SE Asia Villa Rentals for Ex-pats
In the wake of Cook, Columbus & Magellan · Aotearoa New Zealand
Two Islands. One Experience.
Hand-finished Fiat Ducato Maxi campers with a private bathroom, a large Thule awning and 400 watts of solar. Collected at Auckland Airport, returned in Auckland or Christchurch.
In the wake of the navigators
Every great journey began with a chart and a curiosity
Columbus crossed an ocean on a guess. Magellan kept going until the world closed behind him. Cook drew this coastline so precisely that his outline is still recognisable today. You are following the same instinct — with a hot shower, a Thule awning and no scurvy.
Genoa for Spain · 1451–1506
Christopher Columbus
Sailed west with no chart at all. Your route is rather better documented — but the feeling on the first morning is the same.
Portugal for Spain · 1480–1521
Ferdinand Magellan
The first circumnavigation. Ours takes thirty days, keeps to sealed roads and returns you to Christchurch in one piece.
Portugal · 1460–1524
Vasco da Gama
Rounded the Cape to open a new world of trade. You will round Cape Rēinga, where two oceans meet in a visible line of surf.
Great Britain · 1728–1779
James Cook
Charted this entire coastline in 1769. His outline of Aotearoa hangs behind every page of this website.
France · 1741–1788
Jean-François de La Pérouse
The great French navigator of the Pacific, sent to finish what Cook began. Ambition, elegance and a good table on board.
Netherlands · 1603–1659
Abel Tasman
First European to sight these islands, in 1642. The golden bays that carry his name are week four of the grand circuit.
“Ambition leads me not only farther than any other man has been before me, but as far as I think it possible for man to go.”
The vehicle
Quietly capable, immaculately finished
A white and black Ducato Maxi built for long, slow travel. The Thule awning opens a second living room within a minute, and the 400 watt solar array keeps you off grid for days at a time.
- Vehicle
- Fiat Ducato Maxi
- Sleeps
- Two adults, one child
- Bathroom
- Private shower & toilet
- Awning
- Large Thule wind-out
- Power
- 400 watt solar array
- Fleet
- Two identical vans
Layout
Every metre considered
Saloon bed
A full width bed across the rear, made up each evening from the saloon seating.
Child's berth
A dedicated child's bed with a belted travel seat behind the driver on the right hand side.
Private bathroom
Enclosed shower and toilet, so no campsite is ever a compromise.
Collection & return
Land in Auckland. Finish wherever the road ends.
Collection — Auckland Airport
Met on arrival and handed over in person.
Return — Auckland
No additional charge.
Return — Christchurch
One way fee of $750 for leaving the van in the South Island.
Routes of discovery
The coastline, region by region
Cook charted this coast in three years. You have a week, three weeks or a month — and far better coffee. Every day is planned at four hours of driving or less, so the road stays a pleasure and the discovering happens outside the van.
The Northern Discovery
Auckland · Coromandel · Bay of Plenty · Northland
A first taste of Aotearoa — kauri forest, the wild west coast and the long golden arc of the Bay of Islands. Never more than four hours behind the wheel.
Open a day for the adventure and where the locals eat
The local atlas
Know where to linger
Explore our town guides for the coffee, the tables and the detours worth making.
North Island / South Island
The road has many stories.
Pick a city for its top ten, its no-go list and the mistakes travellers wish they had avoided.
Each city opens its own guide: top ten places, things to avoid, and the mistakes to skip.
Rates
$185 / day
Ten percent comes off the daily rate on any journey of more than fifteen days — $167 a day on our 21 and 30+ day expeditions. A one way fee of $750 applies when the van is left in Christchurch. Two identical vans are available, so travelling parties can book together.
Booking enquiry