we had the perfect 2 week camper van trip thanks to many suggestions from folks in r/newzealand so i wanted to share here in hopes it can help other people plan. see my original thread for stop by stop details (food, fuel, campground options, etc) and community suggestions
trip dates: feb 22 - march 8
route: Christchurch > Hokitika > Franz Josef > Wanaka > Queenstown > Te Anau > Fiordland > Queenstown > Mt Cook (Lake Pukaki) > Lake Tekapo > Christchurch
driving: we drove 2300km in 2 weeks time, but it never felt like too much. i think our longest drive was 4hrs, but stopping a long the way and giving a full day to achieve this made it very doable. especially when you arrived at a great lakeside campsite to relax, swim and enjoy the beauty for the back half of the day.
campsites: lake pukaki and kidds bush were stunningly beautiful. mossburn (on our way out of milford sound/te anau) was comfortable and with great showers. deer flats was bare minimal. depending on the time of year, you might need to pre-book campsites. we pre-booked but it wasn't necessary for this time of year.
hiking: we did \~65km. roberts point, isthmus peak, gertrude saddle, lake marian track, sealy tarns, mt john. gertrude saddle and isthmus peak were the highlights; physically challenging + windy + beautiful views.
stars: holy god all of the south island has incredible stars...not sure why people hone in on tekapo (aside from the tour?). we happened to be camping on lake pukaki the night of the lunar eclipse which, bu toal coincidence, also happened to be the best place on earth to view it. i got to photograph the blood moon and saw the most incredible stars when it was peaking (ie totally dark)...shockingly few people were awake watching it. probably one of the most surreal experience of my life.
the van: rented from mad campers, it was expensive (\~$250/day before food, gas, any camping fees). there are cheaper options but the space you get shrinks dramatically. the van itself was great. we never used the bathroom (or needed to) but the sink, stove, table, fridge and storage came in handy.
things i'd maybe skip: lots of the west coast was fine. weather wasnt super great, but it still pales in comparison with much of the rest of the trip. wanaka and queenstown were cool but i wish we went up into mt aspiring/glenorchy instead. unless you're doing action sports stuff, i think you can breeze through these spots.
misses: milford sound kayak trip was cancelled bc weather, though we pivoted to hike gertrude saddle which ended up as a highlight.
all photos shot on Fuji XT30ii with Fuji 10-24mm or Fuji 55-200mm. Recipe is Leica X.
this is part of a larger trip thats 14 months and still ongoing. I’m working to write up all of it. see my other trip reports: Poland | Turkey | Uzbekistan | Kyrgyzstan | Kazakhstan | Nepal