New Zealand: The South Island By Camper Van

A taste of New Zealand's stunning scenery courtesy of Mt. Cook Nat'l Park.

I've never met someone who went to New Zealand and didn't love it. After six weeks touring the country's South Island in a camper van, I can 100% see why--even though it's the most expensive country of my trip.

One of many waterfalls in Milford Sound.

New Zealand is an absolute paradise for nature lovers. With a population of almost 5 million (think about half of London) concentrated in a few cities across its two big islands, Mother Nature has an awful lot of room to do its thing. Given that three-fourths of the population lives on the North Island, this is doubly true for the South Island, which is home to nine of the country's 13 national parks (why we picked it to visit over the North). Between the national parks and other reserves, more than one-third of New Zealand's total land area is protected. How crazy cool is that?!

Clay cliffs on the way to Wanaka.

Bits of floating glacier in Mt. Cook Nat'l Park.

I don't like driving, but here it's half the fun.

And it's pretty obvious why New Zealanders are so interested in safeguarding their wilderness. The landscapes and ecosystems are magnificent, distinctive, and incredibly varied. There are mountains galore, glaciers, waterfalls, temperate rainforests, desolate wetlands, fjords, golden beaches, lakes, and fern valleys. Plus they have some pretty cool bird species like the incredibly intelligent kea and whimsical kiwi. Everywhere you look, there's something to be excited about. In fact, just driving down the single-lane highways without pulling over for pictures every few minutes was challenging for me. I mean... look at it!!! How do people get anywhere?

Me at the top of Roy's Peak near Wanaka.

All this nature also provides a seemingly endless amount of free fun in the form of hiking, or "tramping" as they call it, which helps to lessen the pain of higher travel costs. There's a huge variety of trails (or "tracks" as the Kiwis call them) to choose from too, and the New Zealand Department of Conservation makes it extremely easy to find the right ones for you. Just stop by their visitor centers, or check out their online resources, which let you filter hikes by location, difficulty, and duration (check the weather before going out though). We hiked more than 20 different trails while there.

Me being outnumbered by sheep.

You also have adorable sheep everywhere. They outnumber New Zealanders five to one, and if being surrounded by sweet fluffy white clouds on legs doesn't put you in a good mood, then I don't know what will. 

Admittedly, I think we also got to see New Zealand at it's best, because of  COVID-19. Closed borders meant campsites and hikes were never remotely crowded, the parks were incredibly clean, and we even scored a much more luxurious camper van than we could normally afford due to deals. If avoiding crowds is also your thing, I can definitely recommend going in fall like we did. It's one of their shoulder seasons, and the weather was agreeable enough, despite a few wet days.

Since we were on the road for six weeks, I'll be breaking the trip into two blogs. This post covers the first three-ish weeks, which were probably my favorite. More specifically, you'll find:

• Our route, including where we camped and my highlights for each location; 
• Thoughts on getting a van;
• Impressions and pictures of places; and
• The budget breakdown.

The Route

In the first three weeks, we made our way from Christchurch to the Queenstown area.  The stops were amazing! You could blitz through in a week, but I'd recommend taking your time so you can to make sure you've got good weather for hikes and don't have to spend all day in the car (driving a camper van takers longer than a car, so add maybe 50% to Google estimates). I also wish we'd been able to do stargazing at Lake Tekapo's hot pools or observatory, but they weren't open due to the pandemic.

Actual travel dates May 18, 2020, through June 6, 2020. 

The Right Van For Adventuring  

The van we went with was significantly bigger than originally planned.

Before arriving in New Zealand, I spent hours and hours researching camper vans. I put together an Excel sheet comparing more than 15 different rental companies, with columns for everything from fuel efficiency and bed size to rental ratings and insurance options (sadly, it got saved over, otherwise I'd share!). I also scoured the internet trying to figure out if it's really worth shelling out the extra cash for a self-contained van, that is one that meets requirements (toilet + waste water capacity) to "freedom camp," aka park overnight for free at various no- to low-amenity sites in New Zealand.

Our first night in the van at Bowyer's Stream.

Ultimately, I settled on Hugo, a family run business, with a good reputation that rents older, super basic vans with larger beds at a budget price. No standing room, no toilet, no shower. You'd pop the trunk to cook on a little kitchenette in the back that consists of a cooler and a one-burner camp stove. The vans also aren't self-contained,  but the price was too good to beat at about €40 a day including zero excess insurance. What swayed me to pass on self-contained was that various bloggers said they didn't actually save much money with it. Even with a self-contained van, they ended up paying for sites regularly to shower, charge electronics, do laundry, and use the internet. Free sites also filled up sometimes or weren't conveniently located, so I felt like it wouldn't be a big loss to skip on self-contained.

From the picture above, it should be clear that I abandoned that plan. The van we ended up renting couldn't have been further from the basic version I originally picked. Why? Well, COVID. The quarantining followed by a national lockdown meant we had to cancel our booking with Hugo, which kindly reimbursed all costs (excellent customer service). When lockdown lifted we found that closed borders had significantly shifted supply and demand. Thore managed to secure a much larger and more luxurious vehicle at a very budget price (about €52 per day including full insurance + km charge).

The van's two front seats swiveled around.
A second bed could be lowered from the ceiling.

This van had all the things. We're talking fridge, freezer, oven, three-burner stove, a flushing toilet, shower, an inside dining/seating area, heating, and room to sleep four! The heating was especially nice, since we were now traveling a good two months later in the year than expected, and temperatures were significantly cooler. 

Initially, I was skeptical about getting such a large van though. I was convinced driving and parking it would be a nightmare, especially with the added challenge of New Zealanders driving on the left. After a very nervous first hour on the road, I realized it really wasn't an issue--even for me who drives maybe twice a year. You're generally on rural country roads, not stressful multi-lane highways or tight city centers. Campsites and town supermarkets were also used to having big campers come through, and frequently had parking for larger vehicles. I was pleasantly surprised.

Looking back, having a self-contained van was a nice bonus, but not a must-have. All my favorite camping spots were freedom camping ones, but we ended up paying for sites often. The West Coast and northern part of the South Island didn't have many free sites (covering this in the second NZ post), so I don't think getting a self-contained van will save you money in these parts. It is more of a question of paying a higher price to spend time in more beautiful, but very basic and less conveniently located camp sites. I wouldn't recommend it to everyone.

Our luxurious van also had some downsides. With such a large vehicle, getting to some freedom camping spots was difficult or not possible, since we needed to travel down long, narrow, winding, bumpy, and unsealed roads. A smaller self-contained van would definitely have been better for real backroads/freedom camping adventures. 

South Island Campervaning

Christchurch to Mt. Sunday: The Perfect Start

Mt. Sunday, or Erdoras, if you're a Lord of the Rings fan.

To ease ourselves into van life, we kept our first drive short. We took the scenic route (literally the road is called "the Inland Scenic Route") to Mt. Somers, which was only two hours away. Having spent two months in Christchurch, we were soooo ready to see the rest of the country. 

Not sure if you can tell, but excitement levels were HIGH. 

First morning of the trip.

Our first night was spent at a random freedom camping spot just off the road and alongside a river, with a drop toilet. It was surprisingly peaceful. Just one other van pulled up for the night, a French couple in their 20s who'd been working and traveling in New Zealand for months. The next morning after some coffee and a walk near the river, we hit the road and were off to Mt. Sunday. We were thrilled by our newfound freedom and stunned by how empty the roads were. 

Not a soul in sight for most of our drive.

Getting to Mt. Sunday turned out to be a bumpy little adventure, but well worth the nearly two-hours drive on unsealed roads. We were rewarded with sweeping panoramic views of golden hills, little lakes, and snowy mountain peaks that crept closer by the minute. 

The view from Mt. Sunday.

The Mt. Sunday hike, which has been made famous as a Lord of the Rings filming location, was just a half hour across a river and up a summit covered in thorny bushes. There was exactly no one around and the view was expansive, which combined did make me feel like I might be in Middle Earth on a quest.

Lake Camp looks warmer than it was! Thore just did a dip and then sat at the fire.

After the hike, we gleefully parked at a freedom camping site we spotted on the drive in that was almost entirely empty save a few vans on the far side the lake. Lake Camp turned out to be my favorite free camp site of the entire trip. The trees were just turning orange and yellow, and the water was so still it reflected the hills in a mirror sharp image. Thore went for a chilly dip, and we built a fire. Later than night we bundled up and went out again to stare at the stars. It was stunning and so serene. I was pretty beside myself with glee waking up to this view, and a little sad to leave, but there was more to see! 

Lake Camp during a fall golden hour was pure magic.

The Stars In Lake Tekapo

A clear day at Lake Tekapo.

We drove on through landscapes that felt like screensavers to the picturesque Lake Tekapo, which I had my eye on because of its night skies. Since they are some of the darkest in the world, the town has an observatory along with some hot pools for stargazing, but sadly neither were operating due to COVID.  

Some wildflowers on the Mt. John Walkway Loop, which passes by the observatory.

Snow-capped mountains in the distance on the Mt. John loop.

Fortunately, we could still do the looped hike up to the observatory, which sits on  Mt. John and has great views of the lake. It goes up surprisingly steep through forest for about 30 minutes and then flattens out as it goes down around the turquoise lakeside.  Snowy mountain peaks filled the horizon, and the larch trees were blazing orange.

Larch trees showing off their fall fashion.

The view while camping at Patterson's Ponds.

That night we had to search a bit harder to freedom camp, since there wasn't anything directly around Tekapo. We wound up at Patterson's Ponds, which was nestled alongside a riverbed. The clear sky meant that temperatures plummeted at night, making us extremely grateful for the heating in the van, but there was an upside too: we had perfect conditions for stargazing. The sky was amazing! We could even see shooting stars from inside the van. 

We woke up to a frosty morning.

Thore emptying our grey water tank.

Van life isn't all adventure though. Before we left Tekapo, we had to get gas and groceries, and make our first (dreaded) dump station stop. Part of having a self-contained vehicle is periodically emptying your waste water tank and toilet cassette, and filling up the fresh water tank again.  It isn't as terrible as it sounds, because they give you little chemical packets to put in the cassette to neutralize smell, but it is far from fun. Thore kindly took over those task, while I stuck to grocery duties. With our tank size, we found we could make it about four days before it was time for a pit stop.

Lake Pukaki & Mt. Arokai/Cook National Park

Glacial sculptures floating in Hooker Lake.

The rain brought a few rainbows as well.

Our next stop, Lake Pukaki and Arokai/Mt. Cook National Park, ended up being my favorite in New Zealand. The park, which is filled with rugged alpine bush, high peaks, and two glaciers, has a variety of really rewarding moderate-intensity hikes that I'd highly recommend. We arrived on a day with poor visibility and whipping cold rain though, and had to wait around for a few days to safely do the hikes I wanted. But good things come to those who wait! 

Getting a closer look at Mt. Cook from Hooker Valley.

Hooker Valley Track was a stunner and relatively easy, with minimal incline and well-maintained trails. The two-hour hike took us through a valley to Hooker Lake, which has a glacier at the far end and offers wonderful views of New Zealand's highest mountain, Mt. Cook (3,724 meters). The surrounding mountains had just gotten a snow dusting, and we heard and saw a number of distant avalanches at higher altitudes.

An avalanche in progress.

Thore celebrating reaching Hooker Lake.  

The tarn was frozen over during our hike.

My second-favorite hike in the park was Sealy Tarns Track. It offers ridiculously great views of Hooker Valley, Mt. Cook, and the Mackenzie Basin. Do not miss this if you can help it! The tarn, or small mountain lake, is actually the halfway point up to Mueller Hut, which is where I originally wanted to go, but given weather conditions rangers told us avalanche knowledge, an ice axe, and crampons were now advised, so we skipped it. The hike to the tarn, while just 6 km, really packs a punch, with an elevation gain of 600 meters. The roughly 2,200 steps leading up to the top are said to have inspired the song Stairway to Heaven, and I can absolutely see why. 

Thore looking out into the Mackenzie Basin.

Easy to see why it's dubbed stairway to heaven.

Sealy Tarn offers incredibly views of Hooker Lake and Mt. Cook.

Some hikes are riskier than others.

On the same day, we squeezed in another hike to the longest glacier in New Zealand, Tasman Glacier (2 hrs, 8.5 km, and 260 meter gain), which another camper told us about. While the view was amazing, I can't recommend the hike, since we later found out it isn't an official viewpoint, but a point just off the Ball Hut Route that may not be advertised due to safety concerns. 

A spectacular, unofficial viewpoint of Tasman Glacier from a moraine.

To reach the incredible viewpoint, you climb to the edge of a moraine, which is dangerous. The route to that point, while part of the official trail, is also prone to avalanches, but an information board at the start of the hike indicates the level of risk that day. The trail up isn't very exciting either. It's a wide gravel path with not much to see, so a mixed review from me. Proceed at your own risk (this blog does a good recap). 

Glad I wasn't around when this chunk came off the mountain.

A safer view of Tasman Glacier.

There's another shorter and safer hike to view Tasman Glacier, but you don't get as close. The main attraction of the walk, at least for me, was getting to see plant succession in the rocky glacial landscape surrounding the lake. Beautiful lichen, moss and ferns were popping up everywhere.

Ferns popping up near Tasman Lake. 

Beauty at all scales!

Lake Pukaki just before sunset.

During our time in the area, we mostly camped along the shores of nearby Lake Pukaki, which was beautiful and free. Each day we picked a slightly different spot, and changing weather made for different views too.

Another side of Lake Pukaki at sunrise, with Mt. Cook in the background.

The drive to Mt. Cook Park from the lake.

The only downside to freedom camping along the lake was that it took about an hour to drive into the park each day. It was a gorgeous drive though, so I could hardly complain. Two hours in the car, plus hiking, and cooking your own meals is definitely a way to ensure a good night's sleep though. We'd generally get back from the day's adventures just as the sun was setting, open a local beer (a brand called Moa) and have some appetizers, followed by a quick dinner before hitting the hay at 9-10 pm.

Peter's Lookout on the drive into Mt. Cook Nat'l Park.

The holiday park in Twizel.

A few nights we also paid to park. One night we stayed at a low-cost campground in the national park, so we'd have enough daylight to do a longer hike (Mueller Hut although that got cancelled due to hiking conditions). Another evening, we stayed at a holiday park in the nearby town of Twizel to charge laptops, do laundry, and use their wifi. Twizel also had a few restaurants, shops, a good grocery store, and some bakeries. Totally enjoyable place to stay!

The drive from Mt. Cook to Wanaka.

After six days around Mt. Cook and Lake Pukaki, we felt ready to move on, and as usual the drive to our next stop provided some absolutely gorgeous views. We took a little detour to swing by some clay cliff formations, and were not disappointed.

The cliffs reminded me of Cappadocia, Turkey.

The cliffs from another angle.

Wanaka: A Lively Lakeside Town

Our van sitting on the shore of lake Wanaka.

Golden hour on the shores of lake Wanaka.

From Twizel, it only took a few hours to get to Wanaka, which sits on a lake with the same name. While I dub Mt. Cook my favorite park, Wanaka was my favorite town. It only has about 9,000 residents, but its lakeside activities, and surrounding hikes and ski fields draw enough local and international tourists to support a happening and delightfully walkable town center. The few blocks along the shore are lined with coffee shops, second-hand stores, boutiques, galleries, a little lot with food trucks, and a few nice restaurants and bars. All the small town feel, but with a sprinkle of flair. It is the kinda place you could easily find yourself spending longer in than anticipated. 

We arrived to super overcast  conditions, which apparently are typical for Wanaka in fall. Fog tends to hang over the lake unless the sun burns it off. It can make for some cold mornings, but when the clouds break, the view opens and you realize you are surrounding by sweeping golden hills and mountains. 

A great meal we had  in Wanaka. 

We used the bad weather to recharge and relax before taking on two of the well-know and longer hikes in the area. Thore got a much-needed haircut after months of lockdown and travel, and we stocked up on food. We also did a short 30-minute walk up Iron Mountain in town (only to see more fog), and went out to local pub to enjoy some live music and have a few pints of beer. We finished the evening with some fish and chips. It was our first real outing since before the lockdown, and we were buzzing on life. Later in our stay, we ventured out to an Italian place and it ended up being one of the best meals we had on the South Island. So very happy with Wanaka food wise!

Excited for the climb!

Once weather improved, we set out for the very popular and strenuous Roy's Peak (5-6 hrs; 16km roundtrip; 1,250 m elevation gain). The summit was one of the places I'd seen in pictures and dreamed of going years ago, so I was extra pumped that morning. The internet warns you to arrive early to get parking, and to pack water, food, and warm clothes (even in summer as hypothermia can set in from quickly changing weather conditions). I got us to the trailhead at 8am, with lots of merino layers, and backpacks full of peanut butter and banana sandwiches, nuts, and fruit. 

The trailhead for Roy's Peak was cold and foggy when we arrived.

At the start, we could hardly see anything, but after about 30 minutes of hiking we broke through the fog. As the sun came up, I could start to appreciate the beautiful hues of the vegetation around us, and we passed cows and sheep. The path leads steadily up, no reprieve, but the views keep you going. 

 The colors kept changing!

Vegetation on the way up.

The trail itself was wide and easy to follow, but one steep switchback after another.

Still more climbing to do... but we stopped for the "classic" picture.

The sun never did come out in full force to burn the fog off of Lake Wanaka. With clouds below and above, and the mountain in between, we got some extremely impressive and dramatic views none the less. And, despite warnings of how popular the trail was, and that you have to wait your turn to get a picture at the top, it was almost empty when we got there. We were actually excited to see another guy, so we could get a picture with both of us in it for a change. 

A rarity to have us both in a frame that isn't a selfie.

It tastes better at the top.

We sat at the top and chatted with the fellow hiker while scarfing down our sandwiches, but couldn't stay for too long. As soon as you stopped moving, your body temperature started sinking. On the way down, the trail had become much busier. We came across at least 40 people huffing and puffing their way up, so I was definitely glad we went early. The descent was not easy on my knees though. Hiking poles would have been a plus.

Before taking on the next major hike, we took a day off to visit with our Airbnb hosts, who were in town for the weekend. They took us to Cardrona, an old gold mining township outside Wanaka that now is known for its ski field and a little pub and hotel that sits at its base. 

Reunited with our Airbnb fam from Christchurch.

Cardona Ale and Speights are local brews.

It was great to see them, and catch up while sipping local beers and eating some seriously loaded potato wedge fries.  The place had a cozy, family friendly atmosphere, with a roaring fire, antiques on the walls, mismatched furniture, and a courtyard in back with picnic tables and a jungle gym for kids. 

The lively Cardrona pub from the inside. 

On the way there, we stopped at Cardrona's other attraction, this bizarre bra fence. I can't say I felt the need to add to anything to this piece of art... but yeah. There you have it!

The next day was all action again though. We set out to conquer Isthmus Peak (5-6hrs, 16km, 1,120m elevation gain). The hike's specs are very similar to Roy's Peak, but it offers a view over both Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka, providing the weather cooperates. We only really got to see the former.

Isthmus Peak had fewer switchbacks and a more varied trail.

I actually enjoyed the way up a little more than Roy's too. Instead of seeing the entire trail and it all being uphill, this one had curves and some up and down. I found it was nice to have the variation  (easier on your legs and different views) and mystery. Plus there are beautiful and very photogenic rock formation along the way. If you have time and energy to do both hikes, I definitely would!

Looking down at Lake Hawea from Isthmus Peak.

Isthmus Peak also offers views of some interesting jagged rock formations. 

While in Wanaka, we switched between staying at a low-cost campground outside of town, and a well-equipped and more expensive holiday park right in town. Freedom camping was not impossible to come by, but there were no official freedom camp grounds open. You simply had to do research, and drive far outside of town to find spots along the road that were not marked as specifically not allowed. This was not really my idea of fun after a long hike, or doable with a van our size.

Arrowtown & Frankton: Enjoyable Stopovers

The river running through Arrowtown.

Arrowtown and Frankton ended up being enjoyable stops on the way down to Queenstown. We popped into the old gold mining town of Arrowtown specifically to pick up some mince pies and have a walk along the river. Unlike American pies, New Zealand pies are flakey dough pockets with savory filling (think calzone meets chicken pot pie). We tried three: the classic mint and lamb pie, a mushroom and beef one, and a venison one. All delicious and very filling, so a walk was welcome thereafter. 

The stop in Frankton was equally brief, and solely so I too could get a much-needed hair appointment after months on the road. Although neither town was a "main" attraction on the trip, the views everywhere, even just pumping gas, were unreasonably beautiful. 

Glenorchy Over Queenstown

A glorious freedom camping spot near Glenorchy that we had to ourselves.

Now I'm probably going to upset some people by saying this, but Queenstown did not float my boat. After a few hours in the resort town that's hailed as the extreme sports capital of the world, I was ready to go. Despite being nearly empty because of COVID, the town just felt a tinge overtouristed (even the staff at the visitor center seemed a little over visitors and gruff). 

The shores of Lake Wakatipu past Queenstown.

After checking out a few expensive and rundown campsites in town, we decided to keep driving toward Glenorchy. I'm sure we could have gotten more out of our time in town, but we were looking for nature rather than the nightlife.

For the first time, we had a lot of company.

The road to Glenorchy was winding and narrow. I was glad to have a handle on driving the van already. There were no supermarkets or dump stations nearby, but it put us closer to some key hikes. The first freedom camping site we found outside Queenstown filled up fast. By morning we were surrounded by vans, and had to carefully maneuver our way out for our hikes.

Our destination: The Routeburn Falls.

You'll notice this is a theme, but unfortunately not all the trails I hoped to hike around Queenstown were open due to seasonal conditions. The Routeburn Track was still an option though. While we couldn't hike the entire 32-km route, because the huts along the way were closed, we could do part of it as a day hike. After waiting a few days for the weather to improve and doing shorter hikes in the area, the conditions were right, and we set off for the Routeburn Falls Hut from Routeburn Shelter in Glenorchy (6hrs, 19.6km return, 600m elevation gain). 

There were bridges over rushing rivers...

...and moss-carpeted forest floors.

The Dart River was incredibly clear.

I count the Routeburn Track as one of the prettiest hikes we did. It took us through beech forests covered in moss and a valley packed with ferns that dwarfed me. A large part of it was also aongside a rushing sapphire blue river. 

It was also one of the flattest and easiest hikes, minus the last hour to the falls, which was not when you want things getting hard, but it was well worth the climb!

A gorgeous fern valley.

The view about halfway up to the falls.

That night we had another magical freedom camping experience. The site was just a gravel parking lot for another hike, with not so much as a drop toilet, but we had a panoramic view of snowy mountains and a stream all to ourselves. 

An amazing sunset not far from the Routeburn Track.

Spending Breakdown

*My half of shared costs.

In the first 20 days, I spent just under €1,000, putting the cost of travel at roughly €50 a day per person. I think if you really tried you could cut costs to €40 by freedom camping more and eating very cheaply, but for the sake of enjoying yourself I'd budget €50-€75 a day per person.

About half of our costs went to the vehicle rental. We paid just over €50 a day for the camper, and for this price you could typically expect to rent a basic van with zero excess insurance instead of the luxury camper we ended up with. We just got very, very lucky. 

Food was the second-biggest expense. You get pretty hungry after all that hiking. We ate out only very rarely, but did not hold back on groceries. There was fresh salmon, nice meat, and lots of fruit and veggies. The grocery bill here also includes some wine and beer (alcohol under entertainment was just drinks at bars). You could expect to easily double this budget if you plan to eat out though.

We managed to freedom camp about half the time in this part of the trip, which kept accommodation costs pretty low. Low-cost, low-amenity sites without power were generally about €8 per person a night. Powered sites at holiday parks generally went for €25 a night for two people (no discount for a single person).

Entertainment costs were low for us, because we mainly hiked, but you could easily spend another thousand on scenic flights, skiing, kayaking, and bungee jumping. The list of options is huge!