Hands down, the BEST way to travel in New Zealand is by van. You know that saying – ‘it’s not the destination, it’s the journey’ – that could not be more accurate when it comes to NZ road trips, and here are 5 reasons why a van trip in NZ should be your next holiday.
Ultimate freedom
The beauty of a van trip in New Zealand, is that you can freedom camp on any public (I.e not privately owned) land. This means you don’t need to pre book campsites, you can just see where the road takes you, and park up when you find somewhere worth stopping. The feeling of freedom you get from an unplanned trip like this is incredible. (If you are travelling over peak summer months and need powered sites – we would recommend booking these! We travelled in April/May and didn’t need to pre book anything).
The best bedroom views
New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries in the world, and no matter where you park up you are almost always guaranteed to wake up to some stunning scenery. We were able to park for free, with views that people would pay thousands for in a hotel.
Gaia’ watching sunrise from our bed.
It’s cheap!
Well, cheapish. Cheaper than staying in hotels! If you freedom camp, your only costs are fuel and food. You can also get some epic deals on camper vans if you do a relocation (essentially driving the van back to a more popular pick up point), or go outside of school holidays.
See more of the country
Flying from city to city is great if you are in a hurry and want to cover a lot of ground, but one of the things I love about New Zealand is all the cool little towns along the way. There are always cute cafes, quirky art galleries, interesting shops, and if you’re travelling in summer – the best real fruit ice cream spots!
You don’t need to repack!
When you travel in a van, you have all your things with you, all the time. You don’t need to repack your bags every few days and hope everything fits, and you don’t have to worry about leaving things behind. You also have all your stuff handy if you see a great spot to stop and swim, and you always have food/snacks on hand (a bonus if you’re travelling with a toddler).
We spent 10 nights travelling around Northland in a van, and I can honestly say that it was the best holiday I have ever been on. New Zealand is safe for toddlers to run free, the outdoors is so accessible (beaches, walks, mountains), the people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, and it really is the perfect destination to travel by van.