Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2021 i RV Travel Lifestyle

Mt Cook › Canterbury - Mackenzie 43.7343° S, 170.0962° E Piercing birdcalls break the silence in our tent, deep in the night under the Milky Way. Sleepily I recognise the kea’s call as I roll over on our tussock bed. The sounds of nature are harmonious when compared to the noisy campers who arrive at 2.30am, opening and shutting their van doors as they set up their tent. Our tent palace sits among a series of smaller domes scattered in a grassy meadow beneath Mt Sefton at White Horse Campground at Aoraki/Mt Cook. The DOC (Department of Conservation) campground is bursting with cars, vans and campers while a constant stream of people hike up the Hooker Valley Track from the trailhead nearby. My partner Rick is unimpressed with all the…

Taranaki › Herbertville One of the great aspects of New Zealand is if you are tired of one coast it is a relatively short hop cross country to the other side for a change of scene. From where we live in Ōakura it takes between four and seven hours to make the drive depending on where you’re going. When the westerlies hit the Taranaki coast for a week it was the perfect time to load up the car and head off on a camping trip to the east side. After studying our trusty NZ Road Atlas hunting for somewhere we had not explored before, somewhere with surf, we decided on the little coastal settlement of Herbertville on the Tararua coast near Cape Turnagain. With the car packed we drove south…

Whangārei › Northland -35.742413, 174.270012 Trip Advisor were impressed. They’ve awarded Kiwi North (on State Highway 14, just outside Whangārei) their Traveller’s Choice award. Kiwi North’s Qualmark Silver status confirms that this is a tourism business that consistently exceeds visitor expectations and ZAA (Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia) accreditation means this facility operates to the highest standards. So Kiwi North is doing well. Allie Fry, the Operations Director of a small, passionate team explains that Kiwi North is the only kiwi house in Northland and the only place where visitors can see tuatara and kiwi. The state-of-the-art kiwi house, opened in January 2011, houses two kiwi and is part of a property with a long natural, historic and social history on a green space held in perpetuity by the Whangārei…

Stuffed aubergine in curry and coconut dal SERVES FOUR As a main Only two ingredients – lemon and milk – are what it takes to make paneer at home. It’s an experiment worth trying (it certainly feels like conducting a chemistry experiment), both for a sense of achievement and for unrivalled freshness. Yotam has published a recipe in the Guardian, but many others are also available online. If you buy your paneer – which makes the most satisfying filling for the grilled aubergines here, as it soaks up the coconut sauce – try to find a soft variety, which has a texture like compressed ricotta. Other varieties, which are harder and slightly rubbery, are more suitable for making vegetarian tikka kebabs, but they will also do if that’s what you’ve…

What a year 2020 has been! Unprecedented sales, and so many new welcome into the UCC family. “It looks like 2021 is going to be just as exciting as we once again increase the Dethleffs Distinction Range to include new exciting models. These new models include a new family motorhome with bunks in the rear, new lounge edition models and even some new A class models! These new layouts will be presented for the first time at the COVI show in Auckland in March”, Owner Rob Floris tells us. “On top of this, UCC is excited to announce that it is expanding our service offering to the RV market! We have acquired the premises next door to our current location in Christchurch which has doubled our footprint. Once we bed…

Whangamatā › Coromandel Peninsula -37.214359, 175.867206 There is no doubt that Covid-19 screwed up a few of the events we like to attend including the Beach Hop, normally held in March. It was postponed until late November, and as fate would have it they chose the very weekend that we were planning to hold a 75th anniversary celebration rally for Liteweights. That weekend coincided with the anniversary of my dad completing his first caravan 75 years earlier while on accumulated leave from the air force, before being demobbed. What to do? Our friend Peter Nunn who founded the NZ Retro Car and Caravan Club was planning to attend the Stragglers car show on the Sunday before the Beach Hop and asked if anyone was interested in a road trip in…

Golden Bay to Murchison › Tasman Because we live near the very top of the North Island and regularly take our visitors to Cape Rēinga, we decided that this year our own road trip would incorporate the northernmost point of the South Island, Farewell Spit. State Highway 60, beginning near Nelson, is the only way to get to that point by road, and while we were in Nelson we learnt that our walk up Botanical Hill had led us to what had once been surveyed as the centre of New Zealand. We’ve since found that the centre is actually in the Spooner Ranges, but it was a pleasant walk through the Botanic Gardens to the summit where there were fantastic views over the port and beyond. The following day it…

Auckland to Kawhia › North Island 38.0447° S, 174.8280° E We watch the sun sink into the ocean from our very own sandy hot pool, our bottom halves simmering in hot water while top halves get a little chilly from the sea breeze. Only a handful of locals and day trippers from nearby towns share the strip of hot water beach with us. Taking a bite of my takeout burger from the town’s only pub, I can’t help but think how different and relaxing this hot water beach experience is compared to its busier sibling in the Coromandel. Hiding away from the world in one of the western-most points of the Waikato, Kawhia and its hot water beach is possibly New Zealand’s best-kept secret. Located two harbours south of Raglan,…

It’s In The Post Rachael Reid RRP $24.99 Bateman Books When it comes to showing off our DIY ingenuity, Kiwis from across the country have risen to the challenge of reimagining the humble letterbox. This very Kiwi collection showcases the letterboxes of Aotearoa: from the classic to the crazy, the elaborate to the sublime. 1–2-3 with New Zealand Rugby Justin Laing & Wayne Bartlett RRP $19.99 One cheeky half-back, busy guiding all the giants. Two lovely loosies. They study rucks like it’s a science. Three shiny trophies. The All Blacks make us Kiwis proud. 24 Hours On The Kiwi Seashore Gillian & Darryl Torckler RRP $19.99 Bateman Books When the night falls and all is quiet, there is a whole world of activity, deep in the heart of our native…

Families, couples, and the few remaining international visitors still in New Zealand are flocking to holiday parks around the country to take advantage of reasonably priced accommodation in attractive scenic areas. At the Foxton Beach Holiday Park, owner Uwe Kroll told me his customer profile pre-Covid was 80:20 domestic:international. “It’s Kiwis only now.” A migrant from Baden-Baden in southwest Germany in 1995, he’s been surprised and “very encouraged” by the increase in volume in the domestic market. “June, July, August have been 100 per cent above last year.” Up the road at Himatangi, most of the business for Reuben and Alice Emery is camping and caravans, but they have noticed an increase in demand for fixed accommodation since the Covid-19 restrictions ended. They’ve added a couple of motel-like units and…

Jayco Canterbury has thrived since its humble beginnings as Canterbury Caravan Court in 1966, to now being the South Island’s only provider of Jayco RVs since being established as Jayco Canterbury in 1995. With a strong vision and love for all things RV related, directors Peter and Gwyneth McWhirter are committed to providing Kiwis with the best caravans with a focus on providing personalised customer service. Tony McWhirter from Jayco Canterbury has since taken the reigns from his parents. Mr McWhirter is driven by his parents’ passion and is thrilled with the way the caravan industry is going. “Caravanning is now more popular than ever due to international travel restrictions but we’ve also seen more and more people interested in what caravanning can offer them as a holiday and investment…

Wagener would like to thank everyone for the wonderful support for their Sparky since they launched him eight years ago. Wagener Stoves is a third-generation family business proudly handcrafting Kiwi designed and made solid fuel stoves for nearly 40 years. Their range is unique in the market and built to last. The family team are very hands-on with Mum, Dad and three sons and a staff of five making up the extended family. Because they are Kiwi-made there is good stock on hand including parts for servicing all models. The range includes the Wagener Sparky, Sparky CA, Leon, Butler Multi, Cook-Top Wagener Stove and Lion Wetbacks. For more information please phone Wagener on 09 408–2469 or visit their website www.wagenerstoves.co.nz…

We all know how busy things can get over the holiday period. The last thing you want to do is rush to find somewhere that can do your EWOF. At Electra-Safe they want to make it very simple to book your EWOF, that’s why they’ve introduced their new EWOF online booking system. It is now easier than ever to book a time and date online. We are closed from December 22, 2020 but will reopen on January 5, 2021 Head to www.electrasafe.co.nz/electrical-warrants to book yours online!…

To watch videos of Caspar’s adventures visit his facebook page or watch on YouTube Caspar’s capers Woof woof friends Boy oh boy my head is literally still spinning after the last few weeks. It has been all yippy yipyip go around here. I had better start at the beginning though. Last issue after the show I told you we were moving house; well what a big job that turned out to be. Before we did that we packed up the new motorhome and headed back to Martinborough – we need some bits and bobs mama said. I’ve never met bits or bobs but hey I was game arf arf. It was a quick trip down, with only a few roadside stops for me. Great to catch up with Pete and…

kawatiri coastal trail › Westcoast GPS The South Island’s West Coast could easily be called the ‘Wheel Coast’ given all the cycle trails emerging recently from the depths of the rainforest. What was once a region full of national parks with few cycle paths, is now mecca for the riding multi-dayer. There seems to be something for everyone. If you are a hardened rider then The Old Ghost Road is a must, and the NZ Great Walks of the Heaphy and Paparoa Tracks are more than just a walk in the park these days as they are now dual-purpose walk and cycle trails. A gentler but equally epic ride is the West Coast Wilderness Trail which hugs the coastline and explores the wild interior. If you fancy the very latest…

Tuapeka › Clutha -46.018844, 169.510978 To be honest, the correct name is the Tuapeka Ferry, but it’s the Tuapeka Punt to most people and Tuapeka Punt it shall be for this story. But where and what is this Tuapeka Punt? Read on. Tuapeka is a fair-sized chunk of land located near the border between South and Central Otago with Lawrence the ‘capital’ – from when the area was governed by the Tuapeka County Council. Today, it’s farming (mostly dairy) but it wasn’t always that way. Tuapeka is writ large in the history of early New Zealand because it was here that Gabriel Read discovered gold in ‘Gabriel’s Gully’ leading to an influx of miners, but as with all gold rushes it didn’t last for long. Tuapeka Mouth is a small…

Kawhia We can absolutely recommend Kawhia Beachside S-tCape (07 871 0727) for both campers and non-campers. Beautifully located directly at the waterfront, they offer both campsites, cabins (some with en-suite) and motel rooms. While we haven’t seen the cabins I’m certain they’re just as spotless as the communal kitchen and bathrooms. There’s another campground and the Kawhia Motel (07 883 8215). Because that’s all the accommodation there is, we recommend you pre-book. Waitomo Caves You can never go wrong staying at a Top 10 campground and the one in Waitomo (0508 498 666) is no exception. There’s ample space for the tent and motor camper as well as cabins and rooms of all sizes. For being such a famous and popular place, there are not too many accommodation options in…

Slinky Malinki’s Christmas 123 Lynley Dodd RRP $19.99 Penguin Oh, that cheeky cat Slinky Malinki has got up to his usual tricks and meddled with the Christmas tree decorations. Count naughty Slinsky Malinki’s stolen Christmas tree items from 1–10. Wreck This Picture Book Keri Smith RRP $25 Penguin What if there were a book that changed every time you read it? Actually, every book does this. We are all part of the books we read, because our individual reactions, ideas, and emotions make the book whole, and these things are changing all the time. Kia Kaha: Together Standing Strong June Pitman-Hayes RRP $19.99 Scholastic Singer-songwriter June Pitman-Hayes has composed this rousing and fortifying new waiata for Kiwi children from all backgrounds. Observed through the lens of a child’s everyday viewpoint,…

Make magical memories on the road in a quality motorhome from SmartRV, the exclusive New Zealand distributor of renowned motorhome brands Carado, Bürstner, and HYMER from German manufacturer Erwin Hymer Group. These brands are known worldwide for their modern design, innovative features and excellent workmanship. Choose from value, premium, and luxury motorhome models across a range of price points, with new and used RVs available. SmartRV will make every step on your ownership journey exceptional. Their expert sales team will help you find the perfect motorhome to fit your dream of life on the road. The after-sales team is there for as long as you have your motorhome, ready to give advice on features, maintenance, and our parts and accessories range. 2021 stock is arriving soon including the latest update…

Dethleffs’ only New Zealand caravan agent, Central RV, has experienced an extraordinarily busy year with unprecedented demand for the popular German caravans. Dethleffs caravans are world renowned for their exceptional build quality, innovative design, high payloads and stress-free towing. The Central RV team says they’ve not experienced supply issues because of COVID-19, other than units selling so quickly there has often not been much stock remaining on-site for potential customers to view. The Central RV team will take delivery of the first of its 2021 stock in December, with another large shipment due in late January. These shipments are made up of Central RV’s proven best-selling models including the all-new Beduin Scandinavia range, the very popular large 760DR, a selection of mid-size island- and twin single bed models, and the…

New Zealand owned and operated for 30+ years, the team of dedicated specialist solar engineers at AA Solar are ready to support all your solar needs. They offer a comprehensive design, supply and installation service for RVs, caravans, fifth-wheelers and buses from their Silverdale and Ashburton Workshops, as well as a comprehensive online solar parts shop, for solar panels, batteries, inverters, and much, much more. AA Solar have stocked up for summer, and fresh shipments are landing each week so do give them a call on 0800 110 581 or www.aasolar.co.nz…

GIESEN NEW YEAR REGATTA When: January 9 Where: Waikawa Marina, Picton www.waikawaboatingclub.co.nz Waikawa Boating Club hosts this annual keelboat regatta in the beautiful Marlborough Sounds catering for everyone from racers to cruisers with a division for trailer-sailers as well. CASTLEPOINT FISHING CLUB COMPETITION 2021 When: January 8 Where: Jetty Road, Castlepoint www.wairarapanz.com The Castlepoint fishing competition has been running for a massive 25 years! Come along and join us for this awesome competition. The competition is land- and boat-based so everyone can join in. GIBBSTON VALLEY WINERY SUMMER CONCERT When: January 23 Where: Gibbston Valley Winery, 1820 SH6, Queenstown www.greenstoneentertainment.co.nz WIN TICKETS The team at Greenstone Entertainment are bringing life back into the live entertainment industry in the summer of 2021. After a record sell-out tour in 2020 attracting over…