New Zealand Camper Guide

Camping options

There are several camping options in New Zealand:

DOC campsites
Holiday parks
Designated camp sides with toilets
Designated camp sides without toilet – these are only accessible to SELF-CONTAINED CAMPERS!

We advise you to download the following apps to assist you in your search for camp sites – Campermate app and/or RespectNZ app

New Zealand toll roads

New Zealand has three toll roads:

The Northern Gateway Toll Road
The Tauranga Eastern Link Toll Road
The Takitimu Drive Toll Road

The tolls are between $1.50 to $2.50 and you can pay your tolls by either calling the NZTA contact centre on 0800 40 20 20 (within 48 hrs), online at http://www.tollroad.govt.nz or directly at one of the petrol stations close to the toll roads in cash or via credit card. Please note failing to pay your tolls will see you being charged the fine as well as admin fees.

Ferry Crossing

If you are travelling between the North & South islands you will need to use one of the ferries – and yes you will need to take your campervan on the ferry. The ferry crossing takes around 3 to 4 hours can costs $180 to $300 depending on size of campervan. For more information please contact Blue Bridge Ferry or Interislander Ferry.

Telling the Time

New Zealand is one of the first places in the world to see the new day, 12 hours ahead of GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). In summer New Zealand uses ‘daylight saving’, with clocks put forward one hour to GMT+13. Daylight saving begins on the first Sunday in October and ends on the third Sunday of the following March, when clocks are put back to GMT+12.