HOW MUCH DOES A NEW ZEALAND CAMPERVAN TRIP COST?

THE BIG NUMBER

Our New Zealand Campervan Trip Cost at a Glance

First, the number everyone actually came here for. We spent a total of NZ$ 8380 for two people for our 10-day South Island campervan road trip (excluding flights).

That included our campervan, insurance, fuel, campsites, groceries, eating out, activities and miscellaneous road trip expenses.

All prices in this guide are in New Zealand dollars (NZD) and reflect what we actually paid for two people. International flights to and from New Zealand are not included because those vary enormously depending on where you’re travelling from.

Expense	Cost for 2 people
Motorhome rental	NZ$3,600
Full Cover insurance	NZ$840
Unlimited onboard WiFi	NZ$170
Fuel	NZ$800
Road User Charges	Included in Full Cover
Toll Road Fees	Included in Full Cover
Campsites	NZ$150
Groceries	NZ$700
Restaurants, cafés & snacks	NZ$400
Activities	NZ$1600
Parking, laundry & miscellaneous	NZ$120
TOTAL	NZ$8380

Our motorhome rental and Full Cover package came to NZ$4,440 before additional extras such as onboard WiFi.

There are definitely cheaper ways to travel around New Zealand, but we weren’t trying to do this trip on the absolute lowest possible budget.

We wanted a comfortable motorhome, proper heating, our own bathroom and kitchen, and the flexibility to stay at a mixture of freedom camping spots, DOC campsites and holiday parks.

THE ROAD TRIP

Our 10-Day South Island Campervan Route

The route makes a massive difference when calculating your New Zealand road trip budget because the more ground you cover, the more you’ll spend on fuel.

And New Zealand has a dangerous habit of making somewhere that looks relatively close on Google Maps take half a day to reach.

Our route looked roughly like this:

Christchurch → Akaroa → Arthur’s Pass → Hokitika → Franz Josef → Fox Glacier → Haast Pass → Wānaka → Queenstown → Glenorchy → Te Anau → Milford Sound → Cromwell → Aoraki/Mount Cook → Lake Tekapo → Christchurch

It looks like a lot on paper, but we planned the route quite carefully so that most days didn’t involve endless hours behind the wheel. Driving distances in New Zealand can also be deceptive because roads are often narrow, winding and mountainous, so a journey that looks short on a map can take considerably longer than expected. The official NZ Transport Agency guide for visitors driving in New Zealand is worth reading before your trip, especially if you’ve never driven here before.

We also intentionally travelled by campervan rather than racing between hotels because so much of the South Island experience happens between the famous destinations.

There were plenty of times where the drive itself was one of the best parts of the day.

If you’re planning a similar trip, you can follow our complete 10-Day New Zealand South Island Itinerary, where I’ve broken down the route day by day, including driving distances, stops, hikes and where we stayed. If you’re still figuring out the logistics before choosing a route, start with my How to Plan a New Zealand Road Trip first.

OUR MOTORHOME

How Much Did Our Campervan Cost in New Zealand?

For our South Island road trip, we rented the Wilderness Double for 2 motorhome for 10 days. This definitely wasn’t the tiny backpacker-style campervan option. The Double for 2 is a 7.4-metre two-berth motorhome with a permanent island bed, separate shower and toilet, kitchen, spacious living area and central heating. Basically, a small apartment that we then attempted to drive through the New Zealand mountains.

Motorhome rental: NZ$3,600
Rental period: 10 days
Daily rental rate: NZ$360

We deliberately chose something larger and more comfortable because we were travelling around the South Island in September, when evenings can get cold, and we knew we’d actually be living inside the vehicle rather than just using it as somewhere to sleep.

The Wilderness Double for 2 has a permanent double bed, kitchen, bathroom, shower, toilet and heating, which made a huge difference travelling around the South Island in September.

Especially the heating. New Zealand in early spring is not Bali with prettier mountains.

What Was Included With Our Wilderness Motorhome?

Base hire: bedding, kitchen equipment, towels, motorhome facilities
Full Cover: RUC, table/chairs, BBQ grill, snow chains, LPG refill
Paid extra: onboard WiFi

That might sound like a small thing, but rental companies can sometimes charge separately for road trip extras, so it is worth checking exactly what your campervan price includes when comparing companies.

The snow chains were particularly useful to have included because we were travelling through alpine areas during September.

We also added Wilderness’ prepaid unlimited onboard WiFi for NZ$17 per day, which came to NZ$170 for the trip. The SmartTV itself was already fitted inside the motorhome, so the extra cost was for the WiFi connection rather than the screen.

Was Our Campervan Expensive?

Yes and no. NZ$3,600 (excluding Full Cover) for 10 days is not budget travel.

But campervan prices in New Zealand vary massively depending on:

• The season
• Campervan size
• How early you book
• Pick-up location
• Rental duration
• Vehicle age
• Whether it is self-contained
• Facilities inside the vehicle

You could absolutely rent something cheaper.

But you’re also combining your accommodation and transport costs, so comparing a campervan purely against the price of a rental car doesn’t really tell the whole story.

PEACE OF MIND

How Much Did Campervan Insurance Cost?

We chose Wilderness’ Full Cover liability reduction option, which cost NZ$84 per day, or NZ$840 for our 10-day rental.

Without the upgrade, the standard Wilderness cover came with a NZ$7,500 liability. Full Cover reduced that liability to NZ$0, subject of course to the rental terms and exclusions. With a 7.4-metre motorhome, narrow South Island roads and my lack of enthusiasm for potentially donating NZ$7,500 to the side of a campervan, this was one expense I was very happy to pay.

Full Cover also included more than just the reduced excess. Road User Charges, toll road fees, an LPG refill, outdoor table and chairs, BBQ and snow chains were included, which matters when comparing the real cost against cheaper insurance options.

Our complete upfront Wilderness booking therefore came to NZ$4,440, consisting of NZ$3,600 for the motorhome + NZ$840 for Full Cover.

Could you save money by choosing less insurance?

Yes. Whether you actually want to is another question. One small bump to a giant motorhome is a remarkably efficient way to destroy whatever savings you made by skipping proper cover.

ON THE ROAD

How Much Did We Spend on Fuel?

Our total diesel cost for the 10-day South Island road trip came to around NZ$800.

Over the entire trip we drove roughly 2,500 to 2,700 kilometres and filled up 3/4 times, which is a lot of ground for ten days, although this included several long scenic drives and detours such as the West Coast, Glenorchy and Milford Sound.

Wilderness says its motorhomes average around 11 litres of diesel per 100 kilometres. In reality, I would always allow a little extra on a South Island road trip because mountain passes, strong winds and a 7.4-metre motorhome aren’t exactly a recipe for Prius-level efficiency. Wilderness lists its average motorhome fuel consumption here.

Road User Charges in New Zealand

Diesel vehicles in New Zealand fall under the country’s Road User Charges system. However, we didn’t pay RUC separately because it was already included in our Wilderness Full Cover package. You can read the full explanation on the official NZ Transport Agency Road User Charges guide.

This is something I would always check when comparing campervan companies. A cheaper-looking daily rental can suddenly become less cheap once road charges and extras start appearing separately.

WHERE WE SLEPT

How Much Did Campsites Cost in New Zealand?

One of the reasons campervan travel can be affordable in New Zealand is that you don’t necessarily need to pay for a commercial campground every night.

For DOC campsites, I used the official Department of Conservation campsite finder rather than relying on old campsite lists from blogs. DOC manages hundreds of campsites around New Zealand, ranging from very basic sites to serviced campgrounds, and the facilities and prices vary considerably. Their official campsite facilities and fees page explains the different campsite categories and current pricing.

We used a mixture of:

• Freedom camping
• DOC campsites
• Paid campgrounds
• Holiday parks

Our total accommodation cost for 10 nights was: NZ$150

Our Campsite Costs by Night

Night	Location	Campsite Type	Cost
1	Hokitika	Freedom Camping	FREE
2	Franz Josef	Heliport Carpark	FREE
3	Wānaka	Recreation Centre	FREE
4	Queenstown	Carpark	FREE
5	Kingston	Freedom Camping	FREE
6	Milford Road	DOC	NZ$36 (2 adults)
7	Lake Pukaki	Campsite	FREE
8	Aoraki / Mount Cook	DOC	NZ$40
9	Lake Tekapo	Holiday Park	NZ$76 (2 adults)
TOTAL			NZ$150

Freedom Camping vs Paid Campsites

Freedom camping obviously helped keep our accommodation costs down, but we didn’t try to freedom camp every single night.

Paid campsites were useful whenever we wanted things like:

• Power
• Proper showers
• Laundry
• Fresh water
• Waste facilities
• A convenient location
• A break from living like two suspicious people in a car park

DOC campsites were usually the middle ground between the two.

The Department of Conservation manages campsites throughout New Zealand, many of them in ridiculously beautiful locations.

You can check official campsites here: DOC Campsites

Freedom camping also doesn’t mean you can simply pull over anywhere because your campervan happens to have a toilet. Restrictions vary by location, and from 7 June 2026, vehicles using areas restricted to certified self-contained vehicles need the new green self-containment warrant. I checked the official DOC freedom camping information while planning our overnight stops because the rules and permitted areas can change.

Tourism New Zealand also has a useful responsible freedom camping guide covering the basic rules and how freedom camping works around the country.

How Much Did We Spend Per Night?

Our average campsite cost came to: NZ$15 per night

But that average is slightly misleading because some nights cost nothing while others were considerably more expensive.

If you’re willing to freedom camp more frequently, this is one of the easiest areas to reduce your New Zealand campervan trip cost.

FOOD & GROCERIES

How Much Did We Spend on Food?

Having a kitchen inside the campervan was one of the easiest ways to keep our New Zealand road trip budget under control.

We did a larger supermarket shop at the beginning of the trip and then topped things up along the way.

Groceries

We spent: NZ$700 on groceries for two people over 10 days. But I have to admit here, we do love a good glass of wine, so no expense was spared here.

Our campervan had a proper fridge, freezer and cooking facilities, so we could make breakfast, lunch and dinner ourselves whenever we wanted. That saved a lot compared with eating in restaurants three times a day. Our campervan staples included things like:

• Eggs
• Bread
• Pasta
• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Yoghurt
• Snacks
• Coffee
• Wine
• Easy meals for long driving days

The biggest lesson? Do your bigger grocery shops in larger towns.

Small shops in remote tourist areas are convenient, but convenience has a remarkable ability to add several dollars to absolutely everything.

Restaurants, Cafés and Coffee

We still ate out a little bit. We spent: NZ$400 on restaurants, cafés, takeaway food, coffee and snacks.

Combined with groceries, our total food budget therefore came to roughly NZ$1100 for two people, or about NZ$55.50 per person per day.

If you’re travelling on a tighter budget, this is an incredibly easy category to reduce. Cooking most meals inside the campervan makes a big difference.

THE FUN STUFF

How Much Did We Spend on Activities?

This is the category that can completely change your New Zealand road trip budget.

You could spend almost nothing and focus on hiking, viewpoints and scenic drives.

Or you could go skiing, jet boating, skydiving, bungee jumping, cruising through Milford Sound and financially ruin yourself before lunch.

We landed somewhere in between.

Our Activity Costs

We didn’t do all of the below activities. But these are the current prices.

Activity	Cost for 2
Milford Sound cruise	NZ$290
Skiing Pass + Rental	NZ$600
Jet boat	NZ$300
SkyDiving	NZ$700
Wine tasting	NZ$175
Tekapo Springs / stargazing	NZ$335
Other activities	NZ$0
TOTAL	NZ$2400

One of the nice things about the South Island is that many of its best experiences are completely free. Some of our favourite days revolved around:

• Hiking
• Lakes
• Glacier viewpoints
• Waterfalls
• Scenic drives
• Mountain passes
• Beaches
• Viewpoints

So you absolutely don’t need a giant activity budget to have an incredible trip here.

But if something genuinely interests you, I’d budget for it rather than crossing the planet and then refusing to do it because it costs too much.

THE SMALL EXTRAS

Extra Campervan Costs We Didn’t Want to Forget

Then there are the little things. Individually they don’t seem particularly dramatic. Together they start plotting against you.

We spent another: NZ$120 on miscellaneous expenses.