Hiring a Campervan in New Zealand

In 2023, we spent three weeks on a road trip around New Zealand. I spent ages looking into campervans before we went but due to a cancelled ferry and a last minute flight to the South Island we actually ended up hiring two campervans – with two very different experiences. There’s a lot to know before you hire a camper so I’ve put together all I’ve learned in this handy guide for hiring a campervan in NZ (including a comparison table)!

Hiring a Campervan vs. Hiring a Car

Before setting out on a New Zealand road trip, first you’ll need to decide whether you want to hire a car or a campervan. Initially a car may seem the cheaper option. In the summer you can hire a car for around $60 NZD a day in New Zealand, whereas campervans in the summer cost upwards of $100 NZD a day. However, you’ll need to factor in that with a car you will also need to pay for hotels or hostels. Accommodation isn’t cheap in New Zealand and in some of the more rural locations there aren’t always many options.

It is worth mentioning however, that even with a campervan you may still have to pay for ‘accommodation’ at times as not all campsites are free. Premium campsites can be around $50 a night, but there are plenty of cheaper ones around $8-10 and even free ones, especially if you have a self-contained vehicle (more on that later).

The second thing to consider is food. If you have a campervan it will be much easier to cook your own meals which will save a lot of money. In a car, you’re more likely to be eating out more often. 

The final thing to consider is whether vanlife is right for you. Space will be tight and it can feel cramped at times, you might go days without a shower. Hiring a campervan for a weekend or so is a great way to try it out and see how you like it, but remember it isn’t for everyone. 

What to look for in a Campervan

Self-contained vs non-self-contained 

One of the main things to consider when looking at which campervan to rent is whether you want a self-contained campervan or a non-self-contained van. Self-contained essentially means that the van has its own toilet, sink and grey water system (meaning it doesn’t just empty used water from your sink onto the floor outside the van). There are pros and cons to both. Driving a certified self-contained van provides access to lots more free campsites around New Zealand that are designated areas for freedom camping. Just make sure it has the self-contained sticker displayed on the vehicle.

The downside is that self-contained vehicles tend to be larger vehicles that not everyone may be comfortable driving – although that isn’t always the case. Larger vans will tend to use more fuel too. It will likely cost more to rent a self-contained van but that cost might be offset by the saving you will make in campsite fees. 

It is important to note that there are still some free campsites (with toilets!) open to non-self contained vehicles. Take a look on an app like campermate NZ to get an idea of the availability on your route. Also even if you have a self-contained vehicle, it might not have a shower inside so you might still want to pay for campsites sometimes too. Although you can find places, like swimming pools and sports centres, where you can just pay to shower, rather than pay for a camp site.

Fridge or cooler?

Some camper vans will just have a cool box, rather than a plugged in fridge. I would recommend getting a van with a fridge. It makes cooking and carrying food so much easier. Unless you are prepared to regularly stock up on ice, a cooler is fairly useless in the summer months. Campsites with kitchen facilities will usually have a shared fridge that you can leave food in if you need to. However, if you’re travelling to different places each day, this isn’t much help. 

Is bedding provided?

This is something I didn’t consider at all when initially searching for vans. I assumed bedding would be a given until we collect our second camper and it wasn’t provided (this was from Wicked Campers). This meant we had an additional expense and it was wasteful as we couldn’t carry the blankets and pillows with us for the rest of our travels. Unless you carry a sleeping bag anyway or you’re local to New Zealand – double check if bedding is provided!

Are there blinds?

Again, not something I thought about at first – I thought this would be a basic feature of a campervan. Apparently not for Wicked Campers. Even if windows are tinted, blinds will give you an extra layer of privacy and insulation. It’s also worth double check the blinds all work when you collect your camper van. In our Jucy van the blind across the back window didn’t attach so we just made sure we reversed into campsite spaces.

USB chargers

Older vans are less likely to have USB sockets. Without sockets you may struggle to keep your devices charged. Some vans may offer sockets that work when the engine is off, others might only have them in radio system, so you can only really charge up when driving. If you have no USB sockets at all, you can pick up a cigarette-lighter-USB converter for a few dollars at stores like K-Mart. 

Cooking equipment and cooker

Most vans seem to offer at least a gas camping stove and some basic cooking equipment but its still worth checking. If it is not well-equipped, again you may have to buy some cheap pots and pans yourself or rely on shared kitchen facilities at campsites. When you collect your van, double check the equipment is all there and clean. 

Where are their depots and do they offer airport pick up?

If you are flying into New Zealand to start your road trip adventure, double check if your chosen camper van provider offer airport pick up. If not, check where they are in relation to the airport and their opening times. Ideally, you’ll be picked up from the airport and taken straight to your van.  If you arrive out of hours, you may have to source alternative accommodation and transport for a night until you can collect your van, so bear this in mind when booking flights. 

You might also want to check if the company has multiple depots. This may offer you more flexibility in where you drop off your van so you could do a one-way road trip, rather than a loop. Jucy for example, have depots in Auckland, Christchurch and Queensland. For an additional One-Way Fee, you can collect your van in one location and drop it off in another. 

NZ Campervan Comparison Table

*The prices below provide a rough indication. For some companies there isn’t a set daily rate, this can vary depending on season, availability, duration of rental. I recommend pricing up your dates with each provider to double check. Jucy and Happy Campers in particular also have a few other models available in addition to those listed below. Prices are in New Zealand Dollars (NZD). The exchange rate is currently: 100 NZD = approximately £48 / €56 / $60 USD

Camper	Size	Price per day*	One Way Fee	Depot Locations	Cooking facilities	Bedding, Towels and Blinds	Self-contained	Sleeps	Min. Driver Age
Jucy Crib	Car	Winter: $32-47 Summer: $178- 306	$250	Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown	Gas hob, fridge, sink and cooking equipment	All provided	No		18 (under 21s incur a $5/day charge)
Jucy Condo	Van	Winter: $84 Summer: $293-477	$250	Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown	Gas hob, fridge, sink and cooking equipment	All provided	Yes		18 (under 21s incur a $5/day charge)
Wicked Camper	Car	Winter: $125 Summer: $180	$100	Auckland, Christchurch, Queenstown	Gas hob, cooler, sink and cooking equipment	Not provided	Yes		Under 21s incur a $10/day charge
Spaceships	Car	Winter: $36-50 Summer: $178-204	Free	Auckland, Christchurch	Gas hob, fridge, sink and cooking equipment	All provided	Both available, SC extra $60/day		18
Escape Campers	Van	Winter: $55 Summer: $109	$300	Auckland, Christchurch	Gas hob, cooler, sink and cooking equipment	All provided	Both available, same price		18
Happy Campers – Sleeper	Car	Winter: $40 Summer: $105-131	$350 South, free North	Auckland, Christchurch	Gas hob, fridge, sink and cooking equipment	All provided, except blinds	No		No min.
Happy Campers- Jackpot	Van	Winter: $55 Summer: $170-212	$350 South, free North	Auckland, Christchurch	Gas hob, fridge, sink and cooking equipment	All provided	Yes		No min.

New Zealand Travel Posters

Campervan Reviews

As I mentioned earlier, we ended up hiring two campervans from two different companies. The first was with Jucy, we had booked to collect in Auckland and drive down to the South Island. However our ferry was cancelled and we were unable to book another. Because we were desperate to see the South Island, we returned our Jucy to Auckland and flew down to Christchurch. As Jucy were fully booked there, we hired a new van with Wicked.

Jucy Campervan Review

Initial pick up: A big perk of Jucy Campers is that they offer airport pick up! After a little bit of confusion we eventually found the pick up point and were on our way to their depot a short drive away. 

The vehicle: We opted for the Jucy Cabana, which now seems to have been rebranded as the Jucy Crib. Our vehicle was an older model that some of the other Jucys we saw on the road and it had all the branding removed so it was plain white. We actually preferred this to bright lime green and purple vans. We had a few issues with our car but I have a feeling they were fazing this model out and that might be part of the renaming of it too so I wouldn’t necessarily expect this to occur to you. A day or two into the hire, we noticed our fridge wasn’t charging then the electric windows stopped going up or down and then the radio stopped. The radio was also our only source of power for charging devices as we didn’t have extra USB sockets like the new models. 

Customer Service: We called Jucy straight away about our issues and they were fantastic at helping to resolve it. We were told to buy a USB-cigarette lighter adaptor that they would reimburse us for. They also located a garage nearby to take the car to (we didn’t have to pay anything for the repairs). When the first garage didn’t have a part we needed they found us another the next day, again nearby where we planned to be. 

Although this was an inconvenience for us as we had to spend a few days waiting around in cafes to charge our phones while the car was being fixed, Jucy did actually compensate us and give us a partial refund. When we had to change plans due to our ferry being cancelled they also refunded our one-way fee. However, they didn’t refund the days we had booked and paid for but could no longer use. This is fairly standard policy and we were aware of this when we booked. 

Overall thoughts: I’d highly recommend Jucy if you’re looking for a campervan in New Zealand. Whilst I was a little annoyed at some of the issued we faced, they dealt with it so well and the issues were minor compared to the next camper we ended up hiring with Wicked (see below). Jucy is also a big company so its able to offer a lot of support and also has depots around the country with a variety of types of vans to suit different needs and budgets.

Wicked Campervan Review

Initial pick up: Wicked Campers do not offer airport pick up unfortunately so we had to get a taxi. Their Christchurch branch is not particularly near the airport but their Queenstown one is. When we picked up in Christchurch, the operation seemed a lot less professional than Jucy as they appeared to be operating out of a mechanic’s workshop. The guy that gave us our keys didn’t even check out our IDs or passports. When we mentioned we had just had a Jucy camper he warned us this one would be a downgrade. He was not wrong…

The vehicle: I was shocked to see that the camper did not come with sheets, bedding or blinds. I thought this would be fairly standard so didn’t even think to check before we booked. We had to buy blankets and pillows which we couldn’t then take with us so this just felt wasteful. The kitchen equipment we were given hadn’t been cleaned, some of it had actual mould on and our sink tap didn’t work. Foolishly we didn’t check these until after we drove off so we had to pay for a campsite with a kitchen to wash it all before we could use it. The only saving grace of the wicked camper was that it had a self-contained certified sticker which meant we could camp in more free campsites. 

Customer Service: When we tried to call about the sink, we got through to someone in Australia who wasn’t all that helpful so we just dropped into the Queenstown branch when we were nearby. The man working there was extremely helpful. His name was Christian and he fixed the sink very quickly. We also had a side door that wouldn’t open as well and he fixed that too. He even offered us sleeping bags that previous renters had left. 

After we finished our rental we let Wicked know about our issues and that we weren’t really happy with the state of the van. All we got was a thank you for your feedback. 

Overall thoughts: Honestly, I would not recommend hiring a Wicked camper. We booked in a last minute panic as our ferry was cancelled so we chose to fly south and rent another camper and Jucy were all booked. If it was dirt cheap it might be worth it but there are definitely cheaper better options if you book in advance!

What to check when you collect your camper

Learn from our mistakes and make sure you double check everything before setting off! Here is a handy list of what to look out for when you collect your campervan from the depot.

• Look for dents, scratches and bumps – make sure these are noted and photographed so you aren’t blamed and charged for them
• Check the water is full and the tap works
• Check the fridge is on and works if you have one
• Check the hob works and you have gas
• Ask how you need to return it – should the gas, water and fuel be full?
• Check if you have blinds on all windows and that they all work
• Check that any kitchen equipment provided is clean and none is missing
• Check if you have all the bedding you need, if provided
• Make sure you know how to fold the bed out
• Make sure you know how to refuel with petrol (or diesel!) and how to fill the water tank

How to find campsites

There are a few useful apps that allow you to see campsites with a range of facilities on a map. These are Campermate NZ and Rankers. Also check the Deparment of Conservation’s website for a map of their campsites. 

How to save money during a campervan road trip

Any trip to New Zealand, whether you’re in a campervan or not, isn’t going to be cheap. However there are certain things you can do to help cut costs.

• Shop around for the best campervan prices. Start with the handy comparison table above but check all of the company’s websites too as prices can vary with availability.
• Book in advance. Some campervan providers offer early bird deals for people who book months in advance. So if you’re set on visiting New Zealand and hiring a van, book ASAP!
• Cook most of your meals. Pretty much all campers come with cooking facilities so make the most of them rather than eating out for every meal. We found Pak’n’Save to be one of the cheaper supermarkets for groceries.
• Stay at free campsites. You can’t camp anywhere you like in New Zealand but there are lots of freedom campsites, particularly for self-contained campers. Make the most of them!
• Shower at sports centres. Free campsites are highly unlikely to have shower facilities. Even cheaper paid sites don’t always have showers. It is often cheaper to pay to shower at a leisure centre, swimming pool or similar facility, rather than pay for a more expensive campsite, just to get a hot shower. Apps like Campermate can show you where shower facilities are as well as campsites.

Where to Next?