High on many RVers’ list of places to visit are Australia and New Zealand. Both are amazing places with great natural beauty (mile-for-mile New Zealand may take the world title for a stunning landscape that just does not stop!), and both have very active RV communities and plenty of campgrounds and boondocking areas.
Both countries offer many choices of where to rent an RV, in most cases a camper van (most like our Class C motorhomes). But small, basic van campers are readily available as well.
There’s no language barrier for North Americans. The biggest challenge can be learning to drive on the left side of the road (British style). It can be confusing at first, but most right-sided drivers have it figured out within a day or two.
So, our question, are either (or both) of these lands high on your list to visit and explore with a recreational vehicle? Your comments are welcome.
Driving the ENTIRE coast of Australia was #1 on my bucket list for years. In 2015 I made the last of 3 trips to accomplish that task. While I drove cars and stayed in rented accommodations for the first 2 trips, I rented an RV for leg #3 along the south coast and across the Nullabor Plain.
Actually, “RV” is overly generous for my rental. It was a very old Mitsubishi van converted into a camper. It had a fold down bed (terribly uncomfortable), a “stove” (tiny propane tank with a burner on top), a “sink” (that drained only to the ground below), no toilet, and an “Angry Dragon” breathing fire painted on the side.
I had never RV’d or camped before. I was alone. I was 76 at the time. And off I went for 2 months of wandering.
There are so many things that make Australia a camper’s dream — but the fact that you can legally camp just about anywhere you feel like stopping was my favorite. It was one of my greatest adventures ever. And the start of my still-going RV life.
What a wonderful, adventurous life you’re living, Judith! Good for you! And I just love the “visual” of you driving around with an “Angry Dragon” breathing fire on the van. 😆 Take care, and stay healthy – so you can continue to live life to the fullest! 😀 —Diane at RVtravel.com
I answered no due to the time frame involved in finishing the bridge over there, I don’t get on crowd killers and the cost of transportation for my RV is prohibitive. Lol
I would LOVE to RV in both Australia and New Zealand (as well as Iceland) ONCE it’s SAFE, Covid wise, to travel. I do NOT expect that safety to happen ANYTIME this year (2021) and, I will NOT be surprised if 2022 doesn’t look much better.
The present administration is hell bent on controlling the population by keeping us confined so don’t look to be FREE again anytime soon.
What I want to do is explore both for a year. 6 months in each. I would love to retire in New Zealand. That is on my bucket list. I know someone who moved there with his family has no intention of ever returning to the US. Now that retirement is near for me I am getting ready to sell everything and move. US is a nice place to visit but living here has been hell.
We went to New Zealand for two weeks several years ago and loved it. Had a reservation for an RV with automatic transmission as we did not want to deal with shifting and driving on the left at the same time.Upon arrival they gave us a stick shift but we refused and eventually they found us one with automatic. We did both islands and did lots of sightseeing the one that we remember the most was seeing the Blue Penguins come in after dark to meet their mates. Only wish is that we had stayed longer.
Have been to both but not in an RV. Did tour NZ on a motorcycle with Kiwi friends. Love the Kiwi’s, love NZ. Would love to go back but would probably not tour in an RV. Trying to get that “wrong side of the road” through my head was hard being in the middle of a group of friends, I don’t think it would be very safe for me to try driving an RV there.
Although we are generally not caravan type travelers we went with Fantasy to NZ and OZ for 6 weeks. It took a couple of days to acclimate to driving on the left – it only cost me the awning arm on the first day. They handled all the logistics and we got to travel on our own each day with plenty of planned stops. I would return to NZ in a flash even though we traveled through both South Island and North Island, so much to see. In Australia we barely scratched the surface – like coming to the US and seeing NYC and the Catskills with a quick trip someplace else for a couople of days. That was Sidney – the Opera House and the Bridge a day on the Great barrier Reef and and a trip to Alice Springs and Uhuru in the outback. Much more to see there, I doubt we will get back because there is so much more world to see and we have lost a year, not good at our age. The flying is indeed a pain, but it is the price we pay to get there. We took a two week “layover” in Hawaii to recover.
Spent a full year RVing Australia and wrote about it in our journal.
See: http://MyTripJournal.com/2014-Australia
Kiwi born & raised. Been there done that.
Blokes & Sheila’s in land of the long white cloud are the best!
Highly recommend you take a translator & tour guide on your trip. I’m your man😎
Took a trip to Australia to visit my cousin in 2011 when I retired. Love it and was beautiful, but wouldn’t drive on the wrong side of the road. They drive all smaller vehicles. Coffee was terrible. Had no problem understanding them. Country where I was, was cleaner than in the US. Cousins father was a American WW II Marine veteran that got killed in action just before she was born. Her stepfather was a American WW II Army veteran.
Heck! I don’t even want to RV the exotic land east of the Mississippi River! Would love to visit those places, but not in a RV.
Would like to go, but there is still too much for me to see in North America. Every time I take a trip I discover something new, or someone says “have you seen this yet”. If I am still able to get around, and when I can say I have seen it all at home, then maybe I will look else where.
It’s not that I wouldn’t want to; I can’t afford it.
No, they drive on the wrong side of the road and can barely speak English. Other than visiting where I don’t have to drive would be fun, though it will never happen in my remaining life time.
I’ve already traveled over most of New Zealand and eastern Australia but with out an RV. New Zealand is a beautiful place and I plan to return. But first, I plan to RV Japan. The goal is to go there in 2024.
We spent 2 months in NZ in 2019. We rented a class C twin bed model from Wilderness.co.nz which was an amazing experience. Of the 61 nights we spent in the RV, we paid to camp 5 nights. The Freedom Camping (Dry camping/boondocking) was incredible in terms of vista, almost always not crowded, and the house battery system amazing. Add in on board wifi router and what’s not to like. To this day, I often mention I want to go back again. Oh, the apps to pin point the spots to camp were great. For those who hate flying for the 12-13 hours to get there from LAX, look into Air New Zealand. I too flew about 60,000 miles a year while working and yes, flying can be a real pain. However, Air New Zealand has a program where you can bid a dollar amount you specify to upgrade to 1st class. That program worked great flying to NZ, but we didn’t make the cut on the return trip. Nevertheless, other than a 5 course meal in 1st, we got a 3 course meal and as much wine as we wanted in coach.
In 2016 we did 5 months in OZ in a ’85 pop-top Toyota camper van we bought and sold off of Gumtree.com. Had a great time.
We have a 1967 VW camping bus we would like to take internationally. I am having a terrible time finding resources for taking an antique auto over seas. Insurance both health and vehicle. Navigating schengan agreement for long time stay in Europe. Surely a blog exists out there and we are not the only people in US who want to take our beautiful camper internationally
Check out http://www.horizonsunlimited.com. It is primarily world travelling motorcyclists but has a four-wheel section.
Went to Australia and New Zealand two years ago for two months. Spent six weeks touring the South Island in a class C RV. Can not describe the beauty or the friendliness of the people. It is not a cheep trip and expect to spend at least $200 us a day for a small class C. Many many many RVers in the country. Never crowded. If you go put the glacier on your list and take the hike on it…71 years old and saving up to go again once this calms down a bit..also expect a long flight…
I don’t have a “bucket list”. And, I’m not flying anywhere!