Campervanning New Zealand
By Nicole Dann, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
If there’s one thing to put on your bucket list while on your year abroad in Australia, it is to campervan around New Zealand, specifically South Island. If you’ve seen Lord of the Rings, you’ll know that this tiny island is home to the most breath-taking and beautiful landscapes. My expectations were high yet, I was still in absolute awe. I thought I’d missed my chance to go before my time was up down under, however I was given a last-minute opportunity to fill in a spot with some course mates from Manchester and it turned out to be one of the highlights of my year. Here’s a little breakdown of my week.
I first flew into Christchurch where I met with the other girls and boarded our home for the next week. What I thought would be a cute little campervan turned out to be semi-detached house on wheels. Slight exaggeration – but sleeping six with a working kitchen, toilet and shower, the campervan stretched over 8m long and weighed a tonne. Very quickly we settled into ‘vanning’ life with the constant reassembling of beds, plus the daily tasks of emptying the dirty water (gross), the toilet waste (even grosser) and refilling the drinking water. Top tip – don’t wear anything you even remotely like to empty the dirty water unless you don’t mind last night’s baked beans sprayed over you. Most campsites and certain carparks had stations for waste and refill but make sure to factor this into your route planning as there’s nothing worse than fancying a brew just to find out that the water is out… first world problems, I know.
That first day consisted of stocking up the van (big shoutout to Pak n Save) and planning for the week ahead. Bright and early, we headed off for our first walk along Rakaia Gorge Walkway. Just a short drive from Christchurch, this was a great taster to what was to come with beautiful ice blue lakes and luscious greenery. That night we used CamperMate to find a free camp spot for the night. Unlike most other places, New Zealand allows visitors to wild camp and provides free docking spots for those with vans. The app CamperMate highlights these popular free camping spots on the map, providing details of facilities and reviews from previous visitors. We selected a spot right in the middle of nowhere where the only company were the cows that took quite an interest in their new arrivals.
For our 3rd day, after of couple hours on the road, we landed in our next spot in Lake Tekapo which was stunning. Famous for its dazzling blue lake, we explored the town before going on a long walk and an icy dip in the water. And by dip, I mean I lasted a grand total of 2 seconds before layering on every jumper I had brought with me. That night we treated ourselves to a pass into the hot pools spa with access to a steam room, sauna and plunge pool. I don’t know what was better – lying under the stars in a heated pool or having a warm shower after. It’s a tough call.
Next day – you guessed it – another hike. This one was the famous Hooker Valley Track which lies beneath Mount Cook. A tourist hot spot, this busy trail took us to the foot of the mountain where there were still icebergs perched on top of the water. After our cold dip the day before, we definitely weren’t tempted this time. The drive to our next free camp spot was picturesque. Without the pressure of driving, I was a true passenger princess and spent the entirety of the journey taking snaps of the views which looked just like those automated desktop backgrounds you get on a new laptop. That night, we parked up with the other 20 or so vans who had the same idea as us and watched the sunset over Lake Pukaki with our bangers and mash tea. Just gorgeous.
The next stop was the famous Wanaka, which is a well-visited tourist spot known for its picturesque town and this random tree in the lake. Since it was a rainy day, we sacked off seeing said random tree and decided to mooch around the shops and go on a local, more relaxed walk. Turns out the rain made our said relaxed walk into an uphill scramble which required both hands to leverage our way through the mud. Luckily for us, we had paid to stay at a camping ground that night which meant hot showers and unlimited water for unlimited hot chocolates which was well needed.
The highlight of my week was the following morning at exactly 4am where we woke and summited the iconic Roy’s Peak. With over 1000m of elevation gain over a distance of 8km, we scaled the mountain in pitch black with nothing to guide us but our head torches and the 30 or so other hikers. It was a long 4-hour slog to the top but entirely worth it as we watched the sunrise from the sub-degree summit. It was absolutely breath-taking (partially because of the view, partially because it was so cold). After a few insta snaps and a lot of jumping on the spot, we hastily made the long trip down where we treated ourselves to some hot grub and an early night.
That comes to the end of my 7-day extravaganza around South Island. My trip was slightly cut short due to deadlines and work shifts (yes, university is still a thing) so I flew home from Queenstown as the others continued their travels. While it was only short, I felt like I’d seen the some of the best that New Zealand has to offer and I cannot wait to go back there and see the rest. I’ve been pestering anyone and everyone that they have to go and here I am doing it again – book the flights.
