There are some great prices on Apollo Campervan rentals in New Zealand currently and combined with some pretty decent priced flights to the North Island this is a great trip. Not only that, the rental is a proper 'motorhome' I say this after I got a telling off when calling a motorhome a campervan recently.......some people are so sensitive ;-)
In essence, this means you get proper cooking facilities and a loo and a shower which can be good in NZ as I found that sometimes it was a long drive until any loos! Campervans are only slightly cheaper but for this bargain price I'd go for the motorhome which has more space and proper cooking facilities. The details of this top of the range motorhome are on this link and there is a very snazzy video of the van and it looks amazing. I so want to go!!!!! http://www.apollocamper.co.nz/campervan-hire-2berthst.aspx
Stopping at sites to plug in and empty toilet etc would cost around $30NZ a night depending on how many nights you stop at paid sites. You'll need to allow this into your budget as well as additional costs for upgrading any insurances etc.
If I wasn't already away I'd seriously be booking this trip!
Itinerary
You'll fly with Air China and you have a long stopover and depending on visa requirements you could stop in Beijing for a few hours. After some long flights you'll arrive into Auckland on 1st May. I've flown with Air China this year and they are OK. Not a highly rated airline and I'd really recommend taking your own entertainment as the IFE is shocking but it's bearable.
You'll make your own way into Auckland and stay at the highly rated Haha Lodge for 2 nights, enough time to do a whistle-stop tour of the city but you'll have plenty of time to revisit again later in the trip.
On 3rd May you'll get your motorhome and drive out of the city heading north towards Bay of Islands. I could go on and on about NZ but some suggestions to consider. You could stop at Waiwera Hot Pools and Matakana then on to Whangarei and then on to Paihia. I know it sounds strage but do visit the toilets at Kawakawa!! Other must sees are the Cape Lighthouse and Ninety Mile Beach and the Dunes.
You'll probably end up backtracking towards Auckland again but there are hot pools en route at Te Aroha which you can do after climbing the mountain! There are a few different routes you can take either via Hamilton and then the amazing Waitoma Caves which are fantastic! You could then visit Rotorua with its thermal eggy smells and hot springs as well as Maori culture. I'd then take the route to Lake Taupo and Napier. Again a few options but lots of good food and wine in this area if that's up your street. If you end up in Wellington and are a LOTR fan then you can really get into the spirit od things and visit Rivendell and the forest where the hobbits hid from the black riders (can you tell I'm a fan?)
You'll have the motorhome for 14 nights and you'll return it by 4pm on the 17th May and your flight isn't until just turned 7pm so you can really make the most of your trip.
I've visited NZ in March, April, May and June and May is a great time. It's technically out of season and prices are lower, tourists are less and it's a more enjoyable time and the weather can still be good.
Flights for 2 London to NZ £1105.20 @ omegaflightstore.com
1-3rd May Haka Lodge Auckland £116 @ booking.com
Motorhome rental 3rd to 17th (14 nights) $495/£224.13 @ Apollo Campervan
Total £1446.33/£723.16pp
Top comments
jasee
30 Jan 163#49
I've flown with Air China from Heathrow through Beijing, to Japan at least three times and had no problems with the flights
airbus330
29 Jan 163#3
That's a good package and price. However, I'd be inclined to spend a bit more and avoid china airlines for reasons that can be found on the web.
Also, I'd be careful with Apollo rv s. The system in NZ used to be( and I believe still is) that the vans start with the top price firms like Maui and every 2 years get passed down to another firm until they are junk. I have a feeling that when I did this trip in nz a few years back Apollo were one to be careful of.
On the other hand it's a lot of holiday for not much money, so still hot.
That's a good package and price. However, I'd be inclined to spend a bit more and avoid china airlines for reasons that can be found on the web.
Also, I'd be careful with Apollo rv s. The system in NZ used to be( and I believe still is) that the vans start with the top price firms like Maui and every 2 years get passed down to another firm until they are junk. I have a feeling that when I did this trip in nz a few years back Apollo were one to be careful of.
On the other hand it's a lot of holiday for not much money, so still hot.
rachelandgromit to airbus330
29 Jan 16#5
Air China ain't the best I do agree but not as bad as Iberia and Air Europa to be honest. You just need to be prepared in terms of lack of entertainment as the films were awful. Like any airline it's a means to getting where you want to be and unless you fly Business class it's never going to be an amazing experience...
seanrtkelly to airbus330
29 Jan 161#11
I recently flew to Thailand with air China and don't have a bad word to say about them. Provided plenty of food and drinks and was over £700 cheaper than the next airline. Wouldn't hesitate to use them again
Jenko75
29 Jan 16#4
Great price, we spent a bit of time in Oz and NZ and used Apollo a few times in Oz, they were one of the biggest motorhome companies don't think you've got much to worry about with them
dunc62
29 Jan 16#6
Bargain my flights have cost £2000 on there own
zippypants to dunc62
29 Jan 162#7
I think you was mugged (sorry ) .... Flights are coming down because of cheap oil
kimbo87
29 Jan 16#8
Amazing!! Shame I already have a holiday booked during that time, otherwise I would be all over this!! Amazing find!
rachelandgromit to kimbo87
29 Jan 16#9
Me too!!
fishmaster
29 Jan 16#10
I will never go to New Zealand, but it does look awesome and this seems cheap, so I have to vote HOT :smiley:
eatmorefish to fishmaster
30 Jan 16#40
You should. The fishing is superb (seriously). :man:
miarcerts
29 Jan 16#12
4/10 on airline quality review site.
May give a miss.
Not voted cold or hot as if others okay with 30+ hours on a poorly rated airline, thats their choice
shug119
29 Jan 16#13
Off to oz in late Feb, flights £600, motor-home £600 for 3. so about £800 each, Etihad flights.
Great find.
rachelandgromit to shug119
29 Jan 16#15
Flights with Etihad to NZ for £600 return? Are those from the UK or open jaw? That's really cheap if all legs are with Etihad. My last flight to Australia was with them and I've also done business class with Etihad and it's my favourite airline.
bhunterno1
29 Jan 16#14
If only....
Lots of heat!
Skymonkey
29 Jan 16#16
Why link to booking.com? Surely the camper company or airline would be more appropriate.
Air China operate their 777-300ER in a 9 across configuration in economy which is comfortable compared to the norm of 10 across. I would have no problem flying them.
With the dwindling cost of oil, fares are dropping. I costed a trip to Thailand staying at a 4.5 star rated 4 star hotel for under £500. Truly amazing.
This is a nice deal, heat and good detailed find OP.
rachelandgromit to Skymonkey
29 Jan 162#18
Because HUKD probably won't like the Apollo Rental link as it's not a UK site I dont think so it would probably get removed and I can't see that Hukd have Omega Flightstore on their merchant list either and I didn't want this bargain deal post to get removed!
rachelandgromit
29 Jan 16#17
Sorry saw you said Oz.... Doh
Skymonkey
29 Jan 161#19
Yep, get your logic! Nice find rachelandgromit :-)
jumbosausage
29 Jan 16#20
Wow, great price!
alfie73
29 Jan 16#21
Great price
dealerxxx
29 Jan 16#22
Stay away from omega flights! Just my bad experience with them, there was a mid connection which messed up my schedule so I requested a different time, they said they'd do it, kept me waiting for almost two weeks then I receive an email that either I stick to the new schedule and I can request a refund.
When I requested a refund they want me to print a form, sign, scan and email it to them.
I did what I was told to do to receive my refund and they say it will take 6-8 weeks for the refund.
Now the choice is yours, people have different experiences and I have checked trip advisor but it was too late, I've been waiting for a week now and it's frustrating cos need to book tickets with someone else.
rachelandgromit to dealerxxx
30 Jan 16#23
Every agent has mixed Tripadvisor reviews, you could say the same about Budgetair, Netflights, Gotogate.....
If you book the right flight and don't need to make changes you shouldn't have a problem. In your instance it sounds like you needed to make changes to a flight and they have agreed to a refund but it is just taking time. If an airline changes flight times and connections it's not the travel agents fault. My Turkish Airlines flights I booked with Expedia have changed times at least 7 times since booking!! I've booked glitch fares direct with Airlines direct previously and had refunds, in one case it took AA just under 2 weeks to issue a refund over well over £2K. This isn't an error, just cheap flights and once you have your e-tickets you won't have a problem and could locate your booking on Air China. If you wanted to book direct then you'll pay a little extra direct on the Air China website with flights £576pp.
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#24
And all the details re refunds are in their Teems and Conditions and it does give those timescales of 6-8 weeks.
Flights from Manchester to Sydney. Last leg going out with virgin Australia.
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#26
Etihad are lovely and Virgin Australia aren't too bad either. Have a lovely trip!
brooky_agn
30 Jan 16#27
This is a great deal but the South Island is SO much more interesting.
rachelandgromit to brooky_agn
30 Jan 16#28
I preferred the South too but I think the whole of NZ is beautiful. It's like Australia, some people prefer one part over the other and it is so different you can't really compare. If you had the time to extend then there are even more amazing relocation deals from South to North and vice versa on motorhomes.
airbus330
30 Jan 16#29
Comment
Hi, China Airlines are not the worst airline in the world, but if you have a look at safety rating ( rather than the quality of the food and movies) they still have a way to go
Face172
30 Jan 162#30
Have some heat. I've travelled both north and south islands in Feb/March, and this will be a good trip, but there are some 'buts'... spending all that money to go to the other side of the world in their Autumn/Winter isn't going to be for everyone, and would be the main reason for the good price. It's not like it's Australia where the autumn season is so much more mild than UK/NZ, which have largely similar seasons. Can you imagine being in a motor home in Cornwall at Halloween? Pretty miserable if the weather isn't kind. Also an earlier comment that the South Island is much more interesting was spot on. Anyone heard of Milford Sound?!
rachelandgromit to Face172
30 Jan 16#33
May is shoulder season and generally May and even June are far more settled than say Spring. You will literally be there at the beginning of May so not the end so I think weather will be more favourable. I've been in May and whilst nights were cool days were blue sunny skies. In Milford Sounds it absolutely chucked it down in summer but the waterfalls were amazing and it made for some very epic pictures.
Of course this is why prices for the flights and motorhome are cheaper if you went in their summer you wouldn't be paying this price and you are right it woukd be a lot more.
itsillogical
30 Jan 16#31
Nice deal. We are doing this in March, with AC who cancelled one of our legs and have substituted it with Business from Beijing back to London :-). I too would have called it a Campervan or RV, not Motorhomes, but who cares. As for Apollo we've had a few hires from them with no real issues. One thing I would recommend is to look for alternative excess insurance to reduce your overall cost, but be prepared to pay a large up- front deposit, which they take off your CC and don't refund until well after the hire period. In other words have one or two CC, as one will be maxed out possibly with this charge, check the terms for what the deposit wil be if you go this route.
biggysilly
30 Jan 16#32
Ok prices for the low season. :man:
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 161#34
I did alot of research into reducing excess when driving motorhomes or campervans abroad and this site comes highly recommend on Mse but check for codes and TCB too Here
Wow, that's lush! Don't think that would be £224 though, very swanky.....
Llantarnam
30 Jan 16#37
I put the term top of the range motor home into Google images and that's what came up first. The deal is a good price if you like that sort of holiday, but a bit misleading to describe it as 'top of the range'
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#38
It's not my description, that's how Apollo described it on their website!
dealerxxx
30 Jan 16#39
Thanks Rachel but it's annoying to wait over 6 weeks for a refund
eatmorefish
30 Jan 161#41
And there we have the main mistake that travel agents, backpackers and short stay vacationers make. Excluding Auckland, North Island is every bit as interesting as the South.
Xenonalus
30 Jan 16#42
Booking hell!
gordondavenport
30 Jan 161#43
I'm from NZ, and I'd agree that if you're going to go all the way there, don't do it in April to June. February is the best month, even March is great. While I love the North Island, it'd be a shame to not see the sights in the South Island too. If you've never flown 28 hours straight before consider breaking up your trip with a night somewhere on the way. Shes a tough haul but worth it to see the greatest country on earth.
bojangles
30 Jan 16#44
14 nights? not worth the hassle
squowse
30 Jan 16#45
cheaper cos it's winter???? you will avoid the tourist season I suppose.
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#46
It's the early start of Autumn.
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#47
29th April til 17th May actually 17 nights in NZ.
squowse
30 Jan 16#48
Not sure what the early start is but conventional wisdom is that March April and May are Autumn. So yes you are 14 days off the official start of winter.
I've been camping in NZ at this time of year and it wasn't warm. Maybe it's OK up north. Still dark early though. I think I'll wait till spring.
jasee
30 Jan 163#49
I've flown with Air China from Heathrow through Beijing, to Japan at least three times and had no problems with the flights
qwerta369
30 Jan 16#50
You can't remember how many times?
jyonda
30 Jan 16#51
We flew Air China to Thailand last January and it was fine. If you have the time I'd also strongly suggest a stopover in Beijing for a couple of days as you don't need a visa for staying up to 72 hours. If going in winter then bear in mind Beijing is very cold but I can recommend going to Houhai lake to try out the Icebikes!
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#52
Yep well worth a stop in Beijing and if you can extend it for a longer stop even better. Visa easy to get in Manchester. We went in February and it was so cold but snow on the Great Wall and amazing hiking. If the Ice Festival is in Longqing Gorge go and see it. I can only describe it kind of like visiting Blackpool and Vegas combined with ice, completely bonkers....
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#53
Sorry I meant it's the early start of winter, so still Autumn. A local told me once that Autumn is far more settled weather wise than Spring, not sure how true that is so whilst it may be colder the weather is generally sunny in the day.... Worth researching more though.
Orcinus_orca
30 Jan 16#54
Spending so much time in a campervan would make me mad
bojangles
30 Jan 16#55
still not worth the bother. long travel, jet lag, etc. - would need at least a month to make it worthwhile
Jumpernot
30 Jan 16#56
I'm off to New Zealdand Tuesday for a year. This is an amazing deal :smiley: Just reading everyone's comments on places to go etc. I'm working my way down from Auckland to Queenstown going hostel to hostel. If anyone has a list of places I must see i'm open to any information anyone wants to send me pr advice. Going on my own too so all the information I get the better really :smile:
fishmaster
30 Jan 16#57
I'm Agoraphobic, been like that for hmm 20 years, so I never go abroad, just various places in the UK. If I was normal then this would be a great deal for me.
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#58
Not everyone can get a month off work. The first time I went I took all my leave in one go and went for almost two months. It near killed me though with no holidays after returning to work....
shug119
30 Jan 16#59
Any recommendations for the insurance excess ?
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#60
Have an amazing time. I could go on and on.... Watch out for sheep when driving and do not feed the kookaburra, we saw them attacking rental cars of people feeding them. Skydiving in Queenstown terrified me and do not believe everyone when they say you'll want to do it again. No. Never Again. And if you are travel sick yes you will be sick when landing. Deffo go to Wananka and the cinema there, I think it is called Paradiso? Mount Cook and the YHA pretty amazing. Akoroa and swimming with wild hectares dolphins 10 miles out at sea. Amazing hiking and Glacier walks, do some of the longer overnight hikes. In Rotorua you will stink, everything you wear will stink and if you wash and dry it in a hostel for example, it will stink even more and you will smell permanently of eggy sulphur.
Oh and if you could also get me some burger ring crisps that would be epic!
rachelandgromit
30 Jan 16#61
I posted a link to one earlier in the thread that does motorhomes and I've used one for car hire previously I think it was insurance4carhire but better to compare and check different ones.
whatyadoinsucka
30 Jan 161#62
Just go to Scotland, just as pretty as the north island, or if you wanna see the spectacular South Island, visit Norway instead the fjords are far more impressive and flights are only a few hours as opposed half way around the world
Ps voted hot rates seem good
dunc62
31 Jan 16#63
True bit I wanted Singapore airways a bit of class
HerefordHarry
1 Feb 16#64
Brilliant, have just booked 24days for $810NZ, about £365.
robertoegg
2 Feb 16#65
From experience, Apollo were great - we got a brand new long wheelbase high top tranny with toilet and shower. We didn't find the need to stop and plug in however, we took 1 month to do both islands so did a fair amount of driving each day to charge the battery.
Also, you can "freedom camp" with a self-contained rv which is why we chose it. If you go into any tourist office ( and there are plenty) you can gently coerce them into letting you know local areas to stop for the night. Failing that, as long as you are away from the main roads, you should be ok.
Take every opportunity to use normal toilets and save the onboard for night-times. Likewise, don't expect a gushing shower, it is or getting wet, switching off and soaping up, switching on and rinsing off. Emptying these tanks is not as horrendous task as you might think.
You can eat like a king on three hobs - although, we did put on weight with all the pasta / pancakes etc :o) Oh and a biscuit every tea stop.
It's a wonderful way to see the country, head over west for the incredible forests and pancake rocks (we went down at high tide at midnight under a full moon to see and hear the blowholes going off - WOW!!!!)
If you want some details of where we 'freedom camped', I can look it up - pm me.
Cheers,
Rob
oakers2
2 Feb 16#66
How do I find the NZ motor homes deal?
samsharp99
2 Feb 16#67
Thanks - just booked a trip for myself for 18 days in the beginning of May with some long (8/14 hour) stopovers in Beijing to hopefully have a bit of an explore.
oakers2
2 Feb 16#68
The how did you book? I just get taken to booking.com but can't find the deal!
lilmick21
13 Feb 16#69
oakers2
13 Feb 16#70
Awesome! Too late to plan for this year, but defo look at a trip like this for 2017, thanks for the info.
oakers2
13 Feb 16#71
Awesome! Too late to plan for this year, but defo look at a trip like this for 2017, thanks for the info.
itsillogical
15 Feb 16#72
Hi, Sorry I didn't subscribe to this deal, but i see Rachel gave you a link to 'UK' insurance brokers. I've just used rentalcover.com for my NZ cover, originally it was coming out dearer, than Questor or W/W insure even with the web page discount. However, whilst seeking another quote from them they offered me a 50% discount code (one off sorry) which i applied to my NZ trip. They even sent me an email to the saved NZ quote with the same discount, which appeared in my mail book after booking typically. Therefore it may be worth saving a quote with them and seeing if they respond after a few days with a prompt email with a saving. Otherwise just request a quote to see if they come up with a discount. Questor was the best originally with the code MSE2097 + you could try TCB to see if that tracks @15%
itsillogical
15 Feb 16#73
I tried to post this deal to the larger HUKD audience but it was bounced, as although you can post Holidays overseas you can't post 'Deals' go figure.
Anyway to those of you who tagged this page, check out http://www.kiwiholidayparks.com/how-can-i-save.php#vipcards it's a VIP card costing 35NZ$ for two years membership that offers you 10% discounts,, not only on campsite stays with them but also 10% off Apollo Campervan hire, 10% off http://www.bluebridge.co.nz ferries between the islands and Car hire from Ace rental cars, as well as 65 attractions around NZ.
boomish
11 Jul 16#74
Looks a good deal but I can't go till late august , where is the best place to get flights from? without doing 35 hours +
![Fresh Breakfast Meat Box (Using code) @ Campbells Meat [Haggis / Lorne Sausage / Bacon / Black Pudding & More]](/images/topics/208684_1.jpg)
![[Xbox One] Q. u. b. e: Director's Cut on Deals with Gold](/images/topics/208716_1.jpg)
Opening post
In essence, this means you get proper cooking facilities and a loo and a shower which can be good in NZ as I found that sometimes it was a long drive until any loos! Campervans are only slightly cheaper but for this bargain price I'd go for the motorhome which has more space and proper cooking facilities. The details of this top of the range motorhome are on this link and there is a very snazzy video of the van and it looks amazing. I so want to go!!!!! http://www.apollocamper.co.nz/campervan-hire-2berthst.aspx
Stopping at sites to plug in and empty toilet etc would cost around $30NZ a night depending on how many nights you stop at paid sites. You'll need to allow this into your budget as well as additional costs for upgrading any insurances etc.
If I wasn't already away I'd seriously be booking this trip!
Itinerary
You'll fly with Air China and you have a long stopover and depending on visa requirements you could stop in Beijing for a few hours. After some long flights you'll arrive into Auckland on 1st May. I've flown with Air China this year and they are OK. Not a highly rated airline and I'd really recommend taking your own entertainment as the IFE is shocking but it's bearable.
You'll make your own way into Auckland and stay at the highly rated Haha Lodge for 2 nights, enough time to do a whistle-stop tour of the city but you'll have plenty of time to revisit again later in the trip.
On 3rd May you'll get your motorhome and drive out of the city heading north towards Bay of Islands. I could go on and on about NZ but some suggestions to consider. You could stop at Waiwera Hot Pools and Matakana then on to Whangarei and then on to Paihia. I know it sounds strage but do visit the toilets at Kawakawa!! Other must sees are the Cape Lighthouse and Ninety Mile Beach and the Dunes.
You'll probably end up backtracking towards Auckland again but there are hot pools en route at Te Aroha which you can do after climbing the mountain! There are a few different routes you can take either via Hamilton and then the amazing Waitoma Caves which are fantastic! You could then visit Rotorua with its thermal eggy smells and hot springs as well as Maori culture. I'd then take the route to Lake Taupo and Napier. Again a few options but lots of good food and wine in this area if that's up your street. If you end up in Wellington and are a LOTR fan then you can really get into the spirit od things and visit Rivendell and the forest where the hobbits hid from the black riders (can you tell I'm a fan?)
You'll have the motorhome for 14 nights and you'll return it by 4pm on the 17th May and your flight isn't until just turned 7pm so you can really make the most of your trip.
I've visited NZ in March, April, May and June and May is a great time. It's technically out of season and prices are lower, tourists are less and it's a more enjoyable time and the weather can still be good.
Flights for 2 London to NZ £1105.20 @ omegaflightstore.com
1-3rd May Haka Lodge Auckland £116 @ booking.com
Motorhome rental 3rd to 17th (14 nights) $495/£224.13 @ Apollo Campervan
Total £1446.33/£723.16pp
Top comments
Also, I'd be careful with Apollo rv s. The system in NZ used to be( and I believe still is) that the vans start with the top price firms like Maui and every 2 years get passed down to another firm until they are junk. I have a feeling that when I did this trip in nz a few years back Apollo were one to be careful of.
On the other hand it's a lot of holiday for not much money, so still hot.
All comments (74)
Screen shots above
Also, I'd be careful with Apollo rv s. The system in NZ used to be( and I believe still is) that the vans start with the top price firms like Maui and every 2 years get passed down to another firm until they are junk. I have a feeling that when I did this trip in nz a few years back Apollo were one to be careful of.
On the other hand it's a lot of holiday for not much money, so still hot.
May give a miss.
Not voted cold or hot as if others okay with 30+ hours on a poorly rated airline, thats their choice
Great find.
Lots of heat!
Air China operate their 777-300ER in a 9 across configuration in economy which is comfortable compared to the norm of 10 across. I would have no problem flying them.
With the dwindling cost of oil, fares are dropping. I costed a trip to Thailand staying at a 4.5 star rated 4 star hotel for under £500. Truly amazing.
This is a nice deal, heat and good detailed find OP.
When I requested a refund they want me to print a form, sign, scan and email it to them.
I did what I was told to do to receive my refund and they say it will take 6-8 weeks for the refund.
Now the choice is yours, people have different experiences and I have checked trip advisor but it was too late, I've been waiting for a week now and it's frustrating cos need to book tickets with someone else.
If you book the right flight and don't need to make changes you shouldn't have a problem. In your instance it sounds like you needed to make changes to a flight and they have agreed to a refund but it is just taking time. If an airline changes flight times and connections it's not the travel agents fault. My Turkish Airlines flights I booked with Expedia have changed times at least 7 times since booking!! I've booked glitch fares direct with Airlines direct previously and had refunds, in one case it took AA just under 2 weeks to issue a refund over well over £2K. This isn't an error, just cheap flights and once you have your e-tickets you won't have a problem and could locate your booking on Air China. If you wanted to book direct then you'll pay a little extra direct on the Air China website with flights £576pp.
Terms and Conditions
Hi, China Airlines are not the worst airline in the world, but if you have a look at safety rating ( rather than the quality of the food and movies) they still have a way to go
Of course this is why prices for the flights and motorhome are cheaper if you went in their summer you wouldn't be paying this price and you are right it woukd be a lot more.
http://travelbrochures.org/introducing-drivenows-top-of-the-range-campervan-and-motorhome-hire-perfect-for-the-next-family-holiday/
I've been camping in NZ at this time of year and it wasn't warm. Maybe it's OK up north. Still dark early though. I think I'll wait till spring.
Oh and if you could also get me some burger ring crisps that would be epic!
Ps voted hot rates seem good
Also, you can "freedom camp" with a self-contained rv which is why we chose it. If you go into any tourist office ( and there are plenty) you can gently coerce them into letting you know local areas to stop for the night. Failing that, as long as you are away from the main roads, you should be ok.
Take every opportunity to use normal toilets and save the onboard for night-times. Likewise, don't expect a gushing shower, it is or getting wet, switching off and soaping up, switching on and rinsing off. Emptying these tanks is not as horrendous task as you might think.
You can eat like a king on three hobs - although, we did put on weight with all the pasta / pancakes etc :o) Oh and a biscuit every tea stop.
It's a wonderful way to see the country, head over west for the incredible forests and pancake rocks (we went down at high tide at midnight under a full moon to see and hear the blowholes going off - WOW!!!!)
If you want some details of where we 'freedom camped', I can look it up - pm me.
Cheers,
Rob
Anyway to those of you who tagged this page, check out http://www.kiwiholidayparks.com/how-can-i-save.php#vipcards it's a VIP card costing 35NZ$ for two years membership that offers you 10% discounts,, not only on campsite stays with them but also 10% off Apollo Campervan hire, 10% off http://www.bluebridge.co.nz ferries between the islands and Car hire from Ace rental cars, as well as 65 attractions around NZ.