Innholdsfortegnelse for No 68 i RV Travel Lifestyle

When Bernie and I discussed living on the road, one of our aims was to limit travel to less than two hours between each destination so that we had time to take a good look around the area at each place. Initial thoughts of an area could very well change after spending time exploring and finding out more about it. Maybe there’s a town that you tend to simply always drive through? Or perhaps at the most, you stop for a brief break as you’re passing through. For us, Murchison was that town. It’s about an hour and a half from our hometown, Nelson. We rarely stopped there and if we did it was only for coffee or diesel. Until recently, my idea of Murchison was of a small rural…

Waiheke Walking Festival Director Denise Whitfield shakes her head. It’s just a few days since the launch of this year’s programme and more than half the walks are ‘sold’ out. Many bookings come from previous attendees; attendees, organisers and patrons, become like a family, Denise says. This year she received an email from an Australian couple who apologised that they would not be in attendance because they are expecting a new grandchild. “But they promise they will be back again next year.” The Waiheke Walking Festival was launched as a weekend of walking in 2010, the brainchild of Auckland City Council parks officer, Gary Wilton. Gary worked with the original festival co-ordinator Jenness Reeve to deliver a series of walks that would showcase the island’s network of spectacular walkways. The…

Whakatāne riverside At under 5km long and 100 per cent flat, the Whakatāne riverside cycle and walking trail doesn’t require big legs. But this pretty, fully-paved ride is a gem, taking you along the bank of the Whakatāne River to the ocean. Park in town or near the coast. In half an hour or so of easy cycling, you’ll enjoy vistas ranging from estuary salt marsh, to a busy marina and a wharf area that is the berthing point for boats heading to Whakaari/White Island and to Moutohorā/Whale Island. There are a couple of good play areas along the way and, near the coast, easy access to the water for swimming. You pass close to cafés and right past Whakatāne visitor information centre, where there are hire bikes. Whakatāne Holiday…

SERVES: 4 Considering that Denmark is surrounded by water, it’s surprising that shellfish isn’t more popular here. Having grown up eating panroasted clams and mussels both in Portugal and France, where they are found on every bistro menu, I find their briny, chewy taste a great light way to start a meal. Serving them right out of the bowl, as finger food, is a little messy, but it’s really the best way to get every bit of those yummy crumbs which soak up the clam juice and garlic so deliciously. Everyone is always surprised at how quickly this dish comes together – and how good it is. 1. Scrub the clams under cold running water. Soak them in a large bowl of salted water while you prep the other ingredients.…

Keeping Your Children Safe Online: A guide for New Zealand parents John Parsons $34.99 RRP paperback, 150 pages, colour images, 230x160mm Potton & Burton Our children are being raised in a society that is radically different to that of just 20 years ago, with the near-universal adoption of smart phones and computers by young people, and the internet becoming a central feature of our lives. This revolutionary and enormously disruptive technology has created a completely new set of challenges for parents, ones that are entirely different to those of a generation ago. Keeping Your Children Safe Online addresses these challenges head-on. The author, John Parsons, is arguably the country’s leading authority on cyber safety for children. He works all o ver New Zealand with young people and their par ents,…

I open my eyes to a glow of orange as the sun’s first rays light up our tent. In the distance I hear waves breaking and the call of seagulls as they circle high above the campsite. I breathe a relaxed ‘ah’. The rocky outcrops at the end of the beach appear black against the silver ocean as the sun streams into the bay. “Where are my sunglasses and what’s that bright yellow ball in the sky?” Last summer in Taranaki was dismal. A series of westerly weather systems pounded the coast week after week during December and January. After a week at home in early January, Rick and I hurriedly packed up our camping gear and drove north like a couple of United States snowbirds escaping the winter snow…

Gillespies Beach was once a thriving, albeit short-lived, goldmining settlement. At its peak in May 1866, the township consisted of 1500 people (600 miners), 11 stores, two bakeries and two butchers. Because of the limited gold success the population dwindled to 200 people by October of the same year and just two years later only 17 people remained. Today the area offers a very pleasant, off-thebeaten- tourism trail where rusting remains of the gold era can be seen and several walks are on offer, ranging from a five-minute historic cemetery stroll to a four-hour walk to the remote Galway Beach and seal colony. The shorter-duration trails feature interesting insights into the goldmining past while the longer Galway Beach/Gillespies Lagoon walks provide a fairly decent but moderately easy half or full-day…

“I love people, I love cheese and I’m passionate about food,” declares Kaimai Cheese Company’s café manager, Linda Smith. On our way to Taupõ, we’d been intrigued by the sight of the very high waterfall tumbling from high in the hills just before Waharoa near Matamata, and seeing the café’s signage, had stopped for coffee and questions. It transpired that the waterfall was Wairere Falls, the highest waterfall in the North Island, that tumbles 153 metres down an escarpment in the Kaimai Ranges to the plains below. We subsequently found there’s a 45-minute walk to the viewing platform at the bottom of the falls, but there’s a further slog to the top of the falls, that left one walker, as he put it, ‘steaming like a wet cow’. This walk…

Overland Journeys have been designing, arranging and operating self-drive tours in several different countries around the world since 2007. Russia is one of our specialty destinations, and based on our experience in this amazing country, Overland Journeys are proposing to offer a one-off unique chance to drive your motorhome to Europe by traversing Russia, the world’s largest nation. DETAILS • Fully supported 51 day, 10,200km selfdrive tour from Vladivostok on the Eastern seaboard of Russia to Tallinn, Estonia, on the Baltic coast of Northern Europe.• Visit Lake Baikal (largest body of fresh waterin the world), Irkutsk, Novosibirsk (capital of Siberia), Omsk, Ekaterinburg, Kazan, Moscow and St Petersburg and lots of other places in between.• Optional city-sightseeing tours with local guides in specific cities will be included, along with optional excursions…

Taking only three steps and seconds to fold up, the Rubik Electric Bike is the ideal companion for RV and caravan owners. Folded, the Rubik takes up only 0.12 cubic metres and weighs in at 13kg and fits in many car boots. Despite the 12-inch wheels the Rubik is surprisingly zippy and comfortable to ride. With a cruise speed of 20kph and a riding distance of up to 30km, it is perfect for those short trips from your site to town. Shipped free throughout New Zealand. MORE INFO For further information or to purchase please call Ebenz Electric Bikes on 0800MYEBENZ (6932369)…

2014 Ultima Classic 5th Wheel Eco-friendly, well maintained. Exterior shower/speakers, power awning. Complete with rees Hitch and 5th wheel $110,000 ono Ph: 027 643 9089 2010 Rebel Carson Toy Hauler Easily fit race quad & 2 dirt bikes. New WOF/REGO, fully enclosed awning. Self-contained with an outside shower and tap $35,000 ono Ph: 09 439 6252 021 526 382 1974 Retro Plaza Custom Built Excellent condition, 2 doors. Original, beautiful; woodwork. Can deliver anywhere in North Island $32,500 ono Ph: 027 495 7853 2014 Elddis Xplore 530 NZ new, 3 berth. Caravan cover, self-contained. TV22 inch, winegard satellite. $35,000 ono Ph: 021 571 154 2007 Swift Charisma 4 berth full length awning. Very good condition New of & rego, curtains & blinds. Electrical wof, all NZMCA compliant $29,950 Ph: 027…

Caspar's Capers brought to you by Woof woof friends, it is super hot in Martinborough today as I write this. I just heard da mama booking me in for another haircut, woof woof that will be great. It is nice to be home for a while. In my last column we were a long way from home at Oakura Bay. I woof that place – we have so much fun exploring around the rocks, beaches and streets. I even get to go on walks in the dark with da mama and papa on the beach, bit strange really coz we hardly ever go for walks in the dark at home, woofy wonder why? It was a long, long drive back home in the car, woofy woofy missed the motorhome –…

Kaikoura retains the quiet ambience of a quaint seaside village at the base of the Seaward Kaikoura Mountain Range. Much remains the same as it was before the dramatic earthquake of November 14, 2016. But the landscape and seabed was altered dramatically, and it’s worth considering a two-night visit to see some of those changes. The good news is that marine life has not been affected. In fact local tourism operators report that whale, dolphin, seal and albatross viewings may be even better than before. And most of the regular walking trails are open and the town is ready to welcome visitors. KEY VISITOR ATTRACTIONS/ACTIVITIES • Whale watching and swimming-withdolphins encounters • Awe-inspiring coastal albatross viewing • Sea-kayaking to view uplifted seabed, seals in their natural environment and general ‘awe’…

Elsewhere in this issue you can read about the New Zealandbuilt Leisure Line I reviewed while at Christchurch RV recently. While there I also checked out the Swift – Coastline RV Esprit – 634. Tony Stuart had suggested this as the second vehicle test and it took me a while to understand why. It can be difficult to go from a luxury vehicle to a less-expensive brand. And yet as I sat there on my own looking at the amenities of this British-made caravan, I began to understand why Tony had chosen it for the same-day review. Like the Leisure Line, this was a four-berth with full rear bathroom and east–west island bed. It also had numerous skylights, fly-screens on all opening windows, a well-equipped galley, good-sized fridge, two gas…

As there is so much misinformation in the public domain concerning freedom camping, it seemed like a good idea to set the record straight. You see, across New Zealand the law states that freedom camping is permitted, except where it is not. It’s a conundrum we all have to face. To further complicate things, bylaws are constantly being amended at a local level. It is perhaps not all that surprising that there is so much misinformation within the public domain. Only last week I was sent a story that claimed to be a complete update on freedom camping. It was so breathtakingly ill-advised, I wondered what the author had been taking. No wonder, with this sort of guideline to go by, there are so many abuses of the Act by…

Husband and wife team, Coen and Christine van Breda, are pleased to announce that they have bought AA Solar and Sun Power Plus in Silverdale, Auckland and are looking forward to providing its customers with excellent service and delivery. The couple, who have over 30 years of experience in growing cutting-edge technology companies from small to big, believe that the solar age is now at a point where it makes a lot of economic and just common sense for most people to install solar solutions, be it in their motorhomes, homes, boats or businesses. After searching the market for a renewable power organisation that had the key attributes of commitment to excellence, and a proven track record of delivering quality solutions for their customers, Coen and Christine were delighted when…