[lhysen]

I read somewhere to not leave anything in your car or it will be stolen, now this defeats the purpose of the camper van.

I will be living out of this van for 2 weeks and will have things in it. What should I do?

Is crime that high in NZ?

I went to Oahu and my car was broken into twice in one hour, I left as soon as I could.

[Wonderbob]

I read somewhere to not leave anything in your car or it will be stolen, now this defeats the purpose of the camper van.

I will be living out of this van for 2 weeks and will have things in it. What should I do?

Is crime that high in NZ?

I went to Oahu and my car was broken into twice in one hour, I left as soon as I could.

That's like Oahu, Hawaii, right? It sounds like a NZ placename but I've never heard of it. I've never ever had a car broken into, and there are plenty of tourists who make longer trips than 2 weeks without incident, but it always pays off to be extra vigilant, don't leave valuables in line of sight, and take extra valuable stuff like money/passports etc with you when you go, Try not to park it in really remote carparks, because thieves like these the best. Good luck, I think you'll be fine though.:nice1

[lhysen]

Yes I meant Hawaii.

That place had so many poor people, and the cops did nothing to stop it.

[willsken]

We've been on a couple of campervan holidays. One around the NI and one the SI. We were fine on both occasions, no trouble at all. Enjoy your trip. :nice1

[vixxann]

we did 10 days in a campervan (from Auckland to Christchurch) and enjoyed every minute - able to park in all towns for shopping, look around etc - all sites we used ranged from good to excellent - and the convenience of having everything with you in one spot whilst you travelled around was brilliant. At all times we felt safe and didn't have a spot of bother. Enjoy your trip :yes

[Mels]

We spent 3 weeks around the NI back in 2004 and enjoyed every minute. Parking a 6 berth campervan in the middle of town is amazing. :yes On one occasion I even asked a passerby if it was OK to park, I couldn't believe it.

The only note of caution was a Canadian couple warned us that they had their campervan broken into and lost all passport, money etc. This happened in a camp site when they had gone to a hot pool. So be careful but I wouldn't panic and enjoy yourself.

I have to say Iwouldn't have left my stuff in the van in the first place, OH and I just took turns looking after it, bit of a pain but better than losing it.

Mels

[JandM]

Like the others have said, we had no problems at all when using a hired campervan last year, one painted BRIGHT orange with a white spot, so really obvious as a tourist. Also like them, we didn't leave the money and passports in it, and didn't tuck other valuables away while the doors were open.

[zoid155]

I love this site! Was just discussing with the o/h about starting our year in nz with a month long camper trip across both Islands while the weathers still okay....could anyone recommend good rental companies? I'm also considering buying one and selling it after we're finished has anyone any experience in this? The rental idea appeals a bit more because we wouldnt have to worry about maintaining it etc but i'm open to either....is it dooable in a month as well or should we allow longer? are there good campervan site guidebooks available? sorry for all the questions folks :)

[JandM]

http://www.spaceships.tv/campervan-hire-nz/

Here's the firm we used. Really pleasant owner, on the phone to us after a while to make sure everything was okay, discount for a long hire, good vehicles, well equipped. If you go to the photos bit, at the moment two of ours are the bottom ones on p.1, and another two are the top ones on p.2.

How far you go on any day is down to you, of course. But from what my family say, a lot of visitors underestimate the size of the country, and how long it'll take to explore things (and just simply cover the ground in between). Give yourselves more time, if it's not an issue, because then you'll be free to be flexible if you absolutely love somewhere.

[Wonderbob]

I love this site! Was just discussing with the o/h about starting our year in nz with a month long camper trip across both Islands while the weathers still okay....could anyone recommend good rental companies? I'm also considering buying one and selling it after we're finished has anyone any experience in this? The rental idea appeals a bit more because we wouldnt have to worry about maintaining it etc but i'm open to either....is it dooable in a month as well or should we allow longer? are there good campervan site guidebooks available? sorry for all the questions folks :)


You are thinking about 2009 right? We're in Autumn now and whilst the weather is still lovely, it will only last a few weeks before winter begins to arrive. The best times would probably be late January, any time in Feb, even into March is OK. Kiwi's take their 4 weeks annual holiday (often) late Dec, till around mid Jan, so not a good time for tourists, and the weather is often unsettled in Dec anyway. One other option is to rent an economical car and stay in Motels instead. The difference in $ can be large compared to one of the bigger rental companies such as Maui or Britz, you get to stay at a whole variety of different motels which can be fun, and fuel costs are much lower than driving a mid-size truck (although they are more economical diesels), and a car handles the windy, hilly parts of the country much easier than a campervan. You can book most of these on the net. I used this method when travelling across the S.I by motorcycle with a bunch of folks from Colorado, we had a ball and stayed in some really interesting Motels, the key is to avoid peak Kiwi holiday season as above. Just another possible option.

[Nick88]

Campervans can be slow to sell, so buying, using and selling could be a bit stressful at the end if you need to take the money with you when you leave (rather than leaving it with a sales yard on commission). Renting will be much more expensive but you will get a much better van and have no worries at the end.

Using a car can cost a fairly similar amount if you always stay in caravan parks. You can't use alot of the free sites if you don't have a self-containment certificate (your own toilet), and vans with these cost alot more.

Staying in cheap motels is a good option. It is also worth using caravan park cabins, they can be half the price.

[zoid155]

No im planning this for in a week or two just after we get there :) Renting seems the way to go allright but maybe we'll just stick to the north island this time round...That spacecamper site is great thanks for the info
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