We spent 3 beautiful weeks traveling the North and South Island by van. See below for our itinerary, budget info, and more!
Itinerary Overview
- Day 1: Auckland to Paihia
- Day 2: Stay in Paihia
- Day 3: Paihia to Waitomo Glow Worm Caves
- Day 4: Waitomo to Hobbiton to Wellington Ferry to Picton
- Day 5: Wairau to Pelorus Bridge
- Day 6: Pelorus Bridge to Cable Bay
- Day 7: Cable Bay to Kaiteriteri
- Day 8: Stay in Kaiteriteri
- Day 9: Kaiteriteri to Abel Tasman to Cobden Beach
- Day 10: Cobden Beach to Arthur’s Pass
- Day 11: Arthur’s Pass to Lake Tekapo
- Day 12: Stay in Lake Tekapo
- Day 13: Lake Tekapo to Mount Cook National Park
- Day 14: Stay in Mount Cook National Park
- Day 15: Mount Cook National Park to Queenstown
- Day 16-21: Stay in Queenstown
North vs. South Island
We spent most of our time on the South Island, and we highly recommend you do the same to see the most iconic mountain, lake, and beach views. The North Island was worth a visit, especially for the Bay of Islands and Hobbiton, but now that we’ve seen it we probably won’t go back.
Where to Stay
Van life in New Zealand means we stayed at a lot of campgrounds, most of which have spots for vans, RVs, car/tent camping, and cabins. Here is the list of where we stayed, with our favorites shown in bold.
Note that for freedom camping, you need a self-contained vehicle.
- Paihia: Paihia Beach Resort and Spa (ask about the Romantic Getaway Package for free champagne and couples massage!)
- Waitomo: Waitomo Top Ten Holiday Park
- Wairau: Wairau Diversion Reserve (freedom camping)
- Pelorus Bridge: Pelorus Bridge Campground (great swimming, but plan for mosquitos!)
- Cable Bay: Cable Bay Holiday Park (phenomenal experience, friendly staff, solid facilities, and walking distance to the beach or Cable Bay Cafe)
- Kaiteriteri: Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve (crowded, but close to beach/restaurants)
- Cobden Beach (freedom camping)
- Arthur’s Pass: Klondike Corner (book ahead, but no reserved sites, so get there early and get as close to the river as you can)
- Lake Tekapo: Lakes Edge Holiday Park (excellent facilities and views!)
- Mount Cook National Park: White Horse Hill Campground (great hiking, book ahead but no reserved sites, so get there early)
- Queenstown: Drift away Queenstown (our absolute favorite campground of the trip, cannot recommend enough), Creeksyde Holiday Park, Heritage Inn
Budget
New Zealand can be tough for budget travelers for a couple of reasons. The flights there tend to be super expensive (depending on where you’re traveling from, obviously), and it being an island means food/gas can be more expensive.
To save money, you could try for a cheaper van rental and only do freedom camping, get plane tickets as early as possible and use points if you have them, and buy groceries instead of eating out.
Here is what we spent on our flights, van, ferry ride, lodging, and additional activities. We also had to pay for food and gas, which is not shown here.
| Flight DIA<->Auckland | $5,105.00 |
| Flight Queenstown->Auckland | $332.70 |
| Lodging | $1,553.01 |
| Other Activities | $743.57 |
| Ferry | $211.00 |
| Van | $5,005.00 |
| Total | $12,950.28 |
Excluding the cost of flights and adding in food/gas, we spent about $200 per person per day (mostly driven by the cost of the van). Also, since this was our honeymoon, we definitely splurged more than we usually do when traveling.
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We had an absolutely magical time in New Zealand, and while this is on the more expensive end, it is SO worth it.
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We hope this helps you get out there!
Summer & Jackson
OutThere Travels
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