About Us

THE SPACESHIPS STORY

The short version is, we asked travellers - like you - what they wanted in a New Zealand campervan rental vehicle, we went out and found the most suitable vehicle - then added features to make it better suit your needs.

If you would like a longer version then read on:

Developing the Space Vehicle - the 'new' NZ campervan.

Directors of Spaceships New Zealand have operated leading-edge backpacker services for over seventeen years (being involved first in Kiwi and Oz Experience bus networks and now Stray hop-on hop-off adventure bus in New Zealand). We have a good idea what travellers want – but we don’t just rely on what we think. We have focus groups and constantly survey travellers on features that they would like to see in vehicles.

To put it simply, most travellers want a rental vehicle that is easy to drive but still has the minimum features of a large bed, a cooker, water supply, good storage space and a decent sound system, at the best possible price. This might sound a bit obvious but there are few options in the market that offer this.

New Zealand campervan rental vehicles are either really basic; offering little more than a mattress on the floor, are high-top or other big ungainly vehicles which are both poor to drive and have features that you don’t use; such as microwaves, which means you need to be staying in a camping ground and plugged into 240 volt mains power to use. This means that you either have to pay more (to cover the cost of extra features) – or to get a reasonable price you get an old worn out vehicle.

The solution: We looked at van options but most second-hand ones are often in poor condition; and they are all bad to drive as they are designed to be commercial vehicles (with heavy springs, gearboxes and steering etc). We then came up with ‘People Movers’ which while prohibitively expensive new, can be purchased at reasonable prices from Japan when only a few years old. They are ex-family vehicles, which makes it easy to get them in very good condition second-hand. They are always good to drive, and have useful extras such as air conditioning, sun roofs and automatic gearboxes. We have chosen late model Toyota Previa’s for their reliability, economy and size (as big as many vans). In fact, because of our extendable bed and awning you actually get more than one square metre of extra usable floor space than a Toyota Hiace van.

We build the interiors in our own factory to our own design, to ensure the optimal use of space and durability. We are particularly proud of the way the cooker works and the amount of storage that we fit underneath the bed. Other companies have now copied the vehicle type but do not have the unique ‘customised’ design features of a Spaceship.

So there you have it – a vehicle which is great to drive, with everything you want, which can be rented out at the best possible price.

Developing the Space Service - much more than just a rental.

There is currently no campervan or motorhome rental operator in New Zealand who does much more than hire you a vehicle (sometimes with maps) and then say goodbye (if you are lucky). We found this amazing as we know from our years of developing backpacker bus networks and finding interesting places on and off the beaten track, that with a little bit of guidance and support you can get so much more of your adventure in our country. The great thing is that we are uniquely able to give such service with our experience and contacts around New Zealand.

This is how and why we have developed the key features of: the suggested itineraries here on the website; the route planning DVD; a guidebook; up-to-date discounts and deals on activities; a guidebook; and our favourite – the ‘Human DVD’ (Direct Verbal Directors). To ensure that you can get the most of your time, find great places on and off the beaten track, and get the best value for money.

We are sure that you will find these features as important as the vehicle themselves – it is amazing that no-one else provides them.