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So you’re thinking about buying your first motorhome. You’ll naturally be feeling anticipation and a buildup of excitement — awesome! Still, an RV is a significant purchase with ongoing maintenance costs so you’ll need to do your due diligence.

Consider what you want from a motorhome and how you want to use it. Then, browse our guide to find out what your ideal motorhome will cost up front and over time.

The past two years have spurred scores of new words, phrases and expressions. One of these terms that gets disproportionate coverage is supply chain issues.

One of the best parts of touring by motorhome, compared with touring by car, is being able to unpack your bags just once. Instead of unpacking each night when you arrive at your hotel and repacking again the next morning before you move on, you only need to repack your suitcase on the last day of your motorhome holiday.

Every industry has its own jargon and the motorhome industry is no different. As new innovations are rolled out, new terms enter the lexicon of motorhoming. We’ve created this quick reference of common motorhome specific terms to help you navigate the motorhome buying process with ease.

With such a huge array of campervans and motorhomes on the market, it’s hard to know where to start when you’re new to the game. Don’t be put off by unfamiliar terminology. After all, it’s not rocket science!

We will walk you through the main types of campervans and motorhomes available in New Zealand and the pros and cons of each so you can get one step closer to finding the one that will suit you and your lifestyle.

Every year, a small minority of imported motorhomes are brought into New Zealand by private buyers. Some of these buyers purchase a motorhome in the UK, take a European holiday, and then ship it back home afterwards. Others import their own motorhome to save costs. But the number of parallel imported motorhomes has declined in the past few years. We talked to a couple of motorhome owners about their DIY importing experiences to see if importing your own motorhome still stacks up.

Before you sink your hard-earned money into the purchase of a new motorhome, you’ll want to make sure that you have a place to store it that’s both secure and minimises the impacts of the elements on it. A lockable garage or shed is ideal or alternatively, a secure carport on your own property.

As a nation, New Zealanders are blessed with an abundance of natural beauty on our doorstep just waiting to be explored. Kiwi families have taken camping holidays in New Zealand’s idyllic landscapes for decades — many having grown up spending the summer tenting or caravanning at popular locations.

Camping earned a name for itself as a quintessential Kiwi holiday activity way back in the mid 1900s. Families would pack up their tents and camping gear and head somewhere scenic for the summer.

The closure of New Zealand’s borders due to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020 has precipitated a huge upheaval in the market. Since New Zealanders haven’t been able to indulge their love of international travel, they have taken to touring their own backyard in record numbers. Many Kiwis have decided to put the money they had intended to spend on international travel into the purchase of a new motorhome. This has caused unprecedented demand and put the industry under considerable stress.

Finding the right motorhome for your adventures can be tricky with all the different brands, specifications, features and layouts to choose from. In this article we’re touching on German vs New Zealand made motorhomes and taking a closer look at some of their key differences.

Europe is the world’s biggest market for motorhomes, but not every European motorhome is made to the same high standards. Within Europe, several German brands have built a global reputation for innovative design and exceptional comfort and reliability. The Erwin Hymer Group alone accounted for 26% of motorhome and caravan sales in Europe in 2019/20. They’re proven market leaders with a host of industry awards under their belt. Their brands Carado, Bürstner and HYMER are for sale in New Zealand at Wilderness. 



New Zealand manufacturers primarily produce motorhomes for the rental market, but there are several companies, such as TrailLite and the ALM Group, that make off-the-shelf motorhomes for the retail market. In addition to supplying its rental brands, Action Motorhomes also builds for the retail market. TrailLite has been in business for over 60 years and Action Motorhomes can draw on over 70 years of experience. 

Here’s what you need to know to work out whether a German or New Zealand made motorhome better suits your lifestyle. 

There are few topics that get motorhomers more animated than the question of whether owning a motorhome with an offside habitation door is a good idea or not. When European motorhomes were first imported into New Zealand around 2010, many motorhomers were concerned that having the habitation door on the offside was an accident waiting to happen. More than ten years later, these motorhomes are now mainstream and the safety concerns seem to have lessened.

In this article, we take a look at why motorhomes with offside doors are imported, address the safety and legality issues and weigh up the pros and cons of an offside entry door.