We’ve been on the road in Aotearoa, New Zealand for almost 3 years now! In that time we’ve made our fair share of vanlife mistakes, we’ve also witnessed a fair few with other vans, particularly rentals. Most of these mistakes are pretty easy to avoid, too. You just need to know what to look out for.
We’ve come up with some handy little sayings to hopefully help you avoid making these mistakes when you’re out on your own vanlife adventures. Whether you are starting out as a full-time van-lifer like us, or you’re trying vanlife out as you trip around New Zealand on a holiday, these are 5 common vanlife mistakes you definitely want to avoid making yourself.
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Aw, Don’t Forget Your Awning!
The van awning is a great thing to have so you can sit shaded outside your van. We love ours and use it a lot. So the first point here is, don’t forget that you have an awning. Make sure you utilise it when sitting outside and admiring your freedom camp views! It’s also a great way of staking out a little extra space as your own next to your van.
But whilst we recommend using your awning as much as possible, we also recommend putting it away after every use! Done sitting outside for the day? Put your awning away!
We’ve seen rentals driving down the road with broken awnings way too many times, they aren’t cheap to fix either. It’s important you latch everything down before you drive away, or you’ll end up losing it. Another reason to always put your awning away is that they don’t do well in wind or rain. The wind can pick up quickly at night and rip your awning pretty easily.
Lots of rain is just as bad, as it will pool in the awning and weigh it down. Most rentals actually have signs next to the awnings telling you to put them away in bad weather! So use that awning as much as you can, just put it away every time you’re done sitting under it, and you won’t get caught out.
See A Bin? Then Put It In!
Catchy right?
Hopefully it helps you remember to utilise camp bins whenever you see them. Not all camp sites (especially freedom camps) will have bins for you to use. Even fewer will have recycling bins, which is what we end up needing the most. If you stay at a few places in a row without a bin, your rubbish and recycling can easily build up.
We empty our bins whenever we see one at a camp ground. Most of the time the bins are nowhere near full when we empty them, but it saves us from ever getting stuck with a full bin. No one wants to waste time actually looking for a rubbish bin to empty their rubbish into, so when you see one, use it.
This prevents you from adding rubbish to already full bins at camp grounds, too. When bins get too full they overflow, then you’re just littering and nobody wants to be that person. It’s also super helpful if you don’t have much waste in the first place.
For some tips on reducing your vanlife rubbish so you need bins even less, check out our blog post here.
You Won’t Be Constrained If You’re Self-Contained
Whether you’re renting or buying a van in Aotearoa, make sure that it’s self-contained. If you don’t have a self-contained vehicle, then you can’t freedom camp! If you can’t freedom camp then you’ll be constrained to staying in paid camp sites which gets expensive pretty quickly. Not only do you risk a fine if you freedom camp without self containment, you also risk not having a toilet.
People like to make out like that’s not a big thing, but when you see the state of some of the long drops out there, you’ll be super grateful for having your own clean toilet.
We’ve seen a few fines and arguments go down over not being self-contained, so make sure you don’t put yourself in that situation. It’s not too hard to be self-contained, and it’s worth it for the views you’ll get freedom camping.
For some great freedom camp spots in Aotearoa along with epic shots of the camps, check out our blog posts here and here, so you know what you’re missing out on if you aren’t self-contained. Trust us, paid camp grounds really aren’t all they’re cracked up to be, and they rarely have the good views.
Don’t Be Late To Your Freedom Date
Now that you’ve made sure you have self containment and can freedom camp, make sure you enjoy the views that come along with that too! It still astounds us how many people pull up to the best freedom camps when it’s dark. What’s even more baffling is these people tend to be the first ones to leave in the morning too!
The views at the freedom camps and Department of Conservation Camp grounds in New Zealand are incredible. The best part of camping in these spots is taking it slow and enjoying the views! Watching the sun set right next to your home whilst you enjoy a drink or even your dinner is so blissful. If you rock up super late to these camp grounds, not only do you risk not finding a spot, but you miss out on enjoying the view.
We honestly think relaxing in these spots is one of the greatest pleasures of vanlife in Aotearoa. Don’t miss that because you are trying to cram too much into your days. Go a little slower and enjoy it.
What’s The Haste To Vacate?
As important as it is to soak up the views at your camp site, you will eventually have to leave it. It’s important to take your time when you are leaving, too. We have seen so many things left at camp grounds because people are in a rush to get to the next spot. We have also been victim to forgetting to close all our roof vents or not closing our drawers properly.
When you start driving and draws aren’t closed, things go flying! So give yourself an extra five minutes to do what Nathan likes to call a ‘perimeter check’. Walk around the outside of your van making sure your step is put away, your gas is off, your awning is secure, and you’ve not left anything in the grass, this is a great time to clean up any rubbish you find too, even if it’s not yours, It’s important to leave our camp sites clean and tidy!
Once you’ve checked outside the van, do a quick once over inside as well. Ensure all your roof vents are put down, there are no loose items on the benches and that all your draws are securely closed. Once you’ve done this, you’re good to hit the road!
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
- Best New Zealand Freedom Camp Spots Close To Major Cities
- Campervan Essentials For Your Next Home on Wheels
- 10 Game Changing Vanlife Money Saving Tips
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