Queenstown Campervan & Motorhome Hire

Day 1: Collect your van from a depot in Frankton, about 3 km from Queenstown Airport, and stock up at the Frankton supermarkets before you leave. Depots generally close by mid-afternoon, so a morning flight helps. Settle into a holiday park within walking distance of town, then ride the Skyline Gondola or cruise Lake Wakatipu while the van stays parked.

Day 2: Allow about 2.5 hours around Lake Wakatipu and through Kingston and Southland farmland to Te Anau, the gateway to Fiordland. Fill the fuel tank and buy food this evening, as there are no shops or fuel stations on the Milford Road. Walk the lakeshore to the Te Anau Bird Sanctuary to see takahē, and book a holiday park for two nights.

Day 3: Leave early for the 120 km Milford Road, stopping at the Mirror Lakes and Lake Gunn, then cruise Milford Sound / Piopiotahi beneath its sheer cliffs. Expect traffic lights at the Homer Tunnel in summer, and do not stop in the signposted avalanche zone. Allow about eight hours return with the cruise, and spend a second night in Te Anau.

Day 4: Follow the Southern Scenic Route south through Manapōuri to the coast, walking across the historic Clifden Suspension Bridge and stopping at McCracken's Rest for views over Te Waewae Bay. Allow about 3 hours of driving to Riverton and Invercargill, where you can restock before the Catlins. Stay at an Invercargill holiday park.

Day 5: Drive 30 minutes to Bluff for the signpost at Stirling Point and, from autumn into winter, a plate of Bluff oysters. Then head east about 1.5 hours to Curio Bay. At low tide, explore the fossilised forest on the rock platform, and watch quietly from a distance for yellow-eyed penguins coming ashore in the late afternoon.

Day 6: Work north-east through the Catlins, with short forest walks to McLean Falls and Purakaunui Falls and the lighthouse track at Nugget Point. Some access roads here are gravel, so check what your hire terms allow before turning off. Stay at Kaka Point or Owaka, about 1.5 hours from Dunedin, and look out for sea lions on the beaches.

Day 7: Drive about 1.5 hours to Dunedin and base yourself at a holiday park for two nights. Explore the Victorian city centre, the Octagon and the ornate railway station, and see Baldwin Street, one of the world's steepest residential streets, on foot rather than in the van. Restock at a city supermarket before heading inland.

Day 8: Drive the narrow, winding road along the Otago Peninsula, about 45 minutes each way, to the Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head, where northern royal albatross nest. Add a wildlife tour to see penguins and fur seals, or stop at Larnach Castle on the way back. Take it slowly on the harbourside road in a larger van.

Day 9: Head inland about 2.5 hours on State Highway 8 through Lawrence, an early gold rush town, and the orchards of the Teviot Valley to Alexandra. In summer, stop at the roadside stalls for cherries and apricots. Base yourself in Alexandra or Clyde and, if you have the energy, hire bikes for a short section of the Otago Central Rail Trail.

Day 10: Wander Clyde's stone heritage buildings, then follow Lake Dunstan to Cromwell's restored Heritage Precinct beside the water. Continue north to Wānaka, about 1.5 hours of driving in total with Clyde and Cromwell. Settle into a holiday park for two nights and walk the lakefront at sunset, with the mountains lit up across the water.

Day 11: Take a slow day in Wānaka. Climb Mount Iron for the view, walk the lakeside track to the much-photographed lone willow, or hire bikes for the trails around the lake. Do the laundry, empty the tanks and stock up on food, as towns and supermarkets thin out on the West Coast. Fill the fuel tank tonight, ready for the pass.

Day 12: Allow about 3.5 hours over the Haast Pass to Fox Glacier, past Lakes Hāwea and Wānaka and through beech forest with tight bends and one-lane bridges. Stretch your legs at the Blue Pools and Thunder Creek Falls, then follow the coast north from Haast, topping up with fuel where you can. Stay at Fox Glacier.

Day 13: Walk around Lake Matheson early, when still water can mirror Aoraki/Mount Cook, then drive 30 minutes to Franz Josef. Check DOC alerts before walking the glacier valley track, as floods and slips can close it, or book a heli-hike if the weather allows. Finish with a soak in the village hot pools and stay a second night.

Day 14: Drive about 2 hours north to Hokitika, with an optional detour inland to the turquoise river and swing bridge at Hokitika Gorge. Browse the pounamu (greenstone) carving studios, then walk the driftwood beach at sunset. Pack insect repellent and close the van's doors at dusk, as sandflies are common on the West Coast.

Day 15: Follow the coast about 1.5 hours north through Greymouth to Punakaiki, on a road of tight bends between the Tasman Sea and the Paparoa Range. Walk the Pancake Rocks and Blowholes loop, ideally near high tide, and the short Truman Track through forest to a wild beach. Stay near Paparoa National Park, where campgrounds sit close to the beach.

Day 16: Allow about 3.5 hours to Nelson, heading north to Westport, then inland through the Buller Gorge and Murchison. Stop at the Buller Gorge swing bridge if you fancy a wobble above the river. Fill up in Westport, as fuel stops are spread out on this stretch, and stay at a holiday park in or near Nelson for two nights.

Day 17: Drive about an hour to Kaiteriteri or Marahau on the edge of Abel Tasman National Park, then take a water taxi or a guided kayak trip along the golden coast, walking a section of the track back. Book the boat ahead in summer, as trips fill up. Return to Nelson for the night, or stay at a campground close to the beach at Kaiteriteri or Marahau.

Day 18: Restock in Nelson, then drive about 2 hours east over the hills through Havelock, known for its green-lipped mussels, to Blenheim in the Marlborough wine region. Spend the afternoon at a cellar door or two, choosing a designated driver, and stay at a Blenheim holiday park ready for tomorrow's dramatic coast road south.

Day 19: Drive about 2 hours south along the coast to Kaikōura, where the mountains drop almost straight into the sea. Watch for fur seals from the roadside stops north of town, then check into a holiday park for two nights. Book a whale watching cruise or flight for tomorrow morning, as both depend on the weather.

Day 20: Head out early on a whale watching trip, or join a dolphin tour from the town. In the afternoon, walk the Kaikōura Peninsula Walkway past the seal colony at Point Kean, keeping well back from the animals, then try fresh crayfish from a roadside seafood caravan. Empty the tanks and tidy the van tonight.

Day 21: Allow about 2.5 hours south to Christchurch, breaking the drive in the Waipara Valley wine area. Refuel and return the van to a depot near Christchurch Airport. One-way fees and the Queenstown location fee vary by brand and season, so check both in your quote, along with the minimum hire length for one-way trips.

Day 1: Collect your van in Frankton, stock up at the nearby supermarkets and drive about an hour through the Kawarau Gorge to Cromwell, stopping at the Kawarau Bridge to watch the bungy jumpers. Wander the restored Heritage Precinct on Lake Dunstan and stay at a Cromwell holiday park, close to the fruit stalls and Bannockburn wineries.

Day 2: Allow about 3 hours over the Lindis Pass, a sealed alpine road through golden tussock, then on through Omarama and Twizel to Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park. Check NZTA road conditions outside summer, as snow can bring chains or closures. Stay at DOC's White Horse Hill Campground, booked ahead, or in the village.

Day 3: Walk the Hooker Valley Track early, about 10 km return over swing bridges to the iceberg-dotted Hooker Lake, before the crowds arrive. In the afternoon, walk the short Governors Bush loop near the village. On a clear night, stargaze from camp, as the park sits within the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark Sky Reserve.

Day 4: Drive about 1.5 hours to Lake Tekapo, stopping at the Lake Pukaki lookout and a salmon shop by the hydro canals. Walk up Mount John for views over the lake, soak in the hot pools at Tekapo Springs, then visit the Church of the Good Shepherd at sunset. Book a stargazing tour if the night looks clear.

Day 5: Head back south through Twizel to Omarama, about 1.5 hours, known for gliding and its outdoor hot tubs. Then follow the chain of hydro lakes down the Waitaki Valley, past Lakes Benmore, Aviemore and Waitaki, with lakeside camping areas along the way. Stay by the lakes or in Kurow, and book ahead in summer.

Day 6: Continue down the valley to Duntroon, where the limestone formations of Elephant Rocks and the fossils at the Vanished World Centre tell the area's ancient story. Taste wine at a Waitaki Valley cellar door, then drive on to Oamaru. In the evening, join a viewing at the Oamaru Blue Penguin Colony as little penguins come ashore.

Day 7: Wander Oamaru's whitestone Victorian precinct and the quirky Steampunk HQ in the morning. Drive south about 40 minutes to the round Moeraki Boulders on Koekohe Beach, best near low tide, then continue about an hour to Dunedin. Book a holiday park for three nights so the van can stay parked while you explore.

Day 8: Spend the day in Dunedin, with the Octagon, the ornate railway station and Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, catching a bus into the centre rather than hunting for a big enough park. On a Saturday morning, browse the farmers market beside the railway station. Finish with a late afternoon walk along St Clair Beach.

Day 9: Drive the winding road along the Otago Peninsula to the Royal Albatross Centre at Taiaroa Head, about 45 minutes each way, and book a tour to see the nesting albatross. Add a wildlife cruise or a visit to a penguin conservation reserve on the way back. Take it slowly on the narrow harbourside road in a larger van.

Day 10: Head inland about 2.5 hours via Middlemarch and the Strath Taieri to Ranfurly and Naseby, crossing the wide, dry plains of the Maniototo. Ranfurly has Art Deco buildings, and Naseby is a small gold rush town ringed by forest, with indoor curling in winter. Stay at a Naseby holiday park, and expect frosty nights outside summer.

Day 11: Drive about 45 minutes to St Bathans, a tiny gold rush village beside the Blue Lake, an old sluicing pit ringed by white cliffs. Continue through the Ida Valley to Ophir, with its historic post office and old bridge over the Manuherikia River, and on to Alexandra, about 1.5 hours in total. Stay two nights in Alexandra or Clyde.

Day 12: Leave the van at your holiday park and hire bikes for the gently graded Otago Central Rail Trail between Alexandra and Clyde, with bike hire companies able to arrange a shuttle back. In summer, pick up cherries and apricots at the fruit stalls around the valley, and finish the day at a cafe in Clyde.

Day 13: Explore Clyde's stone cottages and the lookout over the Clyde Dam and Lake Dunstan, then taste pinot noir at a cellar door around Alexandra or Bannockburn. Walk the Bannockburn Sluicings to see a gold rush landscape up close. Empty the tanks and refill the water at your holiday park tonight, ready for the drop-off.

Day 14: Drive about 1.5 hours back to Queenstown via Cromwell and the Kawarau Gorge, stopping in the Gibbston Valley for a final cellar door or cheese tasting. Refuel in Frankton and return the van with time to spare, as depots generally close by mid-afternoon. Some brands charge a Queenstown location fee, so check your quote.

Day 1: Collect your van in Frankton, stock up at the nearby supermarkets and check into a holiday park within walking distance of Queenstown, as central parking for campervans is limited. Leave the van there and walk the lakefront and Queenstown Gardens, then take an evening cruise on Lake Wakatipu or a gondola ride up Bob's Peak.

Day 2: Drive about 30 minutes past Lake Hayes to Arrowtown, a gold rush village with willow-lined streets and a restored Chinese settlement, and park on the edge of town. Walk the Arrow River trails, then stop for the Lake Hayes loop track on the way back. Stay at Arrowtown's holiday park or return to Queenstown for the night.

Day 3: Head east through the Gibbston Valley, stopping at the Kawarau Bridge, the home of commercial bungy, and a cellar door or two. Lunch in Cromwell's Heritage Precinct beside Lake Dunstan, then continue to Wānaka, about 1.5 hours of driving in all. The Crown Range Road is shorter, but some brands ban it, so this is the safer route.

Day 4: Spend a full day in Wānaka, the quieter lakeside neighbour of Queenstown. Walk the lakefront to the lone willow, climb Mount Iron for the view over the lake, or hire bikes for the lakeside trails towards Albert Town. Families can add Puzzling World on the edge of town. Do the laundry and stock up at the supermarket, and stay a second night by the lake.

Day 5: Drive about an hour north past Lake Hāwea and over The Neck, where the road squeezes between Lakes Hāwea and Wānaka, to the Blue Pools walk near Makarora. Cross the swing bridges to the clear blue water, then head back to Wānaka for a swim or a lakeside dinner. Use the holiday park's dump point before tomorrow's drive.

Day 6: Allow about 1.5 hours back to Queenstown via Cromwell and the Kawarau Gorge, then another 45 minutes along Lake Wakatipu on the sealed but winding Glenorchy road. Pull into the lookouts rather than stopping on bends, walk the Glenorchy lagoon boardwalk in the evening light and stay at a campground in Glenorchy.

Day 7: Join a morning jet boat trip up the Dart River or walk at the head of the lake, but skip the unsealed roads beyond Glenorchy unless your hire terms allow them. Drive back to Queenstown, refuel in Frankton and return the van before the depot closes, usually by mid-afternoon. Check your quote for the Queenstown location fee.