Charles Kulins
North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Russell ▷
5.0/5
Quite a bit off the beaten track and well worth a visit.
Love to learn the history of the area while taking in most awesome panoramic vistas. The tracks are well maintained.
North Island ▷ Auckland Region ▷ Auckland ▷
5.0/5
Absolutely the only way to see the real NZ is in a motorhome hire from Wilderness.
Everything was top notch from the pick-up and familiarization with the vehicle to the drop off return. Of course the real experience was everything in between. the camper was clean and stocked with all necessities needed to get on the road. If you are going motor home camping with four adults the Wilderness Peak 4 is the way to go.
First off It had a huge storage compartment that handled 4 big suitcases, 2 surf boards, 4 fishing rods, snorkel gear for four as well as hiking boots, a small BBQ, 4 camp chairs, and boxes of liquid refreshments!
The Camper drove like a dream. The powerful 2.3L turbo diesel engine had plenty of torque to handle the many hills of the NZ Northland and is very fuel efficient. It handled corners well for a high profile vehicle and was easy to turn into tight spaces and back in with the back up camera. It had a stove, oven, fridge and freezer to handle all of our meal needs as well as a sink for clean up. The shower / toilet combo worked well and produced plenty of hot water for quick showers.
All four adults slept comfortably with 2 single beds in the back and a drop down double bed above the dining table. There was plenty of ventilation with screens that also let in lots of light during the day.
We toured the Northland covering 1400 KM in eight days using entirely basic freedom camping sites. One minor draw back of that style of travel is the fridge needs LP gas or 240v hook up to work best. Since we never stayed at real camp facilities we relied only on LP-gas which must be turned off when driving. We found freezing foods first worked well to keep fresh.
The only other minor issue was that the seats for the 2 adult passengers in the camper were not comfortable for long rides. That seat needs a little design change and maybe make the table easy to remove and stow out of the way when driving.
A campervan from Wilderness is a great choice to see NZ.
North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kaitaia ▷
5.0/5
Well worth the drive.
One of the most amazing places I have seen in nature. Reading and learning about the Maori people and culture gave the experience a personal, spiritual nature. Although it was very busy all visitor were respectful.
North Island ▷ Northland ▷ Kerikeri ▷
5.0/5
Rainbow Falls is a beautiful site to visit.
the walk is easy on well maintained tracks and walkways. Some of our group took the swim and climbed up behind the falls for a real upclose view. It had rained for three days prior to our visit and the water was really flowing. We got there early in the morning and had the entire place all to ourselves. it was very peaceful