So, that's New Zealand pretty much done. We arrived on November 19th 2008 and leave on May 12th 2009. In almost six months of travelling around both islands, we have covered a total of 12,150 kilometres (nearly 7,600 miles) using 1,154 litres of petrol. We have stayed at 64 different campsites with an average cost per night for both of us of $26.78 - roughly £10 a night when we arrived but a little over £11 now given the decline in the pound.

We have spent 168 nights in our little camper, Blanche. The only two we missed were when we attended Pete and Jan's wedding and stayed at the lodge where it was taking place. The only problem we have had with Blanche was when the fuse which controls the cigarette lighter and radio failed - it was swiftly replaced. We would without hesitation recommend the Rental Car Village for anyone thinking of renting a van - their vehicles are excellent and the prices are far less than rivals such as Wicked or Escape.

Although it may have cost a little more, we are glad that we rented a camper. If we had bought, we would have had to have spent much of our final month trying to sell our van. From what we have seen it has changed from a seller's market when we arrived to a buyer's market now the main season has ended. Trying to sell in these conditions would have been difficult and costly.

In addition, we would have missed out on a lot in the North Island. We had been under the impression before we arrived that there was less to see and do in the North compared to the reportedly more lively and more scenic South. However, we have found that the North Island can more than hold its own on both counts.

Best things we've done

Tongariro Crossing A serious whole-day hike, but within the capabilities of all but the most unfit. We did it on a perfect clear day and were rewarded with spectacular views.

Skydiving We jumped in Queenstown for the scenery (lake and mountains) though other locations such as Taupo and Wanaka would probably be similar. I was worried because I don't like heights, but the sensation was nothing like falling and I never felt unsafe.

Wellington Sevens We were lucky to be in the capital at the right time, but the whole place seems to go mad and have a huge fancy dress pub crawl. We thoroughly enjoyed sitting with a large jug of beer watching the mayhem.

Oamaru penguins They are cute anyway and look like a cartoon, but we were particularly lucky that there was a seal lounging around and causing the penguins to act in a comical manner.

U-Fly Wanaka We got to take over the controls of a light sports aircraft for half an hour, manoeuvring it around the sky. Great sensation, fabulous views over Lakes Wanaka and Hawea.

Camp fire on the beach We did this at Whanarua Bay on the East Cape. Remarkably simple but calming and peaceful watching the sunset over White Island.

Our favourite campsites

The following are the sites which we would recommend strongly for a variety of reasons:

Russell Top 10 The most polished camp we stayed at. Good location in walking distance of the town and the beach, beautifully kept grounds, modern facilities including several free barbecues. Costly at $44 for a powered site for two people ($40 with a Top 10 card), but you get what you pay for.

Ahipara Backpackers & Motor Camp Nicely laid out, within a short walk of Ninety Mile Beach, good facilities, shop and takeaways available. Great atmosphere makes it particularly noteworthy and only $30 ($27 with a Kiwi card).

Whanarua Bay Beautiful location makes this a no-brainer. Showers and toilets are the only facilities, but camp right on the pebble beach, make a fire from the driftwood, open a beer and watch the sunset over White Island. Only negative is that it's the only camp we stayed at where you have to provide your own toilet paper!

Clive Motor Camp Useful location between Hastings and Napier plus an easy walk to beaches and marshes populated by many different bird species. Very tidy camp populated mainly by retired people who spend their time tending their roses and distilling their own whisky.

Guy Roe Reserve Off the beaten track and right on the edge of peaceful Lake Rerewhakaaitu between Rotorua and Taupo. It only costs $6 a night per site, not per person, and you even get a flushing toilet and drinking water for that. Take everything else, however, as there are no other facilities.

Kiwi Park, Murchison Charming camp where everything is perfectly ok. The selling point, however, is that it is attached to a farm and they do free shows including sheep shearing on summer evenings.

Our least favourite campsites

And these are the sites which we would NOT go back to:

Orongo Bay Located near Russell, we thought this would be quite classy. However, it was filthy with cobwebs in the communal room that had been there for months if not years. It's also expensive at $32.

Maclean Falls Ridiculously overpriced at $35 considering that you park in a glorified car park and the showers barely have any water. Admittedly very clean and the equipment is new, though there are no ovens.

Hampton Beach Cheap at $20 but deserves to be. A bare open field, old-fashioned facilities including some ancient electrics. Only saving grace is that it's right next to the beach near the Moeraki Boulders.

Aladdin Holiday Park (Whitianga) Another dirty and scruffy camp, overpriced at $30. No real redeeming features.

Shelly Beach Right on the waterfront, but you are quite literally in a car park and use the public toilets and showers 50 metres away. Unattractive and too much even at $16-20.

Reid's Farm Great location near the Huka Falls in Taupo and also free. So why wouldn't we go there? Because the long-drop toilets absolutely stink! On the other hand, if you have a van with its own toilets then it's fantastic value.

Top Tips

Campsite groups For a joining fee of $20-40, you get a 10% reduction when you stay at a particular group eg Top 10, Kiwi or Family Parks. It depends on how long you are staying for, but for long periods it is probably worth joining all three especially if you are also going to Australia as they all have their associated companies there. Top 10 sites are the most expensive and its card is the most costly at $40, but you get 10% off the Interislander ferry and if you take that in both directions then you have already paid for the price of the card.

Council run sites Some sites are at least partially controlled or run by local councils and these are nearly always cheaper than purely commercial camps. We haven't found a simple way of telling the difference but names which include words such as 'domain', 'camping ground' or even 'motor camp' often mean a cheaper price. Each council has a website which lists the camps in its territory but the prices are often out of date.

DOC sites Run by the Department of Conservation, they are usually at the more remote locations and generally have more basic facilities. You can get booklets listing every DOC site in the country at most iSites. On arrival, you are meant to self-register and drop your fee in a collection box. However, it is quite rare that anyone checks up on you and if caught then there is no penalty - you just have to pay for that night. We never did this, but it would obviously save a lot of money to 'forget' to pay.

Campsites (general) NZ campsites usually charge per person. This means that two people in a tent with power pay twice as much as a single person in a huge motorhome.

You are often encouraged to book ahead 'to avoid disappointment'. In reality, however, we only really found this necessary in the absolute peak period around New Year when we were in the popular holiday town of Queenstown. We were also unlucky for one night in Takapuna which is a small and popular camp on the edge of Auckland.

Campervan rental Watch out for large insurance excess premiums. Some companies look cheap, but the excess is large (up to $5,000) unless you pay an optional waiver fee which adds a lot to the overall bill.

Supermarket petrol vouchers Most large supermarkets offer 4c off a litre of fuel if you spend $40 or more. These are usually tied to a particular petrol station or chain, but Caltex give the discount for all supermarkets.

Pak 'N' Save is the cheapest supermarket in the country. It's no-frills, offers some excellent special offers and the fresh produce is as good as any of its rivals.

Books If you read a lot you don't have to buy a lot of books. Most camps have a system of book swapping and many towns have second hand bookshops which often do exchanges. Charity shops sell books extremely cheaply - which you can then use to swap for better ones at the camps.

Free food Particularly at the end of their holidays, people very often dump unwanted food (and other goods) at campsites. This most often occurs at camps near international airports such as Auckland and Christchurch. We picked up large amounts of food at Takapuna, near Auckland.

Medical care If you are 'ill' then you will have to pay for the cost of your treatment - and attempt to reclaim the cost from your insurers. If, however, you have an accident then NZ has a system called ACC which will pay for most of the costs even if you are an overseas tourist.

Phone cards There are many available offering extremely cheap overseas calls. Most of them, however, are only worth using from landlines as they charge a huge excess if used from a mobile. But if you buy a Vodafone SIM, you can get a Super Buzz Global card which allows you to call overseas very cheaply from your mobile. We called the UK for about 2p a minute.

Internet Overall NZ is lagging behind most western countries and 3G and mobile broadband is not yet worth bothering with. Most large camps offer internet (both wifi and kiosks), but it is often expensive especially for brief usage. However, we found a company called IAC which provides internet in many camps and which offers extremely good deals for long-term wifi subscriptions. We paid only $40 for 30 days.

Skype Calls to landlines within New Zealand are free.

iSites There is a huge network of tourist information centres in New Zealand and - perhaps unlike the UK - they are full of useful information and staffed by helpful and knowledgeable staff. We didn't bother with iSites initially, but came to appreciate them more as we went on.

Chocolate Cadbury's have a factory in Dunedin (which offers tours) but the recipe is different to that used in the UK - it seems much sweeter. Far better chocolate is Whittaker's which is usually a bit cheaper as well.

Beer Mac's and Monteith's are the best of the supermarket beers - much better than stuff like Speight's or Lion which are just cold and fizzy. Pubs sometimes sell boutique, or microbrewery beers, and these are well worth the extra money. Brewski is outstanding and all the beers at the Dux De Lux pubs in Christchurch and Queenstown are excellent.

Wine NZ wine is very good, but annoyingly isn't much cheaper than you get it in the UK! We found Villa Maria to be a good label, especially as Pak 'N' Save frequently sold it at about 60% of the normal price.

Diesel is a lot cheaper at the pumps than petrol though you have to pay a road user's charge on top. However, even taking this into account diesel appears to be significantly better value.

A last word.

When we arrived we weren't sure that we would enjoy living in a van on campsites, especially as we didn't have a toilet or shower on board. However, we have to say that we have absolutely loved the experience and we are planning to downsize even further in Australia - Our Shrinking World.

Richard