Innholdsfortegnelse for November - December 2021 i RV Travel Lifestyle

Time to think about easy Christmas gifts. How about a subscription to this magazine, a physical issue, or a digital issue for loved ones overseas who yearn for a touch of home. We also have the NZTODAY-RV Lifestyle Walk & Cycle trail 2022 Collector’s Edition in shops and available to order; look for details elsewhere in this magazine or visit our website right now. November is upon us, and those of us in Auckland region have been restrained for a couple of months now and I barely know what day it is – if it wasn’t for print deadlines just gone and this one looming, I would have no clue. While we all wait for the magic 90 per cent vaccination rate so that we can all get back to…

Cycling or skipping, chattering, leading dogs while tugging at parents’ hands, on a fine weekend morning it’s heart-warming to see happy children wending their way around Whangārei’s Huarahi o Te Whai (Hātea Loop) Walk. In fact, the 4.2km loop walk alongside the Hātea River, across Te Matau a Pohe (Fishhook of Pohe) bridge and back along Riverside Drive to the town basin has become a popular destination for Whangārei locals and visitors of all ages. This walk really has something for everyone. Parents and children love to meet friends here, and the shared path is both accessible and dog-friendly. As well as the Reyburn House gallery, an art trail lines the path which is increasingly used by families, regular exercisers, runners, joggers and cyclists. Chris Booth’s millennium sculpture Waka and…

The Catlins is the area between Balclutha and Invercargill running along the southeast coast. It’s the alternative to the main highway running west from Balclutha to Gore and then south to Invercargill. This area, something of a tourist backwater in pre-Covid times, is enjoying a surge in travellers as Kiwis discover or rediscover their own country. Along our way my wife and I climbed hills, took in waterfalls, admired wetlands, searched for sealions, stood starry eyed at the Niagara Falls and ate several meals of blue cod, each one as good as the last. For me the Catlins have family connections that extend beyond the physical beauty of the place, the sense of serene isolation, the lovely and lonely beaches, the quirky history, and the fascinating stories of the early…

Reminiscences from NZTODAY founder Allan Dick Iam writing this in mid-September. Auckland is still locked down, the rest of us are in a sort of limbo-land called Level 2 Plus. It’s not a pleasant time, yet each time I start to think I have had enough, I sit down and look at Australia, the United States, Great Britain – in fact pretty much everywhere else in the world – and think of Fred Dagg singing “We Don’t Know How Lucky We Are …” However, I know that I am glad I am not the owner of any small business and particularly not one in a smaller town that is reliant on the tourist industry. I have no idea what shape the world is going to be in come Christmas, let…

Homecooked by Lucy Corry Strawberry, radish and cucumber salad with mint dressing Sweet, crunchy and refreshing, with creamy, salty crumbs of feta and a hint of heat from new-season radishes, this is a complete pick-me-up. It’s best enjoyed soon after making. SERVES 4 PREP TIME: 15 MINUTES COOK TIME: NIL FOR THE DRESSING: • 1 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, washed and dried• ½ tsp honey• 3½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice• 3½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil• ¼ tsp salt FOR THE SALAD: • 250g (1 punnet) strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced• 1 medium-sized telegraph cucumber, peeled, deseeded and sliced• 1 cup sliced radishes (about a small bunch, depending on size)• 150g feta, crumbled small mint leaves, for garnishing Make the dressing first: put all the ingredients in…

Most people purchasing an RV today plan to spend at least some of their time freedom camping in order to enjoy the convenience of staying where you choose without the need to plug into a camping ground power site. This way they can avoid the crowds, and enjoy the many stunning and affordable DOC sites throughout NZ. However, most RVs sold include RV Starter Packages that are too small to support freedom camping. For instance, RV dealers tend to install a 100–150W solar system which is suitable only for very light power usage, such as lights, an extractor fan and some charging ports for your phone or to power your laptop. If you would like to be more self-sufficient and power a fridge, coffee machine, TV, or charge your electric…

ROTORUA FESTIVAL OF GARDENS When: November 12th-14th Where: Various Locations, Rotorua www.rotoruagardens.org.nz Over 40 gardens will be on display from large rural gardens to tiny town plots. Part of your ticket price is donated to helping the Bay Trust Rescue Helicopter and St. John’s. WIN TICKETS SHOW DAY RACES When: November 12th Where: Addington Raceway, Christchurch www.addington.co.nz Be sure to pop along and celebrate elite racing at its best on one of NZ’s richest race days. Entry will be by gold coin donation to Maia Health Foundation and there are no public surcharges. ROTARY CAMBRIDGE GARDEN FESTIVAL 2021 When: November 21st Where: Cambridge www.cgf.nz Come and join us and raise funds for charity and visit beautiful and interesting gardens around Cambridge. HALF MARATHON 2021 When: November 27th Where: Haast www.westcoast.co.nz…

Having enjoyed several of NZ Adventures’ excellent South Island four-wheel-drive trips, when the opportunity arose to join a North Island ‘Heartland’ tour, we jumped at the chance. En route to Feilding, where the trip was to begin, we detoured past Piopio where we’d heard of some amazing rock formations and an attractive waterfall. Our four-wheel-drive trip was to be a back-road rather than an off-road experience so our diversion along the narrow, winding road to Mangaotaki Scenic Reserve and Waitanguru Falls gave us an idea of what might be in store. However, the outstanding landscape, stunning autumn foliage on the deciduous trees and the falls themselves made the experience well worthwhile. I’m constantly amazed at roadside remnants that reflect the scope and variety of our pioneer history. There are several…

$45 summer special get 7 issues, plus FREE digital editions! For friends or family overseas, send them a digital magazine subscription for just $12 or Special Edition digital titles for just $7.50 each! To order visit www.rnrpublishing.co.nz SUBSCRIBE TO ONLY $45 FOR 7 ISSUES + FREE DIGITAL EDITIONS! NZ ONLY ($81.65 RRP – 7 ISSUES, 1 YEAR) EXPIRES 28 FEBRUARY 2022 DO IT ONLINE OR POST IN THE FORM Enter the Promo code: XMAS45 www.rnrpublishing.co.nz SCAN QR CODE TO GO DIRECTLY TO WEBSITE ON YOUR MOBILE POST THIS FORM TO NZTRV Sub, P O Box 220, Martinborough 5711, New Zealand or email: subs@RnRPublishing.co.nz (Contact by email for bank account details) or call the Subscription Hotline 06 306 6041 Monday to Friday 10am to 3pm Pay by Credit card, by post,…

It was supposed to be a trip to see the lighthouse at Cape Rēinga, but driving north the bends became more frequent and more severe. State Highway 1 – the road which connects the Far North to the Deep South, our main-trunk line – began to delight and distract me. Living in the Far North we like to think of ourselves as at the top of the country – we name things with that in mind – Top Print, Top Health, Top Vets, Top Energy. But the truth is we are 100km short of the top. It’s a good long drive to Te Rerenga Wairua (Cape Rēinga) and I hadn’t been there for a long time. There was a promise of sunshine in a grey week so I took to…

How was your winter? Let me tell you about mine. The idea was that we – Miss Google, assorted animals (three cats and Audrey the dog) and I – would spend four weeks in a reasonably remote area of the Mackenzie Country called Ben Ōhau, 15 kilometres or so west from Twizel heading into the mountains. It ended up being exactly six weeks because Lockdown II arrived just as we were about to get back to civilisation. We hummed and haahed a bit and decided we liked it so much we stayed for the duration. Miss Google had long harboured a wish to winter-over in a really cold part of New Zealand, so, short of the summit of Aoraki/Mount Cook or camping among the frozen peas in the freezer in…

Like a child eagerly waiting for Christmas, I too am like a big kid counting down the days until the Lake Dunstan Trail opens. It’s like being given a new bike, but having to wait years before unwrapping it for a ride and try out all the bells and whistles. Yet for me, Christmas came early. A few strings pulled saw me get a sneak peek, pre-opening, to map the trail! The riding day arrives and I am bubbling with anticipation and questions. I am wondering how the trail designer and builders could make the impossible … possible. One only has to drive the highway on the opposite side of the lake between Cromwell and Clyde to know this is not a hillside for easy cycling. How was it possible…

New Zealand A Painted Journey Graham Young RRP $34.99 New Holland Journey through the painted landscape of New Zealand seen through the eyes of artist Graham Young as he endeavours to capture the character and motifs of the various regions with his colourful paintings coupled with his own thoughts of his travels. These paintings represent snapshots of the laid back Kiwi lifestyle, evoking pleasurable memories of summers gone by, growing up in these exceptional landscapes, highlighted by the ramshackle baches, old vehicles, caravans and once loved and abandoned sheds that are so familiar. Love, in Theory Elodie Cheesman RRP $14.99 Pan Macmillan When 24-year old lawyer Romy learns that she is at her ‘optimal stopping point’ (the mathematically designated point at which one should select the next ‘best person’ who…

Arriving at Levin RV during November is the latest model caravan, with the popular drop-down covered Sky-Deck front deck, from Royal Flair in Australia. Built for living on the road and packed full of features with a rear island bed, 32˝ TV unit and auto satellite dish, twin 120Ah batteries, three 190W solar panels and BM system, two fresh water and two grey water tanks of 95L each, large two-way 272L fridge with separate freezer, full oven/grill/gas + electric hob, double pull-out pantries, diesel heating and even a washing machine. There are so many features packed into this Royal Flair Piazza it will tick many boxes for a home away from home – or, indeed, a permanent home. Contact Brian or Billy at Levin RV for full details. 0800 7823…

Following some confusion with the NZTA earlier this year on LT400 certifications on motorhomes, Peter Thompson, the NZMCA Land Transport Adviser gives an update to the situation. After nearly six months of procrastination, Waka Kotahi, the NZ Transport Agency have finally made a decision on how to deal with motorhomes with modified cabs which remain uncertified due to an oversight by the Agency in not informing inspection agencies (IAs) of a 2005 regulation requiring LT400 certification of any modifications to the cab area of heavy motorhomes, (those with a GVM of over 3500kg and needing a COF), which was discovered in a review of the VIRM (Vehicle Inspectors Requirements Manual) in 2018 and finally notified to IAs in April of this year, creating chaos amongst owners who suddenly found themselves…