Hi, I'm Sam

January 1, 2026

Unfortunately we were a bit disappointed in our experience with this van. We rented it for a trip around the south island but felt that, given how much we paid for this, it was very underwhelming. First of all, I'd like to say Sam was very accommodating on pickup and drop off and had good communication throughout our trip. When we picked up the van it wasn't cleaned at all, the cutlery, cups, and pots were all a bit dirty. The duvet was also badly stained which was not pleasant when putting on the bedding. The van is very old and had lots of dents so the appearance isn't great. It really struggled going up hills and we had to fill up with petrol on average more than once a day. We weren't prepared for this and it gets a bit annoying having to constantly watch how much fuel you have, especially in remote areas. We didn't have any mechanical issues so the van itself still worked throughout our drive. There was one camping stove provided but if it was wet we struggled to cook since we can't use it inside. We bought a second stove to make cooking proper meals easier and left it in the van for future customers, hopefully it is left there to make their lives easier. The radio didn't work and we saw a review saying a past customer left a Bluetooth speaker but it wasn't anywhere so I would recommend bringing your own. We had issues with the water tap which a lot of the time, when it was on, flowed over the sink onto the bed. The tap sometimes didn't work, sometimes didn't turn off, so we had to disconnect the wires a lot when not using it incase it randomly turned on. The inverter also had a fault on it anytime we tried to use the household plugs. Just being honest with our review here so future campers know what to expect when renting this van. This van does have potential and just needs a bit of work to get it up to standard. Sam did seem positive when I let him know of the issues we faced so it seems like it will all be looked into.

February 23, 2025

We had an amazing holiday and the van never skipped a beat. There were a few inconveniences: the electric cooler listed in the description was not there. Instead a tiny regular cooler was provided. Some of the cutlery was not well cleaned. The fuel tank is very small (only around 30-40L) so we had to fill up at least once per day. The biggest inconvenience was the radio, which did not work. We bought a bluetooth speaker and left it in the van for the next renters. However, the van performed excellently overall and Sam was super friendly.

September 2, 2024

Its quite an old van but did everything we needed, worked well and Sam was very friendly. Just cant go up very steep roads so watch out for that. In general what a nice experience!

August 4, 2024

The van allowed us to see much of the South Island which created an unforgettable holiday for us.

May 8, 2024

one for the memory bank for sure! thanks sam for allowing that.

April 22, 2024

Great experience + a perfect long weekend away to Aoraki / Mount Cook. Sam was incredibly helpful and communicative and the van was perfect. Quick tip for the hirer: either bring an AUX cord or a portable speaker! :)

March 1, 2024

Very disappointed with this rental. Bald tyres( not road worthy). Empty gas bottle, some dishes were dirty . We broke down in the middle of the trip. However owner had good communication.

February 6, 2024

This van is the perfect vehicle to stay in while travelling the South Island. It was as described, had all the essentials while staying in a van, ran well the whole trip and got us where we needed to go. Easy to pick up and drop off 10 minutes from Queenstown centre, clean and comfortable.

December 27, 2023

We had a lovely time driving all around Otago with Candice! She's an old van with minimal amenities but all we needed for the time we were there. Sam was great to communicate with. Highly recommend to anyone looking for a no-frills way to explore this beautiful part of Aotearoa.

December 3, 2023

Had a great holiday in Candice! Had everything we needed - thanks heaps :)