Motorhome rental New Zealand

MrChips
MrChips Forum Participant Posts: 4

We want to travel to New Zealand Oct - Dec, hiring a 4 berth motorhome in Christchurch and completing the trip in Auckland. Can anyone offer advice re vehicles / rental companies / itinerary for 2 months. Are there any pitfalls we need to look out for? We're
avoiding the height of the season in Jan - Feb, preferring to travel in their Spring. 

Comments

  • eurortraveller
    eurortraveller Club Member Posts: 6,830 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #2

    Hello Mr Chips, you are a motorhome owner, I see, so must be well use to the prices of those vehicles. We however were as horrified by motorhome rental prices in NZ as we are by purchase prices for them here at home - so we rented the cheapest sort of Nissan
    Micra and stayed in motels, hostels and cabins on campsites- and had the most wonderful touring holiday. It really is a great country - bigger than you think - and even in two months you won't see it all. Have a great time. 

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,199 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #3

    Several companies I'm packing tho go tomorrow so only swift answer, daughter lives on north island . We've heard from reviews but have no experience that sometimes 'vans out of Christchurch can be mucky so check out thoroughly on arrival and don't take
    until happy. Generally cheaper to hire south to north saves the rental company getting someone to drive it back!  We've used kiwi camper and mighty good service from each, also seen appollo, kea, juicy ( these ones trend not to have facilities on board and
    you have to cook under boot lid!)  There was a new company when we weteout earlier this year can't remember name but will look out for it.

    They are not cheap to hire and unless you need it I would stick to minimum number of berths. Its very easy over there.

    NZ sites are well set up with camp kitchens that include pots pans crockery and cutlery no charge. Top Ten sites are good, franchise sites but high standard, plenty of others to choose from. No need to book in advance

    For ideas why not have a scan through the club's and the other club's itinerary for ideas? So far not done south island son reckons its prettier but north lovely too. Franz Josef glacier and Queenstown. I would also recommend a visit to the Bay of Islands
    and the very north tip, 90mile beach but DO NOT TAKE HIRE VEHICLE ON THE BEACH against rental agreement and they will know and claim against you!  Its part of SH1 and traffic laws apply and regularly patrolled by police. Well worth the coach trip as you see
    the biggest kauri tree in NZ and Cape Regina.

    Ask more questions and I'll try to help but will be visiting daughter and meeting new granddaughter plus playing with the other so don't expect swift responses!  WiFi will be patchy and at present its 11 hours time difference.

    So many lovely places but not as small as you think, so allow as long as you possibly can for a visit, the airfare us the same for a week or several weeks

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,199 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2016 #4

    Also consider hire car and hotels or motels, the latter come with mini kitchens as standard so self-catering is easy. In the years we've been going it has improved for evening eating everything used to close at 5pm .  Our son and partner did that and
    er mitirhimed when we went for daughter's wedding, theirs was marginally cheaper than ours! But they did have to live out of suitcase!!  

    If you motorhome hire take holdalls not cades easier to store. If you pick up and drop off at same point they will keep your cases.  Also motorhome last return tends to be 4pm but car rentals as late as 2am in summer.  Since we Luke flight soon after midnight
    out its along time to kill!!

  • Grandmalyn
    Grandmalyn Forum Participant Posts: 34
    edited July 2016 #5

    In January of this year we travelled from Christchurch , returned home from Auckland. Don't know that this route made it any cheaper. We booked with the 'other ' club and used Jucy Rentals. Can't praise the company enough, nothing was too much trouble, they
    even loaned us a car for the day free when we turned up at the wrong time. However it was still eye wateringly expensive. 

  • JSGARTH
    JSGARTH Forum Participant Posts: 40
    edited July 2016 #6

    We had a great time in 2012. I wrote a review on TripAdvisor you will probably find it if you search the NZ section for Britz Campervans. Any questions please ask