Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2015 i Caravan and Outdoor Life

Lynne & Alf van Wyk of Gauteng, win R1 000 from Cara-Sure (seen above with friend, Debbie) Lynne nominated Dolphin Caravan Park, Ballito, KZN, and had this to say about their favourite resort,‘I actually don't want to advertise them as I'm scared we won't get a spot next year. First of all, the reception staff are very kind and helpful - always got a smile and a joke. We’ve been going to Ballito for more than 15 years now and every year you can see they’ve done something new to upgrade their park. They deploy extra staff at night during the school holidays to keep the ablution blocks clean. I can honestly say nothing is too much trouble for them - they’re very helpful and friendly.…

The Discoverer Fun I drove is the smallest camper on offer in the Bobo range. I wanted to say ‘my’ camper – that’s how possessive I felt after a week with this little beauty. The Fun is built on a Nissan Hardbody chassis and according to Bobo it has fewer luxuries than their larger Discoverer models. I felt totally spoilt though. It was perfect for me; I just wish my wife could have been with me because it is perfect for a couple. The Discoverer Fun comes equipped with everything that two people need on an extended camping trip. This includes linen, towels, duvets, etc. The quality of the items is evident, and you'll find items like a top of the range tin opener, a coffee filter holder with filters…

A forgotten highway between Ladismith and Prince Albert has long fascinated me. It was, in its time, one of those important trunk roads built by the Cape colonial government during the period of their great road-builder, Thomas Bain. These roads were intended to open up the colony for development and to create routes to move wool from the Karoo to the ports, during the time when merino sheep had just been introduced into the country and were producing the sort of high-quality wool in great demand by a booming British textile industry. As a road, it now goes nowhere; but it passes through the most dramatic of scenery. It will still carry an adventurous traveller through the high Swartberg range under the flanks of Seweweekspoortberg - at 2 325…

My wife and I have been avid outdoor folk for many years. I always find the DIY articles in this magazine most interesting as one is able to get an insight into other people’s requirements and aspirations, which in turn gets other readers also inspired to think out of the box. In 1971, we bought our first caravan, a second-hand ‘64 Kudu 12 ft, and have since owned eight others as well as a motorhome. Our current caravan is a modified ‘89 Sprite Swift. I started repairing caravans in 1977. The first van I repaired was a written-off 1972 sprite Musketeer. This was in our back yard, and gave me a very good understanding of how caravans were built. In the late 80s, I went into repairing caravans on a…

Braaied bacon-and-mielie salad with basil pesto dressing For the mielie salad… What you’ll need 4 mielies 4 slices bacon, diced 4 tbsp. butter, melted 2 garlic cloves, crushed 100 g fine green beans 1 yellow pepper, diced 100 g mushrooms, sliced 100 g baby tomatoes, whole Garlic-and-herb seasoning, to taste For the basil pesto dressing… 250 g basil pesto ½ lemon, juiced 2-3 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped How to make them 1. Cook the mielies in boiling salted water for 7 minutes, or until just tender. 2. Drain, then brush with half the butter, and season with garlic-and-herb seasoning. 3. Braai for 5 minutes until cooked and charred. 4. Leave whole or cut the corn kernels off the cobs. 5. Heat the remaining butter in a skillet and sauté…

LOOSE WHEEL BOLTS We travelled to Yzerfontein over the Easter weekend and, on our return, my brother-in-law said that the wheel on the left (the pavement side) had a slight wobble. I immediately checked and three of the five nuts were not exactly tight. The tyres are new and I had the axle replaced five or six years ago. I double-checked the wheel nuts on the right, and they were fine. What could be the reason for this? Should I be adding this to my checklist before a trip, to ensure that both wheels are fine and wheel nuts are tight? Fred Schenck Godfrey Castle: There could be a number of reasons for this: It is relatively common for this to happen on the left wheel, possibly because…

WHAT MAKES FOR A GREAT CAMPSITE - READERS’ RESPOND In our May issue, we published an article called Great guest or unwelcome pest . Here we polled a number of resort owners on what types of behaviour made some guests a pleasure and other guests a pain. At the end of that article, by way of contrast, we asked readers for their views on what makes them return to one campsite over and over again, and swear off revisiting another ever again. Here are three of the responses received . RESPONSE 1 My husband Bob and I have been members of the camping club for 43 years and still camp often at a variety of parks. What makes a great caravan park? Friendly reception and staff;…

TO BEER OR NOT TO BEER Most South Africans love a good braai, and what’s a braai without an ice-cold beer? Beerbird has combined these two favourites with their single and double grids. Simply place an open can of your favourite hops 'n barley under a whole chicken on Beerbird’s unique rack and the beer will infuse the chicken while it cooks. Better yet, cook two on the ‘Double Bird’ grid. R120 single - R160 double For more information, contact Beer Bird on 011 462 3331, or visit www.beerbird.co.za *** Want one? We’ve got SIX Beerbird grids to give away to lucky readers. Answer the following easy question and send your answer to alex@caravansa.co.za. Don’t forget to include your contact details and address. Q: How much beer should you drink…

PRICES & WARRANTIES Focus 1.0 EcoBoost Ambiente 4-door R212 900 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost Ambiente 5-door R217 900 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost Trend 4-door R229 900 Focus 1.0 EcoBoost Trend 5-door R234 900 Focus 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 4-door R265 900 Focus 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 5-door R271 900 Focus 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 4-door AT R279 900 Focus 1.5 EcoBoost Trend 5-door AT R284 900 Corrosion warranty 5-year / unlimited km Comprehensive warranty 4-year / 120 000 km Service plan 4-year / 80 000 km Roadside assistance 3-year / unlimited km Service intervals 20 000 km on EcoBoost engines Every 90 seconds, somewhere in the world, a Ford Focus is born. This level of automotive fecundity may come as a surprise to us South Africans, as the Focus has never really been considered a…

This game farm is the perfect getaway: a place to unwind, and just the place for the school holiday, or long weekends, with your children and pets. The venue is located in the north-eastern part of the North West Province known as Bojanala, and within easy reach of Pretoria, Joburg and Rustenburg. They have 58 grassed, electrified and partially-shaded stands. Four of these stands have a private shower, toilet, wash basin, and kitchen area with sink and shelves. Each stand has a 20-amp breaker and uses the normal three-point plug, with a water-point per stand. The water is safe to use for cooking and boiling, but not for drinking. They sell still water from their kiosk; or you can bring your own. They have family ablutions available with bath /…

MOTHER NATURE’S FACT FILE HYENA The Spotted Hyena (Crocuta crocuta) is Africa's most common large carnivore. Although reputed to be cowardly and timid, the hyena can be bold and dangerous, and is known for attacking animals and humans. Hyenas make a variety of different vocalisations, including wailing calls, howling screams and the well-known ‘laughter’, which is used to alert other hyenas up to five kilometres away! Of the three species of hyena in Africa, only the spotted hyena and the shy, and much rarer, striped hyena (Hyaena hyaena) are found in East Africa. The smaller (and even shyer) brown hyena (Hyaena brunnea) occurs only in southern Africa. Unusually in animals, female spotted hyenas are the dominant gender and outweigh the males by about 1.5 kg. As it is a matriarchal…

We're looking for South Africa's best caravan parks, and who better to judge than you, our readers? It'll be simple, taking part. All you'll need do is send us details of the park you feel is on top, plus the time when last you visited it, (no more than 12 months ago), and why you feel this venue deserves honours. If you have a high-resolution photograph showing you and your family at the park, feel free to send this, too. By entering, you put yourself in line to win R1 000 every month, courtesy of Cara-Sure, and if you're a client of theirs, you'll win an additional R1 000. Cara-Sure is SA's favourite leisure vehicle insurance companion, specialising in caravans (on- and off-road), camper trailers and motorhomes. Go to www.carasure.com…

It’s amazing how a small thing can get under your skin: the thong of one of my brand-new Croc sandals had come adrift. I was in the Kruger, so I had boots; but it was so darn hot that I badly needed those flip-flops. Brain working overtime, I wandered into Kruger’s hilltop Olifant’s camp shop, where I found a spool of dental floss. All I now needed for my bush shoe-repair job was a large needle. ‘Why do you need such a big needle?’asked the kindly shop assistant - a sharp lady. Having taken one look at the flapping thing in my hand, she said,‘Don’t worry, Elkan can fix it for you.’ (Elkan Tivne, the baker at the adjoining Mugg and Bean, was the local cobbler.) And, true to her…

PRICES & WARRANTIES Mokka Enjoy 1.4T R288 500 Mokka Enjoy 1.4T AT R298 500 Mokka Cosmo 1.4T R325 500 Mokka Cosmo 1.4T AT R335 500 Warranty 5 year / 120 000 km Service plan 5 year/ 90 000 km Service intervals 15 000 km Opel has been building and selling the Mokka in Europe for three years; and such has been the success of this small crossover that, in 2014, over 240 000 units were sold. Soon the new model will be in local dealerships, hoping to continue its record-breaking run. With its own unique chassis, the Mokka is a crossover model which straddles the B and C segments, sparring with the likes of Ford’s Ecosport and Nissan’s much larger Qashqai. Thanks to its raised driving position, which gives an…

PRICE Infiniti QX80 Premium R1 238 000 It’s big, it’s bold and it’s guaranteed to make heads turn. The arrival of the Infiniti QX80 in South Africa offers customers in the large luxury SUV segment a newer and somewhat sparklier alternative to popular competitors such as the Toyota Land Cruiser and Lexus LX570. This full-size luxury SUV has a new distinctive exterior design, which you’ll either love or hate right off the bat. Combining this with a luxuriously crafted interior trim, and high levels of standard safety and technology, means that the QX80 represents the most premium SUV ever offered by the brand on South African soil. With the QX80, Nissan’s luxury division has created a vehicle that’s anything but subtle. For starters, it’s super-sized, and has a very roomy…

We were recently invited by General Tire to the Gerotek Testing Facility, just west of Pretoria, for the launch of their Altimax range. At this venue we would push tyres to the limit in wet-handling, wet-braking and aquaplaning scenarios, and experience first-hand how the advanced design and tread compound, and new technologies, make the Altimax tyre a worthy contender in the passenger-car tyre segment. The General Tire Altimax range places the focus on driving safety by providing impressive wet braking, exceptional wet handling performance and confident aquaplaning resistance. This is combined with low rolling resistance for improved fuel efficiency. The Altimax range, consisting of the Altimax Comfort and the Altimax Sport tyre, is designed to stringent European standards and market demands. The Altimax range boasts innovative composite and contour technologies…

CORIAN'S MONTHLY WINTER SPECIAL Corian's Pennington Caravan Resort is proud to offer senior citizens (over the age of 60) a wonderful deal for the winter months. Until the end of September, couples will pay just R2 000 per month. For more information, contact Cornelia Clough on 039 975 1107, 039 975 1108 (fax); or visit their website, www.corians.co.za. VW LIGHTENING ITS ELECTRICITY LOAD VW’s Uitenhage plant has managed to obtain significant energy reductions through the combined initiatives from its Energy Management Team and the actions implemented in last year’s Master Weekend. VWSA has managed to decrease its weekend base load target for the entire manufacturing plant by 27% - from 3.91, to 2.84 megawatts. During the second weekend in March, VWSA managed to achieve its lowest base load to date…