Hi, I'm Jill

March 5, 2025

The van is nice to drive for an older vehicle, stereo is dated and sound is terrible didnt worry us but if you like to listen to music or news when you travel! Fridge, cooktop and hot water all worked well, have to keep the water tank toped up as no gauge to check levels (ran out twice). We travelled every day so off grid camping was not a problem, no flyscreens apart from roof vents, if you want to keep the sandflies out you have to close everything up with no other fan to cool you down when it's hot! We left bed made and only used small camping table for daily use. Refilling gas bottle was a problem finding a refilling depot for smaller bottles and dump stations are limited unless you stay at a van park on your last night! We did have one issue with the van but was rectified by the owner during our trip.

February 28, 2025

We had a great holiday in that camper. A few bits and pieces inside broke while we were using it but Jill was there to help. Thanks for letting us use it!

February 4, 2025

Red flag alert - we do NOT recommend hiring this van. Sadly, this was not a good van or a good experience. To start with, the van is described as 'Luxury' on the listing - this is not accurate, the van is 12 years old and showing multiple signs of wear and tear and heavy rental usage and has a strong 'used' smell. Firstly, we messaged the owner pre-hire to ask if they could take a suitcase for us (which it says in the listing is something they offer) and this was refused, and secondly we asked to hire the electrical pack (kettle, toaster, coffee maker) to be told that this 'wasn't available'. These two offerings should be removed from the listing if they are no longer available. The owner met us relatively promptly at the airport, and as she started showing us round the van our hearts dropped. Several things were broken or damaged, with the owner feigning surprise at each turn, claiming the last hirers must have done it and not reported it. The biggest issue was the rear table - the arm / fixing that allows the table to be used as a table was missing a lever. We stayed an extra night in Nelson so that the owner could source a new one in the morning, but the new lever did not fit and the owner tried to fix it by cutting fingers off a pair of latex gloves to wedge the table on to the arm. Needless to say, this did not work - however we were keen to get on our way and start the trip, and had no choice but to accept that this was broken. This meant we could not use the rear table for the duration of our 3-week trip, which is a huge part of the van to not be in working order. The cushions on all the seats have velcro on the bottom to secure them when using them - however, every single cushion's velcro had lost its grip, meaning no matter where you sat the cushions slid and moved making it extremely uncomfortable. There are glass fold-down covers for both the sink and hob, but the sink one was missing - the owner said this had been broken a long time ago and was too expensive to replace. This meant we couldn't close the sink to create more work surface space. The bug screens are only present on the front two windows of the van - it doesn't look like there ever were any on the back 3 windows, so this is an FYI to future hirers that you can't open the back 3 windows when it's buggy outside. The bug screens on both roof vents had been damaged and poorly fixed with sellotape. The bug screens on the windows in the bed compartment above the drivers cab were also damaged, meaning we couldn't open them to create air flow at night. The catch on the bathroom sink has broken - as the sink is a fold-down one, the owner has 'fixed' this with a length of very tight elastic bungee cord. Removing this to use the sink and then re-securing it was such a farce that we ended up not using this sink at all, and brushing our teeth in the kitchen sink which wasn't very pleasant. The van and its contents were very very tired, damaged, and dirty. There was dirt and dust in all the crevices of the drivers' cab and all the floor edges. The van is well equipped with kit, but it all needs to be run through a dishwasher or bleached as after so many uses there is a pervasive smell of old cooking and food in all the cupboards and drawers from the kit. The van is a 2.2L Diesel Automatic, and whilst we expected this would be fuel-hungry nothing prepared us for how fuel-hungry it would be. For context, we own our own 2.1L Diesel motorhome in the UK and know how much fuel it uses, but the Kiwi Burrow easily burned through 3x the amount ours does, so our fuel bills were unexpectedly high. We raised this several times with the hirer throughout the trip with no acknowledgement. There was an engine diagnostic light on when we hired - the owner told us to ignore this as it just needed re-setting. About a week in to our trip, the AdBlue light came on with a km countdown to re-fill it. This happens on our van at home, and we know that if it is not re-filled then the van will not start. The owner repeatedly tried to tell us to ignore it, that it did not need re-filling, just that the light needed re-setting. The oil light then came on, and the owner had the same response. We had to really push the owner to agree to book the van in to a garage nearby for AdBlue and Oil top-ups, at which point the mechanic told us the AdBlue and Oil were almost totally empty and definitely needed re-filling. We cannot recommend the van or the owner - as you can see from this review, the van caused multiple issues, was riddled with damages and wear and tear that had not been repaired / repaired badly, and it significantly impacted our enjoyment of the van during this trip. I would strongly advise Camplify to fact-check the current status of this van vs the pictures and description to ensure hirers can get an accurate picture of the current status and appearance of the van.

November 12, 2024

We had a great time - four adults - the van ran smoothly our whole trip and was very well equipped, we had enough space in our luggage. The communication with Jill was easy and quick. Thank you!

March 8, 2024

We had a great adventure over 19 days around the southern scenic route of the south Island.. Jill's Silvereye was just what we needed..very comfy, compact enough to make it into some neat campsites and good on fuel too. Also a handy size when getting around in the small towns and bigger cities too. Jill's also a vg communicator.. responsive and kept in touch along the way ensuring there were no issues. All in all a memorable holiday.

November 30, 2023

We had a great holiday in Jill's van being our first ever visit to New Zealand. Jill was super friendly & communicative & contacted us a couple of days into our trip to check & make sure all was well. No issues whatsoever with the van- straightforward to drive & with on board detailed manuals everything was easy to follow if we needed to check up on anything. We toured both North & South Islands, using the ferry which was again straightforward. In all we had a fantastic time in Fantastic Fantail & would recommend Jill's van to anyone wishing to see this amazing country. Thanks Jill!

March 31, 2023

If you looking for a large 6 berth camper van seriously look no further. Kiwi burrow was the perfect traveling home for my family of 4 (which includes two teenagers). Jill is a hands on owner that is easy to communicate with and ensures that all information you need with the Van is covered prior to your trip and at handover. She checks in regularly as well as provides handy travel trips to the areas you are visiting. This kind of value you will not get from a cookie cutter Camper Van rental company. Our trip around the North Island of New Zealand was up there with one of our best and we have travelled extensively. Lifetime memories were made during the 4 weeks we had Kiwi Burrow. Kiwi Burrow is well stocked with practical items you will need for your trip which I would say is far beyond what you would get from a big van rental company. I cant recommend Kiwi Burrow enough for any like minded traveler with the family needs we had. If this is you reading the review then go on and book. Hope your experience is as good as ours.

March 23, 2023

We had a lovely time in Jills Fantastic Fantail! It was clean, well-equipped and in good condition. There were some (very) minor damages but nothing that affected our holiday in a bad way, and we're sure Jill will fix those before a next hire. Jill was very friendly and really wanted to make our trip perfect. This did cause her to be a bit frantic in her messages, but don't let that scare you - it's all for your benefit! Would rent again! PS: The van is - according to the ferry company - 6.8 meters instead of the advertised 6, so keep that in mind when booking ferry tickets.

February 27, 2023

We had a splendid time on both NZ islands and would certainly book again with Jill!

February 6, 2023

We had the best holiday in NZ. The Kiwi Burrow was roomy and so comfortable for our family of 5 (two adults and 3 young teens) and made travelling around so easy! No packing and unpacking to check into hotels, just pull up, and within about 5 minutes we would be pouring a glass of wine and taking in the beautiful camp site we were at for the night. The van has EVERYTHING you could need. It is very well equipped and still has plenty of room for your own things. Van is exactly like the pictures. It is very clean, really well looked after and everything worked well with no issues. It really does come with everything and as seasoned campers ourselves, this Van was just so easy. Jill provides a detailed inventory so highly recommend reviewing and taking out anything you know you don't want as then you will have even more storage space for your own personal items. Great trip, made even better in the Kiwi Burrow. Thank you Jill.