Me and my little 1995 Honda Odyssey went around the South Island for a month and a half. We saw glaciers, fjords, blue penguins, baby seals, lots of sheep, and fat cats. I haven't traveled solo for sometime before New Zealand, so living out of the van by myself brought a real sense of freedom. It was a nice feeling to be able to go anywhere anytime and have everything you needed with you at all times.