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I love driving. My happy place is on the road, music up as I take in the sights of this beautiful country. So when Wilderness asked me if I would like to trial one of their vehicles on a roadie, I was packing before you could say ‘motorhome’.

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.

The New Zealand government has made a commitment to playing our part in reducing the impact of climate change by significantly reducing CO2 emissions. One of their initiatives is to reduce vehicle emissions by incentivising the importation of low emission vehicles.

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.

Cost is usually top of the list for most people when they’re thinking about which motorhome is best suited to them, so it makes sense to ask the question, “Should I buy second-hand and save upfront, or pay more now and enjoy the benefits of an unused vehicle?”

“Price is a key consideration for buyers and this is usually what steers them toward either new or used,” says Wilderness Motorhomes (formerly SmartRV) marketing director Mary Hamilton. “But this does need to be balanced out by other key factors such as layout suitability, ongoing costs, and overall quality.”

“If you look at the market as a whole in New Zealand, there is a bigger market for used than for new. And of course, the market is experiencing unprecedented demand right now due to people not being able to travel internationally.”

Mary says that Wilderness Motorhomes, who sell both new and ex-rental motorhomes, do sell more new than used vehicles, but that’s more to do with supply. “With used sales, we sell only what’s coming off our rental fleet, but we could sell a lot more secondhand if we had them available.”

While motorhome insurance is similar to car insurance, there are a few things worth getting clued up on before choosing a provider for your shiny new motorhome. We’ve created this ultimate guide to motorhome owners’ insurance to help you better understand motorhome insurance so that you can choose the best provider and policy for you and your circumstances.

Important Information for Owners of European Motorhomes

Stories in the media about an inspection requirement change from NZTA | Waka Kotahi have caused considerable concern for many motorhomes owners. A few motorhome and horse truck owners have had issues when taking their vehicle for a regular compliance inspection. The inspector has asked for proof that the vehicle is compliant with the cab modification rule and these owners have been unable to present the necessary proof - so the certificate of fitness (CoF) was not renewed.