Vista 2 is the money mobile! We spent two weeks exploring the country in this bad boy and had an…read moreabsolute blast. We must've seen about a thousand other motorhomes and camper-vans out on the road and I can confidently say that the Wilderness Vista 2 was the sexiest machine out there. Aside from the motorhome being pristine, comfortable, and a beast in the mountains - the people at Wilderness are equally spectacular. We didn't encounter any major issues while out on the road - except realizing that we wanted to spend a little more time down on the S. Island and 'wished' we could drop the Vista 2 off at Christchurch rather than all the way back up in Auckland before catching our flight. "No worries and no extra charge" said the good folks at Wilderness! I did a good amount of research before booking w/ Wilderness - and like some of the others have said - price is a little higher - but our smiles couldn't have been bigger...which to us is priceless. Danny & Sarah

We traveled for 3 weeks and had never RV"d before much less the other side of the road. Have to…read moreadmit we were very anxious driving a large vehicle as well. The staff was thorough with the walk thru and took us around the block a few miles to get adjusted and comfortable. They had said in about 20 minutes we would be more adjusted and we were. The Vista was perfect for my niece and I ... Bed was very comfortable and slept like babies. Had all the amenities needed. We did have a small issue with the grey water fitting; called them and within less than an hour we were back on the road. They were on it.! Only issue was Wi-Fi rarely worked. Yes they are a bit more expensive than other choices but meeting, talking and seeing other choices as we traveled throughout NZ I know we made the correct choice with Wilderness. Planning on coming back to see more of the country and will be using Wilderness. Thank you!

We had such a memorable and amazing time rambling around New Zealand for a month in our Epic…read moreCamper. The owner, Andy, was very friendly, helpful and runs a great business! Our experience with Epic Campers was easy and fun and our van was in great condition and very clean. I highly recommend them!

We hit the jackpot! Everything about this bed and breakfast was purrrfect. Here is a quick run…read moredown: -Location: It's literally across the street from a beautiful beach called Little Oneroa. You can leave the front sliding glass door open and listen to the ocean. There are some traffic noise but it didn't bother us. Along with the beach is obviously the nice view from the room. This place is also walking distance from the next shopping center close - it's about a 15 minute walk (but on busy road). Easy and beautiful hiking trails close by too. If you want delicious fish and chips, just walk across the street to the convenient store! -The hosts (Harry and Bernadette) were very friendly. They introduced us to their two fluffy cats and even gave us a ride to town. -Very nice amenities. Nothing felt dingy or run down. Comfortable bed and warm shower. I felt like we got real lucky finding this place. I would definitely stop by again here in the future or recommend to a friend.

Nice camping ground with a beautiful location. But compared…read moreto others also very expensive. 30$ per night for a campervan with two adults. But you have to pay more for the shower, I think 50c for 3 min. Also there are no devices in the kitchen, not even towels. Also no towels in the toilet and on top of that just one toilet for the whole place. Poorly not really other interesting people. Mostly there is nobody in the kitchen and around. It's just a 2 min walk to the beach which is awesome for surfing. But if you want to surf the green waves you have to be really good. Because I have never seen such big waves and especially such powerful freshets before. All in all no reason to stay here except the location.

This was our first stay in New Zealand and it was great. The owner gave us some great suggestions…read morefor places to eat which was really helpful. The location was ideal to restaurants and groceries. The B&B itself was really cute and although the room is small (its an old house so adds to the charm), we had everything we needed and the bed was really comfortable.

Loved it! I stayed there for a week in the Spring '13 and…read morehave to say it was the best I had slept during my trip. I booked a room in the bungalows in the back (not attached to the main house) and really enjoyed the quiet. The only downside was sharing the kitchen with some college kids who didn't always clean after themselves. Plenty of space, beautiful landscaping, free wifi, coin-op laundry. The main building is absolutely gorgeous. I'd stay there again for sure.

I really liked staying at this hotel during my Auckland trip. Located in the CBD (Central Business…read moredistrict) the hotel is walking distance to Sky tower (five minutes), Viaduct harbor (ten minutes), Britomart (ten minutes) and one block from Queen street. Breakfast is included with your stay and served daily on the second floor from 6:30a-10am (till 10:30a weekends). The hotel provides a hearty fare with abundant selections and the staff is quick to take plates and clean tables. You can also order meals throughout the day via the front desk, and a couple nights after coming back from all day tours I ordered dinner which was quite delicious. There are gym and laundry facilities on site. Our room was on the smaller side but very clean with comfortable beds and hot showers. We also had a nice view of Sky tower and the harbor. All staff I encountered throughout my stay was helpful and super friendly. The only thing is the hotel is located on a hill so it's bit of a steep walk to and from places. Still, it didn't deter me from staying here and I would stay here again. Highly recommend.

I was looking to find out what I can do in Auckland for a few hours with a friend visiting from…read moreabroad, and had heard about a company called Stray from a traveller friend. Conveniently located with a funky bright sales office on Fort street super friendly and helpful staff can book you a free day stray bus tour around Auckland showcasing our magnificent city. The Vintage orange bus takes you to highlights of Auckland such as a Bungy jump off the Auckland Harbour Bridge for a discounted fee, or at the Sky tower the Sky Jump where you free fall with security ropes off a ledge and down to the waiting platform in a matter of seconds, what a thrill! You also take in the sights and great view at Bastion Point near Mission Bay, go for a bush walk in the Auckland Domain, have a pub meal if you feel like it and a free beer at Speight's Ale house. Last but not least you even get to wander around the world class sailing village of the Viaduct and hop on a Whale and Dolphin Safari if weather and your wallet permits. The amazing sales staff at the office can also book you any activity In Auckland which is fabulous to have as a service.

Having taken a Stray tour around southeast Asia from Bangkok, to northern Thailand and all the way…read morethrough Laos and spent (almost) every minute loving it, I knew that when I wanted to book a similar trip around New Zealand, there was only one place I would head to. Gaz, the guy I booked my trip with in the office, could not have been nicer and literally knew the answer to all my questions about the trip: what it would be like in certain places, what there is to do there, how much money I'd need (I could go on, I was probing him for probably a good half an hour about it!) it's really reassuring to know people know first hand about what they are selling you and more importantly, never pressuring you into anything you don't want to do. I'm also going to be booking a trip to Fiji in there soon as well. Can't recommend the people or the tours highly enough. They really know New Zealand and their target customers perfectly. I can't wait for my trip now!

I was truly excited to visit Whatipu Beach because I have been to so many of our West Auckland…read morebeach favourites, but I had not experienced this wonder. Upon arrival I was off with my family to walk the 20 minute/1.5km track to the Whatipu Caves. On the walk to the biggest cave you pass smaller old sea caves along the track, they are really fun to walk into for some exploring. The big cave was very impressive; I really enjoyed walking around and hearing my voice bounce around its walls. I made sure I listened to the department of conservation- and sprayed a disinfectant on the bottoms of my shoes before and after entering the walk; this would help prevent the deadly Kauri collar rot which is easily passed from soiled footwear to trees. After the cave walk, I headed to the beach for a bite of lunch and a chance to soak in the scenery, hardly a sole to see. Picturesque waves rolled in to the shore, while in the distance the Manukau bar dramatically splashed up almost to say check me out I'm dangerous. I will be back Whatipu I promised as I departed this afternoon- you are a mysterious beauty.

Over Christmas my husband and I knew we wanted to go camping but also wanted some quietude, so we…read morelooked somewhere close to home, the Waitakere ranges were it, and Whatipu Lodge camp grounds looked quite remote but interesting. It took quite a windy drive to get to, passing very close to the oceans edge and down some narrow curly passes but with just a mild case of nausea (for me) we eventually got there. The space was very open and had one other camper nearby, a family tenting. We have a van decked out, which was ideal as the place was very windy and wet. It rained the whole time, but I liked it none the less, it wasn't cold and a bit of rain is no drama in my world. The hike up the big hill was easy and gave amazing views of the coast that we had walked along earlier in the day. The wind up on the cliffs did mean we had to keep our wits about us, and no rock climbing. We tried to get to the caves but it wasn't really possible without more serious wet weather gear, we got soggy shoes and socks even through the mere attempt to get at them. I recently read about all the ghost sightings in this place, we saw, nor felt, none, but it did give off a rather haunting feel. But that could also be because it felt like such an isolated environment and was so wet and windy. We did, however, see a lot of bird life. Bird watching is not a hobby of mine but it was kind of cool to see so many and all their antics. The lodge caretakers came over to the car and collected the $15 (per night, per car) and had a brief chat soon after we had arrived. Bookings are essential before you arrive.