas on the South Island that required local currency. I unfortunately missed this small detail and didn’t have any NZ cash on me, so I ended up paying in USD which actually turned out to me paying more due to the exchange rate at that time.

Showering on the Go

I found you can pay about $5 NZ dollars/pp to use facilities at most public swimming pools, aquatics clubs and fitness centers. I recommend looking online before you go, most had reviews related to showering and prices on Google maps.

Download Offline Maps

Service is nearly non-existent in most places on the South Island so instead of worrying how to get around I would highly recommend downloading offline maps before you go on both Google maps and the Rankers Camping NZ app for offline camping sites and more.

Beware of the Sandflies

These little guys with a not so little bite are everywhere and tend to come out especially around sunset/dusk; they also tend to like the ankle area the most from my experience so try to wear high socks and cover your body as much as possible- bug spray doesn’t really help so it’s better to just be prepared and embrace it when the time will inevitably come!

Wine

There are so many great wines and wineries to try, and bonus… they are also a lot cheaper than in the U.S. One of my favorite wines that I got to try was by Man O’ War winery “Ironclad.” It looks to be a favorite among locals as well. Unfortunately, I didn’t have a chance to go to the vineyard (it’s at the very tippy top of the North Island to the northeast), but if you do try this wine or go to the winery and love it like I did make sure to bring bottles back with you because they don’t ship to the States yet…I was crushed when I came back and found this out so definitely stock up on your NZ wine!

Be Flexible

I know I sound like a broken record by now, but road tripping and van life is all about being flexible and trying to go with the flow and while I did have a general plan, my posted itinerary is definitely not what I started my adventure with. I adjusted almost daily depending on the weather and how I was feeling. If I didn’t want to drive as much that day I didn’t, if rain was forecasted, I shifted my activities by a day or two. Overall, no matter what New Zealand throws at you it will be an experience you will remember for the rest of your life.

Happy Adventuring!