When in the mountains, take time to smell the roses. Queenstown is the ultimate starting point for a campervan trip in New Zealand. With alpine towns, lakes and picturesque campgrounds in every direction, you’ll love a van adventure in the deep South. What makes these road trips even better is the perfect van with quirks and character. Hand-built interiors with ingenious storage or bold and colourful vintage vans – there are plenty of unique campervans for hire in Queenstown on Camplify. Find a van to suit your needs and personality, and set off on a South Island road trip. It’s the recipe for making lifelong memories.
1. Terry
Flights into Queenstown land within sight of the Remarkables, and the temptation is to start driving straight away. Terry sits about ten minutes from the airport, so you can. This 2005 Toyota Alphard sleeps two, and the lounge folds down into your bed in a couple of minutes. The rear kitchen carries a 30-litre fridge, cooking utensils and a barbecue, so you eat wherever the view is best. A second battery runs seven USB points and an inverter, which keeps your cameras and phones alive. Terry is one of the pet-friendly campervans here, so your dog travels with you. Bedding, linen, towels and camping chairs are packed before you arrive, from around $176 a night.
2. Matilda
Queenstown’s streets get tight in summer and the lakefront car parks fill by mid-morning, which is where a small van earns its keep. Matilda is a compact 2011 Mazda Bongo automatic, easy to thread through town and simple to leave at a trailhead. Her double bed converts into a sitting and dining area, so you are not stuck outside when the weather closes in. The kitchen runs a sink with 25-litre fresh and grey water tanks, a gas cooker and a Yeti cooler. Heating and air conditioning cover both ends of a Southern Lakes year, and your outdoor kitchen sets up at the back. Camping gear is included and prices start around $139 a night.
3. Kōwhai
This little yellow kombi is a sight for sore eyes. Vintage and somewhat known around town, Kōwhai is a Queenstown campervan to rent for a memorable couple’s getaway. She is a pop-top 1975 VW Kombi, with a bright yellow paint job reminiscent of a kōwhai tree in flower. Your double bed comes made up with proper linen, and a vintage gas stove, a hand-pumped water tank and a Yeti cooler handle the cooking. A dual battery gives you off-grid power, and a record player sits on board alongside the Bluetooth stereo. She is an automatic too, which is rare in a Kombi. Her owner is honest about the pace, describing her as slow and a little old-fashioned but still full of charm. Plan shorter days behind the wheel and let the drive be the point.
4. Benteveo
Lake Hayes sits ten minutes from the airport, and the road around it is one of the prettiest starts to any South Island trip. That is where you collect Benteveo, a 2010 Nissan Caravan for two with green self-containment certification and a fixed toilet. Since 7 June 2026 the green warrant has been the only valid self-containment certificate in New Zealand, and every remaining blue card has expired. Freedom camping in a vehicle that is not certified carries a $400 infringement fee, and the notice attaches to the van rather than to the driver. Benteveo is equipped for the legal version, with 25 litres of fresh water, blackout curtains, a gas stove outside and a butane cooker for indoors. Unlimited kilometres come with your booking, from around $144 a night.
5. The Nimbus 2000
Winter changes the Southern Lakes completely, and a van that holds its warmth turns a cold snap into the best week of your trip. The Nimbus 2000 is a custom high-roof 2007 Toyota Hiace lined in cedar, which does more for the mood than strip lighting. Diesel heating keeps the cabin liveable when Coronet Peak has snow on it, and air conditioning handles the other half of the year. A 60-litre fridge, a gas cooktop and a dining setup mean you eat well without leaving the van. Solar panels feed a 12-volt system with charging points throughout. She sleeps two and prices start around $252 a night.
6. Milford the Luxury Mercedes
Some trips need room for everyone, and this is the motorhome that takes a family or two couples without anyone drawing straws. Milford is a 2019 Mercedes Sprinter with a Kea Platinum conversion, six berths and two separate lounge and dining areas. A fixed king bed sits above the cab and two more doubles convert in the rear, so nobody rebuilds beds at midnight. The kitchen runs gas and electric cooktops, a 130-litre fridge and a microwave, and the bathroom has a toilet and a gas-heated shower. Three solar panels, four house batteries and a diesel heater take care of alpine nights. It is fully self-contained, drives as an automatic and has a reversing camera. An awning, camp chairs and a 19-inch television come with it, from around $273 a night.
7. Barry the Biante
Queenstown is an expensive town, and every dollar you do not spend on a bed is a dollar for the gondola or a jet boat. Barry the Biante is the cheapest way onto the road here, starting just under $99 a night from Goldfield Heights. The 2012 Mazda Biante is an automatic using roughly 7 litres per 100 kilometres, so your fuel bill stays sensible over a long southern loop. Inside there is a 190 by 130 centimetre foam mattress and a rear kitchen with a dual-ring cooker and good cookware. His owner is a chef and leaves olive oil, salt, pepper and spices in the pantry, which saves you an awkward first supermarket shop. The listing describes him as self contained, with a fixed toilet under the bed base, and your linen is included.
8. Charlie
If you want the character of a VW without the temperament of a vintage one, Charlie is the sensible middle ground. This 2013 VW Transporter was converted in 2023, so the fit-out is recent even though the badge is old-school. The bespoke layout finds real storage in a small van, and your double mattress comes with a queen duvet rather than a sleeping bag. A twin gas stove and a cool box cover the cooking, and a 30-litre solar shower handles the rinse after the Routeburn. Pick-up is ten minutes from the airport, roadside assistance is included, and prices start near $228 a night.
9. Nomad Norman
The road out to Glenorchy is the one everyone remembers, and it rewards a van you are happy to drive slowly. Nomad Norman is a 2007 Toyota Hiace conversion built for two, and his owner calls him a cruiser that purrs like a cat. There is nothing showy in the way he is described, usually a good sign in a well-used van. He suits the unhurried version of a South Island trip, and prices start around $215 a night. Take the side roads, carry on past Glenorchy to the Kinloch turnoff, and let your day run late.
10. Glamper
Flying in and starting your trip the same afternoon is entirely possible, and Glamper makes it easier than most. Her owner collects you from the airport and drops you back at the end, removing the admin that eats an arrival day. She is a 2012 Toyota Hiace automatic based at Frankton, with a double bed, fridge, heating, solar and a compact kitchen built around a portable gas cooker. There is a toilet on board but no shower, so plan on holiday park facilities. The listing describes her as fully self-contained for two people, and notes that a third traveller means booking campsites instead. Take that seriously, because exceeding the occupancy your certificate covers carries the same $400 infringement as camping uncertified.
11. Billy the Biante
Billy is the second Biante on this list, collected from the same Goldfield Heights pick-up as Barry. The 2009 Mazda sleeps two on a new high-density foam mattress, with linen supplied. A double gas burner, a coffee plunger and a stocked kitchen box mean your morning works before anyone has spoken. His owner is upfront about one quirk: the mattress means the front seats do not fully recline, so if you are over 190 centimetres look at a taller van. A fire extinguisher, fire blanket and smoke detector are fitted, and the listing describes him as self contained. A reversing camera and a stereo round him out, from around $121 a night.
12. Lucky
The newest van here is also the most practical, which is not usually how a list of quirky campers ends. Lucky is a 2021 LDV Deliver 9 with genuine standing room, a separate seating area and a table you can properly sit at. Your double bed takes an optional third mattress, and the storage under it swallows bikes, skis or climbing gear. A 200-watt solar panel and a leisure battery run the full-sized fridge and your charging points, so a night off power is no drama. Dual stovetops, air conditioning and outdoor furniture come as standard. At 6.1 metres she is bigger than most here, so take the lakeside car parks slowly, from around $165 a night.
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