When you are unable to fly internationally (without paying for quarantine on return) we chose to do the next best thing and hire a campervan to explore the North Island of New Zealand. Here is a short video on the campervan we rented for $45 NZD a day! Great deals with the borders closed to international tourists!
We started from Auckland and went to south to Hobbiton, which just over a 2 hour drive from Auckland.
After this we headed to Lake Taupo and Mount Ruapehu. The kids had a blast playing in the snow and making snowmen near the Whakapapa village as far up the mountain that you could drive.
Since the weather was set to worsen, we decided to visit a Waitomo Caves. Even though I had been to the glowworm cave a couple times before, it was still a great experience. The ending on the boat is definitely one of the highlights. We got a guided tour of Ruakuri Cave as well and a new experience for us all. The walk starts out with a cool spiraling staircase.
We were considering heading to Rotorua, but opted for exploring the Coromandel Peninsula more. There are limited amounts of places you can freedom camp (park the campervan for free overnight). Many district councils in NZ have limited the places you can park overnight without getting a fine! Since these were the cooler months and far less people were out traveling, we didn’t have any issues finding good places to stay. Tairua has beautiful beaches and scenic backdrop of islands and mountains. Hot Water Beach is only around 30km away and definitely worth a visit. The car park for Cathedral Cove is less than 15km from Hot Water Beach, so all easily accessible. There is around a 45-minute hike to Cathedral Cove with a set of stairs at the end if not taking one of the boat tours or water taxis (video and drone footage below). We ended the trip staying just north of Thames at a freedom camping place right on the water for our last night. The star gazing was great, especially considering we were only around 1 hour drive from Auckland, which we did the next morning to return the campervan. Overall, a campervan is a great way to see different parts of the North Island.
Tips: I would recommend planning your route ahead, or at least familiarize yourself with the freedom camping options if considering travelling by campervan. The amount of places allowing freedom camping is dwindling and if you are paying lots of money for the campervan plus having to pay for the campgrounds or motor parks each night, it might even be more cost effective rent a small vehicle (spending much less on petrol) and stay at backpackers or motels.
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