Hippie Terms & Conditions

This document contains a summary of some of the Rental Conditions. For full detailed Conditions refer to the Rental Agreement on pick-up.

Branch Opening Hours

Depot	Branch Hours
Auckland Christchurch                    Queenstown	8:00am-4:30pm

Branches are open all public holidays except Christmas Day (25 December).

A $120 surcharge will apply to all rentals picking up and/or dropping off on National public holidays

• 18 April 2025
• 21 April 2025
• 25 April 2025
• 2 June 2025
• 20 June 2025
• 27 October 2025
• 14 November 2025 (Christchurch Only)
• 26 December 2025
• 1 - 2nd January 2026
• 26 January 2026 (Auckland only)
• 6 February 2026
• 23 March 2026 (Queenstown only)

Included in Standard Daily Rate

• Unlimited Kilometres
• Vehicle Insurance (liability applies)
• 15% GST (Goods & Services Tax)*
• Kitchen Kit*
• Personal linen kit
• General Equipment*
• 24 Hour Roadside Assistance

*Goods & Services Tax (GST)

GST is a New Zealand Government imposed tax. GST is included in all Hippie rates and is currently 15%. Hippie reserves the right to amend GST upon Government intervention.

*Kitchen Kit

Kitchen kit: plates, bowls, knives, forks, spoons, bottle opener, can opener, mixing bowls, colander, saucepans, frying pans, cooking utensils, chopping board, kettle, toaster and tea towel. Electrical appliances are supplied in vehicles that have 240V.

*Linen Kit

Complimentary bedding (including sheets, blankets, pillows, pillow cases and towels).

*General Equipment

Pegs and clothes line, dustpan & brush, fire extinguisher, bucket, hose and broom.

Rate Exclusions

We’re cooking with gas! A gas bottle is necessary for cooking in the RV. A full gas bottle(s) needs to be pre-purchased and can be returned empty to Hippie at the completion of the road trip. Fee applies for each booking of a multiple rental.

Road User Charge Recovery Fee

The cost of using New Zealand’s roads is recovered from road users via levies in the price of some fuels or through road user charges (RUC). The Road User Charge Recovery Fee will be calculated and collected on return of the RV based on the kilometres traveled during the hire. The fee per 100km is as follows:

2 Berth s/t: $7.64

4 Berth and 6 Berth: $8.04

We reserve the right to amend the Road User Charge Recovery Fee upon Government intervention.

Protection Package

Personal Injury

The RV has third party insurance cover and it is likely that any other vehicle involved in an accident also has third-party insurance. Depending on the circumstances of an accident, the guest may be entitled to claim for their personal injury against the third-party insurance of the party responsible for the accident. The extent of such third-party insurance may vary and Hippie strongly recommends that all passengers take out their own Personal Injury Travel Insurance.

Property Damage

The RV is insured for damage to it and damage to the property of a third party. However, the guest is responsible up to the amount of the applicable liability for damage to third party property, or to the RV. The guest is also responsible for the cost of the daily rate for the period the vehicle is being repaired. There is no refund for unused portion of the rental period. The Liability applies to each claim, not RV.

The liability is applicable regardless of who is at fault and must be paid at the time the accident is reported to Hippie by telephone on a credit card, not on return of the RV. Hippie reserves the right to charge the guest for any RV damage including Third Party property damage not reported but identified on return of the RV.

Liability Options

We understand that everyone has different needs and therefore offer a range of liability options to provide peace of mind. The amount payable for each reduction option is based on the minimum rental period applicable for each RV or total days of RV booking. The maximum charge for liability reduction options is 50 days.

Liability Option	Vehicle	Cost per Day	Liability Fee	Bond Payable
Standard	All Vehicles	Included in Rental	$3,000	$3,000
LRO1 - The Middle Road	N/A	N/A
LRO2 - The High Road	All Vehicles	$30 (max $1,500)	$0	$0
Stress Free - Value Pack	All Vehicles	$40 (max $2,000)	$0	$0

Bond

To keep this simple - the bond payment will depend on the liability option chosen. If the guest chooses to take ‘The Low Road’ the total bond will be debited to the Credit or Debit card immediately. 

If the guest chooses to take ‘The High Road’ the Bond is payable to Hippie by an open signed credit card imprint with an authorisation for $100. The credit card holder must be present to sign for the Bond when they pick-up the RV and is liable for any damage to the RV.

The Bond, and associated fees when a Visa or MasterCard is used, is fully refundable provided terms are met. The RV simply needs to be returned on time and full of fuel to the Hippie branch location booked. Credit card refunds including bond refunds can take up to 14 working days depending on the guest’s Financial Institution.

If there is damage to the RV on its return or any other terms of the rental contract have not been met, the Bond will be used to cover the cost up to the amount of the relevant Liability. If the terms of the Rental Contract are not met and the Bond is not sufficient enough to cover the damage, extra costs will be charged.

If a guest is continuing on with another Hippie booking, the Bond can be transferred to the next booking within New Zealand.

Exchange Rate / Currency Variations

All transactions are conducted in New Zealand dollars. Due to exchange rate fluctuations, there could be some variance in the amount refunded compared to the amount initially charged. 

Value Pack - Stress Free 

The Value Pack is a bundled extra which provides the highest liability cover option and basic items necessary for a great road trip. The minimum amount payable per rental for Value Pack is the five-day minimum booking period. The maximum amount payable per rental segment is 50 days.

Includes -  ‘The High Road', Snow Chains, Camp Chairs and Table, and Baby/Booster Seats, (with prior request), Single Vehicle Roll over, Tyre & Windscreen, Extra Driver.

Long Hire

For Rentals 21+ days 8% discount

This is also available to guests with multiple bookings that total 21 days or more.

Drivers Licence and  Minimum Age

For the safety of our guests a current and full motor vehicle driver licence is required to be shown at pick-up and all drivers need to be present. If the driver licence is not in English then we require an accredited English translation or an International Driver Permit. For travel in the Northern Territory, an International Driving Permit is required along with the foreign driver licence. We do not accept Digital Driver licences. Note: UK driver licences that have had approved extensions by the UK DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency) can still travel for up to 11 months past the licence expiry. This extension only applies to full GB driving licence holders. It does not apply to provisional driving licence entitlement. Drivers must be over the age of 21, have held a licence for at least two years and the licence must be valid for the entire booking duration.

Multiple Rentals

Should a customer have more than one consecutive rental they can be combined to qualify for longer-term hire discounts off the daily vehicle rates.
Details are on application.

Change of Drop Off Destination

If the customer wishes to change the drop off destination, they must first obtain authorisation from the Reservations or Scheduling departments.

Subject to the change being approved, an additional charge or a relocation fee may apply.

 The One Way Fee is non- refundable after pick up.

Vehicle Category

We understand guests’ needs are different and therefore our vehicles can be requested by category, however not by make or model. We always do our best to accommodate requests, however should the vehicle booked be unavailable due to unforeseen circumstances, we will substitute the booked vehicle with an alternative available at time of pick-up, at no extra cost. Any changes made to the booked vehicle and agreed to by the guest do not entitle the guest to a refund.

In the event of no alternative vehicle being available to the guest, Hippies's liability is limited to a refund of the hire charge or in the case of mechanical failure (unless caused by the guest) the remainder of the hire period.

Customer Self Check

Please note that it is mandatory for all customers to complete our Customer Self Check In service.

https://selfcheckin.thlonline.com/sci/start

Transfers

Branches are conveniently located near major airports, making pick-up and drop-off easy for our guests.

Hippie provides free airport to branch and branch to airport transfers on the day of arrival and departure for our Auckland, Christchurch and Queenstown branches.

Rental Duration

A road trip allows guests to travel at their own pace. To ensure our guests get the most of their holiday a minimum five-day booking applies, when pick-up and drop-off is from the same branch location. Minimum booking periods may also apply during peak periods such as Christmas, Easter, Luner New Year  etc.

One-way Bookings

Road-trips don’t always finish where they started, some of the best adventures don’t. If a guest drops-off at a different branch location from which they picked-up, a minimum booking period applies and $189- $295 one-way fee applies. The minimum booking periods for one-way bookings is 7-14 days .

Travel Restrictions

Not all RVs are suitable for all driving situations, so it’s important the right RV is chosen for the travel planned. Hippie, at its discretion, may restrict RV travel in certain areas due to adverse road or weather conditions, and the distance to nominated destinations in relation to the length of the rental period. If applicable, any further restrictions will be mentioned at pick-up. Guests are encouraged to contact Apollo Assist on 0800 234 567 if they have any concerns regarding road accessibility.

For the safety of guests, the following travel restrictions are in place:
• All RVs can only be driven on sealed/bitumen roads. The only exception to this is the loose road surface on any major
ski field access roads or any recognised campground access road less than 5 kilometres in length.
• No RV shall be driven on Skippers Road (Queenstown), The Crown Range Road/Cardrona Valley Road (between Arrow Junction to Cardrona), Ninety Mile Beach (Northland), Wanaka – Mt Aspiring Road beyond
exit to Treble Cone, The Forgotten Highway (State Highway 43 from Taumaranui to Stratford), and North of Colville and Waikawau Township (Coromandel Peninsula).

Guests who travel to restricted areas without permission will void all Liability Cover in the event of damage or accident and may be subject to a penalty fee of $300.00 charged on each occasion identified

Kilometres

For the safety of guests please don’t underestimate the time it will take to get from one point to another. While our RVs include unlimited kilometres we recommend travelling a maximum of 250 kilometres per day or the equivalent of 4-5 hours driving.

Returning the RV

The motorhome is a home away from home and for comfort, we recommend it’s kept tidy throughout the road trip. The vehicles need to be returned to the branch as they were taken, with the interior cleaned and holding tanks emptied. The vehicle exterior does not require cleaning unless it’s covered with excessive dirt or mud, making it difficult for our team to see its return condition.

Repairs

We understand that while on holiday the RV may require small repairs. So not to disrupt the road trip any further, if the damage was not caused by the guest, repairs up to $100 can be completed without authorisation and will be reimbursed. If repairs over $100 are needed, the Apollo Assist team should be informed prior to repair being completed.

All RVs are enrolled in the New Zealand Automobile Association and 24hr mechanical emergency roadside assistance is available if needed simply contact Apollo Assist at 0800 234 567.

Infringements, Tolls & Fines

Hippie will pass on any charges the guest receives for traffic infringements, toll or parking fines during their road trip. For toll way fee received, Hippie reserves the right to charge to the guest’s credit or debit card upon receiving the toll way fee, and an administration fee of $75 to cover associated administrative costs per toll way fee received.

Animals

We believe fur friends can only make a road trip better and both service animals and pet dogs are allowed to travel in our RVs with written permission from Hippie at time of booking. There is a $315 pet service fee for each pet, this excludes service animals. If a vehicle is returned soiled by a pet Hippie reserves the right to charge an extra cleaning fee. Our full policy can be viewed on the Hippie website

Smoking

Our vehicles are a smoke free zone, smoking is not allowed in any of our motorhomes. If smoke or drug residue is detected Hippie reserves the right to charge a cleaning fee.

Payment at Branches

For security reasons, Hippie accepts Credit card and Debit card for charges paid on RV pick-up and drop-off. We do not accept cash at Hippie branches. The Bond is payable at pick-up by Credit card or Debit Card and cannot be paid with a pre-paid Credit card.

Credit and Debit cards

Hippie accept Visa, MasterCard & American Express, . The following fees apply for the rental and any additional products (irrespective of chosen account e.g. savings, credit, etc.):

Visa/MasterCard Debit/Credit card   3.05%
Amex          5.2%

Fees are subject to change without notice

Credit Card Surcharge -Discovery Rentals

Credit card fees are payable when using Visa or Mastercard as these are subject to change Find out the current rates for your card here credit card fees are not refundable

Travel Insurance

For peace of mind, we strongly recommend that all guests take out the highest level of private travel insurance.

Additional Products & Services

To be requested at time of reservation or upon vehicle collection and paid by customer on day of vehicle collection:

Item	Price	Conditions
Extended Roadside Assistance	$6 per day	This includes opening RV on lock out, jump start, flat tyre change using spare located in the RV, fuel delivery up to 20 litres and call out fee up to $150.00. Non-mechanical issues are not covered and guests may be required to take the RV to a repairer.  Capped at 25 days.
Windscreen and Tyre Protection Plus Extended Roadside Assistance (WAP)	$16 per day	This includes 1 windscreen, 2 tyres and the Extended Roadside Assistance. Capped at 25 days.
Refueling Pack	$209 per rental	This includes: 1x fuel tank refill and 1x gas bottle refill
Cleaning Pack	$99.00 per rental	This includes: toilet and grey water emptying (where available), end of hire tidying. Simply return the vehicle neat and tidy and we’ll take care of the rest including vehicle, cabin and bathroom cleaning.
Camp Chairs	$22.00 each per rental
Camp Table	$31 per rental
Bike	$17.00 per day	Applicable for: all maui and Britz RVs. Maximum of two bikes per vehicle.
Bike Rack	$60 per rental	Applicable for: maui Ultima, maui Ultima Plus, maui Cascade, maui Beach, maui River, Britz Discovery, Apollo Euro Plus, Apollo Euro Quest.
Additional Doona/Duvet	$19 per rental
Heater/Fan	$19 per rental
Child/Booster Seats	$44 per rental	Please refer to the Child Restraints guide Maximum 2 seats.
Pre-Purchased Gas Bottle – non-toilet & shower	$26 per rental	A gas bottle is necessary for cooking. A full gas bottle(s) may be pre-purchased and can be returned empty to thl at the completion of the road trip. Fee applies for each booking component of a multiple rental
Pre-Purchased Gas Bottle – toilet & shower	$44 per rental	A gas bottle is necessary for cooking. A full gas bottle(s) may be pre-purchased and can be returned empty to thl at the completion of the road trip. Fee applies for each booking component of a multiple rental
Snow Chains	$53 per rental	Cannot be pre-booked. Guest can request at Pick-Up.
Extra Driver/Renter	$4.00 per person per day	Capped at 15 days.
Toilet Chemicals	$3.50 each	Cannot be pre-booked. Guests can request at Pick-Up.
First Aid Kit	$42	A First Aid kit is supplied in every RV. If the seal is broken or the kit is not returned the kit becomes the property of the guest and the fee is charged.
Change of Drop-off location after Pick-up	Up to $750.00	Subject to availability.
Pet Cleaning Fee	$315.00 per rental	Applies on all bookings where a pet dog or cat is travelling in the RV. A maximum of two pets are allowed in the RVs.
One-Way Fee (AKL to CHC/ZQN)	$295.00 (Oct to March) $189.00 (Apr to Sep)	Minimum rental periods apply.
One-Way Fee (CHC/ZQN to AKL)	$189.00 (Oct to March)	Minimum rental periods apply.
One-Way Fee (CHC to ZQN)	$189.00 (Apr to March)	Minimum rental periods apply.
One-Way Fee (ZQN to CHC)	$89.00 (Oct to March)	Minimum rental periods apply.
Queenstown Location Fee	$260.00	Per rental

Cancellation and Amendments

You must put any request to Cancel or Amend in writing or we cannot action.  The date of the email will determine the following Cancellation fees:

• If cancelled up to 31+ days prior to pick-up = Loss of deposit or 20% 
• If cancelled from 30 to 7 days prior to pick-up = 40% of Rental
• If cancelled from 6 days or less days prior to pick-up = 70% of Rental
• If cancelled within 24 hours of pick-up or No-Show = 100% of Rental
• If vehicle is returned early there is no refund available for the unused days and a No Show is considered as 100% Cancellation.

Original pick-up date or the earliest confirmed pick-up date is used to calculate the cancellation fee. 

Amendments: If a bookings travel dates are amended within the cancellation fee period to be outside of the cancellation fee period and is subsequently cancelled, the cancellation fee for the original booking will apply. 

$50 per change. This applies but is not limited to changing the client name, vehicle type, reducing the number of rental days, changing the pickup dates or locations. If rental is shortened, no refund will be given on the initial deposit.  In addition, if an amendment is made inside 14 days of pick up, the rental will be charged at the number of days originally booked. A relocation fee may also apply if the collection or return location is amended.  Where the hire is being extended, the amendment fee will not apply.

If the amendment results in changing vehicle brands your deposit may not transferable.

Amendments may result in the daily rental rate to be recalculated at the rate applicable on the date of the amendment for the entire rental period.

Any amendments within cancellation time period is subject to the supplier providing permission to amend the travel dates, or cancel the reservation and having to re-book.

Change of rate scheme including special rates. If the rate scheme or vehicle category is changed, this is considered a new booking and cancellation fees may apply to the original booking.

If a bookings travel dates are amended within the cancellation fee period to be outside of the cancellation fee period and is subsequently cancelled, the cancellation fee for the original booking will apply.

Other Things You Need To Know

• Hippie reserves the right to refuse any rental at our discretion.
• While on their road trip guests are responsible for:
• Damage caused where the terms of Rental Contract have not been met of the guest (other than when a third party damage admits fault and provides full contact and licence details).
• Damage caused by negligence and/or wilful conduct.
• Damage caused to the vehicle in any way by part or total water submersion or salt water. It’s true, our vehicles can’t swim.
• Damage caused to the vehicle when using the RV in contravention of any legislation or regulation controlling vehicular traffic.
• Damage caused due to a single vehicle roll over except where the ‘Value Pack’, or ‘Single Vehicle Rollover’ has been purchased and applies.
• Damage or loss caused to any personal belongings.
• Damage caused due to use of incorrect or contaminated fuel.
• Damage to the slide out of the RV.
• Damage to the underbody or overhead of the RV except where the ‘Value Pack’ has been purchased and applies.
• Our RV’s are equipped with a tracking device. Hippie reserves the right to send warnings to guests that are driving in contradiction to our terms and conditions, or exceeding speed limits. Guests that continuously ignore the warnings may incur in a penalty fee of $300 charged on each occasion identified.

Rates/Terms/Conditions are subject to change without notice.

Enjoy the adventure, wherever it takes you.

Disclaimer

Illustrations and text in any of our documentation, brochures or website are subject to change. Images are a representation only of the vehicle depicted. Variances in the vehicles offered for rental may occur due to substitutions made by Hippie or modifications and/or upgrades to the vehicle design made by the manufacturer.