Food and Beverages
All meals as per itinerary are included - and you get fed very well indeed. We buy fresh food on an almost daily basis and we try to source all product locally; and yes, we can cater for any type of dietary requirement. Basically, 3 meals a day are included whilst camping, and most other breakfasts and some other lunches are included. When staying in hard top accommodation ie hostels/ hotels/ lodges etc you are free to try the local restaurants or cafes.
Dinners when staying in hard top accommodation are not included. Breakfasts are usually tea, coffee, cereals, fruits, juices, toast and the occasional fry up or pancakes. Lunches on the run are salads, sandwiches or rolls, juice, tea and coffee. Dinners can be anything from BBQ's to roasts. No-one has ever gone hungry on our tours. Dinners are usually decided after input from the passengers and you will also be part of the cooking and preparation.
Accommodation
We do not stay in luxury hotels - but we do stay in some amazing camp grounds. We utilise DOC (Department of Conservation) campsites established camp sites and the occasional free camp. Most of the established campgrounds have 'chalet' accommodation you can opt to upgrade to if you wish (upon availability of course...), otherwise we camp in our easy to erect 3 person dome tents with very comfortable sleeping mattresses.
We use hostels / hotels in most cities - but we do not use dorm rooms unless we really, really have to. You will be paired with a same sex single traveller for hardtop night stops if you are also travelling alone. If you wish to have a single room, we can arrange that - although you will need to pay for that en-route. If you are a single traveller and wish to have your own tent, that is fine as long as there are enough on board. You could also bring your own tent along if you want.
We do not charge single supplements - but you will need to pay for any upgrade to 'single rooms' during the tour. We also stay in some pretty special lodges and farmstays in both the South and North Islands. In all, we try to mix the variety - city hotels, relatively basic DOC Camps, well established camp grounds, remote lodges and farmstays. These different types of accommodation will give you a taste of the true New Zealand.
Transport
Our New Zealand Overland trucks are purpose built vehicles, which makes our trips different to the other bus and coach tours available. They are built with both practicality and comfort in mind. They are the ONLY Overland trucks in New Zealand and are able to access remote parts of the country where other vehicles cannot venture. You remain self sufficient whilst camping and enjoying the renowned New Zealand outdoors.
The trucks are equipped with:
- Forward and reverse facing coach seats with seat belts and head rests.
- Good leg room to stretch out on the longer drive days. (We do not carry as many people as the buses)
- Internal heating for those cooler days - especially for the South Island
- Loads of on board room for your daypack so you have easy all day access
- On-board library
- 2 card playing / writing tables on board
- Loads of locker space for your backpacks
- Tinted sliding windows - providing extensive visibility and security
- 240V charging points for camera and mobile phone batteries
- Onboard CD player/stereo with MP3 adaptor
- Onboard truck safe for valuables and money
- Direct access to Driver in cab
- Internal and external lighting
- Dome' style three-person tents with in-built ground sheets and fly attachments
- Comfortable sleeping mattresses
- Eskies (cooler boxes) and fridge on board.
- Over kitchen cook tarp for wet weather and shade.
- Medical kit (for emergency use)
- All cooking and cutlery equipment necessary
- Gas cookers
- High backed camp chairs
- Camp tables for food preparation
- X 2 Mountain Bikes (free to use whenever you want)
- Carries own water
Local Guides
Your driver / guide is with you the entire duration of your tour. He / she will be sitting around the camp fire with you at night, and will also be there (if you want) for a night out in town. Our crew work incredibly hard on tour and they are there because they love New Zealand and love the adventure.
Your crew organise all your accommodation, optional activities if you wish to do any, organise the shopping and generally give you all the local information you may need when on tour. The crew have years of experience, are an integral and important part of our Company; and they also take meticulous care of our beloved Overland truck - Danmar!
Age Restrictions
Here at Overland NZ we cater for everyone. The majority of our passengers are aged 18 - 55, travelling with a partner, by themselves or in a group of friends.