As part of our round the world trip #CreativElenaRTW, we are spending about a month in New Zealand; around three weeks on the South Island and 10 days on the North Island. When travelling with our two non-school-age children, we make sure to travel New Zealand by campervan: I believe it is simply the best way to get close up with New Zealand’s spectacular natural landscape.
Below you will find our route across the South Island, as well as tips & experiences on travelling with (young) children in a camper van in New Zealand.
Campervan travels in New Zealand: taking a break between Lake Tekapo and Queenstown on the South Island.
Christchurch: Picking up our camper van from McRent and exploring the city with children.
Almost 20 years ago, I lived in New Zealand for a year and a half. From this time, I not only have wonderful memories, but also dear friends – including in Christchurch.
It’s lovely to be personally welcomed by Alison, Simon and Ryn Rutherford and shown around the city, with highlights for the kids such as the Willowbank Nature Reserve, the largest inner-city playground in Christchurch, the Christchurch Antarctic Centre and the city’s really interesting street art. Large graffiti fill in some of the gaps left by the devastating 2011 earthquake in Ōtautai, as the Māori call Christchurch.
Thanks to our friends, we can pick up our pre-booked campervan from McRent near Christchurch airport at our leisure and move in comfortably. Our seven-and-a-half metre long, luxury model (with WiFi on board!) gives us a real home away from home feeling – really worth the extra money, especially when travelling with young kids.
View into the rear part of our McRent campervan: the bed area can be converted into a large king-size mattress; the children sleep in a bed in the front part of the motorhome. This larger, albeit more expensive model really pays off.
A small playroom makes it easier for us to explore the Antarctic Centre in Christchurch: Top tip for families and anyone who wants to find out more about the southernmost continent in the world.
Street art has become omnipresent in New Zealand’s second largest city, which was hit by a major earthquake in 2011. It was also a great personal pleasure to meet up with my old friend Ryn Rutherford again!
Christchurch Cathedral reloaded: This is what the redesign of the main square in the city centre looks like.
At Willowbank Nature Reserve, we marvel at typical New Zealand animals, such as the native wood pigeon, called Kererū. Kiwis can also be seen in Willowbank, but are not allowed to be photographed.
Lake Tekapo: Lord of the Rings dreams come true!
“What do I particularly remember from New Zealand? Perhaps the first few days of travelling on the South Island, when we drove from Christchurch towards Queenstown in our camper van. Here, especially around Lake Tekapo, I constantly had the feeling that Gandalf would ride alongside me …” This is how my husband, a big Lord of the Rings fan, likes to describe his first impressions of New Zealand.
Lake Tekapo is indeed an incredibly idyllic region in the southern centre of the South Island. From here, you have access to New Zealand’s highest mountain, Aoraki Mount Cook; looking around, just taking the journey clearly is the reward!
Another heads up: It is essential to book campsites in advance (even in the low season). There are always lots of visitors in and around Lake Tekapo.
Campsite reached and off to the lake: Lake Tekapo in New Zealand attracts visitors from near and far.
Glenorchy: Idyllic seclusion instead of mass tourism in Queenstown.
The relatively large number of guests in Lake Tekapo shows us that New Zealand is a popular destination, even in the low season (we are travelling in April, New Zealand’s autumn). It’s a good thing that I know where else to go from my previous trips in New Zealand!
We thus choose to spend the night in Glenorchy instead of Queenstown. In contrast to the lively (and expensive!) Queenstown, there isn’t much in Glenorchy apart from the odd campsite, a few houses and a general store. What Glenorchy lacks in terms of a bigger town infrastructure, it makes up in spectacular landscapes, many of which fulfil the New Zealand cliché and are also home to some of the typical Lord of the Rings film locations. Another big wow factor for our little family!
On the way to Glenorchy from Queenstown: The journey takes about an hour longer, but you end up in the small village of Glenorchy “in one of the most beautiful dead end streets in the South Island”! And yes, it’s left side driving here, a challenge we eventually mastered really well 😀
Te Anau & Milford Sound in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island
From Glenorchy, we visit Queenstown for a few hours the following day; it’s easy to leave our campervan in a specially designated car park for the day.
A good two hours later, we are in Te Anau. I once worked there as a nature guide for RealNZ for a summer season; the feeling of now being able to share this beautiful place in the world with my family is indescribable. Here, we also spend some time with friends from my first time in New Zealand and – new to me – get to enjoy Te Anau’s great campground right on the lake and next to the playground!
If you come to Te Anau, you should definitely plan some extra time for the onward journey to Milford Sound. Here, too, just the drive through the natural landscape of Fiordland National Park in the south-west of New Zealand’s South Island is simply one of the most beautiful things to do in the (travel) world. Really!
Stopping by Lake Wakatipu between Queenstown and Te Anau.
Welcome to Te Anau, home of a remaining resident population of the flightless Takaka bird, which is depicted here in a larger-than-life statue.
I used to work here too: Visiting the Te Anau Glowworm Caves with my older son Liam. What a beautiful moment to share this with him!
Stop off at Mirror Lakes on the way to Milford Sound and be rewarded with views like these.
Milford Sound in New Zealand (Piopiotahi in the Māori language), one of the country’s most famous landmarks.
Here, we treat ourselves to a Milford Sound Overnight Cruise with RealNZ, worth every NZD: going to sleep, eating and waking up in the middle of a Fiord is simply a unique experience! We leave our campervan in a specially reserved car park right by the visitor centre.
Central Otago fruit and wine growing region (and our first time free camping).
After three nights and four days in Te Anau and Milford Sound, which have enchanted us with the beauty of New Zealand’s unspoilt natural landscapes, we arrive in a completely different world: Cromwell in Central Otago.
Here, I get to drop my husband and kids off at the local Motor Museum for half a day, meaning I’m finally able to explore some of the world-famous wineries of New Zealand’s South Island (yes, you can also drive to them in a large motorhome;).
Just north of the town of Cromwell is Lowburn Harbour Overnight Campervan Park directly on Lake Dunstan; it is our first time staying “self-contained” (the local camping buzzword), meaning without electricity or water connections as is usually the case at official campgrounds.
Discovering Central Otago wineries: A real feast for the eyes (and your taste buds)!
Our first time staying “self-contained”. We learn where to safely do so through the CamperMate app, a really good app for campervan travellers in Australia and New Zealand.
Exploring Lake Wanaka & around.
The route continues towards Wanaka, a very popular holiday destination on the South Island for many years. We also stop here for two nights to see what Wanaka has to offer with young kids in tow.
Tip for our next time in New Zealand (either without or with much older children;) the so-called Secret Sauna at Lake Hawea. What a view! Make sure you book in advance.
We loved our little hike around Diamond Lake north of Wanaka. Easy also with kids.
My husband and I actually only wanted to stop here for a quick coffee to go. Then it turned into a stop for the day: Bike Glendhu in Glendhu Bay rents out mountain bikes and has this little pump track for kids!
Roadtrip along the West Coast, one of the most spectacular coastal landscapes in the world.
If there’s one place in the world I love, it’s the magnificent West Coast along the South Island of New Zealand.
Hardly any other stretch of coastline captivates me like this, not in Australia, not in the USA. After my previous trips, I am now travelling the route by campervan. Also brilliant!
From Wanaka, the route leads along Lake Hawea, over the Haast Pass and further down to the coast. Several travel highlights are strung together like pearls on a string: free camping in Jackson Bay near Haast, a helicopter flight from the sea to the glaciers of the Southern Alps and the world-famous Pancake Rocks!
Self-sufficient camping in Jackson Bay with a visit to Ocean Beach: only the pesky sandflies spoil the beach idyll. Otherwise, we have this special place “at the end of the world” all to ourselves. It’s amazing.
Twice the fun: untouched nature collides with modern times, because even in Jackson Bay, we have enough connection to stream the film Cars for the kids via WiFi!
Our highlight when my husband found out that he had passed an important career exam! The reward: a family helicopter flight with Glacier Helicopters to the highest mountain peaks in New Zealand!!!
A little later, we are back by the sea: the small town of Hokitika is a jade processing centre and the venue for the annual Wildfoods Festival!
About an hour north of Hokitika, we discover the so-called Pancake Rocks, another highlight when travelling the west coast of New Zealand.
Arthur’s Pass: Great hiking opportunity with young kids in tow.
From Hokitika, you can cross the New Zealand Alps via Arthur’s Pass, one of three passes on the South Island. It’s worth making a stop here, as we also find what we’re looking for on our search for easy, short hikes with small children.
We see “Te Tautea o Hinekakai”, the “weaving water” in the Māori language, after a short but vigorous climb, which even our youngest manages well with a little carrying and a lot of encouragement!
Well done kids: Short hikes, such as this one up to “Devil Punchbowl Falls” by Arthur’s Pass, are also possible with young kids.
Kaikoura: Whale Watching Tour on the East Coast of the South Island.
Another absolute highlight of our campervan trip through New Zealand: whale watching in Kaikoura, north of Christchurch.
After visiting and saying goodbye to our friends in Christchurch one last time, we take our campervan, by now aptly called Big Po (after Po the panda in Kung Fu Panda!) for another happy ride up the winding coast in the north-east of the South Island.
In Kaikoura (the place name means “place of good food” in the Māori language), a geological feature of the seabed ensures a resident whale population all year round. This means that you’re likely to see humpback and sperm whales diving every day of the year – and pods of dolphins circling curiously around the boats. What an impressive spectacle! Hopefully, like us, you won’t be seasick; the swell is quite something on the boat sometimes.
A sperm whale about to dive in Kaikoura on New Zealand’s South Island. The spectacle fascinates children and adults alike.
Golden Bay & Wharariki Beach in the very northwest of the South Island.
From Kaikoura, it’s still quite a way to Golden Bay. Nevertheless, I can really recommend the long journey through the Marlborough wine-growing region, past Nelson and Motueka and “over the hill” (Takaka Hill) to the very tip of the north-west of New Zealand’s South Island.
Golden Bay is simply unique. Here, long-established farmers live hand in hand with hippies and artists; both camps were once completely separate, but are now more mixed, as my friend and artist Grant Knowles tells me. We visit him and his family again after many years and invite them for a meal at the Mussel Inn, Golden Bay’s famous pub.
If you are in Takaka, be sure to ask for Grant Knowles at Art Vault Takaka and invite him for a coffee at the Wholemeal Organic Café – great conversations guaranteed!
Otherwise, I recommend a visit to Pupu Springs, one of the largest freshwater springs in the world (the largest of its kind in the southern hemisphere), the many artists in Golden Bay (check out creative travel!) and of course a visit to Wharariki Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches in New Zealand. Another big wow factor guaranteed!
Wharariki Beach in Golden Bay New Zealand: 100% Pure.
Picton and the ferry to the North Island.
It is with a heavy heart that we take the Interislander ferry from the South Island to the North Island a short time later. Actually, it’s probably only me with a heavy heart, because the boys are equally happy about everything they experience in New Zealand!
Of course, the North Island of New Zealand also deserves a visit and your attention, but … anyone who, like me, has spent significantly more time living and travelling in the South Island will understand why I’m so keen to just stay and visit here. The north is simply different – beautiful in its own way, certainly, but the South Island of New Zealand is what New Zealand is all about in my eyes: 100% Pure New Zealand.
Bye bye South Island New Zealand: A view to Picton, where the ferries depart for Wellington on the North Island.
One last tip for you: If the waves get really wild, as they did here, just take refuge in the play area below deck – the movements of the ship are not as violent there as on the upper deck. Fortunately, as we now definitely know, none of us get seasick …!
You can read more about our experiences and travel tips from New Zealand by motorhome in my next post about the North Island. Our journey takes us from Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, via Hawke’s Bay and Whakatane to Auckland.
Now to you: Do you still have any questions about travelling New Zealand by campervan? I’ll be happy to help you in the comments.