New Zealand in July? Is that crazy?

Hi there! Am contemplating a 3 week trip to NZ in July since that is when school is out here in CA. Was also thinking about renting a camper van to do the 3 week trek, but have started to have doubts after reading about the winter weather. Is it realistic to rent and drive around this time of the year? Am concerned about the amount of daylight, whether things will be completely covered in snow, etc. I have heard amazing things about New Zealand and all of its beauty...wouldn't want to miss out after flying all that way. Also have a 3 week "winter" break during December-January..but time is obviously much more limited then. Thoughts? Thanks!

as both trips are 3 weeks why not go in summer? (or have I missed something)

camper van in winter - good luck to you on that. You can't park where you like, the thing guzzles fuel and nights will be miserable. How about a normal car and the excellent hostels? Look on www.bbh.co.nz.

What neverwinter said.

July is fine, but there's no good reason to do it in a camper.

We were thinking of spending 10 days in Australia first and then maybe heading up to Fiji or something for a week afterwards in July since we would be flying all that way, and school vacation time allows for that. For our CA winter- NZ summer- we'd be limited to just NZ and those 2.5 weeks (after flying time). :/

Agree on ditching the campervan, can get cold at nights. As for weather it really depends on where you go in NZ. It doesn't snow very often outside of the Alps and Tongariro and if it does it is usually limited to the southern part of the country.

Winter isn't all that bad especially if you are a skier/snowboarder. Queenstown and Wanaka are better in the winter in my opinion.

I also think the country's beauty really shines in the winter more so than the summer. The Alps are all snowcapped and everything is much greener.

jkendall
I did it in Dec Jan because have a friend who stays there is said it worked better
You still need suggestions I could give them to you.
Ofcourse I did Canada in the winters when everyone was saying it would not be fun but it was.

ah, I see.

winter not impossible as noted - be even more conservative with your travel plans given limited daylight.

Check out hiring a small car and booking hostels. We did that and it worked out MUCH cheaper than hiring a van...also meant we were warm!!

We were able to park our car at the hostel, in comparison to camper vans which are more difficult to park and not given permission to park anywhere you want. Depending on budget also means you can cook some meals at the hostel and makes the trip slightly cheaper too.

Hi jkendall!
I went to NZ, North Island, in June/July this year, had a great time!! We went in 'winter' since we had a birthday to attend, and expected to be cold and wet, but it was actually very nice. We only stayed in N Island, since that's where our friends live, did a tour up north to Bay of Islands and the kauri trees along the west coast. Absolute highlight of the trip was the 'Night Walk' in the kauri forest - we actually saw a wild kiwi!! Just the two of us and the guide.......
We had a small van, no shower and only a 'port-a-potty' or whatever the thing is called. Had an electric heater that we used when plugged in at a camp site, only a short time before going to bed, but at our friends house we only used a few tea light to get a little bit of warmth. Of course we are from Scandinavia so we're used to the cold, but actually we had temperatures that almost reminds of summer at home!!
No crowds, always able to get into camping grounds without booking, cheap rent (about 35 % of price in peak season!) and no queues at popular sights!
S Island will be colder of course, and depending on what climate you're used to YOU might find it uncomfortable, but personally I would do it again!

My husband and 2 kids did a 3 week trip in july 2 years ago in a campervan and wouldn't change it for the world. With the diesel heaters in the vans (not sure they all have them but ours did) it is toasty warm. The kids had an absolute ball and we were never cold. It is the perfect excuse to stop for a hot chocolate break. With kids I would definitely recommend the camper but to each their own. either way you will have a ball.

I'd do NZ in a campervan in winter, but in a small one ( van size ) so could stay at hostels occasionally for a break from camp grounds. Big ones would be hard to park in town.
I'd also take an electric fan heater to use in camp grounds.

Shouldn't have any problem getting into campgrounds in winter, as few people using them then.

There can still be some nice weather - just depends on your luck! It's mostly rain around that time. You are unlikely to see any snow in the North Island, apart from on the mountains. It starts to get dark around 6pm in winter. I personally think that NZ is best in summer - everyone comes out to play, but I think you will still have a good time in winter also.

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