Is It Worth Renting a Campervan in New Zealand?

You’ve landed in Auckland. You’ve got two weeks, a decent budget, and a long list of places to see. You could book motels, grab a rental car, and map out every stop in advance. Or you could hire a campervan, throw the plan out the window, and chase the best views in real time.

Campervans get talked up a lot in New Zealand, but are they actually worth it? If you’re tossing up between hiring a car, booking motels, or going full roady with a van, here’s our honest take. We’ve done it all, and we built Big Little Campers to give travellers the kind of trip we’re always chasing ourselves.

So here it is: seven solid reasons why booking campervan hire NZ travellers trust is 100% worth it (and then some).

1) You’re Not Stuck to a Schedule Nothing kills a good day faster than having to rush back for check-in. When you’ve got a campervan, you can follow the late arvo light, push on to the next bay, or stay put if the vibe’s right. You’re not locked into bookings or stuck zigzagging back to where you started. You decide where to sleep once the day’s had its say. Some of the best spots in Aotearoa are the ones you didn’t plan for. Campervanning gives you the freedom to stop when it feels right. 2) It’s Accommodation, Transport, and a Kitchen in One Hotels cost. Ubers cost. Even a bowl of pasta out somewhere can sting these days. With a camper, you’re sorted on all fronts. Your bed’s already made, your gear stays where you packed it, and your snacks are an arm’s reach away. You can pull over at a lake, whip up lunch, and brew a proper coffee before hitting the road again. No need to hunt down the nearest café or check if your motel’s got a toaster. At Big Little Campers, we make sure the basics are already there: cooking gear, bedding, even gas. No upsells, no gotchas. Just everything you need to get going.
	3) New Zealand Is Made for Campervans This isn’t one of those countries where campervanning feels like a hassle. It’s the opposite. Our roads are sealed, distances are short, and you’re rarely far from your next wild lookout or freedom camping spot. The country’s set up for it. From Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites to local overnight parks, there are heaps of places to pull over that feel like proper destinations, not just quick pitstops. And when your van’s self-contained, you’ve got even more choice. We’ve built and tested our vans around this exact kind of travel. 4) You Can Change Plans When You Want You never think you’ll appreciate the freedom to pivot until you discover some sights you’d like to see on the fly. If the surf’s better further up the coast, you can go. If the rain sets in, you head for sunshine. If you find a sleepy town that hits just right, you stay another night. No cancellation fees, no frantic rebooking, no having to convince anyone. That flexibility is what turns a good trip into a great one.
5) You Don’t Need to Be an Expert You don’t need to be a “van person.” You don’t need to know how to hook up a generator or level a vehicle on a slope. As long as you’re comfortable driving a car, you’ll do just fine. Most campervans—especially compact ones like ours—are easy to handle and come ready to roll. Everything’s packed in smart. No wasted space, no mystery switches, no clunky systems to figure out in the dark. No matter if it’s your first trip, you’ll find our vans feel natural to drive and easy to use from the moment you hit the road. 6) It’s Easier Than You Think to Stay Off the Grid You don’t need a powered campsite every night. As long as you’ve got a self-contained van, a decent battery, and a good water setup, you’re good to go off-grid, sometimes for days at a time. Freedom camping is legal in lots of spots across Aotearoa, especially if your van meets the requirements (ours do). That means you can park up by a lake, a beach, or a quiet DOC site and settle in without needing to plug anything in. That’s one of the best parts of campervanning here, and it’s more doable than most people realise.
	7) The Journey Becomes the Best Part In a campervan, you stop chasing checklists and start paying attention to what’s around you. There’s no rush to the next thing when the in-between is this good. You’ll pull over more. Swim in rivers you didn’t know existed. Park up early and cook with a view. The destinations still matter, but the trip itself becomes the highlight. If you’re even half-curious about renting a campervan in New Zealand, we say go for it. The freedom, the views, the flexibility… it’s all there. Have a look at our vans and see if it feels like your kind of trip.

You’ve landed in Auckland. You’ve got two weeks, a decent budget, and a long list of places to see. You could book motels, grab a rental car, and map out every stop in advance. Or you could hire a campervan, throw the plan out the window, and chase the best views in real time.

Campervans get talked up a lot in New Zealand, but are they actually worth it? If you’re tossing up between hiring a car, booking motels, or going full roady with a van, here’s our honest take. We’ve done it all, and we built Big Little Campers to give travellers the kind of trip we’re always chasing ourselves.

So here it is: seven solid reasons why booking campervan hire NZ travellers trust is 100% worth it (and then some).

1) You’re Not Stuck to a Schedule Nothing kills a good day faster than having to rush back for check-in. When you’ve got a campervan, you can follow the late arvo light, push on to the next bay, or stay put if the vibe’s right. You’re not locked into bookings or stuck zigzagging back to where you started. You decide where to sleep once the day’s had its say. Some of the best spots in Aotearoa are the ones you didn’t plan for. Campervanning gives you the freedom to stop when it feels right. 2) It’s Accommodation, Transport, and a Kitchen in One Hotels cost. Ubers cost. Even a bowl of pasta out somewhere can sting these days. With a camper, you’re sorted on all fronts. Your bed’s already made, your gear stays where you packed it, and your snacks are an arm’s reach away. You can pull over at a lake, whip up lunch, and brew a proper coffee before hitting the road again. No need to hunt down the nearest café or check if your motel’s got a toaster. At Big Little Campers, we make sure the basics are already there: cooking gear, bedding, even gas. No upsells, no gotchas. Just everything you need to get going.
	3) New Zealand Is Made for Campervans This isn’t one of those countries where campervanning feels like a hassle. It’s the opposite. Our roads are sealed, distances are short, and you’re rarely far from your next wild lookout or freedom camping spot. The country’s set up for it. From Department of Conservation (DOC) campsites to local overnight parks, there are heaps of places to pull over that feel like proper destinations, not just quick pitstops. And when your van’s self-contained, you’ve got even more choice. We’ve built and tested our vans around this exact kind of travel. 4) You Can Change Plans When You Want You never think you’ll appreciate the freedom to pivot until you discover some sights you’d like to see on the fly. If the surf’s better further up the coast, you can go. If the rain sets in, you head for sunshine. If you find a sleepy town that hits just right, you stay another night. No cancellation fees, no frantic rebooking, no having to convince anyone. That flexibility is what turns a good trip into a great one.
5) You Don’t Need to Be an Expert You don’t need to be a “van person.” You don’t need to know how to hook up a generator or level a vehicle on a slope. As long as you’re comfortable driving a car, you’ll do just fine. Most campervans—especially compact ones like ours—are easy to handle and come ready to roll. Everything’s packed in smart. No wasted space, no mystery switches, no clunky systems to figure out in the dark. No matter if it’s your first trip, you’ll find our vans feel natural to drive and easy to use from the moment you hit the road. 6) It’s Easier Than You Think to Stay Off the Grid You don’t need a powered campsite every night. As long as you’ve got a self-contained van, a decent battery, and a good water setup, you’re good to go off-grid, sometimes for days at a time. Freedom camping is legal in lots of spots across Aotearoa, especially if your van meets the requirements (ours do). That means you can park up by a lake, a beach, or a quiet DOC site and settle in without needing to plug anything in. That’s one of the best parts of campervanning here, and it’s more doable than most people realise.
	7) The Journey Becomes the Best Part In a campervan, you stop chasing checklists and start paying attention to what’s around you. There’s no rush to the next thing when the in-between is this good. You’ll pull over more. Swim in rivers you didn’t know existed. Park up early and cook with a view. The destinations still matter, but the trip itself becomes the highlight. If you’re even half-curious about renting a campervan in New Zealand, we say go for it. The freedom, the views, the flexibility… it’s all there. Have a look at our vans and see if it feels like your kind of trip.