N. Zealand...... Is this viable or just a stupid idea

T

Two of usI

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MH
Rapido 696F
Exp
4yrs
We have been over to N.Z. a couple of times and absolutely love the people and the country and it will our top priority when we are next able to travel....... We have been dreaming and come up with ( maybe stupid) a plan.... we would like to ship our M/ Home out there and then fly out and spend maybe 6 months there, after which we thought of selling the van ( we have been told the prices are seriously higher than here ) and coming back home to buy another !!!!!!! Honest / constructive opinions please ????
 
I think that you will find that it would be much better to ship a new motorhome that you can claim some tax back on
 
Also be aware the vehicle needs to be clean, really clean.
Steam cleaned inside of wheel arches and the underside.
The slightest trace of mud and they will refuse import

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In 2003 we rented a good sized RV from Pacific Horizon for three weeks. We toured N & S Island and had a great time. No fuss and no bother... :giggle:

2003_0219_030440AA.JPG
 
My son looked into doing exactly that for a 6 month holiday with his 2 yr old Chausson as he'd previously flown out and hired a m/h for two months.
As you would expect there are quite a few hoops to go through.
He dealt with this firm.......but has now decided to sell it here (prices here are high now) and will be emigrating in December.

So, You Want To Import A Motorhome? Here’s What You Need To Know

Looking overseas to import a motorhome can save you thousands, providing you get the basics right when you bring the vehicle into New Zealand.
www.mmnz.biz www.mmnz.biz
 
Whilst in Portugal a couple of years ago we met and got friendly with a couple of Kiwis who had bought a new motorhome in the UK, had been driving it around Europe and were then going to import it into NZ. The taxes they were going to pay were very high but it was still cheaper than buying one new in NZ.

Also they were required to have it fumigated by experts and then sealed and certified as being done before it went into the container. That was very expensive as was the shipping.
 
Having rented a Moho out there.
I would either rent a cheaper Moho as we did or buy a cheaper one out there.

Make sure it’s SC for being able to wild camp.
Also join NZMCA this gives you lots of access to very small sites and cheap ferry crossing

Or import a brand new one as others have suggested.

There are some natives on here that no doubt would help in a purchase over there etc.

Go for it as there are no pockets in shrouds 👍😊
 
Very strict rules in NZ as regards to anything to do with Food, Plants, Animals, and vehicles

As an example; Some one imported a dozen or so Sheep, can't remember the brand or why. The sheep were transported to Kapiti Island, there they were allowed to breed, The original sheep were slaughtered, Two generations later! the third generation developed Scalpey ( ???????) So the whole lot was slaughtered, and incinerated. Hell of a cost to the person that imported them in the first place

A shipment of South African Fizz was taken to the landfill and bulldozed under, the wire, that holds the cork in on some bottles was found to be rusty.

It used to be a $NZ 200 fine the last time we were there but I think it's about $NZ 400 now.

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My sister bought a 2nd hand (actually more like 8th hand) motorhome out there, drove it around NZ for 3 months, then got trapped in NZ for 5 months during the first wave of the Pandemic, her daughter then took over the vehicle, drove it around NZ in a couple of months and then sold it.
They made a NZ$ 500 loss, not bad for nearly a year of constant use and two circuits of NZ.

There is quite 2nd hand market for campervans and motorhomes in NZ, where one group of travellers sells to the next group.
 
i knew someone who did that (genuinely knew them, not a friend of a friend etc) they bought brand new in the UK, shipped it to NZ, then flew out to meet it when it arrived, sorted the import stuff before hand and few small hoops when it arrived. After 6 months of touring, they then sold it for not far short of what it cost them to buy and ship over. They had an advantage in that they had family over there to do any chasing around and their family dealt with advertising and selling it after they left.

I remember discussing it with him (about 10 years ago though !! ) and he said it was a fabulous adventure they could never have afforded if they hadnt done it the way they did.
 
A mate bought one over there, used it for 2 months, then sold it again for the same price.

Might be easier than importing.

He also imports caravans over there, shipping costs have gone eye watering over the last year and he hasn’t done it for a while. Caravans in particular are much more expensive than here. He does use a NZ agent he knows who takes half the profits as there are a lot of hoops and you really need an agent the other side if you can’t be there.
 
There was a MMM mag article about 6 yrs ago . Where a couple exported a new motorhome out to NZ through an agent in Auckland. The agent did everything even changed the electric and gas fittings to suit NZ requirements. Charged quite a lot. The couple used it for the Rugby world cup , travelled around for a few months and then sold it. Made a nice profit. I looked at doing similar. I don't think you'd pay VAT on a new vehicle if you are doing this.
 
I got a price recently to ship ours to Perth. £6,500 one way. You have to pay an official Australian registered company to fumigate the van when it arrives. I believe NZ regs are very similar.

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John Barrett said:
In 2003 we rented a good sized RV from Pacific Horizon for three weeks. We toured N & S Island and had a great time. No fuss and no bother... :giggle:

View attachment 513507
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we rented one just like that from
www.shareacamper.com

SHAREaCAMPER

Share a Passion - SHAREaCAMPER! Find a unique campervan for your next adventure or earn money by renting out your own!
www.shareacamper.com www.shareacamper.com

the benefit being it had bedding chairs, cutlery etc included and it also had the NZMCA wings on it that can open a few doors. The downside is that it was older and had a bit of doggy whiff about it.

Just for info most NZ mhs are pretty poor quality there are a few hymers etc creeping into the market but roughly twice the price that you pay here .
 
Parrot Face said:
There was a MMM mag article about 6 yrs ago . Where a couple exported a new motorhome out to NZ through an agent in Auckland. The agent did everything even changed the electric and gas fittings to suit NZ requirements. Charged quite a lot. The couple used it for the Rugby world cup , travelled around for a few months and then sold it. Made a nice profit. I looked at doing similar. I don't think you'd pay VAT on a new vehicle if you are doing this.
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it depends on their status, but if you're not NZ citizen it cost s a lot in taxes over there. ( we looked hard at it about 3 years ago)
 
We met a couple at the shows who lived in Uk for 6 months and NZ for 6 months and owned a motorhome in each country. They said they don’t like winter. What passport etc they had I have no idea.
 
From one of the links earlier.


NZ Customs sets out the guidelines for working out how much GST and Duty you will need to pay on arrival of your vehicle. Motorhomes attract a 10% Duty and 15% GST, based on the purchase price of the vehicle converted in NZD. To work out the GST value to pay, they take the converted purchase price in NZD, add the applicable Duty, add the cost of freight to NZ and also the cost of Insurance (to come up with what is known as the CIF value-Cost, insurance and freight (CIF)) – you will pay 15% of this total CIF valu

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I will also say as we rented an older van there were less restricted roads we could use in the terms.

I think it was only four, one of them being 90 mile beach.

This opens up lots of places the newer vans arnt allowed to go 👍😊
 
Googlebot said:
He also imports caravans over there, shipping costs have gone eye watering over the last year and he hasn’t done it for a while. Caravans in particular are much more expensive than here.
Click to expand...
We had a new Sterling twin axle caravan a few years ago now, we didn't like it after having it for a while and put it up for sale.
It was bought by an agent and exported to NZ.
We had a good price for it so we were happy, heaven knows how much it cost the new owner.
 
Mrsambulancekidd said:
We had a new Sterling twin axle caravan a few years ago now, we didn't like it after having it for a while and put it up for sale.
It was bought by an agent and exported to NZ.
We had a good price for it so we were happy, heaven knows how much it cost the new owner.
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Double the price here regardless of age apparently.
 
We looked at this a few years ago. Key points

1. Don't even think about taking a van more than 5 years old. Just not worth it
2. They have to be inspected before being licenced and they are very strict. If they reject it you are stuffed
3. As others have said works best for new vans as you only pay the duty once. You can buy a new van in the UK and not register it. Have it transported to the dock for immediate export. There are a few blogs from people who have done this.
4. Do you have the energy? We tried to export our 6 year old T5 camper. We were residents so that helped. I gave up after a few months. Just too difficult and risky. A colleague shipped a 6 year old Honda Accord. They failed it on visible corrosion on the floor pan (it had a new MOT from the UK). He had a nightmare. They are obsessed with rust. Even just surface rust.

If you can be bothered there are great benefits and they sell like hot cakes once you are done
 
I took a telescopic fishing rod with some tackle. I really thought that they were going to put it all under a microscope, they were so thorough!

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Silver-Fox said:
I think it was only four, one of them being 90 mile beach.
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When you see 90 mile beach ( named after 90 ml track I believe ) it’s hard not to drive on it ! With the breakers pounding it , I had a Toyota Land Cruiser and just followed the locals , hoping not to hit soft sand , an exciting ride ,. Another banned rd is skippers canyon . A fantastic country .
 
The general said:
When you see 90 mile beach ( named after 90 ml track I believe ) it’s hard not to drive on it ! With the breakers pounding it , I had a Toyota Land Cruiser and just followed the locals , hoping not to hit soft sand , an exciting ride ,. Another banned rd is skippers canyon . A fantastic country .
Click to expand...
We had 6 weeks and this one was on our list yet we still didn't get there, so much to see and so easy to motorhome there. Thank you NZMCA so much better than UK caravan club, CMCC ? dont make me laugh.
 
Met two Kiwi families in Morocco last year, they both bought new in U.K. toured europe and Morocco for 6 months or so and sold back to the dealer they purchased off for a pre arranged price. Not worth importing to NZ they reckoned.(y)
 
dabhand said:
Met two Kiwi families in Morocco last year, they both bought new in U.K. toured europe and Morocco for 6 months or so and sold back to the dealer they purchased off for a pre arranged price. Not worth importing to NZ they reckoned.(y)
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Different ballgame if they own them for more than a year I believe, although NZ standards could be a real pita - somewhat ironically.

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