Back from NZ, and we had an amazing trip. A few notes on the campervan hire:
- We went through Britz/Maui/Mighty. Our 2011 Sprinter was a Mighty.
- We didn't know there was a Road User Charge for diesel vehicles in NZ, so we ended up buying the company's $299 RUC package, which included any RUC, gave use the ability to return the van empty with fuel and propane, and full with black/gray water.
- There was a bit of issue picking it up as there was a faulty pipe with the sink. Water was on the floor and they ended up fixing it before we left. However, Mighty wasn't exactly friendly about it, and sort of shooed us out the door afterward.
- Zero problems with the van on the road. The van ran great, and all of the amenities worked as advertised.
- There were plenty of dump stations on the South Island, but we found finding fresh water for our tank harder than we expected. (At least without having to visit a holiday park, and even some of them didn't have water for vans)
Next time, I think we'd pick up in Queenstown (vs. Christchurch). The drive from Christchurch to Queenstown is scenic, but it looks very similar to Oregon, USA which is where we live. We would also spend more time in one spot than do so much driving! However, we only had seven days on the South Island, including two in Blenheim (Marlborough).
We also used Okay 2 Stay (
http://okaytostay.co.nz), which was great with a self-contained campervan. For $45, you can stay at a variety of businesses free of charge. We stayed in a field outside of a honey producer in Garston, a pub in Onekaka, and two wineries in Blenheim. Everyone was very nice and accommodating.
FYI, this was our route.