Trip to New Zealand

We had a fantastic time in New Zealand (NZ) last week.  Here are some details of our trip written to someone interested in taking a similar trip.

Before the trip:

I bought a NZ Lonely Planet guide book and got an app for the iPad with NZ camper site information called Rankers Camping NZ.  The app cost $15 and had information about facilities, cost, and maps for all campsites in NZ.  It makes finding campsite so easy as it uses the GPS in the iPad to locate you.

Day 1

Arrived in Auckland airport via Singapore Airlines.  It is 10 hour flight from Singapore to Auckland.

Picked up at airport by the RV (campervan) vendor.  We used Pacific Horizon, but there are many to choose from. 

We made a reservation on their website.  We had 7 passengers (my parents joined us), so we rented a 6 berth van with 7 seatbelts.  Legally, all passengers need to be wearing seatbelt when driving and all under age 8 need child seat.  You will need an English language driving license to rent the van.  Cost was about  $350 per day with complete package including full insurance, GPS, outdoor table, foldable chairs, car seats, etc.  The RV had 3 double beds, a sink, fridge, microwave, toilet, and shower.

After loading the van, we drove our friend's house and stayed the night parked in their street. 

Day 2

We saw sights in Auckland.  We went to the Auckland War Memorial Museum.  Very interesting with Maori culture, exhibits of NZ animals now and past, and wars that NZ was involved with.  Cost was officially free, but requested $10 NZD donation per adult.

In the same area, there is a botanical garden with local plants in it.  No cost.

We stopped at a Countdown grocery store and bought some food and other stuff. 

Drove to a Presbyterian summer camp that doubles as an RV park outside of Hamilton.  Cost was $15 NZD per person and included electrical hookups, shower, and kitchen.  No dump site for emptying tanks.

Day 3

There is an LDS temple in Hamilton that we attended for religious purposes.  Although the temple itself is not open to the general public, there is a visitor center that is open to anyone wanting to learn more about it.

We traveled to a campsite near Kawhia that was basically electrical hookups and a dump site next to a gas station/restaurant.  The owners were super nice and the cost was $5 NZD.  We went to a nearby local beach in the Tainui Kawhia Forest.  If you time it right, you can relax in a natural hot spring that seeps up in to the beach sand.  Unfortunantely, we were an hour too late as the tide had already covered the hot water.  The beach was empty and beautiful.  It is also the original landing spot for the Maori people.  The road to Kawhia was very scenic but lots of curves and elevation change.

Day 4

We toured the Glowworm caves.  Everyone enjoyed the short hike through the cave and boat ride.  Cost about $50 NZD per person before discount.  We had a 30% off coupon that we found in a brochure since it was the off season.

We traveled around Lake Taupo to see the scenery. 

We stayed in a Top 10 campsite in the town of Taupo.  It had full facilities including play areas for the kids.  Cost was about $15 NZD per person.

Day 5

We made the journey to Rotorua.  Along the way we stopped a few times.

We visited the Craters of the Moon which is a hour walk through geothermal vents.  Impressive.  Cost was about $10-15 NZD per person if I remember right.

Then, we visited a small museum called the Volcanoes Activity Center.  It had some cool information about the geology of NZ and an earthquake simulator.  It was old and outdated.  Cost was about $10-15 NZD per person if I remember right.

In Rotorua, we visited a park called Te Puia that had geysers, hot mud pits, a Maori village.  We also went to a Maori cultural show which features the Haka dance.  They let volunteers join them in the Haka dance.  Good times.  Cost was about $50 NZD a person, I think.

We rolled into another Top 10 campsite that had a small stream running through it and full facilities.  You can fish and use small boats if you like.  The cost was about $15 NZD per person.

Day 6

We went to the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park.  We paid extra to have the Kiwi encounter.  This is a facility for raising kiwi birds to be released into the wild when they are big enough.  They also had a zoo and a roller coaster where you ride in a boat and get wet.  Kids loved this place.

Also visited the Agrodome to see sheep shearing, milk a cow, and watch dogs herd sheep.  They put on a pretty good show.  Cost was about $40 NZD per person but there is a package deal with the Rainbow Springs Kiwi Wildlife Park that saves some money.

We headed up to the Coromandel Peninsula.  Very scenic with lots of turns in the road. 

During a stretch break, we noticed old ruins on the other side of the river.  We went over to find an abandoned gold mining facility called the Victoria Battery.  It was pretty neat and played a significant role in reforming NZ's labor laws back in the late 1890's.

We ended up staying in a free campsite at a boat launching location on the beach.  It had a public bathroom and no other facilities.

Day 7

Headed back to Auckland.  We paid $10 NZD total to use a Top 10 camping facilties for one and half hour.  We took showers and emptied the campervan's sink and toilet water tanks. 

Filled up the campervan's diesel tank on the way into the city and dropped off the RV.  The RV vendor took us to the airport.

Lessons Learned:

Don't park over night on inclined area as it is hard to sleep when you are sliding out of bed.  We did that on our first night!  All the campsites we went to had level places to park.

I underestimated how long it takes to drive an RV through the hills (2-3x longer than in a car).   I was exhausted at the end of each day as it takes great concentration when driving a big, heavy vehicle in the hills of NZ.

Outside the towns, use the camper van's engine brake and low gearing the maintain control in the steep descents.  Otherwise, it can get a bit exciting!

You will need a electrical plug adapter to charge iPad, phones, camera batteries, etc.  NZ uses the same plug as Australia.  They are available at the Auckland airport or in hardware stores.  Cost about $8-12 NZD.

Surprisingly, finding restaurants takes some patience even in Auckland.  It is relatively easy to find British food (fish and chips, meat pies, etc), American fast food (burgers and pizza), and Chinese takeout. 

Check for fire bans.  We found out that NZ is in a drought, so we were forbidden to make any fires.  We never used the charcoal we bought.

New Zealand is not cheap!  As a reference, a 600 ml Coke cost about $4 USD on the street.

In hindsight, I would have rather had either more time or done fewer things to make the vacation more relaxed.  But everyone enjoyed the trip, and we are already scheming about going to the South island when the kids get a bit older.  :)