New Zealand Tour Map Travel Blog » New Zealand by Road

Robbed within first hour of arrival in NZ

Administrator — Tue, 06 May 2008 21:03:52 +0000

A British couple who arrived in New Zealand yesterday on their three week honeymoon were robbed within one hour of arrival.

The jetlagged Devon couple had just picked up their rental campervan and decided to pick up some groceries for the trip to Rotorua.

They parked at the supermarkets covered carpark in downtown Auckland. After spending around half an hour shopping they returned to the campervan to find all their luggage gone

There were no obvious signs of a the break-in. No windows were broken and all the doors were still locked. While the couple still have their passports and travel insurance, they say it has put a dampener on what should have been a “trip of a lifetimeâ€

New Zealand is portrayed as a clean green and safe holiday destination that often gives tourists a false sense of security. Theft from campervans is rife in the North Island.

Rental car and van companies advise travellers not to leave valuables in their vans or cars but what are campervan tourists meant to do with their luggage when their accommodation is also their vehicle.

See our tips on keeping your belongings safe while travelling around New Zealand

Queenstown says Ban all Freedom Campervanning

Administrator — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 22:43:14 +0000

The proposed sticker law to regulate where campervans can overnight park does not go far enough for one South Island council mayor.

Queenstown Lakes district mayor Clive Geddes believes that the sticker law will not deter those tourist that pollute the area with human waste. Mr Geddes stated that his council should lead the way by being the first New Zealand district that has a blanket ban on all types of vans overnight camping in areas that do not provide toilet facilities. Reports of vans that are equipped with waste holding tanks illegally emptying these tanks has prompted the council to consider a local by-law

Although the problem of waste holding tanks being emptied in secluded reserves and carparks are not isolated cases, they are uncommon. The real issue has been the rapid expansion of the budget sleeping van fleet that needs to be addressed rather than penalise all travellers who often holiday in luxury motor homes that can offer better facilities than hotel rooms.

Queenstown District Lakes includes some of New Zealand,s premier vacation areas and includes some of the South Islands most popular tourist spots – Queenstown, Arrowtown, Wanaka, Aspiring National Park and many walking trails including the Routeburn track. It is understandably that Mr Geddes district due to its popularity, obviously bears the brunt of this problem, but he needs to look for a surgical attack rather that a blanket bombing approach in dealing with this issue.

Campervan Law

Administrator — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:26:11 +0000

The legislation of campervans rights to freedom camp in New Zealand has gone a step closer .

All South Islands local governments have voted unanimously to put forward a proposed regulatory system that will class campervans into three categories. The proposal is to require campervans to be issued with a sticker registration system that will limit where the van can overnight camp based on the facilities the vehicle is equipped with.

The proposal is to issue green sticker registration to those campervans that are equipped with both toilet and kitchen/shower waste water facilities with holding tanks. These vans will be able to overnight anywhere within NZ.

Orange registration stickers will be issued to those campervans that only have kitchen/shower waste water holding tanks. These vehicles will only be permitted to overnight in areas that have toilet facilities.

Red registration will signify vehicles that make up New Zealand’s popular ’sleeping van’ fleet. These vans have no waste facilities and will be required in future to overnight in camping grounds that provide full cooking, shower and toilet facilities. As these vans are popular with the budget traveller, the added cost associated with camping ground fees will prove to be a major issue for this market.

Prosecute Trespassing Campers

Administrator — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 21:55:35 +0000

District Councils have been asked to clamp down on campervan travellers that park next to or outside camping grounds and use their facilities.

The manager of two council owned holiday parks located in the Queenstown area has removed 30 people in one night from the grounds communal kitchen. Mr Hartshorne reported these people had climbed over the fence to use the park’s facilities for free. â€œThese are the types of people who steal from your kitchens and your clotheslinesâ€ Mr Hartshorne said.

The council had also moved 27 vans who were overnight camping on the street outside the holiday park.

The problem of trespassersÂ is increasing in line with the increase in ‘Sleeping van’ hire. The Sleeping van fleet has increased dramatically in New Zealand catering for the budget, backpacker market. Sleeping vans are camper vans that do not have any toilet facilities

Tourist Insurance Scam

Administrator — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 04:56:48 +0000

Three Dutch tourist who claimed they were robbed while camping at Akaroa near Christchurch have admitted guilt in a Christchurch court to making a false complaint.

The trio was arrested as they tried to leave the country bound for Australia.

The residing judge convicted and discharged the men stating that although the investigation had wasted 100 hours of police time a fine was not appropriate as the men had no money.

The court heard that the men fabricated the story to explain damage to their rental campervan. The men claimed that they were robbed at gunpoint by three Polynesians.

In summing up the judge stated that the tourists actions had caused anxiety among the small Akaroa community and had created negative publicity on the tourist dependent town.

Fording NZ Rivers by Car

Administrator — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 02:50:21 +0000

Fording small rivers is a common experience on many roads that lead to scenic spots, trail heads and popular picnic locations.

Many overseas travellers and New Zealanders alike are not aware that these small river crossings can become almost unpassable on the return crossing as river levels can quickly rise.

Heres a little story of a German couples experience on the road to Mt Aspiring National Park.

I was following their small rental car to the start of a very popular road into the park the ends at a large car park known as Raspberry Flat which is popular for walkers and picnickers alike. The road involves crossing 4 or 5 very small rivers that on the way to the car park would only have been 400mm deep.

The day was almost ideal, only partly cloudy with no sign of rain on the road or at the Raspberry flat car park. We headed for our favourite picnic spot and after a few hours playing in the river we headed back to our four wheel drive vehicle.

I noted the mountain forecast before our trip mentioned possible rain at higher altitudes. Although this was not evident from our valley position, the first of the river fords clearly indicated that there had been rain somewhere. The depth of the river had almost doubled to less than a metre and was flowing very fast. This was not a problem for a 4W drive vehicle that was also equipped with a snorkel.

As I approached the second crossing I noticed the small rental car that I had been patiently following previously. It was “nose” in the deep part of the small river with water well above the front wheel.

The German couple were very distressed and wet. They could not understand why their cars engine had just stopped mid way through this small and relatively shallow river crossing. I pointed to my vehicles black plastic snorkel snaking its way from the side of the engine up past the side of the front window edge. I explained that the purpose of this device was to move the engines air intake high up to the top of the roof.

Most medium size cars would not have sucked air through the engine air intake in those conditions however the Germans car was small and low to the ground. They also could not understand how the river rose so quickly in the space of a couple of hours in clear weather. Perhaps they don”t have mountains in Germany!

After I towed their car out of the river they tried in vain to restart the engine. On the road back to Wanaka I explained how mountain fed rivers can rise quickly from rain that may be falling far from view and the issues of water being sucked into the engine.

In their case the water was not above the engine air intake. It was the velocity of the water hitting the engine, gurgling and splashing the air intake that created the problem. Even a small amount of water sucked into the intake will cause the engine to stop with little chance to restart it.

These travellers are one of many who get stuck attempting to cross small river fords. Like them most are rather unlucky rather than being naive to the dangers. It is however a timely reminder to check not just the local weather but also the mountain forecast.

Copland Track Thief

Administrator — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:48:49 +0000

A South Island man who robbed tourists of goods and cash to the tune of $104,000 has been jailed for three years and two months.

The 25 year old Fox Glacier resident, pleaded guilty in the District Court to 42 theft charges.

These thefts occurred from tourists’ vehicles in carparks mainly at the Copland Track car park although the offender frequented other tourist areasâ€™s including Makarora, Haast, Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier, Lake Moeraki, Karangarua, Wanaka and Whataroa.

See our advice to keep your valuables safe while touring NZ

Sleeping Van Law Step Closer

Administrator — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 23:33:40 +0000

The issue of freedom camping in vans that are not equipped with toilet facilities could likely result in laws prohibiting this popular form of touring. Queenstown Lakes District Mayor Clive Geddes has once again warned tourists van operators that a district ban may be enforced.

Roadside waste such as toilet paper, sanitary products and faeces is a growing problem throughout the lakes district, especially in Wanaka, Lake Hawea and Makarora.

The Mayor would like to see “sensible laws” introduced that would require toilets and holding tanks in all touring vehicles. Mr Geddes said “unfortunately, we may need to look at rules that prohibit freedom camping altogether.”

Currently there are over six hundred vans without toilet facilities in the NZ tourist fleet. These vans are very popular with budget and young backpacker travellers and their numbers are growing annually.

The likelihood of a national wide ban got a step closer during a workshop held on the issue by the Tourism Industry Association. The workshop was attended by representatives from the police, Land Transport New Zealand and local governments.

The issue will be reviewed in the coming months with a view to law changes in this type of freedom camping.

NZ Greenstone

Administrator — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 06:12:17 +0000

Also known by its Maori name Pounamu or its gemmological term New Zealand Jade, Greenstone is very similar to jade and is used for making adornments and jewellery

Pounamu is only found in the South Island with the main deposits located around the Taramakau district and Arahura rivers in Westland, coastal south Westland and the Lake Wakatipu (Queenstown) area.

Greenstone can be found in and around rivers and streams and on remote West Coast beaches. Many travellers to these areas regularly find nice examples that can be legally removed. Only Greenstone that can be physically carried by the finder can be legally removed. Please also note that natural or raw Greenstone can not be taken out of NZ if the weight is over 5 kgs.

A recent hunting and tramping trip to Barn Bay at the mouth of the Hope river in Fiordland National Park gave our party time to explore the river mouth for Greenstone.

West Coast beaches are littered with mounds of river rounded rocks and driftwood. Finding Greenstone among these copious piles of stones can be a challenge as the stone is not always obvious.

Greenstone can be rusty white or grey on the outside disguising the green inside. You need to first train your eye by inspecting as many raw examples displayed in souvenirs stores or DOC visitor centres as possible inorder to be able to readily identify the stone when you are fossicking.

The lodge that we were staying at is located on one of many private blocks of land that can be found on the coast of the national park. These freehold titles date back to the late 1800’s when fishermen, gold miners and whalers occupied areas of this remote wilderness in search of their fortunes. These freehold land holdings rarely become available and it was our privilege to be accommodated in a large two story home that once housed a family of five who’s livelihood was from fishing.

The lodge was totally self sufficient, with solar power and water from the nearby stream. Within the lodge were many examples of Greenstone that was found by the previous inhabitants.

One rather unique example was one of the most exquisite pieces of Greenstone that we had ever seen. It was found in the local river (Hope river) and resembled melted dark green glass. The stone was river tumbled and weighed about 6kg’s. That piece of Greenstone may have been worth many many thousands of dollars. This was but one of many stones left by visitors displayed in the lodge.

After many successful deer hunts our minds quickly turned to other pursuits. On our last day while others were beach fishing I decided to walk the length of the bay, approx one kilometre, in search of the elusive stone.

Within 15 minutes I had found my first piece of greenstone. One hour later I had reached the end of the bay and had found over a dozen examples.

On my return I became more discerning and discarded the lesser quality examples until I had two pieces that I regarded as ‘keepers’.

Greenstone fossicking can be a wonderful experience for the visitor that can reward them with both a truly New Zealand souvenir and a chance to experience our unspoilt wilderness.

NZ ranked 5th for car theft

Administrator — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 03:24:19 +0000

New Zealand has the dubious honour of 5th in the world for car theft and burglary from cars per head of population. Further more, this type of crime is on the rise and in some areas over twenty percent increases have been reported. Many theft from vehicles go unreported so this figure can be regarded as conservative.

I have reported this many times in this blog and included a section specifically about this type of but with the busy camper van and tourist season just about to start I thought it prudent to warn prospective travellers of the dangers of leaving valuables in your hire car or motor home. Please see our section on theft from tourists