Do you have to pay to stay in campsites with your campervan if travelling in NZ and if so, how much is it?

Question

I plan to go travelling for 3 weeks in NZ in May - have found quite cheap flights and a good deal on a campervan - but I'm thinking there maybe hidden costs eg staying at campsites or hooking up to electricity when at campsites.. If anyone has any experience/advice I would be really grateful.

Answer 1

I go to quite a few caravan parks yearly and you are looking at between $15-$25 a night per adult depending on where in NZ you go,the power is included in the nightly fee and most have communal kitchens and toilets and provide showers that are all free to use. The only other cost is when you use the washing machine or clothes dryer. Hope this helps :D

Answer 2

yes you do have to pay average $15-30 NZ dollars which isn't too bad. I did it last year for a few weeks with some friends on the south island but it's a good way to travel i highly recommend it.

Answer 3

I have travelled around New Zealand in a campervan several times.  The cost does vary based on the facilities which are available.  The costs are generally in the range of $15-$25 per adult per night and does include use of all facilities other than the washing machines or dryers and these are coin operated.

Some camping grounds even have "en suites" where you pull the van up alongside for bathroom facilities.

All camping grounds have great communal kitchens and amenities and they are some of the best you will find anywhere in the world.  Some have BBQs.

Many of the camping grounds have affiliations with each other and there are a couple of chains where you can get a card and receive discounts on all camping ground costs.

Top 10 I have used and found them all very good grounds.  The site has great info.

Also the Automobile Association (AA) has great information: www.aatravel.co.nz or www.nzaa.co.nz

It is a wonderful country to visit and the camping grounds have a wonderful social feel to them and you can always get info from other campers as well.

Of course if you are tired at the end of the day, the beauty of a campervan means that you can almost stay anywhere.  The stove is gas operated and the refrigerator is either gas or 12 volt and most campervans now have shower and toilet in them.

Answer 4

Staying in a Camping Site with a Motorhome would be the next cheapest after camping in a tent. There is FREE book by Jasons you can get from the info centre at the Airport /camping grounds/info centres that lists all Camping Grounds that take motorhomes and there are many. Go to Jasons.com, these are the ones that put this book out. Although not every camping site is shown in the book as you plan your trip you will definitely come across a Information Centre that can give you all the info you want. All major Camping grounds have facitilites for Motorhomes and a lot of towns have waste dumping stations (free). You will probably find that the hirer if the Motorhome will have a list of where they are, otherwise any Council office or Info Site will be able to tell you. It costs approx $14 per adult to camp in a Motorhome in a Camping Ground. Camping grounds have 2 rates, unpowered and powered site.  The powered site is only a few dollars more - no hidden costs. There are also some free DOC (Dept of Conservation) camping grounds but they don't have a power supply. Some Councils also allow you to park overnight in some of their reserves provided you are fully self contained. It is very easy to travel through New Zealand with a Motorhome. Only thing to watch for as a tourist is 1. Driving on the opposite side of the road if you are from Europe or USA. 2. Some roads are not sealed so you need to be careful driving on gravel/metal, this is more so if you are travelling to smaller places. 3. A lot of our roads are quite windy and hilly so driving a large vehicle will make you slower than the average traffic. You need to pull over and let traffic pass if there is a build up behind you, the NZ driver will be very grateful for this.

It is also easy to find your way around with a map. If you miss a turn off you can usually turn around. Only Auckland and Wellington highways are where you need to watch turn offs.

Always make use of the Information Centres, they are a wealth of info (funny that!). They have guided us to many wonderful places to stay that we did not know existed, so we use them a lot.

With regard to safety, Camping Grounds are fine.

Answer 5

Yes you do have to pay for a site and it's about £10-£15 a night

Answer 6

Our family trip to NZ last year was 1 month in a campervan.  Every campsite was $12-22 NZ and always included power, sewage etc.  The laundry was usually coin operated.  Most enjoyable and friendliest bunch of camp owners I have ever met.  Go for it!