New Zealand campervan holiday w/2.5yo - any tips?

[TallulahPumpkin]

Ordinarily we would wait a few years before attempting something like this but a friend is getting married in Tauranga in March. We've just put a deposit on flights via Hong Kong and plan to hire a campervan whilst over there a) to see the most of the island (sticking to the North) and b) to make it easier with ds, so we're not stuck in hotel rooms of an evening. It appears to be a place well set up for campers.

Has anyone done this? All the vans with two beds see to have one of them above the driver and I'm a bit worried about ds falling out. On the other hand I think he would be disturbed less in the evening if he was up there. He does like to sit up at night if he wakes though!

I'm not looking forward to the flights but there've been some good tips on here re: long-flights with toddlers. We're stopping in HK for 2 days on the way out but just a 4 hour stopover on the way back.

All tips gratefully received!

Things to be aware of:

1. March should still be quite pleasant in NZ although it can be cooler and wet at any time.
2. you are outside peak season so mostly you should be able to just turn up at campsites. 'free camping' is now very restricted due to abuse and mess.
3. don't underestimate how long to takes to get anywhere in NZ, in particular ignore travel times from google maps. Assume no more than 60kph on journeys.

NZ also has excellent motels with kitchens, plus self-catering cottages sometimes attached to hostels. Most hostels won't take you with a small child in the 'main' bit but the other section would work. Have a look on bbh.co.nz for ideas.

Our youngest was 3 when we had a camper an in NZ - we put the girls in the bed above the cabin, this had a net you clipped on to stop hem falling out/luggage falling out when you're on the move.
When you're looking at camper and bear in mind that sometimes the seats are right at the back, so it's worth checking the lay outs.
Your lo might be a bit young but the disney in HK might be worth considering for a stopover, or Kowloon in HK itself - there's a good municipal park with open space/playgrounds.

I'm in the South Island not the north, but these are the 3 main campervan companies that we see people driving about in here:
www.maui.co.nz
www.apollocamper.co.nz/
www.britz.co.nz/christchurch-campervan-hire
The Britz ones seem particularly popular. There is also Juicy Rentals, but they seem to be more young couples or groups (ie no kids!).

Campsites here are brilliant, they have a kitchen block with oven, microwave, fridge, powerpoints etc, so you don't have to sit in the campervan if you don't want. The ones we've been to have also been really clean with nice playareas for the kids.
There are loads of campsites to choose from, there are Top 10 ones: www.top10.co.nz, which are all over NZ and have good facilities, but can get a bit pricey compared to other campsites.
We've stayed at Family Park ones www.familyparks.co.nz/find-a-family-park, which we found were great, and pretty good price too.
The Department of Conservation ones are the main ones we stay at, really pretty locations and very cheap: www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-stay/

The AA site is great for everything travel and camping in NZ - www.aatravel.co.nz/main/index.php. They have AA shops here where you can pick up free maps, brochures etc.
Hope this helps!