Every van we sell drives out of the same gate at our Auckland yard in the west of the city. So both of these trips start and finish there.
Before you turn the key
Both trips assume a certified self-contained van, which every van in our yard is. Self-contained means the van carries its own fresh water, waste water and a toilet, proven by a green certificate on the windscreen.
That certificate is what lets you freedom camp, meaning camp for free outside paid campgrounds, in the many places where councils require self-containment. Our guide to where you can freedom camp explains the rules, and the CamperMate and Rankers apps show legal spots wherever you are parked.
Two more things. First, check your overseas licence is valid here; our guide to driving in NZ as an overseas visitor covers it. Second, treat every driving time below as rough. New Zealand roads are mostly two lanes and they wind, so a distance that looks like two hours on a map often takes three. Drive relaxed and stop often.
Trip one: two weeks around the North Island
Days 1 to 4: north to the Bay of Islands
Leave the yard and head north on the motorway. Paihia, the hub of the Bay of Islands, is roughly 3 to 3.5 hours from Auckland.
Give it three nights. Take a boat out among the islands, walk to Haruru Falls, and visit Waitangi, where New Zealand's founding treaty was signed.
If you have spare days, Cape Reinga at the very top of the country is roughly 3 hours further north each way. It is a long drive for one lighthouse, but it is quite a lighthouse.
Days 5 to 7: the Coromandel
Drive back through Auckland and around the coast to the Coromandel Peninsula. Auckland to Hahei is commonly 3 to 3.5 hours, and the last stretch is slow and twisty.
The rewards are Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach, where you dig your own hot pool in the sand at low tide. Bring a spade or hire one on the beach.
Along this loop, mix free camping with DOC campsites. DOC is the Department of Conservation, and its simple campsites commonly cost around $10 to $20 per person a night, often in beautiful places.
Days 8 to 10: Rotorua and Taupo
Rotorua is roughly 2.5 to 3 hours from the Coromandel. It smells of sulphur and it is worth it: geysers, boiling mud, Māori cultural experiences and natural hot streams you can soak in nearby.
Taupo is under an hour further south. The lake is roughly the size of Singapore, Huka Falls is a short easy walk, and the town is a good place to restock.
Days 11 and 12: Tongariro
National Park village sits roughly 1 to 1.5 hours south of Taupo. The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, around 19 km over a live volcanic landscape, is commonly called the best day walk in the country. Most people take six to eight hours. Book a shuttle so you do not finish a long way from your van.
In winter the crossing needs alpine gear and usually a guide. Check the DOC website before you commit.
Days 13 and 14: home through the Waikato
Roll back to Auckland through the green farmland of the Waikato, roughly 4 hours of easy driving. If you have time, Hobbiton near Matamata and the glowworm caves at Waitomo both sit close to the route.
Trip two: four weeks, both islands
This trip covers the North Island highlights faster, then crosses Cook Strait, the stretch of sea between the two islands, for the big southern scenery.
Week one: Auckland to Wellington and the ferry
Run a quicker version of trip one: a night or two in the Bay of Islands if you must, then Rotorua, Taupo and a day at Tongariro. From National Park village, Wellington is roughly 4.5 to 5 hours south.
Wellington deserves a full day. Te Papa, the national museum, is free and excellent.
Book your ferry before you arrive. Interislander and Bluebridge both carry campervans between Wellington and Picton, the crossing takes roughly 3 to 3.5 hours, and vehicle space sells out well ahead in summer.
Week two: Marlborough and the West Coast
From Picton, the Marlborough wine region around Blenheim is under an hour away. Taste the sauvignon blanc, but keep the driver sober.
Then cut across to the West Coast. Picton to Westport is roughly 4 to 5 hours through the Nelson Lakes country. From there the coast road south to the glacier towns of Franz Josef and Fox is one of the great drives anywhere. It is roughly 4 more hours if you skip the photo stops, which you will not.
Plan your fuel on this coast. Petrol stations are far apart and small ones can close early, so fill up whenever the tank drops below half, and always before the long empty stretch from Fox Glacier over Haast Pass.
Week three: Wanaka, Queenstown and the fiords
Haast Pass brings you out at Wanaka, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours from Fox Glacier. Give it two nights for the lakefront, the walking tracks and that famous tree in the water.
Queenstown is roughly an hour away over the Crown Range, the highest main road in the country. In the colder months, roughly May to October, you are commonly required to carry snow chains on this road and be ready to fit them. If you would rather not, take the longer, flatter route through Cromwell instead. The same chains advice applies to the Milford road in winter, so check the Waka Kotahi NZTA journey planner before any alpine pass.
From Queenstown, drive roughly 2 hours to Te Anau and sleep there. Milford Sound is roughly 2 more hours each way on a spectacular but demanding road, so make an early start. Doubtful Sound is the quieter choice, reached by boat and bus tour from Manapouri, so your van gets a day off.
Week four: up the east coast and home
Head back through Central Otago and up the east coast. Queenstown to Christchurch is a long day, roughly 6 to 7 hours, so break it at Lake Tekapo, where the water really is that colour.
Christchurch to Kaikoura is roughly 2.5 hours. Kaikoura is where the mountains fall straight into the sea, and it is one of the most reliable places anywhere to see sperm whales and swim with dusky dolphins.
Picton is roughly 2 hours further north. Catch your booked return ferry, then take a comfortable two days back up the middle of the North Island to Auckland.
Make the trip your own
These are starting points, not homework. Add days where you fall in love with a place and cut the rest. For a realistic idea of what a trip like this costs per week, ask Hamish at the yard. He will happily mark up a map with his own favourite spots.
Start your trip from our yard
Our Auckland yard is open 7 days from 8am to 6pm, viewings by appointment. Ring or WhatsApp 020 444 3304, or send us a message. Wir sprechen Deutsch. Nous parlons français.