On the day before we departed the North Island we made a decision off the cuff to camp for our South Island excursion. In the north, we enjoyed having the freedom of a vehicle but having car and staying in hostels was too expensive, so to navigate the south we had to sacrifice the regular comforts of a hostel, nothing glamourous, mainly running water and a kitchen. Jackie and I really aren’t ‘campers’ but we were inspired by our German pals Christian and Cora who slept in a station wagon for 2+ months in Australia and New Zealand and we figured we would give it a shot and see what became of our new experience.
ACCOMMODATIONS
When camping in New Zealand, you have a couple of options for accommodations:
1. Tent
2. Campervan
3. Sleep in your car
We opted for, surprise surprise, the cheapest and most convenient option: sleeping in our car. We rented a station wagon for $50.00NZ a day and converted the back off it into our personal living space and transportation for 20 days. If going down this route, definitely spend a little more on a wagon. We had enough space to blow up a double air mattress and keep all our bags, gear and food in the car. After 20 days of being in such a confined space I think we would opt for a larger option such as a campervan, however, they do command much higher prices ($100 NZ a day).
Jackie hanging out by our newly leased home
GEAR
To setup camp, you will likely need to buy gear. Since we are going around the globe we opted to not bring camping and sleeping supplies from home because we didn’t want to bomb around with the gear for 12 months.
We ended up picking up cheap sleeping supplies from a home supplies store, forget the Katmandu/camping stores, they are ultra expensive and cater to a ‘serious’ camper, who I would assume would bring their own gear anyways.
We went to a place called Briscoes where we got the following items for the following prices (NZ $):
- Double Down Blanket – $47
- Double Air Mattress – $19
- Mattress Pump – $5
- Pillows – $10 each
- Cleaning bowl – $5
In total we dropped under $100 for our sleeping gear for 20 days, so about $5 a day for gear. Also, if you have access to one, a place called ‘The Warehouse’ also sells supplies for cheap, they tend to be in bigger centres only though.
You can likely find a salvation army or something along the lines and get used gear, we dropped off our stuff at the Queenstown location and they were more than happy to take it.
Co-CEO of Worldly Couple hard at work at the Head Office
FINDING SITES
The New Zealand Department of Conservation (DOC) has a tonne of campsites that can be easily accessed and usually cost $5.10 per person per night. We stayed in these sites when we couldn’t find a suitable free camp site.
Some towns encourage freedom camping and have set aside a piece of land for people without self contained (no bathrooms) campers to sleep for a couple nights. Although some places don’t encourage freedom camping, you may be able to find a site that is off the main roads that will be suitable for camping for a night or two, just make sure you clean up after yourself and respect the area where you are staying.
Odds are you won’t be woken up, but don’t shit your pants when someone is knocking on the window at 4:00AM wondering what you are doing, it happened to us twice and honestly wasn’t at scary as we thought it would be.
Some we paid and some we didn’t, it really is quite easy to find a spot, especially since the South Island has a small population density. Half the fun and most of the stress in freedom camping is finding a good spot, but waking up with the sun shining into your car with the waves crashing against the shore is hard to beat.
Finding the perfect spot is not easy to do, but always worth it.
CLEANING UP
Since you will be living out a a van (DOWN BY THE RIVER!), it is essential that you seek out a place to clean yourself. Just because you are camping doesn’t mean you can go a couple weeks without hitting the showers, unless you are admirable of the fact that no one would want to be around you.
None of the DOC sites we stayed at had showers and if you are freedom camping there is no way they will supply one so you have to get creative. We showered everywhere from a swimming pool to a holiday park, but they are not always easy to find. The best bet you have to grab a shower is to:
1.Ask a hostel - some let us shower for a nominal fee, others were total assholes about it and wouldn’t let anyone use their facilities. We did have a couple of German friends who would walk into hostels and have a shower and split, although be wary of the tactic as the could always pull the “we don’t speak english card”
2. Find a local public pool - go for a swim and use their facilities, some public beaches also have an ocean filled pool which may have a shower as well.
3. Find a lake - just good for a quick rinse, I wouldn’t use shampoo and soap in the pristine lakes and neither should you
4. Stay at a holiday park - although more expensive, they usually provide you with a shower and a place to prepare a hot meal for around $30NZ a night
5. Get a hotel - If you are in the mentality of hating camping, treat yourself to an actual bed for an evening (we did this once and it was awesome)
For other small wash jobs like washing our face and brushing our teeth we bought a plastic salad bowl and filled it with water. If you are staying close to a city/town you can always find public bathrooms to do these deeds and the local iSight is a safe bet.
EATING
For some reason we figured we could exist without cooking for 20 days straight, we were wrong. We ended up eating sandwiches and other cold meals most afternoons and nights and after a while, like anything, you get sick of it. I would recommend buying a small gas cooking appliance so you can fire up some decent hot meals which will save you some coin when you inevitably cruise by the fish and chips shop and end up buying a couple delightfully greasy meals…which in the end will turn out to be a highlight of your day!
ONE STOP SHOP
One thing to take in consideration is that the only constant you are going to have is your vehicle as a home. This means that you will be driving, sleeping, eating and hanging out all in the same spot. I wouldn’t rely on having a huge social life or meeting a bunch of new people as you would in a hostel because it just is not that feasible, so if thats your cup of tea I would recommend skipping the camping option. Some sites were better than others, offering picnic tables to socialize at but once the sun goes down it pretty much all ends and you will be forced to read or watch a movie in the cavernous confines of your camper, or in our case, a small station wagon. Out of all the previously mentioned tips, this is one thing that should seriously be pondered, after driving for 2,3,4 and sometimes 5 hours in a day the last place you want to spend more time is in your car.
Transportation, Kitchen, Living Room and Bedroom all in one!
SUMMARY
In the end I think we overestimated our ability to live out of a car for so long, but was an awesome experience and given the chance we would definitely do it again. Looking back, it wasn’t so bad and if we were a little more prepared we could have really enhanced the accommodations aspect of the 20 days. If headed to New Zealand and you want to get the most out of your trip, you are gonna need a car and if you want to save a little dough while you are at it, convert it into your own personal mansion.
Jackie enjoying our last day in the Silver Rocket
Now that is an adventure. When you said you were doing this, I thought ‘ya right’, but yep you really did live in a van down by the river… Must have been a good experiance for you though.
I guess it helps when all occupants are less than…how should I put this delicately…”average height”
Have fun, we are sitting here in the cold living life vicariously through ya’ll. Peace