About This Company

Mad Campers takes pride in their unique camper design and in particular their extremely comfy beds that sleep two. They reckon they have the biggest and comfiest beds in all New Zealand. And now, they offer NZ's first-ever campervan for solo travellers. What do you think?

Mad Campers is a relatively new campervan hire company in New Zealand, with depots in Auckland and Christchurch. They are quite prepared to wow their soon-to-be renters with free airport pick-up, discounted petrol, freedom camping options (due to self-contained vehicles), tourism partnerships, and heaps of inclusions and extras. But what they particularly proud of is their campervan beds, which they claim to be the largest in the industry, and also, the comfiest. They are buoyed by feedback from past renters telling them this too.

The sheer energy and love that the owners of Mad Campers have for their business, campervan design, customers and beds are enough to make you want to book immediately. They have a passion for their industry, their country and their desire to be part of the solution, not the problem when it comes to self-contained free camping - which all their vehicles are certified for.

They had a stellar first season and have incorporated the feedback into their campervans already, making constant improvements and they also have a special little something coming along that they assure me is a "game-changer" for the campervan rental market in New Zealand. If their enthusiasm for their current fleet is anything to go by, then their newest model is also a sight to see.

The Mad Challenge

Mad Campers also have a unique challenge they have for every person who hires one of their campervans. Grab the free T-shirt they give you, take a photo of yourself doing the 7 most "kiwi" things to do in NZ, which are all free, and upload the images to your social feeds for 5% off total rental, returned to you at the end of the road trip. No one else is offering this kind of challenge. It's crazy things like take a photo of running on a black sand beach, climb a mountain, eat fish and chips on a beach, or drink a particular type of milkshake?! Anyway, seeing as they are all free activities we think it's a great idea and the feedback is that by doing it, you sometimes meet some interesting other people and suddenly find yourself on an unexpected journey (there's a pun in there if you can spot it).

The Mad Campers fleet isn't that complicated. It started with one model―a 2 berth campervan with bench seats in the back that convert to "the biggest bed in New Zealand", a pull-out kitchenette via the rear door with a 1 burner gas stove, a little fridge and a sink and some nifty little charging points mounted near the sink. Now, they welcome a new camper to their fleet, which is a perfect option for solo travelers. But the main reason you will enjoy these campervans is that they come with a self-containment certification, which means freedom camping! With that, you can save dollars on camping fees. Be a well-informed traveller by knowing the freedom camping rules in each NZ district. 

Pros & Cons

✓ Pros

  • All self-contained campervans
  • Now offers solo campervans for solo travellers
  • Thoughtful inclusions and extras
  • Enthusiastic people

✗ Cons

  • Only two campervan types; not for families

Vehicle Fleet

Mad 1
2 berth
Mad 2
2 berth
Mad Campers Road Trip
2 berth
Mad Campers South Island
2 berth

Features & Amenities

🍳Kitchen Facilities
🚿Shower / Toilet
☀️Solar Panels
❄️Refrigerator
🛏️Bedding Included
🔧24/7 Roadside Assist
📡GPS Navigation
🏕️Camping Equipment

Customer Reviews

✍️ Leave a Review
K. Siskind ★★★★★ 5.0/5
Loved traveling in our Mad Explorer
We rented the Mad Explorer Campervan. It was excellent, we were the first ones to use it. The vehicle was setup perfectly for 2 people. It was great being able to stand up in the van, and have the bed setup all the time. The vehicle was easy to drive, and did a well on all of the windy, twisty roads in New Zealand. The instructions on how to use the van were very clear and all the on-grid/off grid setup worked exactly as expected. Whenever we saw another Mad Camper on the road we always waved and honked. Mad Camper customer service was excellent, whenever we had a question they quickly responded to our emails. We hope to come back to New Zealand again, and if we do will rent from Mad Camper again.
United States · Nov 2024
S. James ★★★★★ 5.0/5
Awesome holiday in a great vehicle.
Overall a brilliant experience. We hired the RAV4 with pop-top tent. The car was excellent and well maintained. The tent was easy to put up and down and surprisingly roomy. I was traveling with a friend and we had plenty of room to sleep without compromising personal space. It was very comfortable with clean bedding and the view and lovely breeze in the mornings were gorgeous. My travel buddy was so impressed by the tent he’s going to get one. Customer service is top notch! The team are faultless and genuinely interested in what they’re doing. They always replied to every email immediately and we’re very thorough and clear with all booking and records. Any enquiry I had was answered immediately with friendly helpfulness. Will definitely go to Mad Campers again!
Australia · Nov 2024
SteBren ★★★★★ 5.0/5
Awesome experience
From pickup to drop off the whole experience was a pleasure. Connor and the team have the customer service flair down pat! Mad2 is the camper we hired for a month of awesome experiences. While certainly not the most luxurious camper out there, it did the job well. Easy to drive, easy to park and everything you need to live out of it in the free camps. A great way to explore NZ for a month!
Australia · Nov 2023
O. Fasham ★★★★★ 5.0/5
Mad campers
Really amazing experience, excellent supportive team, provided everything we needed.
Australia · July 2023
K. Meyer ★★★★★ 4.8/5
Amazing staff and service <3
Connor and the rest of the Mad Camper team took such good care of us on our New Zealand trip. We had a total of 7 days to tackle an ambitious itinerary and the team was super responsive and helpful the whole way. It is inevitable that issues will arise on a trip like this (particularly when using the “experienced” model to save cost) and the way Mad Campers backed us up shows us how wonderful they are and we can only hope we get to work with them again in the future.
United States · Mar 2023
R. Richards ★★★★★ 4.8/5
Awesome
We love this little camper! It did everything well, driving it was easy and we had an absolutely great holiday. It's easy to drive and park, basically everything you need is included with it and it handled every type of road we threw at it with ease. Hire it, you won't regret it :)
Germany · Jan 2023

Photo Gallery

Video Reviews

▶️ YouTube Embed — Vehicle Tour
▶️ YouTube Embed — Customer Testimonial

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