Summer is when New Zealand is at its best, brightest and most eventful. It’s the time of year when everything is accessible — from sand to surf and swimming to road trips.
In this blog, we highlight ten reasons to consider touring NZ by motorhome this summer, including long days and daylight hours, summer events and festivals, hiking, beach weather and watersports.
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1. Long summer days
One thing New Zealand summers have going for them in abundance is the long, long hours of sunlight.
The summer solstice occurs around the 20th of December, marking the longest day of the calendar year. This makes December, January and February the best months to travel NZ by motorhome because the most sunlight is available.
At this time of year, there are more than 15 hours of daylight, with the sun rising around 5:45am and setting close to 9pm. The further south you travel, the later natural light will linger. For instance, you may still have light close to 11pm in Mount Aspiring National Park.
Longer days with more daylight hours mean greater opportunities to:
- Maximise sightseeing — to see attractions and visit a few locations every day
- Explore — the places where you pull over or park up your RV
- Take your time travelling — from one campsite to the next
- Drive your motorhome hire further in daylight — rather than risk being on unknown roads after sunset.
Learn how easy it is to drive a Wilderness motorhome.
2. Summer events and festivals
Image by WellingtonNZ and Celeste Fontein
Summer is the season for events — when cities host concerts and festivals, towns organise cultural activities and villages showcase their village markets.
The warmer weather and later evenings invite locals and tourists to participate in whatever’s happening. By renting a motorhome or campervan, you’ll have the freedom to easily attend these events — especially the more difficult-to-reach ones in rural areas.
Here are some stand-out summer events and festivals in New Zealand for motorhome travellers.
Christmas at the Bowl
Mid-December sees New Plymouth’s Bowl of Brooklands come to life with a Christmas variety show. The event is catered to families who want to bring a picnic and enjoy a great evening of yuletide entertainment.
The event is community-run, and donations are gratefully accepted as they go towards the local community.
Christmas in the Park
New Plymouth isn’t the only place to host Christmas shows. Many towns and cities across the country have some Xmas festivities — and it’s no surprise that Auckland is one of them with its annual Christmas in the Park event.
It takes place at Auckland Domain in early December. If you’re flying into the country around that time, organise your campervan hire in Auckland and stay for the event.
If you’re thinking about December travel, learn how to celebrate Christmas in a campervan in New Zealand.
Waitangi Day celebrations
Although some form of celebration happens in various parts of New Zealand on this national holiday, the place to be is the Bay of Islands. The small town of Waitangi is a focal point — with a free festival on the Waitangi Treaty Grounds.
For a look into the cultural heritage of how New Zealand became the country it is today, these treaty grounds are a must-visit at any time of year. However, it’s an extra special place during the country’s national holiday.
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The meaning of Waitangi
New Zealand’s national day is Waitangi Day on February 6. This day commemorates the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the country’s founding document — officially establishing a relationship between Māori and the British Crown.
The treaty’s first signatures were made in the small town of Waitangi. |
Art Deco Festival
Image by Art Deco Trust
February sees Napier come alive to showcase its iconic Art Deco. It’s a primary part of the city’s heritage, mostly rebuilt following a devastating earthquake in 1931.
The Art Deco Festival offers plenty — from vintage cocktail evenings to classic films and top jazz concerts to fashion on show.
Marlborough Wine & Food Festival
Image by Marlborough Wine and Food Festival
Sample Marlborough’s finest Sauvignon Blanc and world famous green-lipped mussels at the trendy Marlborough Wine and Food Festival. These days, there are 160 wine companies involved in the festival — quite a number compared to when it began in 1985.
Plan to be travelling by motorhome in the top of the South Island in early February and you may be able to join in the fun.
Rhythm and Vines
Image by Gisborne Herald and Tairāwhiti Gisborne
This hugely popular three-day music festival held annually in Gisborne on the east coast of the North Island was founded in 2003 — and continues to go strong.
The camp at Rhythm and Vines opens on December 28th, and the music plays until the sun rises on New Year's Day. The festival promotes itself as the first in the world to see the first sunrise of the new year.
Rhythm and Alps
The South Island’s equivalent to see in the New Year is Rhythm and Alps. Hosted in the Cardrona Valley between Wānaka and Queenstown, this music festival covers two days until New Year’s Eve.
The bill is usually full of local musicians — though foreign artists are also often involved. A South Island road trip at this time of year wouldn’t be complete without attending Rhythm and Alps.
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Eventfinda
For all things fun, eventful and festive over the New Zealand summer, sign up to Eventfinda.
Considered the ultimate source of everything going on around the country, this website has information and tickets to gigs, festivals, exhibitions, performing arts, workshops and sports events.
With a New Zealand motorhome rental, you can reach out-of-the-way summer events. |
3. Extended hike and bike days
Whether your outdoor hobby is biking, kayaking, swimming, walking, surfing or hiking, the New Zealand summer brings longer days for spending more time doing what you love outdoors. You’ll also have more time to visit NZ’s top national parks.
By planning well, you can find opportunities to complete long day hikes — particularly multiday walks where you may want to sample a lot of the trail over one day. Likewise, New Zealand has many exciting cycle trails across the North Island and South Island.
With the extra daylight summer provides you can ride much more of the trail than you initially thought.
Take a look at our blog on the best hikes and walks for your campervan hire holiday.
4. Beach weather
New Zealand has about 15,000km of coastline with an abundance of accessible beaches. You’ll find long stretches of white and golden sand, black sand beaches created from past volcanic activity, surf beaches and hidden coves with secluded beaches.
The best time of the year to fully experience the country’s beaches is in summer.
The sea water can be a little chilly year-round but summer brings warmer ocean temperatures which are more inviting for taking a dip. There are infinite opportunities for swimming, sunbathing, surfing, rock jumping and building sandcastles with the family.
See which New Zealand beaches are in our top five.
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A national pastime
One activity you’ll see on sandy playgrounds throughout the summer is beach cricket.
It’s perhaps best described as the quintessential national summer hobby. Wherever folk have gathered together on the beach to enjoy the sun, sand and food, there’ll likely be a plastic cricket bat and a tennis ball.
Wickets can be anything from a chilly bin to a few pieces of driftwood to a lazy beach chair. There aren’t usually many rules, but competition can get humorously lippy. |
5. Fresh summer produce
A plethora of seasonal summer produce makes travelling New Zealand by recreational vehicle in the hotter months extra enjoyable. Roadside stalls selling everything from fruit, veggies, honey and eggs — and an increase in farmers’ markets — mean you can gather food directly from the source for your motorhome-cooked meals.
More so than any other season, summer is when you can mostly avoid the supermarket if you plan your meals and shopping well.
Read our article on the best farmers’ markets to visit on your New Zealand campervan trip — then see our top tips for cooking on the road in your motorhome.
6. Warm evenings
Autumn and spring can’t always be relied upon to provide warm, still evenings for enjoying the outdoors after a full day of adventuring. Winter isn’t exactly outdoor-friendly after dark either — as the cold starts to set in.
That just leaves summer, when much of New Zealand usually experiences mild evening weather with the warmest temperatures of the year.
Relaxing outdoors by your motorhome rental will also often mean cooking outside. Choosing an RV with a portable barbecue is the perfect way to blend into a Kiwi summer with the locals.
Commercial campgrounds are also more likely to have cafés, beachfront bars and restaurants open into the evening in summer — and closed during the cooler months.
Be sure to stay safe while having fun in the New Zealand summer.
7. High sunshine hours
You can depend on more consistent weather over summertime than the other three seasons — so a summer vacation is ideal for adventures in New Zealand’s great outdoors.
The advantages of travelling by motorhome on a NZ summer journey are:
- High sunshine hours — summer gets the most sun, with many regions averaging between six and eight hours a day
- Long days — of early sunrises and late sunsets
- Hot temperatures — average high temperatures increase by five to 15 degrees Celsius depending on where you are in the country.
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The heat of summer
The North Island has milder winters and warmer summers than the South.
North Island summers can be five to ten degrees higher than winter. South Island summers have a larger difference — between ten and fifteen degrees more than winter.
Inland areas, especially in the south, tend to have significantly hotter summers than the colder months. |
8. Treats of summer
Summer and treats go hand-in-hand in most countries, and New Zealand is no different. A traditional Kiwi summer comes with the prospect of indulging in a few treats that are hard or impossible to get during other seasons. A few examples include:
- Fresh berries — pick your own widely available strawberries, raspberries, blueberries and blackberries, or just buy some for snacking, as breakfast toppings or in ice cream flavours
- Seafood — a fired-up barbecue serving some fresh seafood like snapper, mussels, cod and scallops make summer camping holidays a special time
- Whitebait patties — a true Kiwi delicacy, these tiny fish are only allowed to be caught in spring, so summer is the ideal time to try a traditional whitebait pattie
- Stone fruit — with harvesting in January and February, local stone fruit such as peaches, nectarines, plums and apricots are ready to eat in late summer.
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Tastes like a Kiwi summer
New Zealand is at the top of the list of countries that consume the most ice cream annually. The United States and Australia come in a distant second and third.
Kiwis have taken the gold medal for ice cream consumption by devouring 28.4L per person yearly. Their favourite flavour is vanilla, followed by a local classic you may want to try — hokey pokey.
If you’re in Auckland for a few days and ice cream is your go-to summer treat, book a tour with one of the country’s oldest ice cream brands — Tip Top. |
9. Vibrant photography colours
Most of us enjoy taking photos or videos on our travels, with varying degrees of ability and success. If you’re serious about photography, the golden light of NZ summer's early morning and late evening is not to be missed.
The landscapes are alive with the colours of summer and are waiting to be captured digitally. Birdlife and sealife are more active in the warm summer weather — providing you with greater opportunities to take pictures of endemic kea, tuatara, weta, NZ fur seals and Hector’s dolphins.
Check out these top five South Island photo locations.
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Landscape photography in New Zealand
Breathtaking landscapes can make incredible photography. When planning your NZ shots, aim to use the golden hour — utilising the soft, warm light during sunrise and sunset to capture the incredible scenery.
Also, be ready for rapid weather changes, which can cause dramatic cloud formations. Stunning skyscapes can make for some magical images, though expect photos with stronger contrast as New Zealand’s sunlight is intense.
Consider packing a wide-angle lens to help capture the vastness of the land — and play around with long exposures to snap cloud or water movement. |
10. Watersports
Look no further than the land of the long white cloud for a summer watersports paradise. The mainly calm waters and longer hours of daylight are ideal conditions for watersports like:
- Paddleboarding — stand up paddleboards (SUPs) are becoming increasingly popular
- Surfing — at prime surf spots like Piha, Raglan, Whangamatā, Taylor’s Mistake and St Kilda
- Kayaking — sea kayaks are often for hire at popular summer beach locations
- Sailing — the sport is well supported in NZ, and there are many coastal places where you can jump on a hire sailboat, most notably in the Bay of Islands and Auckland
- Diving — the fantastic Poor Knights Islands is the country’s most famous diving location, and there are also plenty of snorkelling spots like Goat Island and Tāwharanui
- Fishing — look to where the locals are casting a line from the shore and follow their advice.
FAQs for travelling New Zealand by motorhome in summer
We answer some common queries about having a campervan or motorhome holiday in New Zealand over the summer months.
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Plan your New Zealand motorhome adventure with our range of road trip itineraries. |
