Auckland Campervan & Motorhome Hire

Day 1: Collect your van from a depot near Auckland Airport, where the thl brands ask you to arrive at least an hour before their 4:30pm close, and do a big grocery shop before leaving the city. Head south on State Highway 1 through the Waikato, about 2 hours to Matamata, avoiding the afternoon motorway peak if you can. Stay at a holiday park in or near town.

Day 2: Join a pre-booked tour of the Hobbiton Movie Set, about 15 minutes from Matamata, where guides lead you past the hobbit holes of the Shire to the Green Dragon Inn. In the afternoon, drive about 1.5 hours to Rotorua and book a holiday park for two nights. Ease into the evening in one of the town's geothermal pools, and expect the smell of sulphur.

Day 3: Spend the day in Rotorua's geothermal heart at Te Puia, home of the Pōhutu Geyser and the national carving and weaving schools, then ride the Skyline gondola and luge above the lake. In the evening, book a Māori cultural experience with a hāngī dinner. Keep to the marked paths in thermal areas, as the ground can be thin and very hot.

Day 4: Drive about 1.5 hours south to Taupō, breaking the trip at Craters of the Moon, a boardwalk among steaming vents, and Huka Falls, where the Waikato River surges through a narrow gorge. Spend the afternoon on the shore of Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake, and stay at a holiday park near the water. Refuel in town before tomorrow's hill road.

Day 5: Allow about 2.5 hours on the winding Napier-Taupō Road, State Highway 5, over the hill country to Napier on Hawke Bay. Take a walking tour of the Art Deco buildings that rose after the 1931 earthquake, then stroll the seafront along Marine Parade. Book a holiday park for two nights, as the region is easy to explore from one base.

Day 6: Hire bikes and ride the flat Hawke's Bay Trails between wineries, orchards and the coast, or join a guided wine tour if you would rather taste without riding. Restock at the supermarket in the afternoon and check your Cook Strait ferry booking, as tomorrow is a long drive south to Wellington.

Day 7: Allow about 4.5 hours south to Wellington via Palmerston North and the Kāpiti Coast, with a lunch stop on the way. Stay at a holiday park or motorhome park within easy reach of the ferry terminal, as the central streets are steep and narrow for a big van, and leave it parked there for your stay in the capital.

Day 8: Explore Wellington on foot or by bus, with Te Papa museum on the waterfront, the cable car up to the Botanic Garden and the cafés of Cuba Street. Pack a day bag for tomorrow, as you cannot return to the vehicle deck once the ferry sails, and check that the van's booked length includes any bike rack.

Day 9: Check in at least an hour before your Interislander or Bluebridge sailing, turn off the gas bottle before boarding and enjoy the crossing of about 3.5 hours through the Marlborough Sounds to Picton. Drive about 30 minutes south to Blenheim, at the heart of the Marlborough wine region, and book a holiday park for two nights.

Day 10: Cycle or take a tour between Marlborough's cellar doors, best known for Sauvignon Blanc, and visit the Omaka Aviation Heritage Centre with its First World War aircraft displays. Do a big grocery shop and fill the fuel tank in the afternoon, as tomorrow follows the coast south to Kaikōura.

Day 11: Drive about 2 hours south on State Highway 1, where the road squeezes between the mountains and the Pacific Ocean, and watch for fur seals on the rocks from the lookouts. Stay at a holiday park in Kaikōura for two nights, and book tomorrow's whale watching trip if you have not already.

Day 12: Join a whale watching cruise or scenic flight in the morning, as sperm whales feed in the deep canyon close to shore, though trips depend on the sea and weather. In the afternoon, walk part of the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway past the seal colony at Point Kean, keeping a respectful distance from the seals on the rocks.

Day 13: Allow about 3 hours to Christchurch, then stay at a holiday park on the city's edge and explore by bus or on foot. Walk through the Botanic Gardens, take a punt on the Avon River and browse the Riverside Market for road trip supplies. Empty the tanks and refill the water before heading for the mountains.

Day 14: Drive about 1.5 hours each way to Akaroa on Banks Peninsula, on a hilly, winding road with big views over the harbour from the summit. Take a harbour cruise to look for Hector's dolphins, among the world's smallest dolphins, then wander the village's French-named streets before returning to Christchurch.

Day 15: Drive about 3 hours south-west across the Canterbury Plains and through Fairlie to Lake Tekapo, stopping in Geraldine for lunch. Visit the Church of the Good Shepherd on the turquoise lakeshore and, on a clear night, join a stargazing tour in the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Day 16: Follow the lake road beside Lake Pukaki to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park, about 1.5 hours, and walk the Hooker Valley Track, about 10 km return over swing bridges to iceberg-dotted Hooker Lake. Stay at DOC's White Horse Hill Campground, booked ahead, and pay for parking if you leave the van in the day car park.

Day 17: Allow about 3 hours via Twizel, Omarama and the Lindis Pass to Wānaka, checking NZTA road conditions first outside summer, as snow and ice can bring chain requirements or closures. Descend through golden tussock country to the lake and book a Wānaka holiday park for two nights.

Day 18: Spend a slow day in Wānaka, walking the lakefront to the much-photographed lone willow or climbing Mount Iron for views over the lake and mountains. Do the laundry, empty the tanks and restock at the supermarket, ready for the drive to Queenstown via Cromwell tomorrow.

Day 19: Drive about 1.5 hours to Queenstown via Cromwell and the Kawarau Gorge, as some brands do not allow the shorter Crown Range Road. Stop at Arrowtown's gold rush streets and the Kawarau Bridge to watch the bungy jumpers. Stay at a holiday park within walking distance of town, as central parking is tight for a campervan.

Day 20: Leave the van parked and see Milford Sound on a coach and cruise or fly and cruise trip from Queenstown, as driving there and back is about 600 km and 12 hours or more. On a short day, ride the Skyline Gondola or cruise Lake Wakatipu instead, then pack up for tomorrow's return.

Day 21: Refuel, empty the waste tanks and return the van to a depot near Queenstown Airport in Frankton. Only some brands have a Queenstown depot, and Britz and Mighty, for example, add a one-way fee and a NZ$270 Queenstown location fee before April 2027, so check the total in your quote alongside the Cook Strait ferry.

Day 1: Collect your van near Auckland Airport and do a big grocery shop, then head south-east around the Firth of Thames and over the Kōpū-Hikuai Road to Hahei, about 2.5 hours. The last stretch is narrow and winding, so take it slowly. Book two nights at a holiday park near the beach and run through the van's water, power and gas before dark.

Day 2: Walk to Mautohe Cathedral Cove from the Hahei visitor car park, as there is no parking at the track entrance, and check DOC updates first, as storms can close the track at short notice. Around low tide, dig your own thermal pool in the sand at Hot Water Beach nearby, then spend a lazy afternoon on Hahei Beach.

Day 3: Drive about 1.5 hours south via Whangamatā and Waihī to the Karangahake Gorge and walk the Windows Walk through old gold mining tunnels, taking a torch. Continue about 1.5 hours to Mount Maunganui, at the eastern end of the Bay of Plenty, and stay at a holiday park close to the beach.

Day 4: Climb Mauao, the extinct volcanic cone at the tip of the peninsula, for views along the Bay of Plenty, or take the flatter base track. Swim at the ocean beach, soak in the saltwater hot pools at the foot of the mountain and restock in Tauranga. If your route uses one of the two Tauranga toll roads, pay online within five days.

Day 5: Drive about an hour inland to Rotorua and spend the afternoon at Whakarewarewa, the living Māori village, where steam rises between the houses and food is cooked in the hot pools. In the evening, walk the lantern-lit Redwoods Treewalk in Whakarewarewa Forest. Stay two nights at a holiday park, some of which have their own hot pools.

Day 6: Head about 30 minutes south to Wai-O-Tapu for its colourful hot springs and boiling mud, arriving in time for the Lady Knox Geyser's morning eruption, then walk the Waimangu Volcanic Valley nearby. Back in town, finish the day with a soak at the Polynesian Spa on the lakefront.

Day 7: Drive about an hour south to Taupō and take a lake cruise to the Māori rock carvings at Mine Bay, which can only be seen from the water. Walk the riverside track to Huka Falls, where the Waikato River surges through a narrow gorge, and stay at a holiday park near the lake. Fill the fuel tank before heading into the mountains.

Day 8: Drive about 1.5 hours around the lake via Tūrangi to Whakapapa Village, below the volcanoes of Tongariro National Park, a dual World Heritage Area. Walk the Taranaki Falls loop, about two hours, and book two nights at Whakapapa or nearby National Park Village, packing warm layers for cold alpine nights.

Day 9: If the mountain forecast is clear, walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, a long one-way day walk of about 19 km, and book a shuttle, as access and parking at the Mangatepopo road end have been restricted in recent seasons. In poor weather, choose the Tama Lakes track from Whakapapa Village instead.

Day 10: Allow about 2 hours north-west via Taumarunui and Te Kūiti to Waitomo, a village in limestone country. Take a boat ride beneath the glowworms of the Waitomo Glowworm Caves or try black water rafting, then walk the Ruakuri Walk with its natural tunnels and bridges. Stay at a holiday park in the village.

Day 11: Drive about 1.5 hours to Raglan on the west coast, with a detour to Bridal Veil Falls, a short bush walk from the car park. Spend the afternoon at Ngarunui Beach, where you can take a surf lesson, or watch the surfers ride the long left-hand break at Manu Bay. Stay at a holiday park beside the harbour.

Day 12: Drive about 45 minutes to Hamilton and spend the morning in the Hamilton Gardens, whose themed gardens range from Italian Renaissance to Japanese. Continue about 1.5 hours to Auckland, timing the motorway to miss the afternoon peak, and stay near the depots, for example at the council campground in Ambury Regional Park, booked online.

Day 13: Leave the van at camp and take a bus or rideshare into the city for a final day. Catch a passenger ferry from downtown to Waiheke Island for vineyards and beaches, or to Devonport for the view from Maungauika/North Head. Back at camp, pack up and tidy the van ready for tomorrow's return.

Day 14: Refuel, empty the waste tanks at a dump station and return the van well before your depot closes, leaving time for the inspection. Settle any toll or road user charges, then take the depot shuttle to Auckland Airport for your flight. Allow for traffic if you return during the morning peak.

Day 1: Collect your van near Auckland Airport and head north over the Harbour Bridge on State Highway 1, choosing the Northern Gateway Toll Road or the free Hibiscus Coast Highway through Ōrewa. Allow about 2.5 hours to Whangārei, checking NZTA for roadworks on the Brynderwyn Hills, and walk the short loop at Whangārei Falls.

Day 2: Drive about an hour north to Paihia and book a holiday park for two nights. Spend the afternoon at the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where the Treaty of Waitangi was first signed in 1840, with a museum, carved meeting house and ceremonial waka. In the evening, take the passenger ferry across to historic Russell for dinner.

Day 3: Join a cruise out to the Hole in the Rock at Cape Brett, watching for dolphins on the way, or hire a kayak and explore the bay. In the afternoon, fill the fuel tank and buy food, as tomorrow takes you to the far north, where towns and fuel stops are spread out.

Day 4: Allow about 3 hours on the sealed State Highway 1 to Cape Reinga and walk down to the lighthouse, where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. Ninety Mile Beach is off limits in some hire agreements, so leave the sand to tour buses. Stay at DOC's Tapotupotu campsite, booked ahead and reached by steep gravel, or a holiday park further south.

Day 5: Head south via Kaitaia to the Hokianga Harbour, about 3.5 hours, where giant golden sand dunes rise across the water from Ōpononi and Ōmāpere. Stop at the Arai Te Uru lookout above the harbour mouth, then stay at a holiday park in Ōmāpere or Ōpononi, close to tomorrow's kauri forest.

Day 6: Drive about 20 minutes into Waipoua Forest and take the short walk to Tāne Mahuta, the largest known living kauri, cleaning your shoes at the stations to help stop kauri dieback. Continue about 40 minutes to the Kai Iwi Lakes for a swim in clear dune lakes, and stay at the lakeside campground or in Dargaville.

Day 7: Drive about an hour to the Kauri Museum at Matakohe to learn about the kauri timber and gum trade, then allow about 2.5 hours back to Auckland. Refuel and empty the tanks before your depot, and aim to arrive well ahead of the afternoon motorway peak and the depot's closing time.