sleeping in my hire vehicle - late november - too cold???

Bit of the luck of the draw really - more likely to be wet than actually freezing cold. Free camping or parking up is not encouraged in some areas - there have been a few nasty incidents. Camp sites are not very expensive and may offer more security.

There are a few turnouts on the way west, you can pull over and sleep in them. I saw vans etc. apparently the owners were doing just that. But this was east of the mountains. Once you get up into the hills, and over the Lindis Pass, for example, not a lot of these camp-type spots, and it could get pretty cold at the higher elevations.

I'd plan on paying a bit and staying at some hostels, they are not that expensive.

Why a 4x4 it will cost you a fortune in petrol (not to meniton hire fees why not change to small compact car and spend the difference on hostels- youre probably have a better time

number 3. the reason for the 4x4 is that some of the places i am going are unpaved roads and a bit uneven so a compact will just get bashed around.

thanks for your help and i have booked a couple of hostels already but i have emailed them and they are all asking for booking and payment now and i just want to wait and see. i don't know where i will be each evening and so being tied down to a booking i made 2 months previous isn't the best.

will hostels at the end of november be busy you think??

ive slept in my car loads of times around nz, not really too cold but its clearly not safe.

Please think about where you will "go to the toilet" and wash before you park anywhere and pollute our countryside.

Stay in hostels, just turn up and check in to a dorm (20 - 25 dollars average), they're most unlikely to be full at that time of year.

thanks for your help.....hostels it is

Hostels will start to fill up in early or mid-December, for the most part. Probably good to have a few options in mind when you are planning each day's travel, but there should be a room at the inn, so to speak. Have fun!