Innholdsfortegnelse for No 67 i RV Travel Lifestyle

Today I aim to tackle the full 16-kilometre loop of the Ng? Tapuwae o Toi walkway that takes you from Whakatāne to Ōhope beach and back again. Many opt to walk portions of the track but I’m feeling confident that, fuelled with a breakfast crepe from delightful French cafe l’Epicerie, I’ll take the whole length in my stride (no pun of course). A short stair climb and I’m already immersed in native bush and rustling birdlife. Kōhī Point Scenic Reserve, the first of three reserves along the route, is literally a stroll away from the Whakatāne town centre and is home to a plethora of native birds. It’s also the setting for some magical views. The track takes me along a western ridge overlooking the Whakatāne harbour and river mouth.…

It’s tempting to think of the new-to-New Zealand Bivouac camping trailer as billabong meets mountain, river, sea and lake. But there’s an even more compelling Kiwi icon missing from the story. Every time a Bivouac Kakapo is sold, the preservation fund for our endangered flightless parrot – thought to be the largest in the world – receives $150. And if that doesn’t get you off the couch I’m pretty sure when you hear about all of the amenities this nifty camper offers for a very modest price, you’ll be racing out the door. I liked this camper so much, I would say (for my money at least) it was the best in show at the recent Classic Events Motorhome Show at Mystery Creek. You may well be asking what was…

The call from Marty of Marty’s Paint and Panel to get down quickly to check out a major issue uncovered by the sandblasting rocked me. What part of the Mog, I wondered, and exactly how bad was it? Which is precisely the moment Dave Dobbyn decided to lend the project a hand. Onya mate. His song The Optimist leapt out of the radio and changed my whole mindset. Whatever the sandblasting had found, I’d treat as a positive sign. Better to unearth it now than discover it while tearing around the backblocks sometime down the line. It was the fuel tank. With more holes than a Springbok backline, it was clear that mere repairs wouldn’t cut it and that a visit to the guys at Roadrunner in Bulls was my…

Dora is a 1976 Sprite caravan, proudly owned by Deidre O’Flynn (Dee). And she has every reason to be proud – she renovated this pocket-sized camper herself. Dee is proof that gender and age are no barriers when chasing your dreams. Dee set a goal to own a caravan and go camping before reaching 70. And she’s achieved it! Turn back the clock to April 2015. Dee, a retired school principal, was searching on Trade Me for a 1960s or 1970s caravan. The criteria for the caravan were simple … it had to be a rounded shape, structurally sound, no leaks, and cheap! Dee had a tight budget she wanted to stick to and was determined not to break it. As luck would have it, a 1976 Sprite was listed…

Going on holiday is a time to toss your worries aside, relax and unwind. However, having to leave your loyal canine companion(s) behind may cause the exact opposite; feelings of anxiety and stress can develop (for you and the pets). But the good news is, holidaying with pets is achievable and lots of people are happily doing it. We have met many people who travel with dogs, cats, and even birds. Some were on holiday, while others were living full time on the road. When we announced to friends our plan to live full time in our fifth wheeler, the usual response was, “But what about your dogs?” It’s never been an option not to include our dogs (Oakly, Paddy and Boo). We appreciate travelling with three dogs may cause…

This is the time of year when we start thinking about where we are going to take our pride and joy over summer, and begin to prep our motorhome or caravan for the road trips and long hot days ahead. Insurance is not something we like to think about, but it’s a good time to do so, to make sure the cover that’s in place is sufficient If the unthinkable happens and you’re in the unfortunate situation of coping with a total loss of your motorhome or caravan, will your insurance policy behave as you expect? In this situation the last thing you need is a nasty surprise; this is where Covi NZMCA Insurance comes to the fore. At Covi we have an Agreed Value option on our policy, and…

Here we are in mid-spring, Labour Weekend starts tomorrow and the Rock, Caspar and I are back up in Oakura Bay north of Whangarei, where we left you last time. We’ve been home, back to Auckland by plane, back to Wellington by train, up to Hamilton in the motorhome, had an accident, back to Martinborough, over to Wellington and Levin, now back up to Oakura Bay. So yeah, a busy few weeks. Last issue we talked about being at Oakura Bay situated about 66km north of Whangarei near the deep-water entrance to the Whangaruru harbour between Whangarei and the Bay of Islands. Russell is only 66km further north. Legend has it that Puhimoanariki, captain of the legendary waka Mataatua, named the harbor Whangaruru, which means ‘sheltered harbour’. Looking for shelter…

The first thing you notice when entering the Swift Voyager 694 is the long view through an uncluttered lounge area to the bedroom discreetly tucked away to the rear of the vehicle. This is sure to be a big plus for Kiwi buyers, for whom this feature is often at the top of their shopping list. The adjustable-length bed is an island design – another big tick for buyers who frequently rate the island bed design above others. It’s a case of personal preference. While I do not have a favourite myself, I can certainly see the merits of all designs, but admit that the luxury of a separate bedroom is seductive indeed. There’s another important point to make about beds in all Swift vehicles. Swift has long been offering…

When it comes to vehicle reviews I am a fan of first impressions backed up by a long sit down and a good look around. This is all very well in theory, but it seems I am not the only one with this preference. At show time everyone else seems to have the same idea. It’s a double-edged sword at shows. On one hand you have the convenience of having all the review vehicles close at hand, and on the other, you have the crowds to compete with. On day two of the busy Classic Events Motorhome Show at Mystery Creek, I did my best to arrive early. And I did have the good fortune to sit for a few minutes with Euro Mobil importers, Rainer and Edith Zeltwanger, before…

When I stopped off to review the Sunliner Monaco motorhome, a nasty downpour had just begun and a gale was whipping up out of nowhere. Everyone outside the arena was suddenly scrambling to secure brochures and awnings. However, inside the Monaco, there was a sense of calm; a feeling of uncluttered space and quiet luxury. I like Sunliner style. It is at once sunny and relaxed and perfectly suited to the tastes of both Kiwis and their Australian motorhoming counterparts. There’s a sense of seaside bach in this motorhome which is designed for the ‘downunder’ market by a Kiwi living in Australia. No surprises therefore that the New Zealand franchise is held in Tauranga, where the aforesaid gentleman originally hailed from. And no surprises that those features we all love…

Kiwi-manufactured recreational vehicles were once the norm. But with the years of regulation followed by deregulation, together with the certainty (and uncertainty) of taxes, all but a small handful of local builders have fallen by the wayside One of those that has stood the test of time is Auckland Coach Builders (ACM) which, in recent years, has formed an exclusive build relationship with Kiwi Autohomes Ltd to supply the ACM Platinum range. The prototypes for the latest in this range caused quite a stir among importers and manufacturers at the recent Classic Events Motorhome Show at Mystery Creek. Along with other industry professionals I took a close look at the Aoraki, with its FinScan digital operations panel – which was just one of the reasons for all the hoo-ha. Thought…

While en route to the Whitianga Scallop Festival, just as we were feeling some hunger pangs, the cheerful signage and bright-red tractor at Pipiroa’s Bugger Café attracted our attention. The café’s on SH25, not far from Kopu. It’s part of a franchise (of two at present) whose intention is to provide good food and amusing décor. And certainly, the walls are covered with examples of embarrassing moments and frequent use of the ‘B’ word, but they’re nevertheless most entertaining. For example, a series of photos of a plane which overshot the runway at Thames airport only to land in the nearby sewerage pond, explained that there was no injury and ‘the smelly pilot walked away’. Bugger! But our bugger-burgers, fruit smoothies and the friendly service left us satisfied that stopping…

Like a broken record I keep going on about buying local and supporting the local economy with jobs for Kiwis. While that is a nice sentiment, we can’t just buy local because we are fiercely patriotic or idealistic; there needs to be a sound reason to buy a New Zealand-built RV, and I believe there is. New Zealand manufacturing is in good shape, producing some world-class motorhomes and caravans; we have some fantastic talent in this industry right here in New Zealand. Having been in the RV industry for nearly 20 years, I’ve seen some ups and downs in the manufacturing arena. The first hiccup I encountered occurred around the global financial crisis (GFC) in the mid-2000s, which saw a massive global downturn in tourism. We felt it big time…

Long before we reached Hastings we couldn’t fail to notice the number of cyclists whizzing along the proliferation of trails adjacent to the state highway. Hawkes Bay has really geared up for cycling as a leisure activity. It has more than 200km of mainly limestone trails not just near the highway but with loops and deviations out into the wider area. In many cases the routes have been reclassified as recreation trails to acknowledge the explosion of use, not just by cyclists, but also for walkers, runners and those in training for other sports or personal fitness. Napier’s Art Deco event was looming, which may have explained the number of RVs parked at beaches and in reserves. They were everywhere we looked, and as another indication that cycling’s become a…

There was excitement at the station as the word was passed around, the boss had done a recce and this is what he’d found… Apologies to Banjo Paterson for my rehash of the old favourite, but it does sum up the excitement expressed when the boss returned to the RV Lifestyle stand after seeing the GO, from SylvanSport. He thought it a very clever little camper and urged me to have a closer look. The SylvanSport GO is described as the “Swiss Army knife of camping trailers”, so you get from the outset it is compact and versatile. It has also been described as the “Coolest. Camper. Ever”. by National Geographic Adventure. That’s because the GO is a rare creature: a chameleon of a camper that can be many things…

You can see the green-blue silhouette of Moutohor?/Whale Island from all along the coast of the eastern Bay of Plenty. Nine kilometres offshore, it’s a muchloved icon. That distance used to be about as close as most people could get to Moutohor?, but no longer. White Island Tours now cruises to the island for a superb guided trip, with the chance to see kakariki (red crowned parakeet), saddleback (tīeke), and other rare birds, as well as tuatara and geckos. A completely different perspective comes by experiencing Moutohor? from the water. Kenny McCracken of KG Kayaks and Barry Cutfield of ProSail yacht charters recently teamed-up and offer sailing–kayaking trips. Often these stunning trips don’t use any motorised power at all. With Barry – Cap’n Baz – skippering Centaurus, a smart 11-metre-long,…

TOAST MARTINBOROUGH NOVEMBER 19TH Toast Martinborough continues to redefine the festival experience, combining 25 years of tradition with fantastic new innovations to remain New Zealand’s undisputed premier wine and food celebration. Eight vineyard sites where wine is the rightful star of the show, supported by superb food, will cater to every hankering. Whether your day is about ticking off the bubbles bars, trying new releases, locating an older vintage, or talking to the winemakers, Toast has every avenue covered. Experience each vineyard’s unique take on Toast by riding the free shuttle buses, or meander the easy distances on foot. Innovations introduced in 2016 are returning, and even techies will be impressed with how Toast is using technology in 2017 to make this year’s event even more seamless. Toast has all…

Woof woof hi there friends. Well it has been a busy time again for me these last couple of months. Last time I woofed you, me and da mama and papa were in a place called Northland, I wrote my column from the beach table Since then we did the drive in the motorhome back home, with a night sleeping at Charlotte’s on the way. It is always great to get home; if it is daytime I sit up and look out the windows looking for my friends to woof woof to. Usually it is dark and we have been driving for hours, well da papa has, I just lay-back and sleep, a nice relaxing time for me. We were only home a couple of days and da mama and…