3 weeks in a van, New Zealand itinerary

New Zealand

In August, 2023 we travelled from Auckland (North Island) to Queenstown (South Island) in a van. We drove over 2,000km and saw some truely incredible places - the word of the trip was WOW.

We love being outdoors so our itinerary was filled with geothermal valleys, hiking, mountains, lakes, whales, skiing and being off the grid. We also enjoyed the finer things in Queenstown; relaxing in onsens, dining in beautiful restaurants and skiing during the day.

Check out the itinerary below.

Travel: 3 hour flight from Sydney
Accomodation: Sofitel Auckland Viaduct Harbour
Restaurants: Oyster & Chop | Hello Beasty
Activities: As we only had a night in Auckland, we enjoyed the food and drink vibes along Viaduct Harbour.
Price: $$
Tips: Go to Oyster & Chop between 3pm and 6pm for their $2 oyster happy hour. We ended up getting 36 oysters and 4 cocktails for $100 and the oysters are SO fresh!
Travel: 2 hr 50 min (231km)
Accomodation: Trout Pool Reserve, freedom camp
Food: We did our first grocery shop at Pack’n’Save which is the cheaper option. Still cost $400+.
Price: $$
Activities: Hobbiton is on the drive | Hell’s Gate Mud Experience
Tips: Be prepared for the sulphur smell and check what time places open (usually around 10am)
Travel: 1 hr 5 min (82km)
Accomodation: Whakaipo Bay Recreation Reserve - Freedom camp book through DHS
Price: $$
Activities: Redwoods Tree Walk | Te Puia, Rotorua Geothermal Valley | Haku Falls
Tips: Set up camp in the middle of the reserve. If you park under a tree you’ll be in the shade for longer in the morning which will be freezing
Travel: 1 hr 29 min (104 km)
Accomodation: Whakapapa Holiday Park
Food: The town is quite small with limited food options. Make sure you do a grocery shop before you arrive.
Price: $
Activities: Gollum’s pool (Tawhai Falls) | Ski at Mt Ruapehu
Tips: If you’ve hired a camper van, you won’t be able to drive to the ski resorts. Make sure you organise a snow transport the day before as they aren’t regular and can book out.
Accomodation: Whakapapa Holiday Park
Price: $$
Activities: Ski at Mt Ruapehu
Tips: Hire your ski gear off the mountain to avoid queues and get on the slopes faster!
Travel: 4 hr 4 min (330km) drive and 4 hr (100km) ferry
Accomodation: Picton Campervan Park
Food: Lolly cakes
Price: $$ Petrol is more expensive in Wellington
Activities: Driving (have a great playlist)
Tips: This was a big day of travel and we had to get the afternoon ferry to allow enough time to get to Wellington. If you can take 2 days to do the drive and book a day ferry to experience Marlborough Sounds.

Travel: 2 hr 2 min drive (156km)
Accomodation: Alpine-Pacific Motels & Holiday Park
Restaurant: Wither Hills Restaurant
Price: $$
Activities: Cloudy Bay Vineyards | Framingham Wines | Wither Hills Wines
Tips: Book a wine tour so that you can explore the amazing Marlborough region and taste the wines.
Accomodation: Alpine-Pacific Motels & Holiday Park
Food: Nin Bin for fresh and famous New Zealand crayfish
Price: $
Activities: Kaikoura whale watching | Walk to the seal colony
Tips: Enjoy the wildlife!
Travel: 5 hr (401 km)
Accomodation: Lakes Edge Holiday Park
Price: $$
Activities: Rakaia Gorge Walkway | Lake Tekapo Star Gazing
Tips: To break up the drive, detour to Rakaia Gorge for a breathtaking walk. Doing this walk, you’ll drive along the back road which is way more scenic.
Travel: 1 hr 10 min drive (103.5km)
Accomodation: White Horse Hill Campground - Freedom camp pre-book on the DOCS website
Price: Spent $0
Activities: Hooker Valley Track
Tips: There are no amenities in Mt Cook. Make sure you empty your waste, fill up water, petrol and food before you head in.
Continue reading my ‘Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park’ blog
Accomodation: White Horse Hill Campground - Freedom camp
Price: Spent $0
Activities: Sealy Tarns Track | Tasman Glacier Walk
Tips: Mt Cook is on the outskirts of the Lake Tekapo Dark Sky Reserve and there is literally no light pollution. Make sure you wake up to see the stars at night - it’s incredible.

Travel: 2 hr 23 min (205km)
Accomodation: Wanaka Lakeview Holiday Park
Restaurant: Amigos Wanaka
Price: $$ (We made the most of the happy hours so Wanaka was pretty cheap for us)
Activities: Happy hours at any of the bars along the water | Bike ride along the lake | Adrenaline activities | Walk Roy’s Park
Tips: If you’re in a camper van, be mindful of the “snow roads” around Wanaka as there are a lot of ski resorts. Your maps will still take them as routes but will alert you once you’re on them that you’ll be fined. Particularly driving towards Queenstown, don’t go along Cardrona Valley and Crown Range Road.
Travel: 4 hr 26 min (343 km)
Accomodation: Milford Sound Lodge
Price: $$
Activities: The activity is the drive. Driving through Fiordland is truely out of this world. Take the time to take everything in.
Tips: In winter the road can be closed because of the snow and avalanche risk. Google Milford Road Status for up to date information. If you’ve booked accomodation at Milford Sound Lodge, they’ll keep you updated via email.
Accomodation: Freedom camped beside the road in Fiordland National Park
Price: $$
Activities: Milford Sound Cruise (there’s heaps of options and they’re all great)
Tips: Milford Sound averages 182 days of rainfall a year. It makes for amazing waterfalls but make sure you pack warm, waterproof clothes.
Travel: 3 hr 37 min (287km)
Accomodation: The Rees Luxury Hotel
Price: $$$
Activities: Te Anu Glow Worm Tour | Onsen Hot Pools
Tips: Pre book the Onsen months in advance. The sunset booking is beautiful.
Accomodation: The Rees Luxury Hotel
Restaurants: Nest Kitchen and Bar | Fat Badgers Pizza and Bar | White and Wongs | Botswana Butchery | Fergburger | Fergbaker
Price: $$$
Activities: Ski at The Remarkables, Coronet Peak or Cardrona | Bungee jump | Jet boating | Heli sking
Tips: Book everything in advance. You’ll get an earlier bird discount and things book out - restaurants, bus to ski fields, lift tickets, adrenaline activities.
Getting a lift ticket to The Remarkables also gives you access to Coronet Peak. This gives you great flexibility particularly if the bus books out. On this, book the ski bus weeks in advance. If it books out, look at other private bus companies (Info&Snow) as a second option.