With wheels, you decide on the view you wake up to every morning. Photo / Sebastien Goldberg on Unsplash
With wheels, you decide on the view you wake up to every morning. Photo / Sebastien Goldberg on Unsplash
There are a lot of kilometres to cover in the South Island, so let’s hop in a campervan for two weeks and see the best of it. These are Michelle Shultz’s 7 top tips for a successful campervan holiday.
There is something so gratifying about unpacking only once for a two-week holiday yet taking in sites in multiple towns.
The South Island has some serious kilometres between the top destinations, so how do you plan it all into a two-week trip?
If my travelling comrade and I were still twenty-somethings, we would throw a tent in a car and give it a go, but we are not and we don’t want to pitch any kind of tent. We enjoy the camping ambience, but with some creature comforts and less work. This is where the campervan comes in. With wheels, you decide on the view you wake up to every morning.
Of all the places, I can’t think of another offering an experience that includes oceans, lakes, glaciers, fiords and associated activities, than NZ’s South Island. All this can be experienced within a two-week holiday.
A camping van with a tent in front of Lake Pūkaki, with Aoraki/Mt Cook in the background.
7 tips for a successful South Island campervan holiday
1. Pick the ride that best suits your style
Just a few options determine which van selection suits you best. The first is whether it is diesel or petrol. Diesel will be more efficient with fewer stops in areas where petrol stations are few and far between.
Next, do you need a dunny on wheels, or can you use public loos? To flush or not to flush is the question. A toilet on wheels means about every two days, you must find a designated place to empty the cassette you have filled. I don’t mind getting my hands a little dirty, but that will require gloves.
The third big decision for the van will be: do you want to make up your bed every night or have space to leave it made? I vote for a van that will allow you to leave the bed made and still have the ability to sit indoors comfortably if the weather turns south.
If you start with these three options, the rest either come with or can, most times, be added.
Campervanning across NZ's South Island. Photo / 123rf
2. Decide on your destinations and route
With two weeks to play with, I would recommend starting your South Island adventure in Christchurch. This is a good place to start because the airport is convenient and – if you’re renting – there’s a more extensive selection of campervans.
Leaving Christchurch, travel through the Southern Alps with its never-ending peaks along State Highway 73. Once on the West Coast, take SH6 south. This route will have you craning your neck to see Fox Glacier on the right and Aoraki/Mt Cook on the left.
Highway 6 will bring you to Queenstown, a place for shopping, eating and having a few drinks with the tourists, but hit the gas and head to Glenorchy where it is a bit quieter. The drive to Glenorchy is slow because you will be glued to the view of the mountain peaks that also reflect off Lake Wakatipu. When you arrive, you can have a yarn and a cuppa with residents at Mrs Woolly’s General store. Snuggle with farm animals at the Glenorchy Animal Experience or do some trekking. When you have had all that Glenorchy has to offer, throw your camping chairs back inside and head onwards from SH6 to SH94, which will take you to Te Anau.
Te Anau is the base for all things fiords. You’ll want to block out a few days for all the nature that the fiords will offer you. Whatever your activity level, there is something that will leave you awestruck and rejuvenated. Then, take a trip further south to Bluff and hop on a ferry for a day trip to Stewart Island. If you’re lucky, you will meet brown kiwi and blue and yellow-eyed penguins.
You have a couple of choices for your journey back to Christchurch. Remember, these routes have endless activities, so prioritise what you want for memories.
Once you've made the most of Queenstwon, hit the gas and head onwards. Photo / Getty Images
3. Pack for the smallest space
Imagine the bins in a plane’s overhead compartments and the space your toes share with a bag under the seat in front of you. That’s the kind of space you will have outside your provisions to store your clothes and toiletries. Now imagine that you have unpacked and put everything in those compartments. Those things will fall and roll the first time you hit the gas. Trying to find what’s clattering while on the road is no fun. Therefore, this would be the time to invest in packing cubes. Pull them out of your pack and place them in the compartment: easy-peasy.
You have picked your destinations and have an idea of the activities you will engage in. Pack only for those activities. After all, there will be occasions to purchase things on the road if needs be.
Space is limited in a campervan. Photo / Getty Images
4. There’s an app for that
The CamperMate app helps you navigate where you’ll sleep for the night and take care of tasks and hygiene. MetService will help you decide if today is the day for outdoor or indoor activity. Bookme is good for seeing if you can save a few gold coins on an outing. Do take the time to look up at the night sky and use the Star Chart app to clarify what you’re gazing at. The sandflies can be pesky, so be prepared with the Sandfly Map app. Then, depending on your activities, there is indeed an app for it, such as the Plan My Walk app, Great Rides app, SwellMap Surf app, and AllTrails to get you started. Also, download some offline maps because mobile coverage is sketchy in some remote areas.
Plan for the unexpected because it is likely to happen. Activities will get cancelled due to weather; incidents can occur on the road with nothing for kilometres and hold you up for hours. You’re starving and all the restaurants in the area can have a wait list.
The humble campervan feels enormous when travelling on a one-way bridge – always take out the insurance that will handle the things that could end the trip on a sour note.
Buckle up and take it all in. And remember, you could be staring at a workmate instead of these incredible glaciers, so it’s all worth it.
Ignore the trials and tribulations of campervanning and enjoy the view. Photo / Getty Images
6. Provision like a pro
Spend some time before your trip to plan meals and write a list. The first stop should be the grocery store, where you can buy all your needs for the road, especially if your itinerary takes you off the beaten track.
For foodies and mixologists, space is limited to store all those ingredients and preparing them is time-consuming and tiresome. Think chartreuse platters, but on a plate with the fruit saved for dessert. Buy premixed drinks that go in the fridge to chill only two at a time – simple prep with simple ingredients and minor clean-up. Save the prep and work for the winery you’ll visit and spend your time taking in the views.
Campervanning through New Zealand’s South Island offers unbeatable freedom. Photo / 123rf
7. Make an effort to meet people
Once you park the van for the night, grab your pre-mixed cocktail, wander through the maze of picnic tables and chairs, and talk to other van lifers, even if they are just hires like you. You will learn much from their experiences and it will be great fun if they travel the opposite route.
