What is the difference between a motorhome and a caravan?

hi from snowy Russia!
In the planning stages (very late stages) of my trip to NZ in December/January. A friend advised that a van was a sensible way to travel around - and whilst doing some research I come across motorhomes and caravans and can someone tell me what's the difference?

Thanks!

You need a vehicle to tow a caravan, motorhomes are self propelled and look like buses whilst motorcaravans tend to be smaller and are based on small vans

you tow a caravan behind your car ( a mobile home I believe they call them in the states?), a motorhome is a large van/ small truck that has your living environment set up inside it.

Pretty close from #1.<BR><BR>This is a <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.experiencenz.com/images/campervans/Kea-Campers-3.jpg">Motorhome</a><BR>This is a <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://www.justaboutcaravans.co.uk/images/caravans/197_1.jpg">Caravan</a><BR>This is a <a target=new class=ftalternatingbarlinklarge href="http://campervans.ex.com.sg/1bid908.jpg">Campervan</a><BR><BR>There are a number of other options too, some based on fold-out compartments in cars or trailers (camper-trailers, etc). Whatever you decide, you need to do it quickly - you are travelling at peak time and these things will book out or be quite expensive to rent.

Thanks to all for your insights!
and Oops! I mixed up caravan and campervan! Certainly caravan is not an option!

Campervans and motorhomes seem to go in about the same sizes (length/width and available in 2 birth/3/4 and so on), and thank you for the photos, Ian, apart from the sort of box on top of the driver's cabin on the motorhomes they seem the same to me. What is a better option?

I am also curious how the shower/toilet works in these vans - where does the waste/waste water go to? and how do you get rid of it? at special places at the camp site?

From what i see on the internet - I should expect to pay a minimum of 150NZD (for 2 birth with shower/WC/gas cooker/fridge). My friend and I plan to tour around from December 15 to January 18, and I know that this is the peak season, but that's the only time i could take off to spend a sensible 30+ days explorying this far away beautiful country.

My other question is about whether I should book online now or wait till I get to Auckland (DEC 15) and look for a campervan then? Or will they all be booked out? Can one (try to?) negotiate a price?

Where would you recommend to spend NY night on the South island? Tentatively I will be going to Abel Tasman National Park for a kayaking trip with my New Zealand friend on January 1-3, so it needs to be somewhere reasonably close.

I guess I should also mention that for Russians New Year is a much bigger holiday than Christmas itself (or put it this way what is Christmas for westerners is New Year for Russians).

There is no real difference between motorhome and campervan: purists might say a motorhome is bigger and more self-contained than a campervan, but the line gets very blurred.

'Vans which have built in toilets and showers have storage for their outputs as well (called grey water tank for shower and kitchen sink discharge). Around the country, there are a few sites set up to empty these tanks, or you can do it at campgrounds (but if you're staying at campgrounds, you might as well use their shower and toilet, and save some money by not having them in your 'van).

You're not going to save any money by waiting until you get here, and the internet is probably the best way to check out the bargains anyway, so if you find a good deal online, lock it in: prices may well go up between now and when you get here. Demand is high, so bargaining is not going to help much, particularly if you're dealing with the low cost operators to start with.

Nelson traditionally turns into a party town for New Year's Eve, so is probably your best bet.

I'm not particularly a purist on these matters, but I think there is a huge difference between a campervan and a motorhome. A campervan is a converted van (such as a Toyota Hiace) and a motorhome (in most common usage) is a purpose-made cabin on the back of a much larger chassis frame. A campervan may have a fixed raised roof section, or a pop-top roof that is raised when stationary. Having full head height is absolutely essential in whatever you rent - it adds a huge amount to your enjoyment of the vehicle. Campervans may have an annex that can be pulled out over the near side of the van, similar to a caravan - motorhomes rarely have these. Many motorhomes have permanent tables, while campervans almost always convert the table and benches into a double bed at night.

I agree with myshkin in relation to showers and toilets - having on-board shower and toilet increases greatly the amount of water you need to carry with you, and then the need to empty black water a dump points (often grey water can just be fed into the draining system provided in caravan parks and other camp-grounds). So you need to decide how many places to plan to stay overnight independently - personally I would pay less for the campervan / motorhome and stay in established parks, using the facilities provided in your camping fee. You almost certainly need to pre-book.

Caravan hasn't got a steering wheel!

Motorhome is the term used by people who don't want you to know they have a campervan.

Thanks, but you might find you were a bit late for this particular party.

I don't know how you use TT but I think threads have a value after their apparent sell-by date. this was the result of searching for info on "motorhomes".

I'm sure there are plenty of people who access TT and just search for relevant info on a subject that interests them rather than just reading the thing like a newspaper looking for the latest news, whatever the topic.

....or perhaps your own contribution?

TW - in what way do you find my info inaccurate?

and I guess those people would therefore come across incredibly useful threads like this one, including the essential information you've just added. You're so right. that never occurred to me before.