In retrospect, these are some of the things we might have considered or found useful on our trip;
Flights
Have a think about whether you want to fly east or west. Going east, as we did, loses you a day due to the time zone changes.
Book early to get some great deals.
We flew to Christchurch and then back from Aukland. In retrospect, it might have been better to fly to Queenstown and back from Aukland.
Information
We had family and friends who had been before so it was useful to pick their brains as to places to visit.
We used the Rough Guide to New Zealand which was really helpful with our planning. Yes, google was great but we got bored staring at our phones and when there was no connectivity anywhere the book was great. We also used a physical map (Yes, paper!) and spread it out to get an overall impression of scale and distances.
New Zealands Best Trips – 25 Amazing road trips by Lonely planet also offered some useful tips.
We used FaceBook groups a lot to get feedback from other travelers. Our preferred group for Hong Kong was ‘Plan your trip to Hong Kong’ and we used ‘New Zealand Travel Advice’ amongst many others.
The Campermate app and THL apps were useful in identifying camp grounds which also had lodges and other fixed accommodation which we used for both the Motor Home and car.
Motor Home or car?
We used a Motor Home on the South island and a car on the North Island. This seemed the best compromise as we wanted to stay in remote areas on the South island, of which there are many, and to do this we needed to be self contained. It really is necessary to book your motor home many months in advance. We booked about 2 months prior to traveling but there were limited vehicles available. We used Britz who are part of the THL group. I would NOT recommend them as we had a few issues with the motor home for which theye provided mimimum support (eg; service mechanics not working at weekends despite this being a peak holiday time). Rumour has it that Britz pick up the old Motor Homes that Mauii have used so perhaps better to try and use Mauii albeit they are all part of the THL group. Perhaps use someone else like Wilderness but we have no experience of any other company apart from Britz. We returned the Motor Home to Christchurch and flew with JetStar to Aukland. The car hire company we chose was APEX who provided us with a newish Toyota RAV4. No issues with using themand lots of feedback on the internet seems to be positive.
Motor Home Advantages
Self contained and no need to keep packing unpacking
No need to plan exact location to stop – just go where you like, within reason.
Easy to park up and get some decent rest, food and drink.
Motor Home Disadvantages
Cost – albeit there were minimal, if any, overnight costs, compared to the car and AirBnB the Motor Home came out more expensive.
Rental companies may restrict you from traveling on some roads.
Car advantages
Cheaper to hire and run.
Quicker, as you’re not limited to c:80km/hr.
Car disadvantages
Packing / unpacking every night.
Need to plan in detail where to eat and where to stay.