9 Days In New Zealand Campervan Style
New Zealand is so beautiful, one could spend months - even years - exploring it, but we had to make the most of our trip in just a short 9 days. It took A LOT of planning, and replanning, and at one point we thought it may not even happen. First things first - BOOK YOUR CAMPER! We didn’t realize campers get booked at least a year in advance, so we definitely got lucky with the availability of our rad Mighty Campervan. After that’s all set, we carried on with downloading the proper NZ camping apps, which include with other important tips such as dump stations, gas stations, and nearby toilets. The apps we used most often were Rankers and Campermate.
We chose to spend our 9 days driving around South Island, making sure to see the places we were real eager about, while also leaving a little bit of wiggle room as we knew our plans could change depending on campsite availability and also - weather. New Zealand is just other-worldly, pure beauty all around, everywhere you go. Even the dried up farm lands were gorgeous, so you can’t really go wrong with where you go, but it’s helpful to have a little direction when trying to sort out some type of start/end route.
We’ll take you through our route and worked best for us and our little girl.
day 1: christchurch
We flew in to Christchurch late afternoon, so we decided to stay in a motel the first night and pick up the camper early the next morning. Traveling with a child has taught us to not cram too much in at once, as we once used to. We find it best to leave a little cushion for anything child-related that may pop up!
day 2: Christchurch and Lake Opuha
After we got settled into the camper, organized our things, and did a supermarket run, it was time to hit the (wrong side of the) road on the right side of the car. Again! We left Christchurch, headed for Lake Opuha, and randomly stopped along the way to admire the scenery and also to have our first camper meal - which went better than expected.
Once we got to the free campsite, we locked in our spot (which I’d recommend against parking near any trees for safety and bug reasons) and went exploring. It felt so good to finally start this trip we had been dreaming of and planning for so long. We made our first big dinner that night, and enjoyed it on our little table under the camper awning.
I’d definitely recommend this campsite. It was free, spacious, clean, and there is a free toilet which is always an added bonus.
**For those traveling with babies or toddlers, we had our Baby Bjorn Travel Crib and put it between the driver and passenger area for naps and at night. During the day we put the crib in the back on our bed so we had more room to move around.
day 3: Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki
After breakfast, we decided to head out, see some things, and stop at the stunning Lake Tekapo. When we arrived, it was super windy, cold, and rainy. So we did a quick walk around, then stared at the insanely blue lake water from the camper. It was nap time, so we decided to just park it for a little and let her sleep while we planned out the rest of our day. We had lunch in the camper, then headed back on the road to see what our site options were like for Lake Pukaki that night.
The free campsite was pretty much like a giant parking lot, with spaces closer to the lake, and some spots a bit further. Every where we parked felt on an angle, and since it was down pouring, we decided to park a little further from the lake just in case of flooding - which had been happening a lot during the last 2 days.
**This is probably a good time to quickly mention that we had to replan a few days of our trip because of the heavy rain. The road leading to Milford Sound was completely flooded and blocked off and wasn’t going to reopen for a few weeks - which by then we would have been gone. It was a huge bummer but we know we’ll be back to New Zealand, so we’ll visit it then. It may be good to leave a little wiggle room in case of things like this. There is so much to see and the vibe is so relaxed, so we quickly got over it and enjoyed the rest of our time.**
We had a bit of cabin fever this day since we spent it all in our camper. Somehow, our little 1.5 year old managed to keep it together and was the perfect roomie.
day 4: pukaki, twizel, aoraki/mount cook, glentanner park
Waking up to beautiful crisp skies after a lot of rain, we had breakfast then headed to Twizel for a little campervan TLC. Twizel is a cute little town with restaurants, supermarkets, and even children’s play area which was pretty awesome. After that we headed back to Pukaki, this time driving north on the west side of the lake up to Mount Cook. We stayed at Glentanner Park this night, prebooked it, knowing we would have to charge the camper. We really liked this campsite and all it had to offer. It was a nice break to have a shower and toilets as well. This is one of the only campsites in this area so it’s important to book ahead as it fills up quickly.
day 5: mt. cook national park and lake wanaka
The next day we spent some time at Mount Cook National Park. It is so scenic and the trails lead to such beautiful places that one should definitely plan to do. You can spend quite some time there, so if hiking is your thing, plan to stay the majority of the day. We don’t use a carrier, and didn’t bring a stroller, so we went as far as Olivia’s little legs could go (and as far as we could go carrying her). There was some rain along the way, so we were lucky enough to see a rainbow spanning across the mountains. It was gorgeous!
Our destination for this night was Boundary Creek campsite, in “the neck” area which is between Lake Wanaka and Lake Pukaki. It was a gorgeous drive getting there, with a few places to stop along the way to admire the scenery and have a little snack.
day 6: Lake Wanaka and queenstown
Our destination this day was Queenstown, but we couldn’t miss the infamous #ThatWanakaTree, before getting there. Wanaka was probably our favorite town, and we wish we had spent more time there. The lake itself is extremely peaceful clear waters, with unreal mountain backdrops. Olivia had a blast throwing rocks into the lake and counting the ducks swimming by. We spent some time at the lake, taking pictures and just chilling out, then had brunch at a sweet little cafe in town. If you love charming mountain towns, I’d recommend giving yourself a good two days to spend here.
After Wanaka, we were on our way to Otago to see probably most visited town on the South Island - Queenstown. We checked in to Queenstown Lakeview Holiday Park, freshened up (camper style), then walked in to town for some food and some everything-watching.
Queenstown has a ton of outdoor activities, shopping, restaurants, and people watching. Spending a few days there could be a nice change of pace if you’re looking for some city life action.
day 7: Lowburn and Cluthra River
The next day was rainy again, so we picked up some groceries heading out of Queenstown, and made a few brief stops along the way. Later in the afternoon, we headed to Lowburn Campground where we stayed that night. Jackson’s Orchard is just down the road with delicious fresh fruit from their orchard, healthy snacks, and their specialty frozen yogurt. We loved it there. The campground itself was really spacious, clean and had great views of Lake Dunstan/Cluthra River and the Dunstan mountain range. I should also mention that it’s a free campsite - with toilets!
day 8: lake tekapo
Our trip was coming to an end, and we wanted to make sure we got some special 2nd birthday photos in for Olive’s big day. So the next day we made sure to spend time doing that. We drove towards Mount Cook, stopping wherever we thought was a good photo op - which in New Zealand is basically everywhere! We stayed at Lake Tekapo that night, so the rest of the day we walked around Tekapo, cooked dinner, and took in the second to last night we had in the camper. Our Milford Sound days were cut out due to rain, so it was nice to have some time to explore more of Tekapo and the nearby town since our previous stops there were cold and rainy.
day 9: Timaru
The next day we planned to drive to Timaru and stay in a campsite that was essentially a parking lot. We did a bit of driving, stopping for essentials, and eventually made it to our super questionable place for the night. We walked to the water, collected some shells, searched for the infamous blue penguins people often see at Timaru, and enjoyed the space for the afternoon.
As the evening went on, we felt like maybe it wasn’t the best place to spend our last night in the camper. It wasn’t too exciting, and there wasn’t much privacy as everyone was parked right next to each other like a supermarket lot. We quickly did some research, reserved a spot at Timaru Top 10 Holiday Park, and headed over just in time to cook up a frozen pizza for dinner. We loved this park as it felt like a traditional live-in RV campground you’d find in the States. People had gardens and decorations up around their camper which made it feel really homey. Olivia loved it because they had an outdoor play area, which she hadn’t come by since the beginning of the trip. It was a super relaxed, cozy, and beautiful park to spend our last night at.
day 10-11: christchurch and auckland
The next morning was spent packing our things and cleaning out the camper. We had to check in to a motel, return the camper, and say goodbye to our home on wheels! We had dinner, and breakfast the following morning, in Christchurch then went to the airport for a two-night stay in Auckland. We rented a car in Auckland and drove to the nearest beaches from the city. We went to Karekare Beach and Piha Beach specifically, and there were loads more places to stop at along the coast.
