Campervanning in NZ (South Is)

I took my family of 6 to NZ and hired a Kia campervan in Auckland and left via Christchurch 3 weeks later
(we needed 6 weeks). I would suggest you try and extend your stay as 7 days is pushing it if you really want to "holiday". If you go in winter time you may not be able to get to Milford as Snow and avalanche dangers exist and Hire companies don't like the risk. NZ is that relaxed you can pull-up almost anywhere and overnight but we joined the "Top Tourist" camp membership which saved us heaps. Be aware that although the Country is small the roads around Queenstown are quite hilly and will affect your average traveling speed. Also there is no short cut from Milford to Queenstown so that trip will take up a full day. Also recommend you book from here as much as you can (saves alot of time and effort) You will enjoy yourself.
Keith

Check up on the DOCs camp sites.

They have some beaut spots over thereSite Link

Fly to christchurch . Have a look around there for a day then go across arthurs pass to franz joseph glacier . Do the glacier walk and then head to queenstown the next day . The shot over and the earnslaw ship is great . Head to Milford sound and other sounds then go to Mt cook . From there head back to christchurch . Have fun and take lots of money .

A week is nowhere long enough to see the South Island.
Travel times
CHCH- Q town 6 hours
Qtown- Milford At least 4-5 hours each way
Qtown - Franz 6 hours approx
Franz - CHCH a full day
Things to do Jet boating, fun if you havent been in one. gondola ride, wine tasting and bungy jumping and trips around the Lord Of The Rings filming locations near Qtown.
A side trip to Wanaka is also nice or call in on the way from CHCH to Qtown

Milford Boat trip and lunch on the Sound 2 hours.
Or the Underwaterobservatory to see the unique black coral(which is actually white)
,The Milford road is a million times better than when I lived in there in the 60's but it still needs to be treated with respect.
Can be snowy or icy in the winter and in shady patches frozen all day.
Some hire companies dont allow you to travel it in the winter or avalanche season.
One good snowfall and you could be in there for a couple of days.
I got stuck in there for 6 weeks one year when a huge avalanche blocked the tunnel.
Dunedin is nice. Has Larnachs Castle(well worth a look)only one in southern hemisphere. Olveston, an historic house as it was 100 years ago, The steepest street in the world( fun in a camper),
The Albatross colony, The steam train ride and lots of restored old bulidings.
Christchurch is similar A gondola ride( fun on a windy day) lol
A trip to Akaroa, the original French settlement and the Maori museum at Okains Bay is unique.
The ski fields will probably be still open and lots to choose from. Mt Hutt. Treble Cone at Wanaka, Cardrona, Coronet Peak, Remarkables. Lots to choose from.
Franz is a much nicer glacier than Fox which is all gravelly.
Its a long day from there to Christchurch and there are some quaint pubs on the West coast that an Aussie shouldnt miss
So you see a week isnt even long enough to get a small taste of what is there, 3 weeks wouldnt let you see all of the above.
Hope you take a bit longer and smell the roses as they say.

Free camping in NZ is generally a no-no iin most places as you have to cross a fence onto a farmers property. You need his permission to camp there. But that said, there are many places you can do this. I'd just make sure that wherever you free camp that there are others around you. Free camping by yourself could be an invitation to trouble though this would be more likely in the North Island.

Lots of good info in the previous posts. Most of the rental companies are much the same now days, haven’t heard any bad reports in recent times.

Caravan park prices vary up and down the country but at a guess you would pay about $20- 25 per night for two people on a powered site. Some have pay showers, some don’t. some even have heated floors in the showers, bliss.

Free camping is everywhere especially in the Sth Is. See the DOC site as someone above said. BUT the same rules for the same reasons apply in NZ as they do In OZ. Don’t free camp close to towns (Monday is best, going down hill to Sat night), benefit payout day is normally Thursday.
Look at the proposed campsite, does it have broken glass and or fast food wrappers? If so move on.
A good publication that I use a lot is “The New Zealand Camping Guide” they have a web site at www.nzcamping.co.nz though their books are better. They will post one to you in OZ (allow 10 days at least) I have no connection to them, just like their books.

Another trick is camping on farm land as there are some great spots with great views, most with snow in October, especially this year. If you see a good looking spot that’s obviously farm land or behind a fence, just ask. Most NZ farms are small compared to Oz so the farm house is never far away. Look the person in the eye and promise not to leave a mess and most likely you will be in. Put on your best Aussie accent and NO sheep jokes, they fall dead flat here.

Try and get at least two weeks if you can, it’s bigger than you think and although it will be spring by October there has been a huge amount of snow this year (apparently its global warming) and roads are closing in all directions. So a sudden change of plans will always be on the cards.

Have fun and enjoy your trip.

CliveG NZ

G'day ben, my parents have done a campervan trip in the sth island and made a good suggestion regarding packing, being of a generation that travelled with hard shelled suitcases thats exactly what they did but then realised they had very little or no space to store the suitcases in the campervan as they could not fold/roll them up etc, probably not that relevant to you but something to think about.... also its prob been mentioned here already but lock the doors of the camper religiously and keep your valuable stuff out of sight.... kiwis please don't take offence as i love n.z but a lot of kiwis will tell you the same.
Please have a beer at the Cardrona Pub for me when you're around that way, it's worth the stop even for just one.