Jucy Snooze Christchurch, Wilderness Campervan & Castle Hill New Zealand

On our 1st day, we reached Christchurch around 8pm local time and we stayed at Jucy Snooze Christchurch which is about 10mins walk from the domestic terminal. It is a hostel but we opted for the double bedroom with private bathroom.

The hotel is clean and check-in was a breeze. There is a huge common space whereby you can cook & chill.

Happy faces albeit tired from the long travelling

The double room is small, but enough to rest our tired body from the long flight + domestic flight.

There is a supermarket just opposite the hostel and within 5 mins walk there is KFC & Mcdonalds. this place is perfect if you touched down at night and wanted a convenient place to sleep in. 

We paid about RM285 a night for double room with private bath.

The next day, Wilderness sent a van over to pick us up to their office to collect our home for the next 13 days. The process took us about 40mins, whereby they will brief you on the how-tos and what-nots.

We were so excited and off we went to our 1st destination : Castle Hill. The place is a location for the movie 'The Chronicles of Narnia'.

Us with the Castle Hill & snowy mountain backdrop

Along the drive from Christchurch to Castle Hill, we were awed by the scenery and the snowy mountains. and after a while, we got used to the views as it was quite identical all around New Zealand #firstworldproblem

We then drove over to Arthur's Pass and stayed the night at a Freedom Campsite. Do take note that only self-contained vehicle can park at Freedom Campsite. Self-contained meaning there's toilet & bath in the campervan or vehicle. 

We were quite afraid when we stayed overnight as there is no other vehicle and it was pitch black. But after awhile, it was alright and we fell asleep instantly from all the driving.

If you need to find a place to overnight, you can try  Jackson Retreat & Holiday Park (NZD 26 +/-) or Mt.White Bridge Freedom Campsite (we wanted to stay here, but we could not find it from our GPS) I got to know about the amazing and beautiful campsite from polkadotpassport.com, the photos she took from here roadtripping in NZ is amazing.

Lake Tekapo - Shoreline Freedom Campsite (source: polkadotpassport)

Lake Wanaka - Lake Outlet Holiday Park (source: polkadotpassport)

Queenstown - Remarkable Road Freedom Campsite  (source: polkadotpassport)

Queenstown - Lake View Holiday Park (source: polkadotpassport)

New Zealand - Self Drive 14 Days Itinerary (North & South Island)

If you are planning to visit New Zealand, you have made the right choice. It is a beautiful country with endless scenery and nice people. To enjoy both island you will need at least a 3-4 weeks to enjoy both island at the fullest.

As for us, we had only 2 weeks  to tour both North & South Island in New Zealand. But, we had to, as we flew into Auckland via Airasia (back in 2018), fyi: Airasia no longer fly NZ as of now.

We had a bittersweet experience during our New Zealand trip.

1. We flew our 1st transit (stop at Gold Coast)
2. Our 1st camper van experience

3. We got robbed in a safe country like NZ (more on that later)
4. 1st time eating the yummy Bluff Oyster

5. Witnessed the Milky Way & managed to get a picture of it with our humble mobile phone (HuaWei), of course cannot compare with those taken with professional cameras ya, this is taken with mobile phone and a simple mini tripod.

6. I fell down twice at camp site, due to my own careless-ness, luckily my backbone is still alright
7. We rode the Sky Swing at Rotorua, North Island

Before I go into the details for our NZ Winter trip, below is the itinerary for our 14 days New Zealand North & Island winter trip:

Total Spent for 1 person: RM 7,100

Cost breakdown (2 person):
Flight to KL-Auckland                                 = RM 2,800+  [2x30kg & quiet zone seats]
Domestic Flight Auckland-Christchurch)    = RM    752
Hotel (Jucy Snooze Christchurch - 1 night) = RM    285
Camper van 13-days (5 seater)                     = RM 4,100*
Camp sites, grocery, petrol, etc                    = RM 6,100

Camper van costs include full excess & ship from Christchurch-Auckland

Our 14 days self-drive itinerary

We missed the Milford Sound & most of the hiking trails, as we are not fit & lazy. Also, our itinerary is quite packed as we covered both islands in the span of 14 days. Some of the travellers we met, spent 14 days touring only the South Island.

Day 1: Reached Auckland in the evening & stayed at Jucy Snooze Christchurch Hotel
Day 2: Take Camper van (Wilderness Christchurch) - Castle Hill- Arthur Pass
Day 3: Arthur's Pass - Fox Glacier - walk to Lake Matheson (1.5 hours walk)
Day 4: Fox Glacier - Wanaka - Rippon Vineyard (wine tasting)
Day 5: Wanaka - Queenstown
Day 6: Wanaka Snow Farm - Lake Tekapo
Day 7: Lake Tekapo - The Church of the Good Shepherd - Astro Café - Christchurch
Day 8: Christchurch - Hanmer Springs
Day 9: Hanmer Springs - Picton
Day 10: Picton - Wellington
Day 11: Wellington - Taupo
Day 12: Taupo - Hobitton (Matamata) - Rotorua
Day 13: Skyline Rotorua
Day 14: Auckland - KL