We know that NZ is famous for its rugged and diverse great landscape and what would be the ideal way to experience it at its best? Easy answer: camping of course.

We didn’t need much time to realize in fact that camping for the Kiwis is like a national institution. It’s a way to get closer to nature and the wildlife (including sometimes all that unpleasant insect bites) but that doesn’t mean it has to be a rough and uncomfortable experience, well at least not for all. Along our way we came across some huge and luxury motorhome: fridge/ freezer, plasma tv, rotatable super comfy armchairs (we tried it), huge bed, you named it, all comforts of a real home where there and also the space, way better of all studio-flats I saw in London.
We met many couples which grown children are already “out of their way”, farmers waiting for their next harvest or retired elderly all on the road for an extensive holiday, some few months either as choice of life with no timetable. Would you blame them for their choice? Enjoying a stress-free lifestyle, cruising along picture perfect sceneries, soaking up untouched nature ahhhhh that’s real life :-)

Of course, there are then the crowd of families with kids hitting the road too, youngest with the tent packed in their car boot or adventurers in search of the next challenge with their sleeping bag on their back plus, we haven’t forget them, the huge mass of backpackers. While camping you not only get to stay in prime natural locations (and in NZ you are just spoilt for choices) but you get to do so at the cheapest, the perfect budget holiday.

We stopped whenever we felt like along riversides, beautiful coastline, a myriad of lakes and national parks, sometimes easily accessible other let’s say more remote and barely few of the private more expensive camping grounds. As an old farmer told us, you are better off save your dollars to flash them on activities or to indulge yourselves with lovely meals. There is an issue tough, a big one for many New Zealanders which point all fingers to station wagons and alike with a mattress on the back and a portable cooker (in practical us): spoil their landscape with pile of toilet paper and let’s say other stuff in the bushes. I wouldn’t like either someone coming to my backyard and doing their “business” on it, right Chris? Chris, where are you? Come on, not now and not there!.

Joke apart, you wouldn’t need it to in New Zealand: we found them to have great facilities for travellers on the road even in the smaller towns and what's more if it meant to be only a biological toilet, which case was less pleasant I have to admit.

In any case that didn’t stop all locals we came across to be what they are known it best for: the genuine kiwi welcome. Although they always tried to bring up this topic, probably to guard their country, kiwi are truly beyond any words the friendliest people and never missed one opportunity to show it off from vividly waving at us while passing with our noticeable pea green hired car (though the north island wasn’t quite the same), coming to have chat even before we managed to get out from the car (they are indisputably very curious) and even the occasionally invites over for a drink or a place to stay, they are really admirable just hope you could experiencing it too.

Tips:

• it’s a good idea to stock up for both fuel and food while you hang around the bigger towns as you might arrive at your next destination hungry and with less money on your budget as prices hike up the more remote places you go and shops (and choice!) are scarce;
• look out for bargain at the farmers’ market or at roadside stalls offering huge bag of fruit at a fraction of the price in the shops. It often works through an honesty box to leave change eihh don’t try to be cheeky , did you never hear about Karma? It always comes back;
• campsites are good place to meet locals and regulars which go to the same spot year after year and they will know the places around as their pockets and you will get the best travel hits;
• NZ has a great extensive networks of camping grounds on both islands. The DOC website (Department of Conservation) should be your travel bible. Auckland Regional Council has too a network of parks in the region however many only for self contained vehicles and for 2 to a max of 7 nights stay;
• Random numbers: petrol cost 1,58-1,73; camping ground free to $10e for the DOC one or up to $24each for the private one in the most touristic locations; ferry Picton-Wellington circa $200 (2 adults+car) run by Bluebridge or Interislander; Jucy rental car $28 pd but always shop around Econocampers, Escape, Spaceships, Exploremore, Backpackercampervans forget about wicked!