How does one spend their time during a nearly 2-month voyage around New Zealand in a campervan? If you’re curious, you’ll be very happy to know we kept a journal of our daily activities.
Over the course of 54 days we drove 5,938 kilometers (3,690 miles), hiked over 100 kilometers (62 miles) stayed at 43 locations, visited several state parks, toured New Zealand’s 3 largest wine regions, and so so much more. Ultimately we saw 12 of New Zealand’s 17 regions across both the North Island (Te Ika-a-Maui) and the South Island (Te-Waipounamu). More than once, locals jokingly told us we’d seen more of the country than they have!
Above – NZ regions we traveled through
What follows is a copy of our daily activity journal. You’ll see some days of “recharging” or “nothing due to rain,” others packed with activity, and still others with “beast” all-day drives. Where it applies, we’ve linked to other pages on this site where we made a full post for various adventures.
We wouldn’t suggest/call this a formal itinerary for your own campervan experience (the beauty of this form of travel is the flexibility!) but it should give you a good idea of what life is like on the roads of New Zealand. Enjoy!
The Campervan Chronicle
North Island
Day 1
Collected van at 11:30 in Auckland – Drove up Highway 1 to Whangerai. Got groceries in town, drove out to a free campsite on the coast.
Day 2
Continued driving up the west coast of the North Island. First around the rest of the peninsula we were on back to Highway 1; then further north. Stopped in Kerikeri because we saw a farmers market. We got lunch at the market, then stopped at a waterfall – Rainbow Falls – just outside of town. Continued along the north coast until stopping at a free campsite along the beach. Slept under the stars.
Day 3
Long day of driving. First went from our campsite all the way to the northernmost point of New Zealand – Cape Reinga. Hiked down to the beach and back at this point, also stopped at some sand dunes (but didn’t hike) heading back south. After gassing the van, we decided to “beast it” and drive as far as possible before sleeping. Made it back to Whangerai after dark (went through a very twisty mountain pass on the way), ate dinner at a pub and slept at a free campsite outside town. Started to rain through the day.
Day 4
Drove from Whangerai back through Auckland, continued south on Highway 1. Stopped in Hamilton to visit their botanical gardens with sections showcasing a variety of styles throughout the world and history. Ate in Hamilton (Chili House, had Hot Pot) and slept at another free campsite down the road. Hotpot turned out to be a bad idea while we were trying to get to sleep. Off and on rain through the day.
Day 5
Started the day with a visit to Hobbiton. From there, we drove to the trailhead for a hike to Weire Falls, the tallest in the North Island. Hiked up to the lookout and back, then drove to our first paid/powered campsite in Rotorua. Rain began to fall in the evening, and did not stop.
Day 6
Rained all day, we did not leave the Campervan. Took advantage of the free unlimited wifi at our park (not offered everywhere we’ve been) and called family, browsed the internet, and watched The Office most of the day.
Day 7
Rain let up through the day, we got back to it. Went to visit the Redwood Forest outside of Rotorua before heading on to Lake Taupo. Stopped at Huka Falls – the largest waterfall by volume in New Zealand. Went into town, visited a brewery – The Crafty Trout – and a few other bars before ending the night with Indian food. Stayed at a free site outside town.
Day 8
Left Lake Taupo in the morning, driving towards Hawke’s Bay. Plan was to stop at a winery (we saw on the Campermate app) and then continue south towards Wellington, but once stopping we realized Hawke’s Bay is an entire wine region. Made it to a few more wineries that day, stayed at a free site on the oceanfront in the town of Napier.
Day 9
Continued on the New Zealand Wine Trail in Hawke’s Bay. Stayed at a different free campsite a bit further south in the town of Hastings. Got the Campervan temporarily stuck in some loose rocks when pulling into the site, dug ourselves out.
Day 10
Pushing south towards Wellington. Stopped at the Hawke’s Bay farmers market on the way out of town, got some cheese and bread for our wine. Stopped at a small town butcher for some meats as well. Made it to a free campsite on Lake Wairarapa – about 60km north of Wellington.
Day 11
Arrival in Wellington. Had a bit of a stressful time finding parking, but ultimately found a free spot right in the city center we could camp at. Beautiful weather – explored the city, then explored some of the nightlife before going to bed.
Day 12
Another day in Wellington. Went to the Te Papa museum and some others during the day – there was a fair bit of wind – then had dinner and went to bed early. Needed to wake up at 6AM to catch our ferry to the South Island the next day.
South Island
Day 13
Caught the Bluebridge Ferry from Wellington to Picton at 8:15AM – needed to arrive by 7 to check in with our van. Drove from Picton to Blenheim once we arrived, and began the second phase of our journey along the New Zealand Wine Trail – the Marlborough region. 4 wineries this day. Stayed at a paid campground with power – wifi was limited to 1GB per day though.
Day 14
Full day of wine touring through the Marlborough region. Made it to 7 wineries for tastings through the day, then ended our day at Boomtown – a local brewery. Stayed at the same holiday park.
Day 15
Again on the New Zealand Wine Trail through Marlborough; however many spots were closed as it was a Saturday. Got to 2 wineries this day; got groceries, cooked a meal at our holiday park (same one again), and watched the All Blacks lose to Argentina at a local bar.
Day 16
Back on the road – drove from Blenheim to Kaikoura down Highway 1. Yes Highway 1 somehow goes through both islands even though there isn’t a bridge between. Kaikoura is a small town on the Pacific coast. Stopped a few times along the way to view seal colonies, then parked at a free campsite right on the ocean. Ate some fresh-caught seafood from a food truck right there, then went on a hike around the peninsula and around the seal colony. Had some close seal encounters.
Day 17
Woke up early, got breakfast in Kaikoura then took the Inland Road towards Lewis Pass – heading to the West Coast. Stopped in Hanmer Springs around noon, went for a short walk in the local park before spending the rest of the day at the town’s amazing Thermal Pools complex. Stayed in a free Campervan site outside the local library
Day 18
Early morning hike (3 hours, tough uphill) to a waterfall and back, some lunch in Hanmer Springs and moving on. Planned to stop at another hot spring/spa in the mountains; but unfortunately on arrival we learned it was closed Tuesday afternoons and Wednesdays. Decided on another “beast” run all the way to the West Coast and made it to a free campground on the beach in Westport just before sundown.
Day 19
Woke up slowly, had coffee in the camper and then drove down the coast. Checked in to a powered campsite with wifi, then took a few short hikes – Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and the Punakaiki Cavern – before settling in for the afternoon. Rain arrived about 4:30. Had some drinks at a walkable tavern, cooked dinner at the campsite’s facility.
Day 20
Headed from our paid campsite down to the town of Greymouth – old historical coal mining community. Short walk around the harbor, but it was getting dark and rainy. Stopped at Monteith’s Brewery – est. 1868 – and stayed for a while while it rained outside. Went to a free campsite on the beach, looked (unsuccessfully) for some greenstone, went to bed.
Day 21
Rain in the morning, rain in the forecast next 2 days. Decided to move to a powered campground with wifi to wait out the weather, as we still want to do some hikes in the area. Checked into Hokitika Kiwi Holiday Park (39 km further south) and it’s pretty awesome. Lounging in their huge TV room alone – we’re the only people here currently – and planning to stay the next 2 days.
Day 23
All day rain. Stayed another night at the same holiday park. Went into Hokitika for lunch; bough supplies to cook dinner (tacos, sorely missed since we’ve left the USA). Cooked dinner, watched Netflix, early bed.
Day 24
Rain kind of let off in the morning and we went to Hokitika Gorge and Dorothy Falls; kept drizzling and we decided to just bust it driving further south – sunshine in the forecast starting tomorrow. Made it to Franz Josef, got a holiday park with wifi in town and set up camp.
Day 25
Back to hiking. Saw Franz Josef glacier from a couple different viewpoints, then hiked to Wombat Lake – a kettle lake nearby. Stopped alongside the glacial river and made a cairn before heading back to our spot in town. Met some very friendly Singaporeans at dinner.
Day 26
Stayed at same location in Franz Josef, did 2 more hikes in the area. Callery Gorge – an old footpath over the river – and then up to Tatare Tunnels – some old mining tunnels which you could walk through. Pitch black, saw glow worms, and got our feet wet. Got groceries and ate dinner out in the town.
Day 27
Short drive from Franz Josef to the “next glacier over” Fox Glacier, about 16 km but over 30 minutes to drive through the mountains. Drove to a lookout point, hiked to another closer lookout, then checked into a holiday park in town.
Day 28
Early morning hike around Lake Matheson near Fox Glacier – saw mountain range reflected in the lake water. Quick camper lunch then a beast drive southward. Came out of the mountains down the coast to Haast, then continued on through Mount Aspiring National Park. Couple stops to view waterfalls and gorgeous views. Drove along Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea, stopped and settled in the town of Wanaka.
Day 29
Stayed around Wanaka; will stay another day. Went on a short day hike along the lake, saw #ThatWanakaTree, then went to 2 of 3 wineries in the area. We’re at the north tip of the Otago Wine Region, stop 3 of 3 on The New Zealand Wine Trail. Tried local Mexican (not up to USA par) then back to the same holiday park.
Day 30
One more day in Wanaka. Attempted to drive to the trailhead for Rob Roy Glacier hike, but turned back when we got to the first of several fords (creek crossings) in the road – did not trust our van to make it through. Went on a different day hike around town – to Beacon Point. Got groceries, stopped at the last winery around town, got a local pizza and came back to the same holiday park again.
Day 31
Back to the final region of the New Zealand Wine Trail. Stopped at several wineries on the road from Wanaka to Cromwell – Nanny Goat, Pisa Range, Misha’s Vineyard, and Wooing Tree – then had dinner in Cromwell before parking at a free campsite on the local lake.
Day 32
Debated another day at the same place, but decided to push on through the Otago wine region towards Queenstown. Drove through a mountain pass, stopped at several wineries in Gibbston/Arrowhead before arriving at a holiday park outside Queenstown. Lakefront campsite.
Day 33
My (Clint’s) birthday! On advice of several locals we booked a cruise on the Earnslaw historical boat – took us to a working sheep farm where they had an all you can eat barbecue buffet. Explored Queenstown a bit after the boat tour, went to a few bars, stayed at the same holiday park.
Day 34
Woke up early and hit the road. Made several short stops throughout Fiordland National Park on the way to Milford Sound, ultimately made it there around 2PM. Took a few short hikes nearby the sound itself, stayed at a holiday park (the only holiday park for 50+ miles) right off the coast.
Smelled Kaitlin’s feet per her request – they smelled bad.
Day 35
Drove back down the Milford Road to Te Anua (the first real town) to a holiday park. Took an amazing hike to Lake Marian on the way back down – walk was about 3 hours, but we spent almost a full hour at the alpine lake at the top. Had happy hour drinks at a bar, ate Indian food, then came back and showered before early bed.
Day 36
A slow day in Te Anua – slept in late, went to the holiday park’s spa (barrel sauna and hot tub with a lake view) around noon. Showered, took a short walk around the lake, got groceries in town and then cooked dinner (grilled lamb and salad) at the campground.
Day 37
Drove from Te Anua all the way down to Bluff, the southernmost city in New Zealand. Had lunch next to the ocean in Arapaima, also stopped at Gemstone Beach – named for its rocks of all different colors – along the way. Ferry to Stewart Island was too expensive (more than the ferry from north to south islands, just for a day trip) so we doubled back through Invercargill to a holiday park.
Day 38
Began making our way through the Catlins region along the South Island’s southern coastline. Stopped at the country’s oldest wooden lighthouse, reached the southernmost point on the South Island, and took a tough 3 hour hike through the rainforest to view some waterfalls. Stayed at a campground on the ocean; watched for penguins at dusk and saw one! The yellow-eyed penguin, the rarest species on Earth!
Day 39
Moving through the Catlins region, drove only about 30-40 kilometers to another holiday park. Stopped for 3 short walks along the way – to New Zealand’s Niagra Falls (named cheekily, they are actually quite small), to McLean Falls (much more impressive), and to a boardwalk over a tidal saltwater marsh. Overall chill/recharge day.
Day 40
Big day through the Catlins, made several stops for short hikes along the way to the next large town of Balclutha. Saw Lake Wilkie, Florence Hill, Matai (and Horseshoe) Falls, Purakanui Falls, Jack’s Blowhole, and Nugget Point. Made it to Balclutha by sundown, had the best Mexican food of our time here so far.
Day 41
Smaller day. Travelled from Balclutha to Dunedin (about an hour drive); stopped at a wetland along the way for a short walk but otherwise took it easy. Checked into a holiday park early, cooked dinner (stir fry) here. Increased the planned number of days in Dunedin; there is much to do in this city.
Day 42
Drove out the Otago Peninsula from our spot in Dunedin. Saw the Larnarch Castle gardens, then went to the Royal Albatross Center and saw lots of gulls and a few albatross. By coincidence we were here on the first day of albatross returning to nest, and got to participate (along with the whole city) in ringing bells at 1pm. Saw a whale out in the ocean, then spotted a sea lion chilling in the harbor on our way back to the city. Had some beers at Speights Brewery before returning to our holiday park.
Day 43
Explored the city of Dunedin on foot. Walked to the city center, toured some bars, went to the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, checked out Emerson’s Brewery, then stopped for Indian food (and a few other small breweries) on our way back to the holiday park
Day 44
Left our spot in Dunedin, drove up to Moeraki Village (about 1 hour) to another holiday park overlooking the ocean. Walked from the park to the famous Moeraki Boulders and back. Played a caved-in guitar they had for a while at sunset, got invited for drinks by our RV neighbors (Jane & Peter, a retired couple).
Day 45
Unbeknownst to us daylight savings occurred overnight, spring forward so we lost an hour of sleep. Luckily the checkout policy was loose at our place so we were ok taking our time leaving. Drove some distance to reach the base of Mount Cook Aoraki National Park, stopped at a campground in the park. Ran into an unexpected winery on our drive and had a tasting, also stopped at a salmon farm and had amazing sushi/bought smoked salmon for dinner at the campground.
Day 46
Pushed into Mt Cook Anorak National Park to White Horse Campground (30 min drive), right at the foot of the mountain. Hiked the Hooker Valley Trail, 6km through alpine meadows and over 3 huge swing bridges to a glacier lake. Glacier was at the far end, and icebergs were in the blue-green water. Ate a cheeseboard for dinner and stayed at the campground overnight.
Day 47
Left White Horse Campground, stopped for breakfast at the Hermitage hotel at the foot of the mountains. Short drive to the trailheads for Lake Tasman, Tasman Glacier, and Blue Lakes; spent a few hours walking all the trails before moving on. Headed to Lake Tekapo, stopped and got some Alpine Salmon (smoked) along the way. Checked into a holiday park, spent a few hours at the nearby Lake Tekapo Hot Springs (got a 2 day pass!) before a cheeseboard for dinner and bed.
Day 48
Another day at the Lake Tekapo campground. Took a 3 hour hike right from our spot up to the Mt. John summit, then back down along the lakefront. Showered, then went out for dinner (Kohan Japanese excellent!) & drinks in the small town before calling it a night.
Day 49
Checked out of the holiday park, went to a cafe (The Greedy Cow) in Lake Tekapo then spent a few hours using our 2nd day pass at the Lake Tekapo Hot Springs before moving on. Made it to the town of Geraldine, stopped at a nearby campground then got dinner at a local Indian restaurant.
Day 50
Woke up in Geraldine, checked out of the campground then stopped in the small town and look around. Got some cheese and had breakfast at Barkers Foodstuff & Eatery (hard not to get more, but we only have a few days left in the van!) then drove on to Christchurch. Impromptu stop at a vineyard for a wine tasting along the way. Checked into a holiday park, chilled for the night.
Day 51
Van stayed at the same holiday park, we took a bus into downtown Christchurch and explored. Mainly stayed around the Riverside Market, had some food and drinks. Was the 5-year anniversary of the market, so there was a swing band playing. Took an uber home.
Day 52
Drove from Christchurch out to Akaroa on the Banks Peninsula, about an hour drive. Explored the town some, got local fish & chips, then drove back to our final holiday park in Christchurch. Ate (most) of our last food in the Campervan.
Day 53
Slow day, getting things ready to leave the van. Repacked our backpacks, cleaned the floor and drawers, ate more of our remaining food (and drank some remaining wine/beer). Walked down to an area with a post office & restaurants, mailed postcards and some trinkets we’ve gathered so far back home.
Day 54
Last day! Woke up, did another once-over to make sure we had everything and the van was clean. On checkout we went right to our hotel for the night (Christchurch Airport Hotel) to drop our backpacks, then took the van to the drop-off point. So ends this adventure, on to the next!
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