The best hikes on NZ’s South Island are accessible in a tiny campervan

It’s sleeting on the west coast, raining on the east. I’m in New Zealand’s South Island in shoulder season, so this is not unexpected and I’ve planned accordingly: hikes by day, tiny camper by night, no fixed itinerary. My vehicle of choice is the “Nomad”, a Toyota minivan hybrid cleverly converted for single occupancy by Kiwi company Mad Campers.

A tiny camper allows for travel around New Zealand’s South Island without a fixed itineraryCredit: Pedro Merino / Stocksy United

I opt for rain, heading east to picturesque Banks Peninsula. I’ve enough time to tramp a section of the Summit Walkway before making my way to the small town of Duvauchelle for the night. It’s foggy and cold on Mount Herbert, where I join the walk. I know there are spectacular views all around but all I can see is paddock grass and sheep dung. The wind whistles eerily across the hills, clouds scud across the sky and the mist whirls in the hollows of the valleys below. It barely seems possible that Christchurch is just an hour’s drive away.

At Duvauchelle I’m soon tucking into tomato and zucchini pasta with hot smoked salmon and bay vistas on the side. The Nomad has a fully equipped kitchen at the rear that can handle some creative cookery but the van’s superpower is a “lounge” with a Perspex roof bubble that provides 190cm headroom, so I can stand up inside. The Nomad is also certified self-contained, a must for free camping.

The next day (glorious sunshine, oh bliss) I’m heading to Motueka, my base for a few days walking in Abel Tasman National Park. I begin the Abel Tasman Coast Track walk at Marahau, along with 30 raucous 12-year-olds on a school outing. While the full coastal trek takes five days to Wainui. I’m tackling the section from Marahau to Akersten Bay, about a four-hour return trip plus an hour for lunch and siesta. The path winds through forest with regular views out to sea and down to the golden sand beaches of Tasman Bay.

The following day I take the sea shuttle from Kaiteriteri to Tonga Quarry, further north along the Coast Track, then walk south roughly two hours to Medlands Beach. It’s another fine day and the trip is a feast of sparkling water and spectacular coastal scenery. I’ve arranged a water taxi from Medlands back to base.

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A few days later I’m on route to Karamea, gateway to Kahurangi National Park and the start (or end) of the five-day Heaphy Track. I settle into the excellent campground at the local domain and spend the rest of the day on the Fenian Track and the shorter Zig Zag Track at Arapito. In the evening I take a stroll beside the Karamea River down to the estuary where it meets the ocean. It’s rugged and wild here, with seabirds wheeling in the wind and the Tasman Sea roaring away at the nearby beach.

After this, I opt for two shorter walks, inland to Oparara Basin and then a section of the Heaphy from Kohaihai to Scotts Beach and back. It’s a bit of a trek to the basin but well worth it for the impressive series of limestone caves nestled deep in the rainforest. The route to Scotts Beach is mainly coastal path with stunning ocean views but it includes the atmospheric Nikau Loop Track, which winds its way through a superb mature nikau palm forest.

I spend my last night at the wildly beautiful Kohaihai campground. In the morning, Nomad and I head to the Queen Charlotte Track. The weather forecast there looks promising.