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| It's as big as a freezing truck |
When planning on a campervan trip, many people are questioning: "Could you keep warmed?" "How do we sleep?" "Is there hot water?" "How do we poo?" etc etc
So, in this post, I'll share my experience having a campervan trip in New Zealand.
Actually I've posted the exactly same topic in Indonesian, so this is basically the English version of the same content :)
- When : 27 May to 2 June 2019
- Season : bloody WINTER
- Pick-up point : Christchurch
- Drop-off point : Queenstown
- Campervan : Maui River 6-berth
Why maui? ##im-not-paid-at-all
Maui is under THL holding which rents out campervan globally with networks in several countries.
A cousin of mine who had visited NZ earlier told me that maui is one of the top because they have service center spread all over NZ. In the case of any accident or flat tire, you won't have to wait long before the staff comes and help :) You can visit their web here www.maui-rentals.com .
So, what are the features of the van??
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| The van's interior |
There are 3 beds in maui-6-berth, one above the driving compartment, one in the middle, and one at the back. The middle and back-bedding can be folded to provide more spaces during daytime.
Contextually, each bed should be able to take 2 persons (that's why it's 6 berth van). But in reality, the middle bed is not big enough for 2 persons (even for Asian like my family). So, I believe that 5 adults is maximum for this van (1 additional child can fit though).
2. Power
You may be asking how will you charge your phone??
This Maui River campervan comes with 2 USB port 2.0A to charge small devices such as phones and tablets. And it's connected to the van's battery which will auto-charge when moving.
Beside that, there is an AC power socket to plug other home appliances such as rice cooker, hair dryer, etc. But...., this will only work when the van is plugged to a power source -- which is available at paid campground.
So in my case, I'd go to paid campground when I planned to cook rice #asian :) haha. Then before leaving, I'll cook rice again and carry it onto the next spot. #savecost by staying at paid campground once every two days LOL
So in my case, I'd go to paid campground when I planned to cook rice #asian :) haha. Then before leaving, I'll cook rice again and carry it onto the next spot. #savecost by staying at paid campground once every two days LOL
3. Air-conditioner / heater
For air-con, there is this normal air-con from the driving compartment.
For heater, the van comes with 3 heating system:
- heater from air-con
- built-in heater which uses diesel. It will work if the diesel indicator of the vehicle is above half, just make sure of it (it doesn't consume much diesel too). And it also needs fresh water to work! If your water-tank is low, the heater will stop functioning.
*make sure to fill-in your fresh water before night. At my second night, I gotta look for fresh water at 10pm because we didn't know it impacts the heater too :(
- electric heater which you need to plug into the AC power socket (only work in the paid campground). This really helps to bring some warmth.
Anyway, you don't have to worry. The built-in heater is totally enough to give you warmth during winter night.
I always slept on campervan and temperature sometimes went as low as 0 degrees Celsius.. I survived though.. LOL
I always slept on campervan and temperature sometimes went as low as 0 degrees Celsius.. I survived though.. LOL
But if you have a sleeping bag, please carry one. I bought one from Indonesia e-commerce Tokopedia for USD8 per piece and it helped too :)
4. Toilet / shower
Don't imagine a bathtub! There surely isn't one LOL..
The toilet and shower are combined in a small cubicle 1 x 0.5 meter. Though small, it comes with a seating toilet, a small sink to brush teeth and shower.
And the toilet is directly connected to a septic tank. So, don't forget to lock the septic tank when vehicle is moving to prevent your sh*t jumping out.. LOL
There are few types of Maui-6-berth with different water tank capacity. But for sure, I don't recommend to shower in the vehicle. First, you're wasting fresh water -- you'll have to go back and forth to the water source. And second, you'll fill up your waste water tank too..
*I showered once every 2 days, haha, it's winter anyway -- you don't sweat!
5. Kitchen
- This van carries a 9 kgs gas tank which I think is totally enough. To my experience, we cooked almost every day and we only used up a third of the tank.
- You can only cook when vehicle stops! Don't forget to lock the gas valve before vehicle moves!
- If you run out of gas, you can exchange with new one or even fill it up at certain petrol station (you can locate them through the campermate App)
- Maui van comes with a complete cooking utensils such as cooking pot, sauce pan, plates, bowls, spoons & forks, knife, and chopping board.
- They have microwave and boiling kettle too, but it must use the power socket (only usable when in paid campgrounds)
- They also have fridge which works all the time (it's connected to van's battery)
6. Water tank
There are 2 water systems:
- fresh water which connects to the shower and washing tap at the kitchen sink. This one comes with hot water (which use the LPG to heat up). So, washing plates in the winter won't be that painful! Just don't forget to turn on the "water pump" switch. And don't forget to unlock the gas valve before using and lock it up again before moving!
- drink water which utilize the same water tank, but goes through a better filtering system. I usually boils the water and drank from this tap.
Fyi, NZ fresh water is one of the cleanest on earth!
And you can find fresh water at many places, camp ground or simply on road side. So, you don't have to go to paid campground if only for water :)
You can check the detail in campermate App.
7. Waste system
There are 2 waste systems: from toilet and from the kitchen.
- water from kitchen sink and the toilet's floor will go to the 1st waste system. There's an indicator if it's full and need to drain. But it's best to drain it every morning.
- the closet will end in septic tank -- which I'll call the 2nd waste system -- which is a small tank of 15 liter. That's it guys! When full, you can literally see it from the closet LOL..
Don't forget to drop some anti-bacteria to dissolve the waste. And I recommend to clean it every morning too.. I'd also suggest you to utilize public toilet.. I realized that the volume of human waste is not little, especially when you put them into container
Dump station (the place to drain and clean the waste tank, that's how they call it) is literally everywhere, check your campermate App.
And don't forget, the first and second waste system mentioned above should be drained into different silos at the dump station.
8. Petrol
Most of the time, your van will use diesel.. but just make sure when you pick it up!
Filling-in the wrong type of petrol will bring fatal damage bro!
9. How to drive?
- always stay on left side of the road
- keep distance with the vehicle in front of you
- remember that you're driving a big size vehicle! Be careful when turning! In South Island, you'll pass along many winding mountain road.. and you sometimes have to drive 80 km/h to adjust with the other vehicles in front and behind you.. stay alert!
- there's always road sign of your maximum speed, just follow it
- some road are extremely straight and loooong -- even with 100km/h you can't see the end.. It made me sleepy though, so make sure you have enough rest and have some coffee if needed
- be careful with the roundabouts (Indonesia's roundabouts work differently).. basic rules in NZ, you only need to pay attention to your right side! If there's still car from your right, then you can't go. Don't be afraid to cause a long queue behind you, because that's the way it is.. Roundabouts are known to cause long line in NZ, just stay safe!
- last, the scenery in NZ is damn beautiful! Simply stop by on the road side, it's already very cool -- you don't even have to go to tourism spot LOL.. So, we're allowed to stop on "wide" road side, but make sure that the whole body of the vehicle is outside the road. Many car will be passing with high speed -- 100km/h -- so you gotta be very careful!
*I often stopped on road side to take picture or because of sleepiness
10. How much does it cost?
I rented for 7 days:
- Rent fee : NZD94 / day ~ NZD658
- Oneway fee : NZD50 > because I don't return on the same point
- Queenstown location fee : NZD95 > because I returned at Queenstown
- insurance (maui inclusive pack) : NZD55 / day ~ NZD385
- credit card charge : NZD28.52
Total : NZD1,216 (for 5 people for 7 days) worth it, right!
Why buy maui inclusive pack insurance?
Because I travel with parents and even though we're driving the same way as in Indonesia, there are some risks.. And it's better to minimize the risk..
And another friend of mine ever told me: that when she traveled to Iceland and rented car, she bought the highest insurance which covered every accidents except a broken door hinge and flood.
To her surprise, the wind was very strong there. In an occasion, she opened the door carelessly and the wind blew the door and the hinge broke down. And since it was not covered by the insurance, she had to pay around USD3,500! She even tried to visit few other service centers to make sure the staff didn't cheat them.. turned out it really costs that much T.T
Things to note:
1. Space inside the van is quite limited. I suggest to bring maximum 3 cabin-size-luggage. You can use fold-able gym bag so you can unload your clothes into the cupboard and fold the bag.
2. When you pick-up the van, don't forget to observe each corner of the van. If there is any scratch, simply let the staff mark it down to avoid any dispute upon returning.
3. Don't forget to make appointment to pick-up or return -- they don't operate 24 hours. And don't forget to ask the address or the meeting point :)
Have fun guys!
Don't imagine a bathtub! There surely isn't one LOL..
The toilet and shower are combined in a small cubicle 1 x 0.5 meter. Though small, it comes with a seating toilet, a small sink to brush teeth and shower.
And the toilet is directly connected to a septic tank. So, don't forget to lock the septic tank when vehicle is moving to prevent your sh*t jumping out.. LOL
There are few types of Maui-6-berth with different water tank capacity. But for sure, I don't recommend to shower in the vehicle. First, you're wasting fresh water -- you'll have to go back and forth to the water source. And second, you'll fill up your waste water tank too..
*I showered once every 2 days, haha, it's winter anyway -- you don't sweat!
5. Kitchen
- This van carries a 9 kgs gas tank which I think is totally enough. To my experience, we cooked almost every day and we only used up a third of the tank.
- You can only cook when vehicle stops! Don't forget to lock the gas valve before vehicle moves!
- If you run out of gas, you can exchange with new one or even fill it up at certain petrol station (you can locate them through the campermate App)
- Maui van comes with a complete cooking utensils such as cooking pot, sauce pan, plates, bowls, spoons & forks, knife, and chopping board.
- They have microwave and boiling kettle too, but it must use the power socket (only usable when in paid campgrounds)
- They also have fridge which works all the time (it's connected to van's battery)
6. Water tank
There are 2 water systems:
- fresh water which connects to the shower and washing tap at the kitchen sink. This one comes with hot water (which use the LPG to heat up). So, washing plates in the winter won't be that painful! Just don't forget to turn on the "water pump" switch. And don't forget to unlock the gas valve before using and lock it up again before moving!
- drink water which utilize the same water tank, but goes through a better filtering system. I usually boils the water and drank from this tap.
Fyi, NZ fresh water is one of the cleanest on earth!
And you can find fresh water at many places, camp ground or simply on road side. So, you don't have to go to paid campground if only for water :)
You can check the detail in campermate App.
7. Waste system
There are 2 waste systems: from toilet and from the kitchen.
- water from kitchen sink and the toilet's floor will go to the 1st waste system. There's an indicator if it's full and need to drain. But it's best to drain it every morning.
- the closet will end in septic tank -- which I'll call the 2nd waste system -- which is a small tank of 15 liter. That's it guys! When full, you can literally see it from the closet LOL..
Don't forget to drop some anti-bacteria to dissolve the waste. And I recommend to clean it every morning too.. I'd also suggest you to utilize public toilet.. I realized that the volume of human waste is not little, especially when you put them into container
Dump station (the place to drain and clean the waste tank, that's how they call it) is literally everywhere, check your campermate App.
And don't forget, the first and second waste system mentioned above should be drained into different silos at the dump station.
8. Petrol
Most of the time, your van will use diesel.. but just make sure when you pick it up!
Filling-in the wrong type of petrol will bring fatal damage bro!
9. How to drive?
- always stay on left side of the road
- keep distance with the vehicle in front of you
- remember that you're driving a big size vehicle! Be careful when turning! In South Island, you'll pass along many winding mountain road.. and you sometimes have to drive 80 km/h to adjust with the other vehicles in front and behind you.. stay alert!
- there's always road sign of your maximum speed, just follow it
- some road are extremely straight and loooong -- even with 100km/h you can't see the end.. It made me sleepy though, so make sure you have enough rest and have some coffee if needed
- be careful with the roundabouts (Indonesia's roundabouts work differently).. basic rules in NZ, you only need to pay attention to your right side! If there's still car from your right, then you can't go. Don't be afraid to cause a long queue behind you, because that's the way it is.. Roundabouts are known to cause long line in NZ, just stay safe!
- last, the scenery in NZ is damn beautiful! Simply stop by on the road side, it's already very cool -- you don't even have to go to tourism spot LOL.. So, we're allowed to stop on "wide" road side, but make sure that the whole body of the vehicle is outside the road. Many car will be passing with high speed -- 100km/h -- so you gotta be very careful!
*I often stopped on road side to take picture or because of sleepiness
 |
| The roads are extremely straight |
10. How much does it cost?
I rented for 7 days:
- Rent fee : NZD94 / day ~ NZD658
- Oneway fee : NZD50 > because I don't return on the same point
- Queenstown location fee : NZD95 > because I returned at Queenstown
- insurance (maui inclusive pack) : NZD55 / day ~ NZD385
- credit card charge : NZD28.52
Total : NZD1,216 (for 5 people for 7 days) worth it, right!
Why buy maui inclusive pack insurance?
Because I travel with parents and even though we're driving the same way as in Indonesia, there are some risks.. And it's better to minimize the risk..
And another friend of mine ever told me: that when she traveled to Iceland and rented car, she bought the highest insurance which covered every accidents except a broken door hinge and flood.
To her surprise, the wind was very strong there. In an occasion, she opened the door carelessly and the wind blew the door and the hinge broke down. And since it was not covered by the insurance, she had to pay around USD3,500! She even tried to visit few other service centers to make sure the staff didn't cheat them.. turned out it really costs that much T.T
Things to note:
1. Space inside the van is quite limited. I suggest to bring maximum 3 cabin-size-luggage. You can use fold-able gym bag so you can unload your clothes into the cupboard and fold the bag.
2. When you pick-up the van, don't forget to observe each corner of the van. If there is any scratch, simply let the staff mark it down to avoid any dispute upon returning.
3. Don't forget to make appointment to pick-up or return -- they don't operate 24 hours. And don't forget to ask the address or the meeting point :)
Have fun guys!
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| Before we say goodbye to the van :( |