[Family Travel] 15 Days New Zealand South Island Family Campervan Winter Itinerary with Kids!

This is a multi part series travel blog as we unfold our day to day adventures of our 15 Days in New Zealand South Island Campervan Trip with the kids, plus ski and snowboard for the first time as a family.

Trip Overview: Two Segments, One Big Adventure

To summarise, our trip had two main segments.

The first was 10 days driving a campervan around South Island, then another 5 days based in Queenstown where we squeezed in two days of letting the kids try skiing, while we snowboard.

Previously, I wrote about all the planning for this New Zealand trip. If you have ever tried to plan a self-drive family holiday in New Zealand, you will surely know there are a lot of moving parts.

Every destination seems nice, every route looks possible, but everything is a bit far and the season changes everything.

Changing Plans: From 7-Seater to Bigger Campervan

First, we thought about a normal road trip and maybe two or three days of snow at most.

But there was just so much to see.

A lot of blogs talk about New Zealand being perfect for campervan travel, so I went all in: 10 days with a campervan plus the last five days just relaxing at Queenstown so the kids can burn off energy at ski school.

So what happened?

The original plan was a 15-day road trip in a simple seven-seater.

Sounded like adventure enough. But the more I thought about the luggage, the winter gear, and all the ski bags for the kids, the more stress I felt.

Changing hotel every night with kids is a real challenge. Packing and unpacking always takes double the time.

We decided to book five nights at Queenstown to minimise shifting here and there.

But as it turned out, the apartment I booked cannot fit a campervan in the garage >> height limit.

SUV or MPV, no problem. Campervan?

Definitely out. Only after booking then I realised.

Too late. No cancellation.

But this accommodation has Hot Tub! 

Penguin Watching: Timaru or Oamaru?

We also wanted to let the kids try a so-called New Zealand hot spring at Lake Tekapo.

But when I thought about it, winter in Tekapo with small kids and slippery pools sounded a bit too troublesome.

In the end, settled for a Queenstown accommodation with a hot tub instead. Still can soak, just more manageable.

And then we were curious about penguins.

In Oamaru, there is a penguin show at night.

For family of 4

• Day Entry is NZ$50
• Evening View Grandstand is NZ$118
• Premium one is NZ$156 

So total will be $168 to $206.

In Timaru, there is a free penguin spot but it depends on luck. During Winter, is their low season. Sometimes you wait for two to four hours just to see one penguin wave at you.

So, I figured, since we were in a campervan, why not just camp by Timaru for one night?

Might as well.

If get lucky, kids happy. If cannot see penguin, at least still got bed and toilet in the van.

The Campervan Dilemma and Smart Swaps

At this point, I had already booked the 15 days of campervan on a budget with Jucy.

But because of the Queenstown carpark issue, I suddenly realised cannot park the van when we are at our fixed accommodation.

Panic mode.

What if we just switch the campervan for a normal car during the Queenstown part?

That solved everything.

No need to pay additional for five days of campervan rental that we cannot use, plus we could actually afford a bigger campervan for the road trip.

We looked at a few types.

6 metres, 7.5 metres, different layouts.

In the end, bigger is always better with kids and barang-barang. The difference in driving, actually not so bad.

As long as you are not rushing and always tie down your loose items. Learnt this on day one.

Everything flew off at the first roundabout.

Because my wife is a bit claustrophobic. Small spaces are not her thing. I planned for a break on the 4th and 7th night.

We checked into proper accommodation just for mental health, or maybe a private shiok bathroom with proper heater.

Ironically, unpacking and repacking into motels actually made it a bit more work. I will share more about this in future posts.

Confirmed Itinerary and First Day Plans

So, finally, itinerary looks like this:

• 10 Days Campervan Stay at Holiday Parks with accommodation stays on day four and day seven for campervan fatigue
• 5 Days Based in Queenstown

At first, we wanted to start strong by rushing all the way to Kaikoura on day one. But after thinking more, arriving after a red-eye flight and rushing all the way up north is not worth it.

We booked a half-way stay instead but later just did the first night in the campervan near Christchurch, then continued the journey fresh on day two.

Winter Driving Tips: Safety and Timing

With the mode of transport sorted out, planning became about managing winter. Winter in New Zealand is different than summer. There are less daylight hours. Sunrise is 8am, Sun Set is 5pm.

The roads may get icy. We kept ourselves updated with the traffic updates. Some days, the road is close due to black ice, Slip (Rocks falling on the road).

And some park facilities close earlier. So all our driving had to be completed by five in the evening.

No trying to figure out how to reverse a giant campervan in a dark frozen holiday park.

Maximum driving per day is four hours. That means for every four hours, add three or four short breaks for toilet, snacks, and let the kids run wild for a while.

The most shiok part?

With an onboard toilet, you can stop anywhere safe for a rest break.

No more queueing at ulu petrol stations.

As a parent, that is gold.

Daily Travel Routine

A little planning checklist for our trip:

• Travel up to four hours each driving day
• End driving by 5pm
• Start day by 9 am
• Eat out for lunch
• Cook for dinner in the campervan or holiday park kitchens

What to Pack: Mastering the Layers Game

Packing for this trip was very tricky.

We had to bring ski gear, thick winter clothes, plus layers for the warmer days at the start. First three days were 10-15 degrees Celsius. Then, suddenly the mercury drops to -5 to 0 degrees in the middle.

After that, around zero to five degrees. Still need to bring all the ski stuff.

Most days, we wore up to four layers. Sometimes just one. It is all about layering base, fleece, jacket, windbreaker.

Some nights, even more. With heat pack as warmer for the kids.

And our luggage also a concern. Cannot bring too many, scare not enough space. Plus 1 x big ski bag.

So we only brought 3 x big luggages, 1 x ski bag + 2 x small hand carry luggage + 2 Bag Packs.

Really a lot of consideration.

That is how our South Island adventure almost got derailed before it began.

Let me know if this planning process feels familiar.

The next post will share what really happened when we hit the road, what the kids thought, and whether the hot tub and penguins lived up to the hype.

Stay tuned for Day 1!