Yes - If you have multiple bookings with the same company (even if it is relating to New Zealand and Australia) these can be combined to give you a long term hire discount on both rentals. To do this you will have to email us as the system will not know about your other bookings. Some terms & conditions apply to multiple hires.

A hire can be amendment subject to availability. There is a NZ$25 admin charge for this.

Cancellation fees, prior to pick-up are as follows:
40 Days and over: $150 Admin Fee
29 - 39 Days: 50% of deposit retained Min $150
20 - 28 Days: 25% of Total Reservation cost
10 - 19 Days: 50% of Total Reservation cost
1 - 9 Days: 75% of Total Reservation cost
No Show: 100% of Total Reservation cost

 

Book Early

The best tip we can give you is to book early. That means for the high season (November to February) and school holidays, you should book about 6 – 9 months prior to your desired hire start. Booking your campervan holiday early means that you have more time to plan and organise your trip. The knowledge that you have secured transportation and accommodation will put your mind at ease which will allow you to avoid the stress that is normally associated with holiday plans. Other advantages of booking early include:

• A higher likelihood of getting the vehicle you want or need. The campervans often book out, especially for 4 and 6 berths.
• Booking early usually means that you will get the best price available. Prices generally increase the closer you get to the date of departure. Some companies have “Early Bird” specials which give a very attractive discount.

If you do leave it to the last minute, don't lose hope! You may get lucky and still find a great deal. Contact us to find out if there is still anything available!

When collection your motorhome, keep in mind that security bonds will be taken out at the depot. This amount will essentially depend on which insurance option you choose to take out. This process is done through your credit card. In theory, this process should cost nothing, except that banks take money from a foreign credit card at one rate, and refund the money at a lower rate. In practise this process costs 3 to 5 cents in the dollar (typically). So on a $5000 bond, it may cost you an extra $250 or more if the rates move against you while you are on your rental.

Taking an “All Inclusive” type package, where the bond is zero, gets around this issue. These may be worth considering instead of losing badly to the exchange rate refunds (and the way banks work).

Avoid Peak Rental Times

Campervan rentals do have high seasons/peak rental periods. The rates in the low season (May to September) are half the price or lower than the high season rates. Even the shoulder seasons (October to about mid-November and March to April) are often significantly lower than high season rates. Also the weather in November and March is still very nice, not as hot as December to January/February but you still get lots of long warm sunny days. Some companies have recently started to lift their rates for the school holiday breaks that occur throughout the year, and these are also busy times for campervan rentals. So school holiday dates are also a good time to avoid if you want to keep the costs down.

 

Every hire company insists on at least Third Party and Public Liability insurance, some fully comprehensive.  However, New Zealanders do not legally require any insurance and therefore every company insists on a bond which is fully refundable if the vehicle is returned in a clean and undamaged position.

Check out Insurance Options

During the booking process, the most common questions we get relate to insurance. Understanding the insurance options available to you is necessary for you to be able to get the best deal you can get.

When it comes to insurance, we at Motorhome Holidays offer you flexible options, with in most cases, three choices available to you. Minimal Insurance involves high liability/ bond. Liability reduction options reduce the liability to a minimal amount or nothing at all. Some companies also offer an “All Inclusive” package that contains insurance reducing the liability/bond to zero and also including extras such as table and chairs and baby/seats.

It is strongly recommended that Bond Waiver insurance is taken out. These options are made available to you when making a reservation.

 

About Insurance and Bond/Excess Reduction Options

Overview:

The price for each motorhome on our website includes a basic level of insurance with a bond between $2500 - $7500 depending on the motorhome. This amount is what you would be liable for (the excess) in the event of an accident or damage to the vehicle, regardless of who is at fault. Sometimes the bond is debited (and then refunded at the end of the hire if no damage) and sometimes it is a credit card imprint (it depends on the company)

Generally there are 3 options to reduce bond/excess. Options 1 and 2 require payment of an additional daily amount on top of the basic price and will reduce or eliminate the bond/excess. These options are payable at the depot but can be booked when the reserving the motorhome by selecting the appropriate option. The site will then show the price with that option included. (The exact additional daily amount and how much the bond is reduced depends on the company /vehicle being quoted).

Option 3 is All Inclusive (sometimes called Bonus Pack, Smart Pack, or Premium Pack depending on the company/vehicle). All Inclusive has a Nil bond/excess and typically includes extras such as child/booster seats and picnic table and chairs. All Inclusive should be booked when the booking is made by selecting that option (the site will then display the All Inclusive rate)

 

Travel Insurance

Even if you do reduce your liability by we strongly recommend purchasing travel insurance before you leave home, for total peace of mind. Insurance policies cover cancellation fees, medical expenses, baggage and much more.

Useful Motorhome Terminology

Deposit - When you make a campervan hire booking you we will debit a sum of money to secure your campervan. This sum is the booking deposit, and is a percentage of the total amount to be paid. The deposit will be between 15 – 25%. If the camper van hire starts within 30 days, some companies require us to take the full 100%. This information can be found on each motorhomes webpage.

Depot - A depot is the base for the campervan rental companies. Typically each company has a number of depots around the country, and these are where you pick up and drop off your campervan from. Most companies depots are in Auckland in the North Island and Christchurch in the South Island.

Berth - This refers to the number of people the vehicle is able to sleep, eg, a two berth hire campervan can sleep two people. It does not refer to how many beds are in the vehicle, as a two berth vehicle could contain one double bed.

Bond - This is a specified amount of money paid by the hirer to the campervan hire company in case of an accident or accidental damage. This is refunded at the end of the rental period provided there have been no incidents or accidents.

Calendar Days - Campervan Rental is based on calendar days, which means the day off pick up and the day of drop off are included as a full day of rental, regardless of the time of day the pick up or drop off is made. So if the pick up is made at 4 pm, then the day is still counted as a full day.

Baby Seat - Baby Seats are for children aged 6 months to 3 years, (weighing 8 to 18 kilos). They are an external accessory manually fitted into the car, the requirement of which needs to be specified when making a booking.

Booster Seat - Similar to baby seats, these are for children aged 3 to 8 years (weighing 14 to 28 kilos).

Flex Rates - These are rates that change every week, ie 'flexible' rates. Generally speaking the closer you get to the pickup date, the higher the rates will be. The rate of the first day of your travel will apply to the whole duration of your travel.

Standard Rates - These rates do not change every week, they are set at the start of the year and remain at that rate for the duration of the season. If you cross over a change of season the rate you are paying will change too. It depends on the motorhome hire supplier whether they offer standard or flex rates.

Government taxes – GST  (Goods and Services Tax) is included in the daily campervan hire rate. Diesel levy is tax the Government charges users of diesel vehicles. Some motorhome rental companies pass this tax on to the hirers of their vehicles. (This only applies to the diesel powered vehicles). This charge is based on the number of kilometers driven.

One Way Travel - Often people wish to pick up a campervan in one destination, then drive to another destination and drop it off there. This is 'one way travel', as it doesn’t involve a return trip.

Caravan Park - Campervan travellers normally spend lots of time in caravan parks. They are tourist-oriented resort locations where you can park up your hire campervan and plug it into electricity. There are other types of accommodation available on the same site, from camping to cabins to motel style accommodation. Laundry and kitchen facilities are normally provided, as are ablution blocks. Some have swimming pools and games rooms, and all are reasonably priced.

Holiday Park and Tourist Park - There is very little distinction between these type of resort parks and caravan parks. All are reasonable and accommodating places to enjoy your campervan holiday in.

National Park - A National Park is an area of land that the government has declared ownership off. It is protected by the government from human development, and is normally an area of natural beauty or attraction.

Battery System - The internal appliances of most campervans run on a battery system that is separate from the engine battery. These batteries recharge when you drive, and when plugged into mains power.

Transmission - This is the gear changing system of the car. It is either automatic, whereby the car changes gears for you, or manual, where the gear changing is done by the driver, or tiptronic which gives you a choice of manual or automatic.

Insurance Terminology

Full or Comprehensive Insurance - These are insurance policies with a broad range of cover. You are covered by the insurance whether you are in the right or the wrong, or whether the damage was caused by an unknown party or an 'act of God'.

Excess - When you are insured and you make a claim on your insurance, you will still have to pay the first part of that claim yourself. That amount you pay is the excess, and its amount depends on the excess options you take.

Excess Reduction - This is an amount of cash you pay each day that reduces the excess you have to pay in the event of an accident in your motorhome rental. The excess reduction you pay and the amount it reduces off your excess depends on the supplier.

Standard Liability - the standard liability amount is taken as a bond off your credit card at the start of travel, and is held for the duration of travel until the campervan rental is safely returned.

Third party - The third party is any other entity involved in an incident. So for example if you have an accident whereby you drive into the back of another vehicle, that vehicle is the third party. Third Party Insurance covers the costs that may be incurred by a third party as a result of your actions.

Demurrage - This is the monetary loss incurred by a supplier when their camper van is taken off the road as the result of an accident. The person who causes the accident is liable for demurrage.

Surcharge - this an additional sum added to a usual amount or cost.