Apologies to any who have ties to Nebraska, but you know that feeling you get on a road trip when the road just goes on and on with nothing but wind-whipped plastic shopping bags stuck in a fence to break the monotony? Well, you won’t experience that in New Zealand.
Line up all of the national parks in the U.S.A. and drive through them one after the other and that’s what New Zealand is like. For instance, a typical 4 hour day’s drive is highlighted by a stop at a beach or a lake, another stop at a historic hotel for a bite, or a spectacular waterfall view at a pull off on the highway. The Blue Pools along the Haas Pass Highway
Thunder Creek Falls along the Haas Pass HighwayA typical road on New Zealand’s South Island, not much traffic!
And when you think it can’t get better, you’ll find sights like this at or near your campervan’s holiday park.
The campground view in Westland Tai Poutini National ParkSunset dinner right behind our freedom camp spot in Lake Taupo
The Kaiori Forest walk, behind the campground in Trounsen Kaiori Park Yes, you’re not traveling the huge distances like you do driving in the U.S.A. when you drive in New Zealand. A typical drive is 150-200 miles, and many of the miles are on curvy roads at slower than the posted 100 km per hour (60 mph). So the quest to drive 800 miles in a day to “get somewhere” just isn’t there, it’s more of a “the joy is in the journey” thing topped off by the great final destination.
