New Zealand, about the area of Colorado, is small enough to travel around to all the main sites within a couple weeks or so. Some people only come to the South Island, which is said to be more picturesque and wild, but others like to split their time in a one-third North Island, two-thirds South Island fashion as we have chosen to do. With three weeks total, we are on the move quite a bit and are spending just one to three nights in each spot. In all, we will spend the night in nine different places during our stay here. On the South Island our itinerary includes: Christchurch, Franz Josef, Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anu and Dunedin.
One helpful thing is that here nearly all accommodation options include a kitchen or kitchenette. Self-catering is the norm and we’ve had cooking facilities everywhere we have stayed, which is a nice change for us after eating out for a total of about 135 meals in a row (3x 45 days while in HK, Thailand and Myanmar for 1.5 months) during the first part of our trip!
Camper Vans at the Top 10
There are fun, colorful “mini-campers” too with different slogans on the back
Judging by the number of campgrounds and motor homes, it’s clear that locals and tourists alike enjoy seeing the countryside. In Christchurch, we stayed at a “Top 10”, which is a chain of holiday parks around the country. At that Top 10, typical of most, there was a range of options including grassy tent sites (less popular), motor home spaces (very popular), motel accommodations (plentiful) and even cabins (just a few). One big difference to campground facilities back home is that there were no fire rings or campfires, at least at the Top 10 that we stayed at, which means that the campsites tend to be quieter and more mellow at night.
The kids in front of our little cabin (they fed ducks off the porch) at Top 10
A.J. chooses his bunk (the other room had a double bed)
While at Top 10, we were in a two-bedroom “Kozy Kiwi” Cabin, which was small and simple but fully functional, well-appointed and newly outfitted. The unit contained a stove, fridge, toaster, kettle, flat screen television and air-conditioning (not needed as the weather turned cool). Pretty decent! On site there was an indoor pool, playground, game room, television lounge, laundry room, communal kitchen and nightly movie offerings. There was even a mall nearby. It was the perfect place to hang out, catch up on errands and have a little fun while not sightseeing.
Our girl LOVES reading and the Kindle has been great!
Relaxing at the pool
Head first!
In addition to ample campground facilities around the country, there are lots of motor inns and motels, which generally have large studios and 1 & 2 bedroom units, all with kitchens. They are something like a Motel 6 or Super 8 in the United States, but with bigger units and more traveler-friendly facilities. I’d highly recommend holiday parks or motor inns to families while traveling around New Zealand!
A.J. flying high on a trampoline at a typical motel in New Zealand
Car vs Camper Van? We’ve been really happy with just a car. This is cheaper and allows us more flexibility in moving around. At night, when we stop, we’ve had spacious places to stay versus cramped quarters for our camper van compatriots, especially those with active kids. Plus, if you ever want to drive to town, you don’t have to hop in a camper to run out for some soy milk. We know a couple of families who enjoyed a shorter stay (week or less) in a camper, but if we were to do it all over again, we’d still opt for just a car!
Finally, New Zealand has plenty of viewpoints and picnic tables along the side of the “highway” – usually just a two-lane road – but very few bathrooms, which is quite frustrating! Arg, gotta go!
A rare rest stop toilet…. the cute Kiwi Loo!
Notes from a Big World 