Free camping in New Zealand

Before I was spoiled by spending most of my career with the two largest global hotel companies, I had various camping experiences that ranged from the casual to the rustic.  Growing up, a favorite summer activity was to set up a large (and mildewed) canvas tent in the backyard to listen to evening broadcasts of our local baseball team until we fell asleep.  Since then, I have undertaken more intrepid excursions into the back country of Yellowstone to fish for trout, where we hiked miles into a rustic site; a very basic and mimimalist experience.

I have never embarked on a camping excursion in a recreational vehicle (RV).  But when contemplating an extended holiday in New Zealand and given that motor home camping is common there, it seemed the opportune moment to try it out.  In New Zealand, there is an entire infrastructure built around free camping, from the availability of self-contained motor homes to ubiquitous free and paid camp sites.  So, if you are planning to have an extended holiday in this wonderful country, making it a mobile home adventure is well worth considering.

The advantages of a mobile home holiday are numerous, beginning with the flexibility that this vacationing option offers.  The itinerary is not shackled by hotel reservations but rather becomes a fluid assessment each day of whether to stay put or move on to another destination.  Mobile apps like CamperMate help identify the various camping opportunities, both free and paid, in and around the destinations you wish to visit.  One can also use the CamperMate app to make reservations, not unlike other well-known travel apps.

We found an additional online service that worked like a membership program based on reciprocity between host and camper, called Okay2Stay.  For a small, one-time annual fee, the member has access to various ‘hosts’ that will provide a space to park your vehicle in exchange for patronizing their establishment – be it a winery, tavern or café.  This service turned out to be surprisingly rewarding for us and became our ‘go-to’ intermediary for overnight accommodation.

Obviously, the RV represents both home and transportation, but we did not find this limiting as most places were equipped to accommodate motor homes, whether parks, attractions, supermarkets or municipal lots.  The RV does, however, add an additional level of planning and execution, particularly if the vehicle is self-contained, meaning equipped with fresh water, battery power, and wastewater collection.  That meant that each time we set off or settled-in we followed a protocol associated with securing the interior, enabling or disabling power/propane and maintaining awareness of the status of our self-contained environment, much like pilots reviewing a check list for take-off and landing.

Navigating your trip also requires a certain level of patient planning.  For many travelers, driving on the left side of the road may be daunting, and the degree of difficulty is increased by narrow and undulating roads.  As such, we felt it prudent to keep the amount of drive time in a day to a maximum four hours.  We also built in time for mid-day meal breaks as well as the necessary stops to refill fresh water and drain the wastewater.  The CamperMate app was useful in identifying these sanitation dumps, which generally were plentiful.

Most vehicle or travel insurance policies do not cover RV damage, so it is prudent to consider upgrading the basic insurance plan offered by the motorhome rental company.  We felt that the premium associated with the no fault coverage was well worth the peace of mind this security offered.  We also found the RV's prepaid Wi-Fi router to be an invaluable resource during our trip as mobile data was unreliable most of the time.

A free camping holiday in New Zealand can be very rewarding even for first time RV excursionists because of the infrastructure built for this type of travel.  It will be even more rewarding if you plan well, keep a routine that involves a regular checklist for set off and settling in and take your time getting from one place to another.

Safe travels.