Five Nights in a Campervan: New Zealand's South Island

“Babe, we are finally doing it. No ifs or buts!”

This trip had been sitting on our bucket list for years. After all that dreaming and planning, in April 2025 we finally made it happen, and it was our very first campervan adventure too. If you are into mountains, waterfalls and those magical Lord of the Rings vibes, the South Island is everything you have ever imagined, and more! 💙💜❤️💚

Our first proper look at the mountains, on the road into Mount Cook National Park.

Honestly, we are converts now. There is something about parking up with a lake and mountains outside the window, making a coffee, and having nowhere you need to be. 😊

The plan (and the real route)

We flew in and out of Queenstown, picked up our camper, and pointed it at the mountains. Over five nights the loop looked like this:

• Day 1: Land in Queenstown, collect the campervan, drive to the Aoraki/Mount Cook area.
• Days 2 and 3: Mount Cook National Park. Mueller Lake and Tasman Lake, then the Sealy Tarns “Stairway to Heaven”.
• Day 4: The long drive south to Te Anau, stopping at Peter’s Lookout, Puzzling World, That Wanaka Tree and Roaring Meg.
• Day 5: Milford Sound, the grand finale.
• Day 6: Drive back to Queenstown and fly home.

Note: We went in April, which is autumn here. That means golden poplars, snow on the peaks, crisp mornings and far fewer crowds. It also means short days, so we learned quickly to chase the light.

Home on wheels

We booked a Maui four-berth campervan, but they upgraded us to a six-berth with a shower too. Yay! 😀 It had a kitchen, a bed and a table, and as it was just the two of us, we had loads of room to cook and spread out, and the dinette became our little dining room every night.

Tip: Most campervan rental agencies do airport pick-ups. We did not know this, so we walked to the depot with all our luggage. It wasn’t far, but it was annoying! Ring them and they will come and get you.

Home for the week. My husband making breakfast in the van.

Tip: Do one big grocery shop at the start (we stocked up before leaving Queenstown) and cook in the van. It saves a lot of money, and you get to eat with the mountains right outside.

Our home on wheels, plugged in at Glentanner Park.

What it cost us

We weren’t on a tight budget, but here are the prices we actually paid in April 2025, so you can plan yours:

• Flights: Qantas, Sydney ⇄ Queenstown (returning via Brisbane), AUD $3,756 for the two of us.
• Campervan: Maui 4-berth (upgraded to a 6-berth on the day), 5 days, NZD $3,045. This included a Queenstown location fee and a public-holiday surcharge, as we travelled over the Easter/Anzac stretch.
• Glentanner Park Centre (Mount Cook): powered site, 3 nights, NZD $210.
• Te Anau Lakeview Holiday Park: powered site, 2 nights, NZD $126.
• Milford Sound cruise: Southern Discoveries Coach & Nature Cruise, 2 adults with picnic lunch.

The Milky Way over our holiday park in Te Anau.

Tip: We stayed at holiday parks with powered sites most nights. The hot showers were nice, but mostly we needed to charge the camera gear and phones after big days out.

Was it worth it?

Golden autumn trees on the Te Anau lakefront.

By far one of the most beautiful trips we have ever taken. Five nights barely scratches the surface of the South Island, and we already have a list of things to come back for. But for a first taste, campervan, mountains, fiords and all, it was pure magic. 💙💚

Read on for each leg of the trip:

• Aoraki / Mount Cook & the Hooker Valley
• Sealy Tarns: the “Stairway to Heaven”
• Glentanner to Te Anau: Peter’s Lookout, Wanaka & That Wanaka Tree
• Milford Sound: the Coach & Nature Cruise

Categories: New Zealand, Places Tags: New Zealand, South Island, campervan, road trip, Mount Cook, Milford Sound