BRITZ CAMPERVAN NEW ZEALAND: A BEGINNERS GUIDE & HONEST REVIEW!

THINKING OF HIRING A BRITZ CAMPERVAN IN NEW ZEALAND?
WHY CHOOSE BRITZ CAMPERVANS NZ?
SHOULD YOU HIRE A CAMPERVAN WITH BRITZ NZ?

ALL BRITZ CAMPERVAN HIRE COSTS
BRITZ CAMPERVAN HIRE ONLY
ADDITIONAL COSTS TO BRITZ CAMPERVAN HIRE
The one-way hire fee
Britz NZ give the option to pick-up and drop-off your campervan at any one of their three branch locations: Auckland (North Island), Christchurch or Queenstown (South Island).
This means if you start on the North Island (i.e. Auckland) you can finish and drop your campervan off on the South Island (Christchurch).
This allows for a very flexible itinerary, but comes at an additional cost of $100 NZD (approx £55).
Diesel road usage charge
In New Zealand, it is compulsory to pay a ‘Road User Charge’ when returning hired diesel vehicles. This is calculated by the amount of KM driven during the hire.
For every 100km you do during your hire, you have to pay approximately $7.64.
This is either calculated and paid on drop off, or Britz offer an inclusive ‘Express Return‘ package to purchase when you pick up your vehicle.
The Express Return package covers your Road User charge regardless of the KM you end up doing, and let’s you return your camper with empty fuel and gas tanks. If you do not opt for this package, you must fill fuel and gas tanks up prior to camper drop off.
Is it the ‘Express Return’ package worth it?
It all depends on how many KM you anticipate driving. As an example, for a 1 month trip to the North Island and South Island, we drove just under 5,000 KM.
If you plan to drive all across both islands over a prolonged period of time, we would recommend considering the Britz NZ ‘Express Return’ package just so you know exactly what Road User Charge you are paying prior to your trip.
This is the most hassle-free approach, without worrying about KM driven during your trip or about any price surprises at the end.
The cost of fuel
As an example, the ‘2+1 Berth Venturer’ Britz campervan we hired in New Zealand cost us roughly $60 NZD (approx £30) to fill up half a tank each time. We filled up every 3 to 4 days.
The ferry cost
The only way to get from the North to the South Island of New Zealand (or vice versa) in a campervan is by catching the ferry across. A one-way journey for 2 people and 1 campervan will set you back just over £200.
We recommend using the Interislander ferry.
Full-cover campervan insurance (optional)
While additional full-cover campervan insurance is not a legal requirement in New Zealand, it is highly recommended.
Not only for peace of mind in case of damage, loss or theft – it also protects you from paying hefty liability costs if anything was to happen.
The best value for money option with Britz New Zealand is their $58 a day Inclusive insurance deal.

BRITZ CAMPERVAN HIRE INCLUSIONS
Basic insurance cover
A very basic accident liability is included in the daily vehicle hire rate of a Britz campervan. However, if unfortunately an accident was to occur, you are liable to pay up to $7,500 per incident!
This is why an additional cover (i.e. the Inclusive insurance deal) we previously mentioned by Britz is recommended.
Essential amenities
Inside the campervan (based on the 2+1 Berth Venturer we rented): Gas cooking stove, wet room style shower, on-board toilet, under-counter fridge / freezer combo, kitchen sink, in-built microwave, small TV screen with in-built DVD player, plenty of storage.
General living: Dustpan and brush, fire extinguisher, bucket and hose, matches, clothes line, pegs, hangers, dishwashing liquid, dish cloth and toilet roll.
Kitchen equipment: Plates, bowls, cups, cutlery and cooking utensils, drinking glasses, microwave storage containers, electric jug, toaster and tea towel.
For comfort: Pillows and pillowcases, duvets, sheets, towels, bathmat and fleece blankets.

BRITZ CAMPERVAN DRIVING REQUIREMENTS:
AN IN DATE, FULL DRIVERS LICENSE
The most important requirement needed for hiring a campervan in New Zealand an in-date, full driving license for each driver. You need to have these with you to show on arrival.
If you have a license in another language (other than English), it must be accompanied by an accredited English translation by an authorised translation service.
BRITZ CAMPERVAN VIDEO TOURS
Campervan type:
2+1 Berth Venturer
Self-contained (toilet on board):
Yes
Drive type:
Automatic
OUTSIDE VIDEO TOUR OF OUR BRITZ NZ CAMPERVAN:
Outside Tour Highlights: Diesel fuel cap, fresh water fill-up point, pull-out barbecue, LPG gas canister, toilet waste access point and the power plug-in point.
INSIDE VIDEO TOUR OF OUR BRITZ NZ CAMPERVAN:
Inside Tour Highlights: Driving seats, kitchenette area (gas stoves, kitchen sink, cupboard space), microwave, TV, overhead storage and interchangeable bed / seating area.
“HOW-TO” VIDEO WALKTHROUGHS
HOW TO: EMPTY THE TOILET CADDY AT A DUMP STATION!
- Hold in green lever to lift toilet caddy out from the campervan.
- Once out, gently place down while you open the dump station lid.
- Move the pipe of the toilet caddy round, then carefully twist the green cap end off to open the toilet caddy. Then, pour contents into the dump station (and hold your nose)!
- Once fully empty, you need to clean out your toilet caddy. Open the middle section and pour a generous amount of toilet cleaner, fill it up 3/4 with water, close this middle section (and the green end cap!) before giving the toilet caddy a good shake about.
- Pour this out into the dump station. To keep your toilet caddy fresh until next time, re-add more toilet cleaner and mix with about an inch of fresh water as a diluting base. If you don’t do this, and go to the toilet straight into the caddy, it doesn’t smell the best.
HOW TO: GET RID OF WASTE WATER AT A DUMP STATION
- Find the ‘WASTE’ water connection point on the bottom of your Britz campervan. Release the end cap by pulling the two steel levers up to loosen and remove (the levers can be quite stiff!) to see the connection point.
- Find the thick ‘waste water’ hose, which will have the exact same mechanism as the end cap you’ve just removed. In the same way, place this end onto the connection point, pushing the levers down to secure in place.
- Open the dump station lid, and put the open end of the hose into position.
- Now we need to release the waste water. Next to the connection point there will be a large lever. Pull this down, and the water will be released through the hose.
- Once there is no more waste water is coming out of the hose, your waste water tank will be empty. Pull the large lever back up, remove the hose and secure the end cap back in place.
HOW TO: TURN ON / RELEASE THE LPG GAS
- Crucially, make sure the vehicle engine is off before turning on the gas.
- Open the door to the LPG gas canister with the provided key.
- Grasp the top handle on the LPG gas, whicht may be quite stiff and tightly wound, and begin to turn anti-clockwise (or “lefty-loosey” as we like to remember it!) to begin to release the gas. It will begin to feel much looser, keep doing this until it stops.
- Once you finish using the gas, turn the top handle back clockwise (or “righty-tighty!”) until it is fully tightly wound.
- Close the door, use the key provided to fully lock in place. It is now safe for you to turn your engine back on.
HOW TO: TURN ON AND USE THE GAS STOVE
- You have three gas stoves to choose from, each with their own nozzle to turn them on.
- Choose one, then with one hand press the nozzle in, and slowly turn it clockwise until the dial is halfway between the large / small fire symbols (this determines the size of the flame, don’t ignite when the dial is at the large flame symbol as you’ll be in for a shock)! You should also be slowly hearing the running gas get louder at this point.
- Now, with the other hand, press the igniter switch in to ignite the stove flames (whilst still pressing in the nozzle). The ignitor switch in our campervan occasionally didn’t work, so we brought a cheap portable lighter (shown in video) from a supermarket to have handy just in case.
- Once you have the flame, very slowly let go of the nozzle and allow to run. If you suddenly just let go of the nozzle, the gas will instantly shut off and you’ll have to do the process again.
- Now, you can easily move the dial to achieve larger / smaller flames as required when cooking (using the symbols as indicators).
- When finishing using the stove, turn the dial back anti-clockwise into the neutral position, which will turn off the stove and the flame.
BRITZ CAMPERVAN ELECTRONICS EXPLAINED
ELECTRONICS THAT CONTINUOUSLY WORK:
- The under-counter fridge (This runs continuously on the camper vans second battery).
- The internal lights (This runs continuously on the camper vans second battery).
ELECTRONICS THAT WORK ONLY WHEN PLUGGED INTO A POWERED CAMPSITE:
- The microwave
- The television
- The mains power sockets (For charging your phones, to use the portable heater, hairdryer, kettle, toaster etc).
CAMPERVAN SITES IN NEW ZEALAND:
PAID VS FREEDOM CAMPING
YOUR BUDGET
ELECTRICITY REQUIREMENTS
THE WEATHER & SEASON
CAMPSITE AVAILABILITY
PAID CAMPSITES IN NEW ZEALAND

FREEDOM CAMPING IN NEW ZEALAND

PRO’S OF FREEDOM CAMPING
CONS OF FREEDOM CAMPING
Top Tip: Charge up all of your phone battery packs when at a paid campsite, to easily charge electronics (your phone for example) if required when at a Freedom Campsite.
TOP TIPS FOR DRIVING IN NEW ZEALAND
TOP TIP 1:
DOWNLOAD RANKERS NZ & GOOGLE MAPS APPS!
TOP TIP 2:
GET ‘WIRELESS NATION’ CAMPERVAN WIFI!
TOP TIP 3:
NEW ZEALANDERS LOVE TO USE THEIR CAR HORN!
TOP TIP 4:
KNOW THE BASICS OF NEW ZEALANDS ROADS

TOP TIP 5:
WHERE YOU CAN, STICK TO THE STATE HIGHWAYS

TOP TIP 6:
ALWAYS ALLOCATE MORE TIME THAN EXPECTED FOR DRIVING

TOP TIP 7:
ALWAYS HAVE HALF A TANK OF FUEL LEFT!
TOP TIP 8:
CONCEAL LOOSE ITEMS & CLICK THE FRIDGE SHUT
TOP TIP 9:
DON’T FORGET TO TURN YOUR LPG GAS OFF BEFORE YOU DRIVE

TOP TIP 10:
NEW ZEALAND HAVE STRICT DRIVING LAWS!
HIRING A CAMPERVAN IN NEW ZEALAND: “KNOW BEFORE YOU GO” FAQ’S
IS NEW ZEALAND CAMPERVAN FRIENDLY?
HOW EASY IS IT TO DRIVE A CAMPERVAN IN NEW ZEALAND?
WHAT AGE DO YOU NEED TO BE TO HIRE A CAMPERVAN IN NEW ZEALAND?
CONCLUSION: HIRING A BRITZ CAMPERVAN IN NEW ZEALAND

This blog post was written by Jordie Flain!
Founder of TheFlainsTravel.com
A travel-obsessed Sagittarius creating honest, easy-to-follow guides. Powered by tea, chocolate and a slightly concerning amount of tomato ketchup.
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