New Zealand is simply the best place in the world for a campervan holiday. Its value-for-money combined with easy driving on uncrowded roads, beautiful scenery, great activities and friendly locals. And of course, it is completely flexible travel - there is no set itinerary. It’s all about the journey and you can simply go as you please.

Unlike the UK and Europe, campsites are of a very high standard in New Zealand with powered sites, full kitchens, TV and entertainment rooms, hot showers etc. Escape will supply you with a Campsite directory free of charge at the beginning of your trip. Many camping grounds will allow you to use the facilities for a few dollars without actually staying the night too. There are also good public facilities to use free of charge in many locations throughout the country. Escape will also supply you with Department of Conservation (DOC) campsite guides also. Around half of the DOC campsites are free of charge, the rest being very cheap to stay at overnight.

The awesome part about travelling in an Escape Campervan in New Zealand is the total freedom it gives you, allowing you to access some of the most beautiful and unique spots in New Zealand.
But with that freedom, comes responsibility!

We need all of our Escape campervan hirers to respect and protect the environment, particularly when choosing where to camp. Our vans do not feature toilets or waste holding tanks and as such, we strongly recommend camping at one of the sites managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC), various holiday parks or other designated areas.  

The Department of Conservation (DOC) network of basic campsites is set in some of the most stunning locations in New Zealand and they’re cheap, around $0 to $10 a night. Top 10 Holiday Parks or Kiwi Camps offer world class campground facilities also.

Free camping is illegal in some areas so you would need to check with the local i-Site or DOC before you decide where you’ll stay. Wherever you camp, please respect the environment and locals and clean up after yourselves. Escape will provide you with a directory of commercial campgrounds, DOC campsites and our own special spot recommendations. You will also be given a copy of our environmental care code.

To ensure you’re OK to camp anywhere in New Zealand, assume nothing and always ask a local. Check out this link “Camping our way” for a guide on how to camp responsibly around New Zealand.

Generally no, however you may want to for reassurance. If you are travelling between 15th December and 28th February, we recommend booking the more popular sites in advance. And if you plan on arriving late at a campsite , it will pay to phone ahead – Most campground offices will shut at 5:00PM.

There are NO hidden charges. Tax (GST), standard insurance and unlimited kilometres are included in your daily rate, along with extra driver fees, all equipment, roadside support service, credit card fees etc. Sweet!.

Escape Campervans are really popular, even during winter.  We get lots of referrals from friends of people who have travelled with us before, so our vehicles are in demand. So book as soon as possible, knowing we only take a $300 deposit.  For the high season months (October to April), it is advisable to book a couple of months ahead and in the low season at least a couple of weeks. Feel free to contact us and check availability anyway, no obligation - we always try to help.

Escape is open 7 days and pickups are available between the following times : Monday to Saturday 9am – 4pm Sunday and public holidays 10am-3pm Pickups outside these times can sometimes be arranged for an extra fee, but you’ll have to check first. We are closed on Christmas Day and New Years Day.

You only need to be 18 years of age to hire an Escape campervan. You must have a valid driver’s license, held for over one year. We accept driver’s licenses issued by your own country (as long as we can understand it!) or any international driver’s licenses.

Three people including the driver can travel in an Escape Camper. Remember, Escape Campers doesn’t charge extra for additional drivers.

We have both manual and automatic transmission campervans on our fleet. If you have a preference, make a note of it when you book online or let us know and we will do our best to allocate your preference. If you would like to guarantee receiving a particular transmission campervan for your trip, there is a $10 per day option to do this when you book. We only collect a maximum of $200 for your entire rental in respect to either guarantee.

Escape has comprehensive insurance cover. All vehicles come with a standard insurance policy that covers you for any damage to the vehicle or 3rd party/public liability. There is an excess of $2,500, but this can be reduced or waived altogether when you purchase additional insurance - Click here for more information. Unlike many companies, Escape does not process the excess from your credit card before you leave. We simply require an imprint of your credit card. If you don’t have a credit card we can still help. You can leave an NZ$ cash excess in place of the credit card imprint.

Yes, there are liability reduction options available which will reduce the excess you are liable for in the case of an accident or other vehicle damage. Click here to view our Campervan Insurance options.

Only if you select the 'No worries Bro’ insurance (Option C). You are not covered for roads north of Colville Township (Coromandel), Ball Hut Rd (Mount Cook) Skippers Canyon (Queenstown) and on 90 Mile Beach (Northland). That said, we want you to get off the ‘beaten track’ and Escape is the most liberal company we know when it comes to where you can drive.

Have a look through the gallery and when you book, list 4 or 5 of your favourite designs in the comments section. We cannot guarantee we will be able to meet your request, but we will do our best!.

Yes, all of our campervans have quality FM/compact disc stereos and 97% of these are also MP3 compatible. If you have a preference on what kind of stereo you can let us know when you book and we will do our best to satisfy your requirements.

Every van comes with fresh, drycleaned linen ready for you – two duvets, a fitted sheet and three pillows, along with cutlery, pots, pans, cooking elements and other living/cooking equipment etc which are all provided free.

Yes. A secure server is used when you are entering and processing your credit card details. You can check this is active by looking for the padlock symbol in your browser during processing. This means your data is being encrypted using SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol.

We employ a range of very talented local artists who have achieved international acclaim. Each artist has their own style which adds to the variety of flavours in our fleet. If you are collecting a camper between August and November, you may well see our artists in action. Check out our Escape Artists section.

Our fleet is the newest of any budget fleet in New Zealand with an average age of 4-5 years. All our campers are Qualmark endorsed, which means we have been recognized by the New Zealand tourism board as offering the very best standard of product and service. Check out the details relating to our campervans on the navigation bar within our homepage.

Our fleet consists mainly of Toyota Hiace Vans. We also have a few Nissan and Mazda’s. All vehicles are presented to a very high standard. We buy first grade imported vehicles and convert them, complete the fit-out, and painting etc. The average fit-out age is just 18 Months.

Yes, we provide 'The Escape Guide'. This free publication has all our hidden secrets on places to visit and things to do throughout NZ. It also provides discounts on adventure tourism activities. We also supply detailed maps, campsite directories,  Department of Conservation guides and much more. And check out the Escape Community page for more info.

Under the campervan seats, there is more than 300 litres of storage space. This is more storage than you will find in many 6 berth campervans! We do recommend you bring soft bags instead of hard cases though. If you still can't fit everything in, we can either store bags at our depots free of charge, or assist you with posting bags to another drop off depot if you are on a one way rental.

Nope! We’re proud of the artwork on each of our campervans and in our experience, our hirers genuinely enjoy it too. You will be part of the Escape Whanau (Maori for ‘family’) and will experience positive and friendly interaction with other travelers and locals because the artwork. Besides, our campers are so much ‘cooler’ than the stock- standard white motorhomes offered by other companies (fridges anyone?).

There are certain times of the year when we do have minimum hire periods in place. It does vary and below is a guideline only:   1 April to 31 October - The minimum rental period for return hires (Auckland to Auckland or Christchurch to Christchurch ) is 7 days. A 10 day minimum hire applies for one way hires. 1 November to 15 April - The minimum rental period for return hires (Auckland to Auckland or Christchurch to Christchurch ) is 10 days. A 16 day minimum hire applies for one way hires.  We try to be flexible with these minimum requirements, so if you’re on a tight schedule, contact us and we’ll see what we can do.

The price of fuel is constantly changing, but as at April 2010, it was about NZ$1.80 per litre for 91 unleaded petrol (all of our vehicles use 91 unleaded petrol). As a general rule, it's approximately 40% cheaper than fuel prices in the UK or Europe. Feel free when enquiring to ask the current price if you are working out a fuel budget.

No. Our costs include everything.

Generally you only need snow chains if you are going to be skiing in New Zealand. However, if you are travelling in the middle of winter and bad weather is forecast for an alpine pass that you may be travelling, then it may be handy to have them. Snow chains are required by law to travel on the Milford Rd between July and October. Escape can provide chains for a one off fee of $25.

You most certainly will. All our campers have heaters and two warm winter duvets. It’s a good idea to leave a window open just a fraction (say 1cm) to remove any moisture/humidity. This will assist with the warmth.

Yes, we hire Picnic tables, TV's, GPS navigation units, DVD's, mobile phones, BBQ's, Solar showers, Snow chains and Child seats. Click here to check more accessories out.

In New Zealand we drive on the left hand side of the road. The Land Transport New Zealand website has a page dedicated to informing overseas drivers about New Zealand driving laws. For more information, click on the following link. http://www.nzta.govt.nz/licence/residents-visitors/driving-nz.html