Pastor Flaps

Hi everyone

We will be arriving in NZ on 14th August and plan to spend a week in Auckland before traveling for 2 weeks.
Questions I need some help with

1. How much should I expect to pay for accomodation for a family of four for 1 week in Auckland
2. How much for a car for one week
3. How much for a Motorhome per day
4. Who would you recommend for the motor home.
5. Is it cheaper to book all of the above when we arrive based on it being winter and the value of the $ v £.

Flights sorted, just the other bits to do.
Cant wait.

Hope you can help

Paul

porkchop

Take a look at these sites they may be of some help to you.

www.motorhomehire.co.nz
www.apexrentals.co.nz
www.pihaproperty.co.nz

PC

icklepickle

We looked at motorhomes but were put off the idea a bit when someone pointed out that it will be dark fairly early in August (either 4:30 or 5:30) and so you might get a bit cold and feel a bit isolated in a motorhome. It was a really good value way of travelling and staying though, and I thought that it would be particularly good with kids.

Cheers,

smithone

1. Accomodation - depending on quality and location I would say a minimum of $100NZ per room per night.

2. Again depends on size and quality - you can hire cars for as little as $19 a day but they are high mileage old cars. If you are looking for an average family car, fairly new then you should be able to pick one up for $30-$40 per day. The bigget firms like Avis, Hertz will charge you more but you will get better cars.

3. Again depends on size - I rented a 3 berth one for a month at a cost of $95 a day.

4. Maui rentals are one of the best companies over here.

5. If you know when you arriving then I would book now but still negotiate on everything as it is the off season.

In my opinion the downsides of a campervan are as follows:

You need to still pay camp fees every night which are about $8 per person.
You only get heating when you are plugged into the mains at a camp.
There is not much room inside if you have kids.

Its still a great way to travel but you need to be aware of the downsides too

cinderella

Hi there,

WE did the motoehome thing last year in August with 3 children. Cost us £32.00 per day. We had the 6 berth one and did not find it big enough. It was also really, really cold at night. We were in the south island, so it will be colder than the north. In the end we stayed in the chalets at camping grounds, which are great. Just like SC accomodation. Full kitchen, bathroom, TV etc. And that was only another £30.00 per night. The great thing about the van though, was that you did not have to pack and unpack all the time and you could stop on the road anywhere and have a break and something to eat. It was also good on the long trips for the kids, as they could sit at the table and draw etc. Downside really was the cold and lack of space. We did see a bigger van. must have been an 8 berth. The extra space would have been welcome.

april

They should come with a furnace. that would be the way to go I think it would be fun .....

GetMeOutOfHere

Thanks Cinderella, good informative post!

How old were the kids, I've a 4,3 and 1 yr old, would the motorhome suit such young kids or are they better for older kids?

Where did you travel, how was your trip, what places did you like?

I'm more interested in South Island myself.

Thanks again.

Pastor Flaps

Thanks everyone for your postings. This is exactly what this site is all about.

Our kids are 6 and 2 years old. Can you get motorhomes with heating? If so does it only work when you are pitched up.
Also how much is the pitch each night, and do you pay extra for Electric hook up.
It does look tight for space, but as ours are little, I think we should be ok. The cold could be an issue though.
The idea of stopping and starting when we want sounds good.
We will probably need to do lots of planning for our route as we only have two weeks travelling, although we could cut our week in Auckland.

Can someone clarify if it is better to pay for things from the uk or NZ. I am not that upto speed on exchange rates.

Thanks

Paul

cinderella

Hello,

Last August my children were 7, 5, & 1. MAUI will provide you with Car seats that can be put in the back seats of the van. I was not impressed with the seat we got though and wished we had brought our britax super cruiser seat with us. So think about that for your 1 year old. We tried to buy one in NZ, but in the end it was not worth it. Went to the Warehouse, found a cheap one, but it was just too big.

We flew into CHCH, where my family are. Then travelled down through the S.Island to Queenstown. We stayed in Naseby for a night (my uncle lives there), this is in the middle of nowhere, mountains all aoround. So in the morning when we got up, there was no condensation on the inside of the van windows. It was as cold inside as OUT! Even with 5 people sleeping inside. But it was worth it, the countryside is beautiful. After QT we travelled back to CHCH via the scenic route, up through the centre of the S.Island.

The vans have a heater in them, but we also asked for an extra fan heater and extra bedding.

The days were quite mild though. not as cold as the UK in the middle of winer. Just the nights were really cold.

What I would recommend to do is. Get the smallest 2 berth van. Put all your clothes etc in it. But stay in the campsite cabins. The ones in Queenstown are excellent. That way the kids have plenty of space to travell in, they can draw etc on your trips. You can stop when you want to and have something to eat, you are not packing and unpacking all the time and you are warm at night and in a REAL bed!!

I think the smallest van is about £22.00 per day, much cheaper than the big car you will need for 5 with lugage.

Have a look at the NZ AA web site for camp site details.

cinderella

cinderella

Paul,

You don't pay extra for electricity.

The heater will work off the battery, so will the fridge and some of the lights. But the heater will not be very warm. So ask for the extra fan heater.

Go for the 6 berth and you will be fine space wise with just 2 adults and 2 small children.

Get the extra winter bedding. But it shouldn't be too cold up north.

april

If you use the lights and the fridge on 12 volt the battery will go flat, dont these moter homes have propane then you can run everthing on propane??????????.......

april

I should explain I have a 26ft Motorhome I only camp in the Bush so I only use Propane, It runs my fridge, stove, and furnace I'ts great, I do use the 12 volt for the lights, also I have a couple of coleman lantens for out side at night.

My Hubby just said they might do things differently in Austraila, But I dont see why????????????

jajpe

Just wonder what the big motorhomes are like as a driving machine!!

Friends of ours are in NZ in one at present although they took it because it was cheaper than an MPV to transport their four kids and they do not plan to sleep in it - they were advised it would be too cold at night to sleep in at the minute anyway!! We have been keeping an eye on the forecast while they have been away and wondered how they would fare in it on icy roads!! Some of the roads we were on were hairy enough in a small hatch on a dry day!!

Will let you know what they thought when they get home or will ask if they phone again!

cinderella

Shirley,

That is really why we hired the van as well. It was much cheaper than a seven seater MPV. We thought we would give it a go sleeping and if it was too cold etc, check in to a motel. Which is what happened in the end.

Someone asked about how they are to drive. Very easy indeed. Do not worry about that. I drove alot, yes a woman at the wheel of a big van! The roads are quiet out in the country so it was easy. I didn't drive in the CHCH though. I did do the run from Queenstown all the way through to Geraldine.