Innholdsfortegnelse for March - April 2023 i RV Travel Lifestyle

What a start to the 2023 year it has been across New Zealand, while the South Island bathed in sunshine enjoying a gorgeous summer the North Island was battered and washed away in many parts. Many homes and lives have been lost. There is so much to say and feel about what happened in West Auckland, East Cape and the Hawke’s Bay, but how to express it, and the magnitude of what we are collectively feeling, is difficult. I want to acknowledge here the confirmed victims of Cyclone Gabrielle on the day I write this: Marie Greene, George Luke, John Coates, Brendan Miller, two-year-old Ivy Collins, Shona Wilson, Susane Caccioppoli, Dave van Zwanen-berg VFF, Craig Stevens VFF, and the two souls whose identitification is being worked on. I know Kiwis…

Generally, the drive from Piopio to Eltham takes about 2.5 hours, but this trip began a further 1.5 hours away in Hamilton, and a huge number of road works, including the significant developments at Mt Messenger, added almost another hour to the journey. It’ll be a great drive when the work’s done, but in the meantime it’s a bit irksome. However, we reached our destination, Eltham’s Fonterra Cheese Bar, with half an hour to spare before closing time and stocked up with enough delicious product to see us through a fair few pre-dinner wine, cheese and cracker evenings. Eltham’s got some interesting dairy-related history, and its street art demonstrates the enormous talent of local artists, but we had another mission for the day, and that was to see Dawson Falls…

Most of my travels in the last eight or nine years have been confined to the South Island and that’s not just because I live in Ōamaru. There have been other factors as well, chiefly that most of my travels have had an edge of adventure because my vehicle was a much used, abused but loved Nissan Pathfinder with a fitted foam mattress in the back, and I went off-road to find lonely and beautiful camping spots. And it’s easier to do that in the South Island than it is in the North. Simple really – similar land mass but four million live north of Cook Strait, about one million I can call neighbours here in the south. But the arrival, a smidgen over a year ago, of a Mercedes-Benz…

A 10-minute boat ride from Stewart Island/Rakiura across Paterson Inlet/Whaka a Te Wera sits Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara. It is one of the few island sanctuaries in Aotearoa New Zealand that’s open to the public. History Ngāi Tahu has had a long presence in Ulva Island/Te Wharawhara and Paterson Inlet dating back before Europeans arrived. Settlements like The Neck/Te Wehe a Te Wera were visited by Ngāi Tahu Māori as part of their food-gathering trips and later housed the first Stewart Island post office. In 1872 Charles Traill established a post office in Post Office Bay, which was in operation until 1923. Charles and his brother Walter, both Orkney Islanders, established an extensive garden which included radiata pine and other exotic tree species. Some large survivors of their garden are still…

The Lives of Brian Brian Johnson RRP $40 Penguin The story of AC/DC’s legendary front man in his own inimitable voice. “It wasn’t me. I didn’t do it. And I’ll never do it again!” says Brian Johnson. Here’s the story of how AC/DC’s legendary front man got to do it all. One Good Deed David Baldacci RRP $22.99 Pan Macmillan In 1949, Aloysius Archer arrives in the dusty southern town of Poca City. He has nothing but a handful of dollars, the clothes he’s wearing and an appointment with his new parole officer. After his wartime experiences in Italy and a prison sentence for a crime he didn’t commit, Archer is looking for a fresh start and a peaceful life. Historic New Zealand Racing Cars 2 Steve Holmes RRP $45…

As I write this, I’ve just been to the opening day of the Caravan, Camping and Motorhome Show at the NEC in Birmingham. It follows just four months after the Motorhome, Caravan and Camping Show (also at the NEC) and is very similar, but devotes more space to holiday destinations (campsites in UK, France, Ireland, etc) and camping equipment (a whole hall of tents). In terms of new model launches, traditionally there’s always more at the October show (as it’s the start of the new model year, and manufacturers like to get orders to produce in time for Spring) than the February one, and this year was no exception, but I did manage to spot a handful of new models. Bailey chose the February show to introduce its ‘facelifted’ lightweight…

The Ford Transit Custom Series will sit alongside the Fiat Ducato chassis the company has predominantly used since 1983. The addition of Ford to their existing fleet brands such as Fiat Ducato, Mercedes, and Iveco aims to ensure a secure and stable flow of RVs out of the various EHG manufacturing plants around Europe and the UK. The change is all part of an agreement signed on January 11, 2022, between Ford, Werke GmbH in Cologne, and Erwin Hymer Group (EHG), confirming the delivery of Ford Transit and Ford Transit Custom series skeletal cab chassis to EHG for manufacturing recreational vehicles (campervans and pop-tops), and completed motorhomes. The agreement with Ford includes working together on meeting emissions legislation, electrification, digitisation, connectivity, and the integration of driver assistance systems. For EHG,…

Woof-woof readers! It feels like a long time since I had to arf-arf out a column for you guys. There hasn’t been a whole lot going on for me in some woof-woof ways. I got left at home for a week while mama and papa went on a plane to Christchurch. I could have gone but I whined and woofed ‘no’ when they talked about it, so Uncle Pete and Shakira came to stay with me. Mama said I would be stressed at their house – she’s right, so thanks mama. We had a great time. Pete made me my own special food with rice, veggies and chicken, and I got two walkies a day at least. It was yip-yip yippee great. I miss them, especially with mama so busy…

Hi Robyn, I am writing to thank you for the book Guardians of Aotearoa which arrived yesterday, Friday. It came as a surprise when I opened it that I had actually won it. I am looking forward to sitting down and reading the stories of these inspiring people. Once again thank you for this fabulous book. By the way, I really enjoy reading your magazine and learning about the places I am unaware of and adding them to our bucket list, especially when we tour the South Island. I look forward to the next edition. Warm regards, Richard Passey ED: We do love giving things away Richard, reading is the gift of relaxation, which we love to share, keep entering each issue. Good morning NZTODAY RV Lifestyle We look forward…

The narrow paved road winds up to Dawson Falls/Te Rere o Kapuni through a tunnel of green native forest. The road divides into two as it passes a large tree left standing in the middle of the road. As we travel higher and gain elevation the trees become shorter and the corners tighter. We squeak past one car – luckily not another camper as there is so little space. The road ends not far beyond the path down to Dawson Falls waterfall, Te Rere o Noke, and opens into a parking area below the National Park visitor centre where a tall Māori carved pou (post) graces the lawn. In the background Taranaki Maunga lies moodily under a blanket of cloud. Dawson Falls is the southern access point on Taranaki Maunga…

There are lots of amazing tracks to explore across Aotearoa New Zealand but it can be daunting to know where to begin. The Department of Conservation website has a helpful track grading system which means you can filter over 1200 different walk options down to what interests and suits you. Today we’re talking about tracks in our easiest track grading category. These are great accessible options if you are perhaps keen to try your first day-walk or tramp; maybe you’ve got an injury or on the recovery journey. These are also good options if you need something short to stretch the legs while road tripping, or even as a family-friendly opportunity to immerse young people in nature. There are lots of ideal photo opportunities to get that perfect West Coast…

Wanganui/Whanganui? Both names are prominent on commercial and other public buildings in the town of almost 50,000 people. However, in 2009 the name of the Whanganui River was changed by the government to correctly reflect its Māori spelling, and in 2015 the name of the district was corrected to Whanganui by Minister Hon. Louise Upston. Since the first days of human habitation the 290km Whanganui River has played such an important part in the lives of both Māori and European as taonga (treasure) that it has formally been granted status with the rights of a legal person. From its source on Mt Tongariro to the Tasman Sea, it has been a vital communication link and a trade route to the central North Island. In 1892 Alexander Hatrick began a steamboat…

What’s the recipe for creating a tempting private walk? I think it’s similar to baking a cake for a walker’s indulgence. First of all you need the right mix of ingredients: a good location, scenic values, some heritage, and a taste of nature. Secondly, effort is required with some ups and downs, some sweat and hopefully not too many tears. Lastly add in a good measure of home comforts such as hot showers, comfy beds and a good night’s sleep. The icing on the top the cake of any private walk is a tasty meal provided to enrich the experience. So with all these ingredients on offer at the new Matahuru Valley Walk, I cut the cake, take the first bite and begin to tuck in. I reach the Matahuru…

My mother used to say “you can tell your father is a West Coaster because when there’s rain in the air he runs around putting away all the tools, and secures the place like there’s going to be rain for days.” Bill Dove was born in Hokitika and grew up on a farm by Hou Hou Creek just north of Hoki (as he called it). My grandfather Will Dove farmed during the depression and supplemented the family income by panning for gold and working in timber mills. Going back one more generation, our great-grandfather William Dove arrived in Hokitika from Newbury, England, and found work initially in Kumara then in Ross with Ross United Mining Company. But sadly, at 30 years old he was killed in a mining accident before…

COOK BOOK TO BE WON Gluten-Free Mediterranean by Helen Tzouganatos, RRP $49.99, Macmillan Publishers Scan QR code below or email Subject line Road Kai to subs@rvmagazine.co.nz Give us your full contact details and which recipe shown here you will try first. Entries close 30 April 2023 to enter online WINNER ROAD KAI VOL 19 H Bates Napier Chicken Meatballs Serves 4-6 light olive oil, for shallow-frying Tzatziki and lemon wedges, to serve CHICKEN MEATBALLS 500 g chicken mince1 all-purpose potato (such as sebago), peeled and very finely grated, excess moisture squeezed out1 small red onion, grated, excess moisture squeezed out2 garlic cloves, finely grated1 egghandful of flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped, plus extra sprigs to servehandful of mint leaves, finely chopped, plus extra sprigs to serve1 teaspoon finely grated lemon…

GAME ZONE Crossword by David Cass Clues across: 1. World’s largest living creature, whose hunting through the nineteenth century was a major NZ industry (5) 8. Westland township at one time regarded as NZ’s ‘Capital of the Goldfields’ and now a good base to stay for West Coast exploration (8) 9. NZ’s commonest lizard species (5) 10. Historic site in the Bay of Islands, where NZ’s founding Treaty document was signed - a tourist must-see (8) 11. Landslide of volcanic debris mixed with water, often triggered by heavy rainfall (5) 12. Descriptor term for a load-bearing but undriven axle, usually behind the drive axle, often fitted to heavily laden RVs (3) 16. Village just south of Stratford in Taranaki - the Maori word for swamp (6) 17. Major holiday centre…