Innholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2023 i RV Travel Lifestyle

The Kiwi home of mountain bike trails seems to have it all. But for all its gondola-assisted down-hilling, jump areas, bike parks and legendary international riding events and hundreds of tracks, Rotorua has lacked a single trail that caters for the cross-country rider on a day trip, one that is close to the city and explores some of the best natural features of the area. Until recently, that is. The missing cycling category has been found, with the NZ Cycle Trail ‘Great Rides’ brand having drawn a big circle on the Rotorua biking map. The Great Rides are the cycling equivalent of the NZ Great Walks. Unlike the iconic multi-day back-country walks, the Great Rides are as diverse as the cyclists that use them. Some trails are for the casual…

A line of vehicles marked the point at Te Awanga, as the word was out a swell was running, the day after ex-tropical cyclone Cody passed New Zealand’s east coast. My partner Rick and I spent a couple of days dawdling our way across to Hawke’s Bay hoping to miss the promised downpour of rain as the deep low hit the area. The day we arrived, the sun was shining with no sign of the nasty weather bomb, but the cyclone swell was evident. We managed to squeeze our camper into a beachfront position on the smooth round stones a couple of metres from the water and among an assortment of vehicles. Next to us, a ute tray strewn with surfboards dwarfed the small car alongside with a surfboard instead…

Still etched in the memories of many Westport residents are the floods of July 2021 and February 2022. The flooding in July 2021, as a result of wet weather throughout the country, led to the evacuation of half the town’s 4600 residents. Many homes were red-stickered, and millions of dollars’ worth of damage was caused. As if this wasn’t enough, the heavy rain struck again in February 2022, and a state of emergency was declared. Yet despite this level of devastation, the locals’ spirits are upbeat and hopeful. I met with Luke Robertson, who, along with his partner Emma, has recently set up a brewery on a site with a long-established history of brewing. Shortjaw Brewery sits proudly in the centre of the town, in a functional but cosy building.…

The Story of Swoop Matt Owens RRP $19.99 Scholastic One day, an injured baby magpie, as yet too young to fly, was rescued from the side of the road by volunteer firefighter Matt Owens. He named the magpie ‘Swoop’ and took it home to care for it. Surprisingly, Matt’s black cat, Mogli, and Swoop formed a close relationship, walking, eating and napping together. The Murders at Fleat House Lucinda Riley RRP $37.99 Pan Macmillan The Murders at Fleat House is a suspenseful and utterly compelling crime novel from the author of the multimillion-selling The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Riley. The sudden death of a pupil in Fleat House at St Stephen’s – a small private boarding school in deepest Norfolk – is a shocking event that the headmaster is…

WATCH THE VIDEO CLICK IN DIGITAL EDITION Youtube channel: NZTODAY RV Lifestyle http://qrco.de/bdYLwV Social media channels for RV Mega have been humming with news of the latest arrival from Germany, a new brand ERIBA caravan. With its retro design and super-light tow weight, potential customers headed to Beach Hop 2022 in Whangamatā at the end of November to catch the launch of this new brand to the New Zealand market. We visited Richard Olsen back in June when he landed the first of the LAIKA motorhomes RV Mega had obtained the distributorship for, and he mentioned then that he had more to come later in the year. We were aware that the ERIBA Touring caravan had won first place in the UK Caravan of the Year 2022 compact caravan class,…

Following 19th century bridle paths, State Highway 43 traverses remote gorges through dense native forest for much of its 150km length. A short section of the Tāngarākau Gorge remains unsealed, unique for one of our state highways, but recently 2km was sealed, and piles of fine metal indicate that there may be further sealing to be done shortly. Known as the Forgotten Highway, it begins (or ends) in Taumarunui and winds its way westward to Stratford. Bizarrely, in a country where Waka Kotahi is determined to lower speed limits on many roads, and where the Forgotten Highway is classed as one of the 10 most dangerous roads in the country (it’s fine if you take it quietly), for much of its length the speed limit is 100kph, which due to…

If Ahipara was in the UK it would surely be called Ahipara-by-the-Sea because the sea is its raison d’être. Stand inside the local shop and it’s not visible; stand anywhere else and you can’t miss it. In Ahipara all roads lead to the ocean. Bring your sunglasses because in the foreground or the distance, there’s always sunlight glinting on water. The beach is everything. Name a water sport and you’ll probably find it in Ahipara; name a beach sport and you’ll probably find it in Ahipara. William Puckey, missionary, was land yachting here in the 1830s and people have been doing it ever since. Surfers come from all over the world to ride the famous left-hand break. There are often horse treks on the beach, as well as fishing, swimming,…

Otago is your all season go-to place. It’s renowned for its amazing diversity - mountains, lakes, alpine lakes, river valleys, beech forests, waterfalls, glaciers, podocarp rain forests and much more. Read on for a taste of what Otago has to offer. Wānaka is one of Otago’s most popular holiday spots. It has beautiful lakes, rivers, mountains and historic sites that offer a great range of recreational activities. Along the shores of Wānaka you have a choice of multiple tracks suitable for families. Waterfall Creek Track, Glendhu Bay Track, Eely Point Walk and Beacon Point Walk are all managed by Queenstown Lakes District Council. They are short walks where bikers and dogs are also welcome. Moving away from the lake front, we have Department Of Conservation managed tracks and facilities alongside…

WATCH THE VIDEO CLICK IN DIGITAL EDITION Youtube channel: NZTODAY RV Lifestyle http://qrco.de/bdYM0q A recent trip from New Plymouth to Martinborough saw us heading to Levin instead of going over the Tararua ranges to Woodville and home. We’d been talking with the head of sales at Levin RV, Billy Gist, who revealed that a new Royal Flair caravan had arrived from Australia, and we could see it before the new owners took delivery if we hurried. Why not we thought, and afterwards we got to drive the new Transmission Gully highway for the first time as well. Levin RV has been well established since owners Brian and Varee Anderson took over the then-Gypsy RV Centre in July 2018. Brian has worked in the caravan sales industry for more than 30 years,…

GAME ZONE Crossword by David Cass Clues across: 1. Otago township, largest community in the beautiful Catlins, and a good base to stay if touring the area (5) 8. Rural Waikato township noted for thoroughbred horse breeding, and more recently as the location for the Hobbiton set in Lord Of The Rings (8) 9. The native rat, probably an unwelcome visitor in your RV, but now rare in mainland NZ (5) 10. A vent in or near a volcano, which issues steam or hot gases (8) 11. Small Breams Bay township in Northland, with an interesting history of Scottish settlement in the 1850s (5) 12. A final drive fitment in upmarket vehicles, a great aid to traction in slippery conditions (1,1,1) 16. Interesting small town in North Waikato - look…

“Covid has changed things. Summer is taking over from the traditional winter ski-field sports. Since the border closures we’re seeing fewer backpackers, and more visitors who want to hike and cycle. These people either have their own RVs or require a different type of accommodation to the traditional hostel style, and stay somewhere not necessarily boutique where they can relax in comfort.” Braden Allen of Ohakune Hot Tubs is one of several people who have moved to Ohakune for the lifestyle and set up a business catering to these needs. After walking the Waitonga Falls Track we’d submerged ourselves in one of his private open-air wood-fired tubs. In late afternoon, relaxing under a blue-dome sky, being studiously ignored by a couple of kererū that were feasting in a tall kōwhai…

Hukutaia Domain is 7km south of Opotiki on Hukutaia Road (turn off at the Waioeka highway bridge). The trail is a short amble through a magnificent 5ha pocket of forest, featuring a 2000-year-old pūriri known as Taketakerau. For a quick glimpse of the splendour of coastal North Island forest, this is hard to beat. Onekawa Te Mawhai is a regional park overlooking Ōhiwa Harbour, 15km from Ōpōtiki. It’s another magnificent spot, with panoramic ocean, harbour and farmland views. The hilltop is the site of Onekawa and Te Mawhai pā. You can do a 9km loop, featuring steep but well-formed bush trail and Waiotahe beach. A perfect base is the Ōhiwa Beach Holiday Park, at the foot of the park. Te Waiti Track is the next valley system over from the…

COOK BOOK TO BE WON A Table at Tangleby by Sue Heazlewood Photography by Neil Smith Published by Auckram Publishing $64.95 Available from www.tangleby.co.nz Scan QR code below or email Subject line Road Kai to subs@rnrpublishing.co.nz Give us your full contact details and which recipe shown here you will try first. Entries close 28 Feb 2023 http://qrco.de/bc5Bds to enter online WINNER ROAD KAI VOL 18 Daniel Harper Levin Individual Lemon and Blueberry Trifles Serves 4-6 Fresh lemon and blueberry flavours combine beautifully in these stunning individual trifles. 300g plain sponge cake250g lemon curd250g fresh blueberries⅓ cup limoncello600ml cream125g caster sugar100ml lemon juice250g mascarponeRoughly chopped roasted pistachios, to serve Method 1. Cut the sponge into 1½ cm slices. 2. Set aside 3 tablespoons of lemon curd for the garnish, then spread…

Arf Arf Readers It has been a busy few weeks with a lot of woof-woof road trips for us – it feels like we have been in and out of motorhomes driving all over the country forever. After the last issue we loaded up our RocknRobyn truck-based motorhome and headed north for a break. First stop was in Whangārei for a couple of nights, I have been here lots of times before and there’s a great walk on the Hātea Loop along the river. There is a big new building that mama and papa thought was pretty cool. We went up to the café for a drink, and I managed to meet a lot of local doggies along the way. Back on the road heading north, we stopped at what…