New Zealand has always been my number one dream spot to visit. We rented a RV to travel from Auckland on the North Island, heading south across the Cook Strait on a ferry to the South Island and then return to where we started.  

Over 3,000 miles of driving in all. Most on single lane roads (on the opposite side of America = nerve-wracking!).  In a land of almost 5 million people, almost 3/4 living in three cities alone (Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch) it is truly a land unspoiled unlike anything we had ever seen.

Like we had done in every city prior to visiting NZ, we debated whether to stay in AirBNB's in select cities and see the sights via day trips from the city centers or mix it up and drive 1000’s of miles through the land of hobbits. We decided to mix it up a bit in New Zealand. The freedom the latter provided proved to be the game changer.  

NZ has a law called "Freedom Camping" which means that as long as your RV has a self-contained toilet or "dunnie" that you can park and camp anywhere in the national parks and along the roads (which many have pull offs) and, as long as it's not posted otherwise, rest up for the night and enjoy the natural beauty. We frequently did this, overlooking the venerable Mt. Cook where Sir Edmund Hillary crafted his skills for the first Everest Summit, or along the cliffs of the Tasman Sea where sea lions sunned themselves on rocks below.  Hard to do that in the U.S. for free!

RVing can be tiring without amenities like showers, full kitchens and people to hang out with and meet along the way. To that end, we found several RV Parks that proved to be spectacular and rejuvenating along the South Island.

Top 5 RV Parks that we visited while living on the road in a RV:

1) The Farm - Marahau - Abel Tasman National Park.  Best in Abel Tasman. Best in New Zealand. Period. Clean, great amenities, and the best view going for a campground. We spent the days hiking in the park, kayaking the famous Split-Apple Rock and plucking green-lipped mussels from the sea during low tide. The place is so beautiful that enjoying the vibe and comraderie of travelers like ourselves who were in awe of the serenity of this place was plapable.

2) Glendhu Bay Motor Camp - Wanaka. On the shore of Lake Wanaka. Quiet with lots of room for kids to play.  Great rope swing into the lake which amused the kids for hours.

3) Smith's Farm Holiday Park - located near the South Island Ferry Terminal.  Great place to rest for the night after a ferry to the South Island. The site is a working farm with animals for kids to visit and pet. An added bonus was a trailhead to a spectacular glow-worm hike (save the money and see them for free here) and over the top, gracious hosts.

4) Queenstown Holiday Park Creeksyde - short walk to downtown Queenstown. Quaint, clean and great hosts.  Felt like a magic oasis while maintaining the chill Queenstown vibe.

5) Freedom Camping Site for Mt Cook (unnamed) - Heading into Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park there are some amazing pull-offs which provide breathtaking views of the giant mountain. In late spring there were plenty of areas to share some space with other Rv’ers or to have some solitude outside of the park without paying for a campsite.

5 Can’t Miss Places and Things To Do when RV’ing.

1) Queenstown - By far our favorite place in NZ, it has the feel of Boulder, Colorado, but on a beautiful, serene lake surrounded by mountains on all sides. Named the adrenaline capital of the world, Queenstown can be as chill as you want it to be. We spent most days relaxing on the shores of Lake Wakatipu, slack-lining, sipping wine and swimming in one of the coolest places we've ever seen. Close by Queenstown Gardens is a can’t  miss for early morning walks and Fergburger’s gourmet burgers are worth the hype.

2) Aoraki/ Mt Cook National Park - Glacial rivers, alpine lakes and the pristine giant that is Mt. Cook should not be missed. It’s out of the way of a normal RV tour, but it highlights how diverse these islands are. Amazing photo opportunities abound.

3) Abel Tasman National Park - About a 1 hour drive from Nelson after a ferry ride to the South Island. It was our favorite park we visited in NZ. Make sure you don’t miss the green-lipped mussels and cockles that can be found during low tide. You can pick them for free, steam them up at your campsite and enjoy this savory little delicacy that is quintessential New Zealand.  Even the kids loved them!

4) Hokitika River and Suspension Bridge- No need to photoshop or touch up your pictures here. The color of the water is otherworldly blue and makes you feel like you're in some kind of fairly land. Must be seen to believe.

5) The Colorful Lupine of Omarama - In late spring/ early summer, the colors of these beautiful flowers were a sight to behold on the South Island. Right off the highway, this is an easy photo-opp.  You won’t believe your eyes when you see the purples and pinks in full-effect. We live in Colorado where every year wildflower season is a right of passage to summer, but again, New Zealand takes this to another level. Your selfies will never look better.

Cheers to dreaming- Matt