We were lucky to have “sampled” travel in various sizes of campervans in Australia for short periods of time before we had to make a decision about where we would “live” for 5 weeks in ‘the land of the long white cloud’. The hi top campervan was a clear cut winner over the smaller minivan style! We absolutely loved our Explore More van and wanted to take it with us for the rest of our journey! We are definitely buying a similar one when we are back in the States and can’t wait to do a proper kick ass road trip through our homelands!
The staff at the Christchurch Explore More office were extremely accommodating and we even got a free upgrade! At one point, we needed to get our bumper flap fixed and it was as simple as calling to get the nearest location to get it fixed for free, waiting ten minutes and signing some paperwork before driving off – how easy!
The rates for long term hire (5 weeks), camping fees and the cost of gasoline together were far cheaper than having two people stay in hostels, so the choice was a no brainer. We loved having the freedom to stop wherever to admire the views, the flexibility of staying some places or not and especially the fact that we only had to unpack and pack up once in 5 weeks! Woohoo! (Note: these are the small things that absolutely make your day after 6 months of travel). Terry did a fabulous job of navigating and driving the two islands and became a seasoned pro at veering through herds of sheep, only hitting a few (mmm lamb chops…just kidding).
Manali loved the facilities to cook in the van since we were severely missing our regulars black bean quesadillas with guac, yum, and burritos and we were able to eat lunch picnic style amidst the gorgeous scenery and backdrop of vast mountain ranges.
Explore More was the way to go and we highly recommend using them as the best way to truly experience the Kiwi lifestyle and all this gorgeous country has to offer!
Website: http://www.exploremore.co.nz/
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