New Zealand Trip

Hi Bazzruk. I can answer 2 of your questions having hired a camper van in New Zealand 2 years ago. Laundry facilities in all the camp sites we used were more than adequate. Cards are universally accepted in New Zealand. How much cash you take is a personal choice. You will find your supermarket shopping to be dearer than it is here so budget for that.

Wow lucky you ☺. Our daughter lives in NZ so we are quite often back and to! We have hired motorhomes from the airport on several occasions.

Luggage is now large soft holdalls, they can be emptied into the cupboards and collapsed flat to store under a bench seat. We have even taken a Fisher Price dolls house, that was our daughters for our granddaughters, so that will give you an idea of size 😉.

Campsites are great with good facilities including camp kitchens where you can cook and eat should you wish. They generally have fridges and freezers for your use too. Food to be labelled and dated! Bbq's, some free some charge to cook on. 

Money get yourself commission free cards. They are very card or entitled,  vending machines take them! If a bank over there charges, withdraw lots in one go. We have always found Kiwi Bank, equilivilent of the post office free.

Supermarkets are great with fantastic selection. Pak'Save are cheaper, Countdown, an Oz company pricier. Most things are more costly there and NZ $ has been sliding down so good exchange rates at the mo. Has been $2 to £1 in the last week, best we got earlier this year  $1.88 so keep watching.

Be prepared to declare anything organic so pack it where you know it is. They are VERY HOT on it, every item is scanned to check and sniffer dogs patrol the queues. Even things like lavender bags, sweets etc etc. They want no smoking by 2020 but heavy duty if you take in over the allowance which is very little.

Supermarkets on the industrial parts as you drive off from hire companies. Ask for directions. Folk returning motorhomes have to empty their stores so check what they have left. Washing liquids, toilet rolls, condiments etc. There are lots of folks with surplus produce for sale in front of their property too as you travel around.

Good sun glasses are a must! As is sunscreen and insect repellant if you're out and about.

Enjoy. Happy to help if you have further questions.

If you can get a few days stopover lovely. My preference is 10 days 😂 but it does add to the cost! We have done always different layover. A few days stopover, 6 hours in Singapore airport is great 6 gardens, 2 outside, swimming pool etc. Down to 1 hour, that's always resulted in the onward flight being held so off of one straight onto another! 3 is great, long enough to stretch your legs before reboarding. But this sort of stopover adds to the length of time between beds 😉. Personally I find the return flight much tougher jetlag wise so maybe stopover both ways!

Modern air travel isn't so bad, we only do economy - could go better but that's fewer trips 😲. Noise cancelling headphones if you have them help. Just rest and chill, plenty of in-flight entertainment without your own books music etc. It'll be warm and sunny when you arrive and that helps a lot.

If you're going with the club these decisions may have been made by the trip?

Congratulations on the forthcoming new addition.

Once you're in Singapore airport get a map of the airport so you can find your way around. I think you can get it online. 😃 LINK 

Their flower displays are amazing throughout the airport not not just the gardens. If you're going Singapore Airlines, Air NZ are part of the same group now, you used to be able to leave the airport and catch their free buses for a bit of sightseeing.

Clothing - I'd say layers but shorts and tshirts days and evenings. A pair of full trousers, a fleece/jumper for cooler evenings or trips on the water. Dress is very casual over there 😉. My sun dresses get good outings 😂. Waterproof jacket acts as wind stopper too! We were there end December to mid March this year, more wind and rain than we've had before but not cold, even had the tail end of 2 cyclones, downgraded by the time they hit land but lots of trees down. We've had strong damaging winds before in March. We did their winter in 2016 OH stayed in shorts most days. Wind from the south very chilly like from the east here.  We're usually around the middle of the North Island.

Walking boots - ensure you have washed the soles and polished well if appropriate! Pack near the top of your case, they WILL be inspected. They are very bio-security conscious! In fact you'll see signs asking you to clean your boots between walking trails in the same way that canoes etc and fishing gear should be cleaned between lakes. I'd say substainal footwear are a must if you want to do walking trails or wildlife scanctuarys.

Keep a pen handy in your hand luggage you will have to complete a landing card, this will ask about walking boots and fresh produce amongst other things. Declare it all, generally they are trying to stop imports of Asian oddities which are not processed 😲😲. If you take tea or coffee I'd take it in sealed unopened packing, the worse they can make you do is bin it 😉. Salt pepper etc from hire company kitchen, everyone buys it and can't use it all. Buying toilet sachets from some supermarkets but generally outdoor stores, not always as easy as you think to get, some campsites. Hire company may give you just 1 or 2. They will give you dishcloth, tea towel, generally a pillow each, ask for extra if you generally use more than one, and additional covers 😉. You'll get duvet, duvet covers, pillowcases. I'd suggest take small guest size towel for kitchen and bathroom. Plus your own towels if they're not included, can't remember!

Money get commission free credit and debit cards from UK, you have time to set up new accounts if necessary before you go. Sorry I didn't proof read before posting, afraid of losing the post cos been logged out 😤. I did mean orientated. We use Nationwide FlexPlus pay on the credit card in shops and restaurants, in fact all purchases, settle bill by due date. Withdraw cash from ATM with debit card. Kiwi Bank (green sign white writing) is the equivalent of our Post Office and we have never been charged by them to withdraw cash, I have a feeling Westpac (Red sign with black writing, or vice versa) made no charge either. But BNZ ANZ and others do, but they say before you withdraw so don't rundown cash supplies to low! If you pay by card you pay the exact amount but they don't do small value coins so use Swedish rounding, 5c or less down 6c and more rounded up. They don't tip! If you go to an Indian the rice comes as part of your dish, our friends always forget when they come back here 😂

I would echo comments above, it's so like this country was years ago although they are catching up fast! When we first went we didn't have dinner one evening as we'd left it too late at 7pm 😂. Your tour guide will have local knowledge, hopefully 😉. The list for shopping is a good idea. I can recommend the NZ tea Charnui, I think it's spelt. Not cheap but very nice and I always bring back their mint tea, or ask for it as presents!

Don't know if the tour is to and from same city, if it is you can leave your suitcases at the hire company, but that means unpacking before you head off and allowing sufficient time for packing on return 😉.

I found my local SIM and Google maps a great navigation tool....... 

We motorhome in this country but found the handover very swift, they are quite casual too. Take photos of any damage on the vehucle inside and out and ensure it's marked on the hire sheet, just in case! You have proof of how it was when you took it 😉. Generally they don't worry about anything about 10p size.

I hope I've covered the points you've raised but happy to answer anything else as you think if it.

According to your opening post you are going on a Club trip. Isn't there an itinerary? If so, look at it and see where you are going.(Your request for excursions or attractions is too vague as we don't know where you are going and what is  already included, let alone what you are interested in.) 

May I also suggest you get a guide book if you haven't already looked at one. A map or road atlas of New Zealand will also be useful. Even if you are provided with a sat-nav, a road atlas will give you the wider picture. We found, for instance, some great waterfalls marked on the map and they were just a few kilometres off the main highway.

We planned our own trip in 2016, using "The Rough Guide to New Zealand" and a road map. It really was easy. Local tourist information offices in NZ were very useful. We did this without being on an organised trip so had to do our own research. We made a list of "must see" items for us and another list of "desirable if possible" before we left home and worked out our own flexible itinerary.

I for one look forward to reading your feedback in the July magazine.

Good to hear you had a trip of a lifetime.

We did NZ for my 50th, but using a rental vehicle and hotels. Perhaps when young un has left school in a few years we may get to do it by MH and for the whole NZ summer. We did August, primarily to go skiing as I'd missed out when I was based in Oz many years earlier.

Did you take the hired MH on the ferry between North & South Island? With the hire car you drop one at the ferry terminal in Wellington, transfer to the ferry and collect another hire car in Picton. In our case the car in Picton had a ski rack and winter tyres fitted ready to go skiing in our case at Wanaka. 

The only thing to make it more comfortable is to fly Business Class. Emirates do good deals where the more sectors you do the cheaper it is. That 50th trip was stops in Dubai (a free weekend in the Atlantis on The Palm was gratis with a BC ticket), 3 days in Sydney, NZ, then out to Brisbane, onto Singapore for a few days then home. You get a chauffeur pick up/drop off service at each stop if required and use the BC lounges at airports that saves a fortune. It cost 8.9p per mile flown. If you consider standing on a train to London is 79p per mile, its a deal.

Our cost per person was £4.5k all in.