Camping in New Zealand

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Camping at the places you never knew about is one of the best ways to experience New Zealand. With a motorhome, you're in control of the wheel and like most journeys, it is the spontaneous things you see and do along the way that will stay with you forever. Camping is just the same - you can either plan your camping spots one for one or you can head for the roads that look interesting and find a place to park up. Our Base Jumper campervan gives you the freedom to choose.

Both types of camping have their merits and either way, you'll be among kiwis and their friends. Camping in New Zealand is like having a pint in England - the tradition has been around for years and almost everyone is a part of it. Each year, thousands of New Zealand families unlock their motorhome or pack up their tent, grab the barbeque, fishing rods and hiking boots and head off to their favourite camping ground to kick back and relax.

Within an hour's drive, you could be camping metres from a white sandy beach, a lake or a rainforest next to geothermal hot pools. Whatever your buzz, you can be sure of two things - your chosen spot will be beautiful and your Wilderness motorhome will have no trouble getting you there.

There are four main types of camping in New Zealand:

Freedom camping - Native Parks - Private campgrounds - D.O.C

Freedom camping

Base Jumper L4 - Lake Hawea

Travelling around New Zealand and parking somewhere beautiful is what freedom camping is all about. In a country where every corner brings something new and exciting, you will often find rental campervans parked up next to beaches, reserves or on the side of roads overlooking incredible vistas. If you have a Base Jumper campervan, you can easily rest your head away from places where camping facilities are provided and soak up New Zealand's natural beauty - without having to entertain your neighbours.

We encourage you to get off the beaten track and freedom camp but, there's one important point to remember - Kaitiakitanga. This is all about looking after our natural and cultural resources so our future generations can enjoy what New Zealand has to offer in the years to come. New Zealand is a beautiful place and we need you to help keep it that way. Please take your time to leave peaceful footprints on your travels and respect the environment you share with others.

The great thing is that when you travel in a Wilderness motorhome you are already doing this without even knowing it. All our Base Jumpers are fully self-contained and we will provide you with all the information you need to minimise the potentially negative impacts of freedom camping. In New Zealand, the NZMCA self-containment standard states a vehicle must be designed to completely meet the ablutionary and sanitary needs of the occupants for at least three days, be equipped with water storage tanks for drinking and cooking and have waste water holding tanks. All our rental campervans have extended-life batteries and no need for mains power which means you can go bush for days on end, enjoying the views for longer.

Where can you freedom camp in New Zealand?

In some neighbourhoods you can camp at your own leisure but, in other places it is restricted to specific areas. Don't just assume you can park up and camp anywhere - always ask someone who knows and check for no overnight camping signs. This is what they look like:

It is up to each council to manage freedom camping in ways that are most appropriate for their community and many councils have bylaws to control freedom camping. It pays to check these out before you set off in your motorhome as some areas charge a small fee (<$5 per night) for a permit. Visitor Centres are great sources of local information alongside iSITES and the classic kiwi local.

Listed below are some links with more information about freedom camping in specific areas around New Zealand.

Native Parks

Native Parks is a privately owned network of rural properties and businesses throughout New Zealand where you are welcome to park your Base Jumper campervan for the night. Your hosts offer personal and genuine local experiences without the overcrowded feel of camping grounds. Membership to Native Parks costs $70 which allows you to stay overnight at up to 50 private properties, meet the people and experience their land first hand.

For more information on this style of camping, check out the Native Parks website.

Private Campgrounds

There are hundreds of privately owned campgrounds across the country offering a range of amenities from the very basic to the full-on resort. They are often family-run and although not always in the ‘best spots', they tend to have good quality amenities, excellent security and you will be in the company of other travellers. Private campgrounds usually cost between $8 and $25 per night and most of them have full kitchen and laundry facilities, alongside BBQ areas, TV lounges and dump stations. Depending on the camping ground (and price you pay) some will offer boat hire, spa pools, shops, restaurants and adventure playgrounds.

For more information on privately owned campgrounds across the country, go to NZ Camping or check out our New Zealand camping ground suggestions.

While most rental motorhomes need power to work all the appliances and charge the battery thankfully, this isn't the case at Wilderness. Our Base Jumper campervans stand on their own two feet - letting you make the most of the lakeside or beachfront possie if you wish to. See above for information about freedom camping.

Department of Conservation (DOC) Campsites

New Zealand has 14 national parks and over five million hectares of land protected in parks and reserves. Within these parks, DOC manages over 250 vehicle-accessible camping areas on conservation land. Volunteers across the country help to maintain the campsites all year-round so they're beautiful and clean for spending the night in your rental campervan.

Department of Conservation camping grounds tend to have very limited amenities and rather, offer a 'back to nature' style of camping. The Base Jumper is fully kitted out for this kind of camping in with easily accessible hot water and appliances that work regardless of whether you have power or not. And the great thing is - it doesn't matter if you are DOC camping in winter or summer because all our campervans were built for road tripping all year-round.

Every region boasts its fair share of DOC campsites which are easy to find and cost very little to park up for the night (free - $14). Facilities at DOC campsites can vary considerably and are divided into three categories:

Serviced campgrounds ($8-14) have flush toilets, tap water and showers, rubbish collection, picnic tables, mown grass, and access for all vehicle types as well as some powered sites. Many have barbeques or fireplaces, kitchen and laundry facilities, a shop and waste disposal sites. There is plenty of space to park your rental motorhome and often gravel paths for site-hunting.
Standard campsites ($3-10) include toilets, water supply, mown grass and vehicle access. Facilities and services such as barbecues or fireplaces, picnic tables and rubbish collection may also be provided but, not always. Campervan access is a given.
Informal campsites (free) offer limited facilities. In many cases these sites will only include a toilet, a place to camp, access to water and limited motorhome access.