HOW SPACESHIPS STARTED…

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. We then hopped over the ditch to Oz, saw an opening for the same thing there (with a few nifty modifications) and launched Spaceships Australia!

If you would like a longer version then read on:

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

Directors of our company 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 network in New Zealand). We joined forces with Adventure Tours Australia (who also own Oz Experience) to start Spaceships Australia so we now have our combined experience and best of all, expert local knowledge in each country.

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.

Australian campervan rental vehicles are often either really basic; offering little more than a mattress on the floor, are high-top or other big commercial vehicles which are both hard 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 different vans but most second-hand options are in poor condition; and are difficult to drive and maneuver as they are designed to be commercial vehicles (with heavy springs, gearboxes and steering etc). We then came up with ‘People Movers’ which 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 electric windows, air-conditioning (very important for Oz), 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 in New Zealand to our own ‘customised’ 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 specially engineered design features of a Spaceship. So there you have it – a vehicle that is great to drive all over Australia, 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 Australia who does anything more than hire you a vehicle (sometimes with maps) and then say goodbye (if you are lucky).

With our history of adding value to traveller services and going out of our way to find places that will interest you on and off the beaten track (through the backpacker bus networks that we have developed over the past seventeen years), we find this amazing; as 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 Australia and New Zealand.

This is how and why we have developed the key features of: the suggested itineraries here on the website; Spaceship Stations; 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.

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