FAQ & USEFUL INFO
 

DRIVER LICENCES

We require all drivers to:

• Be 18 years of age or older if hiring an EPIC Original camper or 21 or older if hiring an EPIC+ camper.

• Have a current drivers licence. Suspended, or sanctioned licences are not accepted, however a restricted or provisional (P) licence is acceptable, provided you are at least 18 /21 years of age and drive within the terms of your licence.

Licences from English speaking countries are accepted without any supporting documentation.  These countries include: New Zealand, Australia, USA, United Kingdom, Ireland and relevant parts of Canada.

If you are from a Non English speaking country you will require the following to legally drive in New Zealand:

• Your drivers licence

• Either an International licence or a certified English translation of your home licence. We recommend Transnational for certified translations in New Zealand - you can arrange this here : www.driverlicencetranslation.co.nz

** Please ensure you do this prior to your arrival at our depot as you will not be able to collect your campervan until we have your correct licence ** 

Please also ensure that you have spent some time understanding the local driving conditions and road rules, it can be tricky driving in a new environment and we want everyone to have an amazing experience in their EPIC Camper!

For more information on driving safely in New Zealand please click here to visit Drive Safe New Zealand’s website.

PICK-UP/DROP-OFF INFO

In Auckland we are based a short 8 minute taxi from the airport (52 Ascot Road, Mangere, 2022). We recommend using Uber to get to us.

In Christchurch we are a 15 min drive from the airport, at 186B Ohohka Road, Kaiapoi, 7630. We recommend using Uber to get to us.

If you are driving to us, you are welcome to leave your car at either location for the duration of your trip.

Our opening hours are below:

• 9am to 5pm Mon-Fri, 10am-3pm Sat-Sun and public holidays

• Our latest pick up time is 4pm (or 3pm on weekends / public holidays) and latest drop off is 3pm unless agreed beforehand

• We are not open on Christmas day, and are open for drop offs only on New Year’s Day

If you would like to pickup or drop off outside of these hours, we will try our best to accommodate you, so please ask.

If your flight arrives after 2:30pm we recommend you spend your first night in a hotel near the airport and collect the van the next day as you'll save a day's rental fee and allows for any delays. If you’ve had a long flight you will probably be craving a shower and some sleep! Check out Booking.com for the best local hotel options.

FREEDOM CAMPING

Freedom camping or free camping is the practice of putting up tents or parking up campervans in areas not designated for camping. Free camping typically means that freedom campers cannot access facilities such as clean drinking water, toilets (either flushing or long drop) and waste disposal facilities. 

Freedom camping is not illegal in New Zealand, but local bye-laws can specifically restrict it in certain areas and free campers not complying with notices can be fined. Signs will usually indicate where you are not allowed to camp. To be certain about local camping guidelines, we recommend you ask at an i-SITE information centre, Department of Conservation visitor centre or holiday park before you stop for the night. 

Travelling in a Fully Certified Self Contained EPIC Camper allows you the freedom to travel as you please. We do ask that you respect the environment and camp responsibly by doing the following:

• Ensure you don't camp anywhere that it's not permitted

• Empty your waste water tanks and toilet only at a special dumpstation. Most campsites will have one and there are also many public ones around the country. A list of these can be found here

• Try to camp near toilet facilities (i.e don't use the side of the road or the bush)

More information on freedom camping can be found here and here.

To compliment freedom camping, we recommend getting a Dept of Conservation campsite pass for $95 NZD per person, which gives you up to 30 nights at 160 different nature campsites around NZ. Many of these have hot showers and other facilities and so offer great value.

FERRY CROSSINGS (save 10% with BlueBridge!)

If you are looking for the dimensions of our vans because you’re booking a ferry crossing with Bluebridge, please book it under the ‘car/van/ute< 5.5meters’ category. We partner with these guys and can hook you up with a nice 10% discount on your ferry crossing, after you’ve booked your camper.

If you are looking for the registration number of your campervan then please use LNM797 for now as we are not able to confirm this until just before you pick up your camper. Ferry companies are used to this with rentals so will be fine to update the registration later on.

WHAT'S IN THE BOX

Our campers come pre-loaded with just about everything you’ll need on your trip. Check out our EPIC Original and EPIC+ info pages for the full list of included and optional extras, as well as vehicle specifications.

PREPARING FOR YOUR TRIP

• Please ensure you have checked your licence is valid and you have an english translation or international licence if required (as per above).

• Please ensure your credit card has enough funds available to pay for your chosen insurance option and bond.

• Please ensure sure you have taken some time to learn about driving in New Zealand - you can find some useful information here.

• There is plenty of storage in the campers for soft or small luggage, and large suitcases are ok to bring but not ideal. You are welcome to leave any luggage with us for the duration of your trip to give you more space in the van.

MISC

• How does the dual battery system work? There are two batteries in our campervans. The regular 12v car battery and the 12v leisure battery. The leisure battery powers the fridge, USB sockets, lights and water pump and gets charged up by the alternator whenever you’re driving or running the engine. Our campers need to be driven at least every other day for at least 2.5 hours in order to keep the battery charged up enough to keep everything going.

• Does the camper require a powered site? No, there is no electric hookup on either of our vehicle types, just a leisure battery which charges up when you drive. We can supply a camping power lead ($50 total) which will give you a mains power socket at a powered site. If you plan to stay at the same campsite for more than 2 nights (or 3 nights in the EPIC+) without driving much, we recommend booking a powered site and getting the power lead as it will let you plug in the fridge to the mains and avoid running out of leisure battery in the camper.

• How does the van perform in winter? Pretty well, especially in the North Island where winters are fairly mild. Down south up in the high country when temps get very low at night, it can be pretty chilly so you’ll need to be well prepared. We recommend getting the winter kit and being prepared to book into a powered campsite if it does get very cold so you can fire up the heater. The EPIC+ is especially well setup for winter, with an insulated roof, thermal curtains and inside cooking option.

• How much storage space is there inside? In the EPIC Original there are two storage spaces under the bed, as well as the gap between the two benches, as well as of course on top of the bed / benches. Most people put luggage on or under the bed when driving and transfer to the cab when camping. In the EPIC+ there is a lot more space in front of the bed on the floor, as well as an extra storage cupboard down the side. If you have lots of extra gear for activities, e.g Surf / Dive / Bike etc, we recommend getting the Roof top storage box which gives you 450L of extra space and frees up your space inside the van for living.

• Will I be shown how to use everything before I get let loose on the road? Yes, 100%. We always do a very thorough handover to ensure you fully understand how to use the camper and get the most out of your trip. We are also available via Whatsapp / SMS / phone throughout your trip for any queries / issues. This is one of the key ways we deliver a superior customer service.

• Can the van be driven on the ferry between North and South Islands? Yes 100%. We highly recommend doing this if you have at least 2 weeks for a one way trip, or 4 weeks for a round trip.

• Can the vans take an infant car seat? If your child is old enough to go in a front facing car seat (2+) then they can travel in the passenger seat of our standard EPIC Original campers. If your child is in a rear facing seat they must travel in the EPIC+ campervan only. This van also has 3 seats with seatbelts allowing for 2 adults and a child, whereas the EPIC Original has 2 seatbelts only.

• Can you offer pick ups / drop offs in Queenstown, Wellington, Nelson, Hamilton or Picton? No, unfortunately we are a very small company and are only set up to operate in Auckland and Christchurch.

• Are your campervans certified self contained for freedom camping under the latest 2024 rules? We are pleased to announce that yes both our EPIC+ and EPIC Original campers are now certified self contained under the new rules! The rules now require a permanently fixed toilet, which comes as standard in the EPIC+. In the Originals these will be installed and certified before Dec 7th 2024.