Australian tourists hit with $7500 bill after campervan bogs down in Wānaka mud slip
A couple's rental motorhome became stuck in a mud slip near Wānaka during the weekend storm, leaving them stranded and facing a $7500 recovery charge despite buying what they believed was the company's top zero-excess cover.
An Australian couple has been left stranded and facing a $7500 bill after their rental motorhome became stuck in a mud slip near Wānaka, despite having taken out what they understood to be the hire company's most comprehensive zero-excess cover. The charge relates to recovering the vehicle, which fell outside the damage cover they thought would protect them.
The incident follows the significant winter storm that battered the Southern Lakes late last week, triggering slips, surface flooding and road closures across Queenstown, Wānaka and the Crown Range. State Highway 6 was affected near Lake Hāwea, and the Milford Road closed ahead of forecast snow as avalanche risk climbed.
For visitors, the lesson is a simple one: 'zero excess' cover usually protects the vehicle, not the cost of towing it out of a slip or snow bank. Before you set off in a campervan or motorhome this winter, ask the hire company in writing what happens if the vehicle gets stuck on an alpine road, check the NZTA journey planner the night before, and carry chains, and know how to fit them, before heading over the Crown Range.