RV-NZToday Lifestyle Vol 3 - Heartland journeys, walk and cycle trails, road trips and RV reviews in

Vol.

3

REVIEWS+ PROFILES

RV-NZTODAY LIFESTYLE JAN-FEB 2020

3

VOLUME

JAN-FEB

2020

INC GST

$9.95 TRADING AS MAGAZINE SOLUTIONS

CHCH TO MOTUEKA | RACING ROADIE Pt 2 | QTOWN TO CATLINS | LITTLE RIVER TRAIL | HEAPHY TRACK | RAGLAN | TAUPO | BEACH HOP | SI STATUES | RWC | BÃœRSTNER | CARTHAGO | ILLUSION | SWIFT | MALIBU

South Island roadies CHRISTCHURCH to MOTUEKA PICTON to INVERCARGILL QUEENSTOWN to CATLINS

WALK & CYCLE Little River Trail The Heaphy Track TRAVEL Kayak and surf at Raglan Molten glass and trout fishing Taupo Hot cars at Beach Hop South Island statues

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CONTENTS January-February 2020 VOLUME 3

ROAD TRIPS – DESTINATIONS – LIFESTYLE 8

Seasonal work – Getting work on the road

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Allan Dick road trip – Christchurch to Motueka via Lewis Pass and the Shenandoah

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RV motor racing roadie – the second part of Howden’s South Island road trip

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Queenstown to Catlins – Justine hires a camper from Queenstown and visits the Catlins

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Raglan – Carl and Justine kayak, surf and explore this Waikato coastal gem

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Taupo – Sheryl and Neil head to Taupo to see what’s up over summer

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Beach Hop, an event like no other – Jane travels to Whangamata to check out this special event

WALK AND CYCLE TRAILS 42 Little River rail trail – from Christchurch city to Little River, a 50km Grade 1 trail 48 The Heaphy Track – Gary tackles the only Great Walk that you can ride a bike on

RV SPOTLIGHTS AND INDUSTRY WALKABOUT 106 Carthago Chic C-Line – an A-class fully integrated motorhome from Germany 108 Malibu 640LE – two-berth campervan that has it all 111 Illusion 650 XMK – separate lounge and dining, plus two electric beds 114 Pilote P600P – an under-6m model with lots of extras 116 Swift Explorer 650 – built for the Aussie market from Swift UK 119 Bürstner Lyseo IT745 – dinette in front, rear lounge and two electric beds 124 Walkabout – RV industry news, events and arrivals

WIN ROAD KAI SEE P104

COMPETITIONS – MARKETPLACE – TRADES 82

RV We There Yet? – win a copy of Don Jessen’s latest book

101 Books – bumper crop of latest-release book titles to be won 104 Road Kai – win a copy of Summer with Simon Gault 130 Events – upcoming events to do around the country 134 Market place and RV trade directories 141 Caspar Capers – be in to win with Interislander

REGULARS 87

Williams Today – Peter takes a personal trip to the RWC

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Quinn Today – Sporting statues Pt 2, the South Island

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AD Today – Allan Dick is never short of an opinion or a tale from his past

122 Subscriber Page – join the RV Lifestyle family 144 Writers’ Profiles – meet the RV/NZT team

BOOKS TO BE WON SEE P101

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LETTER TO READERS

Holiday Roadies

ISSN 2703-2477 (Print) ISSN 2703-2485 (Online) RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle-Vol 3 January-February 2020

rvmagazine.co.nz EDITOR Robyn Dallimore, editor@rvmagazine.co.nz ADVERTISING MANAGER Bruce Mountain Auckland Office 09 238 2261 021 657 090, bruce@rvmagazine.co.nz Bruce Mountain uses Lumix photographic equipment COVER SHOTS Bruce Mountain – Knights Point West Coast. OBC Bruce Mountain CONTRIBUTORS Sheryl Bainbridge, Allan Dick, Robyn Dallimore, Howden Ganley, Jane Dove Juneau, Don Jessen, Gary Patterson, Keith Quinn, Carl Rapson, Justine Tyerman, Peter Williams SUB-EDITING & PROOFING Thiers Halliwell, Allan Walton DESIGN Cameron Leggett – camleggettphoto.com SUBSCRIPTIONS & ADMINISTRATION Subscriptions Manager Laura Atkinson subs@rnrpublishing.co.nz Phone enquiries: 06 306 6041 Mon to Fri – Office hours 10am to 3pm SUBSCRIPTION RATES One year $49.95 (6 issues) Australia/Pacific $90 (6 issues) Rest of World $150 (6 issues) Digital subscriptions $25 (paperless 6 issues) RV-NZTODAY LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE IS PUBLISHED BY RnR Publishing Limited PO Box 220 Martinborough, Wairarapa 5711 Main office Ph: 06 306 6030 Bruce Mountain uses Auckland Sales office: 09 238 2261 Mail: PO Box 220, Martinborough photographic equipment 28 Oxford Street, Martinborough, 5711 PUBLISHERS Bruce Mountain, bruce@rnrpublishing.co.nz Robyn Dallimore, robyn@rnrpublishing.co.nz TRADING AS MAGAZINE SOLUTIONS

PRINTING OVATO DISTRIBUTION Gordon and Gotch NOTICE TO ADVERTISERS RnR Publishing Ltd uses due care and diligence in the preparation of this magazine, but is not responsible or liable for any mistakes, misprints, omissions or typographical errors. RnR Publishing Ltd prints advertisements provided to the publisher, but gives no warranty and makes no representation to the truth, accuracy or sufficiency of any description, photograph or statement.

RnR Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for any loss that may be suffered by any person who relies either wholly or in part upon any description, photograph or statement contained herein. Advertisers are advised that all advertising must conform to the ASA Codes of New Zealand Advertising; full details and codes book available from asa.co.nz. RnR Publishing Ltd reserves the right to refuse any advertisement for any reason. The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or editor. All material gathered in creating RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle magazine is copyright 2020 RnR Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved in all media.

No part of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the publisher.

Please check our website RnRPublishing.co.nz for a full Terms and Conditions of advertising schedule.

H

aere mai As I write this today I sit with a tear in the eye, maybe more than one, as Bruce and I watch the TV coverage of the White Island volcano tragedy.

We had the pleasure of taking a helicopter trip out there last year. Peter Williams covered his trip earlier this year in NZTODAY, and I know that many of our readers have been among the 500,000+ people who have visited the active volcano. Even though we all sign waivers acknowledging it is dangerous, etc., it doesn’t stop us heading out there, or stop us taking chances in many ways in order to enjoy amazing natural-environment experiences here in New Zealand, and indeed around the world – it is part of our human nature I think to explore.

Our love and thoughts go to everyone that has been affected, including the people of Whakatāne and tourism industry operators who will be devastated to have lost members of their own fraternity and families. All we can do as an RV community and domestic travellers is to community is to rally around the region in the upcoming months, because the financial devastation for this entire region is going to be huge. If you can go there as part of your travels or staying in accommodation or friends eat out at the restaurants, take a fishing charter, rent a bik or please do something to spend money in this small economy. It’s about all we can realistically do as an RV Lifestyle community.

Devastating on so many levels.

Another region that has been whipped by Mother Nature over the last year or so is the West Coast of the South Island. Holy moly, mother of god what else are you going to throw at this region? When Fox Glacier was officially closed in February, that left the coast with just Franz Josef Glacier, obviously there are countless other amazing activities on the coast, but the glaciers have been the pivotal attraction for visitors the longest. If you can’t drive from Greymouth down to Haast and across to Wanaka, the tourists just won’t go there. Storms, roads wiped out, bridges swept away, and now more roads washed away; my heart goes out to every business and person on the coast, challenge after challenge for these communities. Again all we can do is visit the region when possible, get out our wallets and spend money. Have a cup of tea and a scone

at cafés if that is all you can afford – in this region every cent does actually help. Or if you’re a business person consider setting up on the coast, become part of the long term solution, tele-marketing would be ideal, non-tourism or freight dependent business would be ideal.

Let alone the east coast with flooding and road closures – and it’s summer time.

So many challenges from Mother Nature – we can’t control her, dammit.

MENTAL HEALTH

Don’t forget this is the time of year with the most violence in homes because of the stress it can bring financially. Who can you help out today as you read this? Open your eyes and your ears to the people around you who may be struggling mentally on some level. Remember you can just say simple words like “are you okay, can I sit and talk with you?” – anything to extend a hand at the right time. That grumpy withdrawn uncle, aunty, grandson, son, daughter – whomever – that sits in a corner withdrawn from others; maybe they’re not just a waster, ignorant bugger or however you may criticise them to yourself or others. Maybe they’re struggling with feelings of despair, not fitting in, mentally beating themselves up all the time behind the façade they present to the world.

Maybe you are that person. Maybe you struggle to open your mouth and verbalise the words to another person, “I need help, I am struggling, I can’t cope,” or do anything to reach out for help. I encourage you to try, and I hope they have open ears and hearts and actually listen to your cry for help, not just put their own judgements, pressures of the day or ‘harden up’ attitude on you. Keep trying. The mental health system is getting better, talk to your Doctor first and regularly, at the least. Enough said.

As a little inspiration in this issue we have South Island road trips, cycling and walking to get you going with ideas. Kick back and enjoy your holidays, travel safely, think of others, be kind and listen to others more than you talk at them. In other words show a bit of self-awareness and recognition of how you are around others.

Love you guys, see you on the road over summer, look out for Caspar – he seems to be everyone’s favourite in the magazine.

Merry Christmas, safe travels and love to all.

RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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SEASONAL WORKERS

working on the road

The Adventure Begins Words + Photos Sharon and Wayne George

I

remember the day like it was yesterday – the day we actually drove out of our property to be on the road full time. It was the strangest feeling. The excitement was unreal, and the possibility of what new adventures lay ahead was electric, but we were sad to leave our home, all the memories, our regular routine and the safety of normality. But I can tell you now that the adventures and fun we have had and the new people that we have met in the last year exceeded our expectations.

The first job we went to was meant to last four months, working at a popular holiday park in the Bay of Islands. To get to the job we had to take the Russell–Ōpua ferry, and fortunately it was not low tide so we made it across. Once we got there we had a day or two to set up and then we were into it. Wayne was on grounds, maintenance, cleaning and housekeeping (no pinny unfortunately); while I was on reception, tours and bookings, housekeeping and laundry.

While we were there we became locals – we had Countdown deliver our weekly shopping,

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

we discovered secret beaches, had old-time dance lessons at the local, found a favourite takeaway shop and listened to the ukulele orchestra. On our days off together would go on kayak picnics. We had such an amazing time – the work was great, we got to talk to people on holiday and were having a great time. A couple of times a week we would enjoy shared meals with people we had just met.

Everyone we talked to had amazing stories of adventure or adversity.

Out on the road, one of the things that we missed the most was our spa pool, so in a flash of inspiration one day we went online and purchased a blow-up spa pool. When it arrived we pumped it up and put it under our awning and we enjoyed many nights sitting in the spa, having a quiet drink watching a movie – how great is that – and on one of these nights the idea of Seasonal Staff NZ (www.seasonalstaff. co.nz) was born.

Our second job was just north of Whangārei and only for a few days. We parked up at

a wonderful private location overlooking farmland. During the day we helped sand and paint a house and at night we were provided with amazing dinners, homebrew and hours of laughter and stories.

After a short break to check in with the kids and our house (which we had tenanted), and to pick up some other gear, we headed down to one of our most memorable jobs: helping at the Pahi Boating Regatta.

It was arranged that we could stay at one of the locals’ properties along with about 5–6 other motorhomes, most of them all big buses like ours. Sitting on top of the hill on a flat, powered site we had a view of the Kaipara harbour from both sides of our bus. Every morning we would make a coffee, grab the gingernuts and take our deck chairs to the best vantage point and watch the sunrise. In the evenings we would go to the opposite side of the hill with a bowl of chips and dip and have a quiet bourbon and watch the sun go down.

The regatta itself was unbelievable. The

camaraderie and friendly rivalry of the boating community was so amazing. Young and old, friends and strangers, and the infamous Sheppard family, all coming together in an event that in our eyes was the highlight of our year. As for the work, it was all hands on deck to do what needed to be done, but what was most important was to make sure everyone was having a good time. One of my jobs was to help Wendy on the mussel patty stand. Even though I don’t like mussel patties, I was told reliably from every returning customer that Wendy’s patties were the best. So I crafted a sales pitch so convincing that we sold out within a few hours. Next I was to help out at the bar with Englishman Lorry (who was about 8ft tall), and while working at the bar I was ambushed into being the yodelling barmaid.

Wayne helped with setting up, did rubbish and recycling, helped out at the bar and made sure that everyone was having a good time.

Later that night he rocked the night way as the bass player for the band. Then next day

everyone was invited back for a hearty cooked breakfast where stories of boating and the last couple of days were shared along with hangovers. This is certainly one of the events that we put on our calendar every year not to miss. So if you are around the Kaipara area at Northland anniversary weekend make sure that you come to this event.

When we first thought about travelling around the country doing seasonal work, it was more about making enough money to be able to continue travelling around, but now we know that this is only a small part of what it is about. For us it is about the moments that you create, the people that you meet and the experiences you have. I walked around our bus this morning and took some photos of the

sayings on our bus that capture what we mean. We hope you enjoy hearing about our adventures as much as we enjoying hearing about yours when we meet on the road. Kind regards Sharon and Wayne George.

Sharon George Head of Customer Experience Seasonal Staff NZ Phone 02102181111 Email info@seasonalstaff.co.nz Website http://www.seasonalstaff.co.nz

RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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ROAD TRIP

Christchurch to Motueka

A ROAD LESS TRAVELLED – BUT IT WASN’T ALWAYS THAT WAY From Christchurch to Motueka via Lewis Pass and the Shenandoah Story + Photos Allan Dick

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he Kaikōura earthquake struck at two minutes past midnight on November 14, 2016. The damage was immense but there was no loss of life, because this region – apart from Kaikōura itself – is very sparsely populated. However, New Zealand’s transport infrastructure was thrown into chaos with both the railway line and SH1 damaged to such an extent that wise people scratched their heads and wondered if we needed to look at alternative routes or methods of transport – alternatives such as coastal shipping.

The first priority was to see if there was any way that road traffic, at least, could flow again via ‘the inland route’ – Lewis Pass, Springs Junction, the Shenandoah, through Murchison, turning off at Kawatiri, through St Arnaud and down the Wairau Valley.

Apart from the greatly increased distance, this route – while extraordinarily scenic passing through the heart of the Southern Alps – is narrow, narrower again in places, twisting, tortuous and much more suitable for a leisurely drive than for fast trips to catch ferries or deliver perishable goods.

But where there is a will there is a way, and for the best part of the next two years this route played a vital role in keeping the entire South Island operating.

It wasn’t easy.

Traffic volumes went through the roof. The road hadn’t been built for 50 tonne juggernauts rumbling over it day and night, and an army of roadworkers was kept busy patching broken tarseal, easing corners and widening bridges.

Life changed dramatically for the people living in the small towns and villages along the way. Some never understood that trucks were that big, nor that there were so many people living on the planet.

Pop-up cafés and coffee shops sprang up in Springs Junction as well as in paddocks and rest areas along the way – providing sustenance to the travelling hordes.

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It’s unlikely that anyone who used this route during those two years really took much notice of the countryside they were travelling through. It was a drive that required maximum concentration and lower average speeds.

However, it ended as quickly as it began and with the reopening of the Kaikōura Coast route, life returned to more or less normal for the people along the way.

Travelling from Christchurch to Motueka, using the Lewis Pass route, the Shenandoah, Murchison and the Motueka Valley has always been one of my favourite drives, and with traffic flows back to sanity level again, I decided on a leisurely drive and an opportunity to soak up the sights.

Our unsettled spring weather continued on the eve of departure from home base in Ōamaru, but I never bothered to check road conditions; had I done so, I might have delayed the start as, later that day, I learnt that the Lewis Pass had been closed by snow between Maruia Springs and Springs Junction!

1. Much of the Lewis Pass and Shenandoah highways are like this – through heavy native forest 2. Start of the highway through the Southern Alps 3. Historic pub at Hurunui suffered earthquake damage but has since been restored

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ROAD TRIP

Christchurch to Motueka

My route leaves SH1 at Waipara north of Christchurch and heads inland through a continuation of pretty-typical North Canterbury farming country where farmers wear their shirt collars up, and twinsets and pearls are still favoured by mature farmers’ wives. This is a region steeped in Canterbury traditions – and the creation of a medium-sized wine industry seems to have further ingrained those traditions.

The weather couldn’t make up its mind if it was raining or not as we stopped in Amberley to load up with food and beverages for the three nights ahead. We were hoping for good weather as we planned on using DOC camps along the way – of which there are plenty.

After paying homage to Captain Charles Upham VC and bar, whose bronze statue graces the lawn in front of the local council offices in Amberley, we ambled on up SH1 to turn left onto SH7 in Waipara – once the home to a mysterious sect who were well-armed for some reason.

On SH7, traffic was surprisingly heavy. So many large truck and trailer units were coming against us from west to east, I wondered briefly if the Kaikōura Coast had closed again. But this rush of traffic, while heavy, was brief and was probably the backlog of traffic that had been held up at Springs Junction while road crews cleared the snow.

Driving conditions weren’t all that pleasant with intermittent rain and skies that threatened more.

From Waipara the road pretty much follows the Weka Pass railway line which is the remnant of a main line that once ran to Culverden and on to Waiau. The original plan had been to extend this line north through the mountains to link up Blenheim and Nelson, but it was decided that was too difficult and the Kaikōura Coast line was constructed instead.

Enthusiasts saved the bit of line from Waipara to Waikari and run trains frequently on this, passing famous ‘Frog Rock’ on the way.

Waikari is an odd little village, built on a 4. Frog Rock in the Weka Pass — if you look you can see a similarity. . .

5. Weather-worn clay cliffs near Hanmer turn-off 6. Hanmer was once famous for Princess Margaret Hospital and its treatment of people with addictions, but it closed in 2003 7. Heavy snow had closed the road a day before 8. Spectacular alpine scenery — road, mountains and snow 9. An old railway carriage serves as a sleep-out in the Boyle settlement

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slope, that doubtless is busy when the trains are running, but it’s also the turn-off to places you may never have heard of – Hawarden, (pro-Harden), Pyramid Valley and Medbury.

If you have the time, it’s an interesting enough side trip.

We didn’t, so pressed on past the gorgeous

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old Hurunui pub that has reopened after suffering earthquake damage, past the Balmoral Forest with its camping ground, and into Culverden – a rural service town and convenient stopping place for travellers, with a clutch of cafés and bakeries. There’s a feel of the fifties about Culverden.

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Shortly follows the turn-off to Rotherham and Waiau with its famous Red Post marker – this is ‘Rutherford Country’. The Rutherfords were early settlers and had a significant impact on the region as well as business interests in Christchurch.

Duncan Rutherford, who died about a decade ago, was an eccentric who divided his time between his massive car collections in Nelson and his farm, flying back and forth in his light aircraft.

From here there is a gradual change of scenery as SH7 dives into the mountains.

I don’t use satnav much, if at all, but a perusal of an old-fashioned map of the upper half of the South Island gives you a very clear indication of where you are heading.

Strike a line from Christchurch across to Greymouth and north of that and are virtually only three roads – SH1 up the east coast, SH6 up the West Coast and ‘our road’ (SH 7 and ‘65’ Springs Junction. Shenandoah road) up

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This is a sensational drive. The road is crowded in by heavy native forest and ferns.

It’s narrow, twisting and mountainous through the middle. This is vast, difficult and remote country by any standards. And when you consider that the entire South Island has a population of about one million people, and that most of them live south of that line from Christchurch to Greymouth, you begin to understand just how sparse the population is where you are heading.

Māori used this route to get to the greenstone on the West Coast, but Pākehā didn’t use it – even in the height of the various

gold rushes – and it wasn’t until 1937 that the Lewis Pass became a proper road.

Of course we had to make the detour into Hanmer (not Hamner) where the weather had decided it was going to snow if it could – the result was that messy stuff called sleet.

It was school holidays, and although it was now getting late in the afternoon, you couldn’t find a park outside the famous thermal pools.

H a n m e r h a s g o t a t o u c h o f ‘t h e Queenstowns’ but a little more grounded.

The Navigator applied pressure to shop for half an hour then take a restorative plunge in the pools, but I objected saying we needed to press on and find one of the DOC camps before it got too dark. Truth is, there is nothing I like about sitting in a hot pool for 30 minutes or more. I get bored, tired and end up pink and wrinkled.

Back onto the main road and we pressed on westwards into the mountains proper.

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ROAD TRIP

Christchurch to Motueka

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This is a sensational drive. The road is crowded in by heavy native forest and ferns.

It’s narrow, twisting and mountainous.

We turn off at ‘the Boyle’ – the start of the St James Walkway where there is an outdoor education centre and a small collection of holiday cribs. The Navigator’s mother and stepfather once owned one of these houses and we take a nostalgic look in.

We pass the lodge at Maruia Springs and the forest continues. In the middle of a long clearing you find ‘Engineers Camp’, once operated by the Ministry of Works to keep the roads open,

but now it’s Downers. Workers were putting away snow ploughs after a day spent clearing the road further on.

It was getting towards evening, and surprisingly the weather had improved inasmuch as it was no longer raining, but the skies were patchy so we started looking for a campsite. We’d already passed three or four, but came across Deer Flat and decided it looked like home for the night.

A pretty standard small DOC camp – toilet and half-a-dozen gravelled car parks set in native forest and with access to a river. Charge

was $8 per person per night which we are always happy enough to pay even though (because of the remoteness) we knew there’d be no early morning visit from the local ranger to check if we had paid.

As we set up camp, one of the locals paid us a visit – a small and charming robin who showed absolutely no fear at all.

This was a beautiful location, with a towering snow-covered mountain visible through the bush, but man it was cold with a capital ‘C’.

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while there was no frost there was a cold and clinging dew.

Camp coffee (Nestles Coffee and Milk) was welcomed in the morning even if it was made with chattering teeth.

On the road again early and soon it became obvious where the road gangs had been busy clearing the snow off the road the previous day.

Snow may be cold and wet as it turns into slush, but there is no disputing it can double the scenic value.

At Springs Junction there was no sign of the life there had been the last time I was through.

The pop-up cafés have closed, or been moved, after the reopening of SH1 through Kaikōura.

Springs Junction is a scattered town with a service station and a restaurant/motel and some houses. It’s also where SH7 turns left to continue the Lewis Pass route, while turning

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right becomes SH65 and heads through the Shenandoah to Murchison and beyond.

Here, the mountains take a bit of a rest and you are in farmland with dairy cows being the most common inhabitants. It’s attractive country with lush, vibrant green pastures bordered by dark and brooding native forest.

But, it doesn’t last long before you are back into the mountains.

We stop to have a look where the 1929 Murchison earthquake raised the bed of the Maruia River by several metres, creating a new waterfall.

We depart SH65 and join SH6 at a point where there’s a left hand turn to Westport. We are skirting around the eastern edge of the Kahurangi National Park and there are some no-exit roads that lead into the dark mountains.

If we had more time, we would have explored.

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Up until the change of highway we had been following the Maruia River, but the point where the road goes left to Westport is also where the Maruia joins the Buller which has been coming from an easterly direction. Soon we are in Murchison.

I like Murchison.

It’s an attractive little town set in the middle of this vast and remote bit of New Zealand.

It’s had its difficult times. In 1914 much of the town was destroyed by fire. But the Big One came in 1929 when a large earthquake struck at 10.17am. The epicentre was 65 kilometres north of Murchison and resulted in 17 deaths, two of them in a coalmine but the majority in landslides that followed the long shaking.

There were more than 10,000 landslides and the damage was great – roads and rivers were blocked and 38 new lakes were created.

10. The Navigator ponders an early morning dip at Deer Flat DOC camp 11. Friendly robin at Deer Creek DOC camp 12. Spectacular Maruia Falls were created by the 1929 Murchison earthquake 13. Yorkshireman Lee has found his new home in Murchison — baking pies and bread and doing a roaring trade 14. French themed bakery in Murchison is also into the home-made pie business RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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ROAD TRIP

Christchurch to Motueka

These days, it’s a second-hand shop of sorts, but there’s no further exploration as it’s closed One of the largest landslides occurred up the Mātakitaki Valley where 18 million cubic metres of material was hurled off the face of a mountain.

In a previous life B A (Before Allan), the Navigator had owned the piece of land where the slip landed – appropriately enough, the farm was called ‘The Slip’ – so we 15 took a short nostalgic drive to see it.

Today, there is no easily visible sign of this massive displacement of soil and rock.

In Murchison we had brunch at Rivers Café – the town is spoiled for choice with at least three excellent cafés and a quite traditional ‘tearooms’ – and we both chose homemade lamb-and-mint pies. They are very, very good and loaded with meat.

The bright green exterior of what appears to have been an old garage and service station

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gave no clue to what was inside – it’s funky and fascinating.

After eating, the Navigator goes shopping in ‘Somebody’s Treasure’, a large second-hand shop, while I go walkabout.

One of the most fascinating old buildings in the town is the former ‘Commercial Stables’ and it was apparently empty and unused for many years. These days, it’s a second-hand shop of sorts, but there’s no further exploration

as it’s closed.

As good as our pies were, I wish we had waited; alongside the museum (in the former post office) I find Lee, a native of Yorkshire, selling homemade pies, bread and cake from a caravan that’s almost hidden. A line up of locals buying lunch seems to attest to the quality of his tucker – “it’s all hand made,” he explained.

And along the road a French-themed café also boasts ‘homemade pies’.

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Like many New Zealanders, I admit to being a pie enthusiast.

But the shop I want to see is Hodgson’s General Store. It’s not on quite the same level as the Bainham Store in Golden Bay, but it’s certainly a step or two back in time.

The Oxnam family bought the store in 1902 and it remains in family ownership today.

Barbara Oxnam ran the place until her death earlier this year at 88 years of age. The family now have two local staff running the place.

The façade tells you this is something special, and inside is a total mix of goods enough to get you through life. Mixed among the goods on the painted shelves that line the walls are tins from years ago, so you get a picture of a shop that is part museum as well.

I meet up with the Navigator, laden down with her purchases from the second-hand shop. Last time we were here, two months

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earlier, she bought half-a-dozen large Victorian breakfast plates and I bought some rare books.

I spoke to several locals in the town about the two years the Kaikōura Coast road was closed and Murchison underwent huge changes.

“It wasn’t all good,” one said. “The town was overwhelmed. We didn’t have the

infrastructure, and while there was initial celebration at the increased level of business, it quickly became a huge strain. Not only on the business owners and staff, but also on ordinary locals who felt they had ‘lost’ their town.”

Oil is to be found in several places on the West Coast, and around Murchison is one of them, but there was never enough for an ‘industry’. Instead, Murchison has found its place in mining, logging, farming and, for some years now, in tourism – first as a stopover, but more recently adventure tourism.

While the boom times of the Kaikōura Coast closure are over, Murchison is still busier today than it was before that.

A large motel is under construction and that’s a clear vote for the future.

We’re back on the road and our destination is Motueka – a place I could live as an alternative to Ōamaru.

15. Step into Hodgson’s Store in Murchison and you’re stepping back in time 16. One of the two pubs in Murchison — traditional in every way 17. The old stables in Murchison — a wonderful historic building now with another use 18. Donna Thurlow from ‘Somebody’s Treasure’ in Murchison where the Navigator has bought many collectibles!

19. A bizarre sight at Kawatiri Junction — a railway platform!

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ROAD TRIP

Christchurch to Motueka

There are subtle changes in the geography now. There are still mountains and heavy native bush and we are still following the Buller River, but there’s also more farmland.

We pass the Owen River hotel and carry on through Gowan Bridge where, until comparatively recently, there was a shop that specialised in fishing gear, or so I have been told.

Soon we are at Kawatiri Junction – remarkable for its old railway platform. This was part of the line that was built in stages from Nelson, heading to Inangahua with the aim of connecting up with the West Coast lines.

But Kawatiri was as close as Nelsonians ever got to the dream of being connected by rail to the main railway system.

This is also where SH63 branches off to St Arnaud and Lake Rotoiti and on down the Wairau Valley to Blenheim – the route followed by traffic over those two years of the closure of the Kaikōura Coast.

After Kawatiri the changes in the geography quicken pace – there are vast tracts of pine forest – and as we reach our turn-off down the Motueka Valley at the old Kohatu Hotel, we are pretty much into civilisation again. The Kohatu Hotel has survived over the years and has become a significant stopping spot in recent years after the addition of a café.

After leaving SH6 at Kohatu (it goes on to Wakefield) we are on the last leg of our journey to Motueka.

I love the Motueka Valley. It’s a slow drive, with the little town of Tapawera on the way

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and many lifestyle blocks and small farms.

This was once ‘tobacco country’ and you can still see many of the tobacco sheds where the large tobacco leaves were hung up to dry.

This was a romantic time for the region.

Each year, at harvest time, Motueka and the surrounding area became a magnet for thousands of workers – many, students on holiday, and others, just looking for a lifestyle change.

When I was on Radio Pacific I made the Motueka tobacco-picking season a subject one Saturday morning, and it sparked huge

interest – many romances began over the season, ending in many marriages.

Most of the workers lived in basic accommodation on the tobacco farms and buses were arranged to get them into Motueka for Friday nights. This was the era of six o’clock closing and the few pubs in the town did a roaring trade.

Tobacco plants are handsome things with big leaves, but picking them was a very sticky and dirty job. Despite that, many of the callers to the radio programme loved their time there.

But tobacco shared the region with fruit (mainly apples) as well as hops. After tobacco, apples became more important than ever and in recent years an experiment with Jax apples has turned out badly – nobody liked them – and the orchards have now been ripped out and replaced by more hops.

Hops are everywhere – and still spreading.

Apparently, Motueka and Nelson hops are the best in the world (challenged by Hawke’s Bay though, I understand) and the demand for them has been escalated by the boom in the craft beer market.

There seems to be no end of the spread of hop farms. there’s a calm, ordered, the almost Drive Overall, from station to station and experience majestic South Island CountryValley with colonial feel about theHigh Motueka well-established properties.

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We’re in heaven – the trees at the end of our who works for DOC in the greater region. parking spot have been cut back so we have a We decide to head towards Picton and ask view across the Grove Arm to Anakiwa.

Stu’ for some guidance about DOC camps I go off and deposit my $16 fee and return along the way. Stu’ tells of three and, making to settle in and have a glass of wine and mental notes, off we go. cook a meal. Tonight we are having pasta The sun is out, it’s fine and warm. Our with carbonara sauce and a couple of cheeky expectations are high. little reds.

We skirt Nelson and head into rain. It’s too Dinner over, dishes washed, we settle down wet to stop at our first suggested campsite just in our chairs to finish off the day with a ‘camp out of Rai Valley, ditto Pelorus Bridge where 23 coffee’, listen to the sound of the water below the rain is even more solid. us and watch the twinkle of the lights over at We press on to Havelock in the hope of the pretty church and impressive war memorial Anakiwa. finding better weather once clear of the hills. at the top of the hill before returning to the We both agree – a perfect spot at the end of And we do – we now only have the wipers on main road, and soon we were in Motueka. a sensational drive. intermittent!

The town has a population of under 8,000, YOUR ROOF We follow Queen Charlotte Drive feeling compared to Ōamaru’s 11,000, but Motueka isWATERPROOF increasingly disheartened because we are sure much, much busier – the town centre is biggerSpecialists in commercial and industrial coatings, waterproofing, non slip and Rhino weflooring are going to getLinings. wet. and it’s thriving.

20. Ngātīmoti church and war memorial are both Then we see the sign we are looking for – There is something about Motueka that worth the short side trip out of the Motueka Valley Aussie Bay – another small DOC campsite keeps people there. The Talley family remain 21. There are several side roads with interesting with toilet, running water and space for about based here despite controlling a vast food bridges over the Motueka River off the Motueka five or six vehicles. empire, and the Goodman brothers (Goodman, Valley Road We are in the place alone and have our choice Fielder Wattie) also maintained their own base 22. The start of the Talley’s food empire – the of the best spot. By now the rain has begun a in Motueka long after their business interests remains of Peter Talley’s father’s fishing boat, the light drizzle, but I spy a secluded parking spot flourished and spread further afield.

Janie Seddon. It’s been left to rust in peace off the under a canopy of trees where the ground is In Motueka we have a look around, but Motueka waterfront as a tribute to the company dry! By the time we park and get out, the rain don’t have time to visit Riwaka or Kaiteriteri.

23. Humorous carving of a bull has been at the has stopped completely.

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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SOUTH ISLAND

RV ROADIE – YEAR 2 PART II Racing legend Howden Ganley rents an RV for a summer of racing and recreation, part two the South Island Story + Photos Howden Ganley unless credited

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1. Lunch stop at Fairlight Station past railway glories 2. Pull out area for seal watching on the Kaikōura coast

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hen I left off last issue we were just boarding the Interislander bound for Picton. Following a smooth voyage and an on-time arrival we disembarked with a mission to get as far south as possible by nightfall.

We prefer not to arrive at new camping grounds after dark, so stopping during daylight hours with time to prepare dinner (preferably a BBQ) is important. Last year there was the problem with delays on the Kaikōura coast part of the journey, but this year there was no such impediment.

Once I get on the road I like to press on to whatever destination we have chosen, although there are obvious temptations to dally, and as we proceeded south we passed all those lovely vineyards with their tasting rooms, and the co-driver decided we should stop in to at least one, or more. That would have been lovely had I not been driving! Fortunately, from my point of view, they all displayed closed signs and that meant we could proceed without delay. One day I would like to stay nearby, perhaps in Blenheim, and hire a limo to take us from vineyard to vineyard, the only possible downside being the temptation to buy at least a case of wine at each.

We were very impressed with progress made in the past year on the rebuilding of the highway, albeit there’s still much to do, and we really liked the fact that there is such a nice big pull-over area where one can take a break and watch the seals cavorting on and around the rocks. We also took the time to stop at The Store at Kekerengu, a very nice venue with its ocean views and access to the beach. The food is pretty good as well.

Very soon it was time to begin the search for a suitable camping ground. The bestsounding one was at Gore Bay, but with no phone communication (to make a booking) we just had to hope for the best as we traversed the narrow road between SH1 and the bay.

My heart sank as we drove into what was just a dry and dusty field with a scruffy looking toilet block, albeit with some power pods. I soon discovered that no electricity was flowing to the pods, so we packed up and drove away.

The decision then was ‘do I turn left or right?’.

Fortunately I decided on left, and a little way down the road we came upon another camping ground that was altogether much more to our liking – I reflect that at times, when finding the best location is not proceeding smoothly, the atmosphere up in the ‘command centre’ can become somewhat cool, with testy exchanges between driver and navigator. (Grumpy driver; feisty navigator!)

We entered this camping ground, and after one of the occupants gave us the rundown on the system we settled in. Out with the BBQ, then a walk down to the beach where the co-driver, who has a bit of a thing about paddling in the sea, was able to get her feet wet. Toilet block quite good, washing machine not so good, location excellent, so overall we gave it 6/10.

As nobody appeared to take our money we put it in the envelope and slipped it under the office door prior to our early departure on the Thursday morning, with Ruapuna and the SKOPE races being our destination.

We made it to the circuit at Ruapuna by mid-morning, ascertained that there was a parking place saved for us in the Formula Junior Series compound, and then headed for Russley golf course after collecting our third player Louise, whose husband Alex was racing in the South Island series. Having driven past Russley a number of times over the years – usually on my way in or out of Christchurch Airport which is directly opposite – it has been high on my wish list and I was very happy to finally play there. Russley is a really nice club, with an interesting history, and for those who are keen on aviation archaeology there is the tragic story of the Bristol Freighter that crashed on the course following a structural failure.

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ROAD TRIP SOUTH ISLAND It was an enjoyable round (aren’t they all?) and then because we needed to use a dump station, fill with water, and get loaded with provisions for the weekend, after delivering Louise back to the circuit we headed to a camping ground near to the airport as recommended by a very nice group we had met at Gore Bay. They had a family involvement in the North South Holiday Park, so having read the brochure they gave us we decided we would give it a try. We were not disappointed. There was easy(ish) access to a supermarket (we needed lots of bacon, eggs, bread rolls, and Mateus Rosé wine) and nice ablution blocks. We gave it 8/10.

We also got a bit of extra excitement during dinner when a couple of police cars drove in, arrested a nearby camper, and took him away.

Rather like watching a detective series on TV, but actually played out live, at no cost to the audience. Somebody then came and packed up his tent and belongings, so we figured he was probably going to be doing his ‘camping’ in a police cell and would not be back any time soon.

Arriving out at the racetrack next morning we took up our allotted space in the paddock, awning, furniture and BBQ out, and we were ready for a full weekend of racing. At the earlier Hampton Downs event I had begun cooking

up bacon-and-egg rolls for hungry people and so repeated the exercise at Ruapuna. I have written about the SKOPE weekend racing and other activities in the sister magazine NZ Classic Driver, so I won’t repeat it all here.

Monday morning and we all departed the track, and for us that meant heading south to Ashburton.

Last year we arrived at the Ashburton Aviation Museum just as it was closing, so it was at the top of our 2019 list for a visit. We were a bit too eager and arrived early (it opens at 1pm each day) so a search ensued for a nice lunch place in Ashburton. We were lucky enough to spot the Robert Harris café; we now recommend it to other travellers. Returning to the museum we found our English racing friends Susan and Robin Longdon ready to take the tour of what I consider to be one of the best aviation museums in New Zealand. It occupies two hangars on the former RNZAF base, now much reduced in area, and has a very comprehensive array of aircraft, the most notable of which is the BAE (formerly Hawker) Harrier, purchased by the museum from an RAF disposal sale.

Tour over, we said farewell to our friends (“see you next weekend”) and went our separate

ways. I had decided that instead of a camping ground, a night of free camping – preferably at a lake with really nice views – would make a welcome change from the normal routine and we found just the spot. Lake Pūkākī.

Great site with views over the wonderful blue lake all the way to Mount Cook. I found the most level piece of ground, up at the top of the hill, and then with our short planks got the RV well squared away. Unfortunately a couple of RVs soon appeared, crewed by folk who seemed to be from one of the Teutonic countries, and of course they just had to park right in front of us, blocking our lovely view.

The fact that their vehicle was well listed over seemed not to bother them. By that time I was not inclined to move, and opined to the co-driver that they would be gone early in the morning as soon as they had taken their cold showers and set off on a route march, and so it proved to be. So we breakfasted enjoying the wonderful views once more. Then on the way out we came upon the nice row of long-drop dunnies down in the trees. What more could a bloke ask for of a morning!

The destination for the day was Wanaka where we wanted to play the golf course which had not been possible the previous year due to a tournament being held there. No such problem this year and we enjoyed the very nice course, which we would certainly revisit. For our evening stop we chose the Mt Aspiring Holiday Park, which

We also got a bit of extra excitement during dinner when a couple of police cars drove in, arrested a nearby camper, and took him away. Rather like watching a detective series on TV, but actually played out live, at no cost to the audience

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we had also visited last year, and were given a top corner site with more wonderful views.

Nice facilities as well, so we gave it 7/10.

Wednesday morning and we were headed for Dunedin, with a quick stop at Wanaka Airfield to photograph the Canberra aircraft atop a pole, but having visited the excellent aircraft museum last year we bypassed it with the idea that perhaps we would come across another nice golf course along the way. Sure enough, we spotted Alexandra’s course through the trees, so naturally we swung in and found we could get an immediate tee time. One of the attractions of New Zealand courses is that it always seems relatively easy to get a tee time. So another fun round on yet another nice course, albeit slightly spoiled by coming up behind a four-ball of noisy guys wearing those special caps that have the peak attached to the back instead of the front, and who do not always observe golf course etiquette.

We stopped to take a look at the Clyde dam, an interesting hydro scheme that apparently has no storage and relies on the amount of water arriving in the lake to supply the turbines.

While there we chatted to a couple of motor cyclists who were among the large numbers

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all proceeding south to Invercargill and Ōreti Beach for the annual Burt Munro Challenge.

I am not a motorcyclist but I would love to go to that event one day – as would probably everyone who has seen Roger Donaldson’s fabulous movie The World’s Fastest Indian.

Now one of the largest events of its kind, the Burt Munro Challenge includes road races, beach races, hillclimbs, drag races – in short something for every motorcycle enthusiast.

For us it was time to press on to Dunedin and the Leith Valley Holiday Park, as we had a round booked at the St Clair Golf Club next morning. When the Scots founded Dunedin they had to bring their love of golf too, and one of the outcomes was the building of St Clair on the hillside above the city with great views of the sea. As nice as it is, on the day we played this fairly exposed course the winds were strong, so it was quite hard work. We agreed that we would like to return and play it under more benign conditions.

Next stop was Timaru and the Levels racetrack for the Southern Classic weekend of racing, and thanks to race committee chairman Brian Dixon we had a slot in the rear paddock to park the RV, not too far from the toilets.

And even better, shortly after our arrival a man appeared with a large generator into which all the RVs plugged. Cables running everywhere!

At the previous race I had been asked by South Canterbury Vintage Car Club member Grant Stewart to give a talk to the members on the night of our arrival, and he duly collected us in his 1929 Durant to drive us to the Club. I hope they enjoyed the talk.

Next morning we were at the Timaru Golf Club, just a short drive from the circuit, together with our new playing partner Louise Morton.

Of all the courses we played, this was the only one we revisited from last year. There followed another superb weekend of racing, which I have already covered in NZ Classic Driver magazine.

3. Camp site at Gore Bay - adjacent to the beach.

4. Passing the much reduced Taieri airfield 5. Tea time at Glenorchy 6. RNZAF Ashburton base - a diarama of the WWII days 7. Wanaka airfield - the Canberra on a pole

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ROAD TRIP SOUTH ISLAND Added to the racing was the Robin Longdon BBQ evening as well as the Car Club dinner, and we all had a great time socially.

As soon as the Formula Junior races were over on Sunday we were again on the move as we needed to be back in Dunedin that night – staying once more at Leith Valley, lulled to sleep by the gently rushing water of Leith Stream.

Last year while searching for Taieri Airfield, we spotted what appeared to be a vintage train, or at least a train with vintage carriages. Further investigation revealed this to be the Taieri Gorge Railway, and it was immediately put on the 2019 ‘must do’ list. So early on Monday we arrived at Dunedin Station, a magnificent structure (“created to be the jewel in the crown of New Zealand Railways”), and were able to secure a place in the station carpark. Within 30 minutes of our arrival the park was completely

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full, so if you plan to take the train make sure you arrive early. There is a good RV slot at the far end. We opted to ride in one of the older historic carriages, with nice seats, although we did make our way forward to the dining car early in the outward journey – something of a disappointment, especially as the coffee machine had broken down. On returning to our booked seats we found them occupied by another couple, and it took a certain amount of assertion to reclaim our rightful places! The history of the railway construction is amazing, a great feat of engineering all carved out with picks and shovels, and the scenery is spectacular as the train makes its way up the gorge through 12 tunnels and over the high viaducts (something of a vertigo challenge!). A very worthwhile excursion. For 2020 we plan to go in the opposite direction – north on the Seasider.

From Dunedin we were on our way once more to Queenstown, having booked a place at the Lake View Park which we had used last year and which is conveniently located for the Gondola, and for the town. The first evening we walked down to the Steamer Wharf and ate once more at Pier, an excellent restaurant with good food and good service. The co-driver is very partial to seafood so the evening special of crayfish suited her very well. We had tried to book rounds at Queenstown Golf Club and Arrowtown golf course, but Queenstown had no suitable times available which meant we only managed one round, at Arrowtown, an unusual layout among many rock formations.

We will return. There was then time to take a trip up the lake to Glenorchy, and even buy a couple of possum skin novelties for the co-driver.

We decided to try a different restaurant down at the Steamer Wharf and selected FINZ, which proved to be an excellent choice and one we will visit again. On the way back to the RV we checked out the never-ending queue at Fergburger, bought some of Ferg’s sourdough bread (not sour enough, Ferg!) as well as Mrs Ferg’s ice cream. Sorry, Mrs Ferg, but Pōkeno has you well beaten!

With no golf scheduled for the next day I decided that the co-driver needed a good jet-boat ride, and so I booked the one on the Shotover River (having done the Dart River some years ago). Arriving early we watched the boats coming and going, assessing the different driver techniques from what we could see on that stretch of water. We were worried that we might get one of the less skilful ones, but in fact we drew the perfect driver who, apart from giving us a great ride, had the ability to dump several gallons of water down the backs of our necks. In checking him out at the reception centre afterwards we discovered that

he is also a golfer, so he is a proper bloke! I had asked him if the boat’s propulsion unit was still Hamilton, which he confirmed, leading me to reflect on the fact that the inventor, Sir C W F (Bill) Hamilton, was one of New Zealand’s first successful racing drivers; among his notable feats was winning three races in one day at Brooklands, the very famous pre-war circuit in England. Now a first-class heritage centre, Brooklands is a place I recommend you visit if you are taking a UK tour.

From Queenstown we were on to visit our friends Glenys and Paul Halford together with a number of other racing folk, all guests at the Halford’s home, and a great BBQ evening. The eight RVs crowded into the driveway overnight made quite a sight. All of us, including Paul, were headed for Invercargill and Teretonga circuit next day, in our case including a stopover at Mandeville airfield where the co-driver had hoped to indulge her aviatrix longings with a ride in a Tiger Moth, but as we got closer to

the airfield the weather continued to worsen and on arrival we were informed that all flying was cancelled for the day, so we contented ourselves with a tour of the aircraft museum, which is very de Havilland oriented, as well as a visit to the restoration hanger where Tiger Moths and other aircraft are restored and created. A return visit is on the list for 2020 when, hopefully, the weather will be more suitable for flying.

It was while we were traversing the long, straight roads of the South Island that I was reminded once more of that strange overtaking behaviour (or not overtaking) that I assume is encountered by many RV drivers, and in fact I have previously written about it. I hear constant complaints from regular motorists that their journeys are spoiled by lumbering RVs ‘blocking up the roads’. Being sensitive to this, I always keep well to the left and if there is no passing lane pull over into a driveway or other suitable area if I have two or three vehicles

behind. However, I have noticed that even when one arrives into a passing lane, very often the following cars will only slowly drift up behind, and then only be in a position to overtake just as the lane runs out! Why are they so tardy? There should be no problem overtaking on the long, straight roads, especially as I keep to 90km or less, but so often they catch up and then just sit behind for kilometre after kilometre even when there is no oncoming traffic in sight. I try to tempt them out but at times it is necessary to slow down to less than 50km before they will pass. I do not want another car tucked right up behind in case there is an emergency, which they will not see. One such was the bus which suddenly pulled out from a side road (just south of Dunedin) directly in front of us.

8. Dunedin Railway Station - a large empty platform, unlike the glory days of the railway 9. Taieri Gorge - crossing one of the very high trestle bridges

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Brakes locked on and using the hard shoulder I managed to miss him. Goodness knows what his passengers must have thought. He should probably surrender his PSV licence before he hurts somebody!

On another subject – I am intrigued by the railway lines that traverse the country, sadly so many of them no longer in use. One can see where many of the rail tracks used to be, as fortunately (sensibly) many are now turned into cycle trails. It is not often that we stop and look at a former railway site, but on this trip we made a halt at the old Fairlight station which is a convenient rest area. The co-driver makes wonderful ham sandwiches, so at around lunch time I like to pull over while she assembles a snack. A well-fed driver is a happy driver!

As usual we found a good spot in the RV line-up at Teretonga, just behind the ‘racing’ paddock and a short walk to showers and toilets. On Friday morning we collected our golfing companion Louise, and drove the short distance (less than 2km) to Invercargill Golf Club. The course was almost deserted so it was a speedy round and then we were back to the circuit where we found that Louise’s husband Alex was once more fastest in practice. The downside was that in mid-afternoon the bad weather hit, which rather spoiled the social part of the weekend (with much reduced demand for my free bacon-and-egg rolls) but the racing remained as intense as ever. After the final Formula Junior race and prize-giving

we said goodbye to another good friend of many years (I met him first in 1961), Wal Willmott, the first employee of Bruce McLaren Motor Racing, before setting out on the long haul back to Auckland. Sadly, Wal died three months later.

I had hoped to make Christchurch that night but we fell short.

We did make a quick stop along the road, at the entrance to the St Andrews Golf Club where we played last year but found it has now been closed and sold for farmland. The long grass already consuming the greens. St Andrews is an interesting little town and has remained ‘little’. The founders must have had high hopes. A great location on the coast, on the main highway, on the main railway line

(with twin tracks at that point) and a significant golf course. What could possibly go wrong?

Answers on a postcard!

We stopped for the night at the Coronation Holiday Park in Ashburton and then pressed on to Picton the next day, stopping once again at The Store for lunch. We reached Picton early afternoon and ensconced ourselves in the Top 10 Holiday Park from where it is an easy walk into town, via the marina, where there is a good selection of restaurants. The co-driver chose Oxley’s Bar and Grill.

Prior to parking up we had driven about town and found the logging port that I had spotted on the southward voyage.

Our interest had been raised by the sheer number of logging trucks one encounters

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in New Zealand, often travelling in opposite directions to each other. The Picton log port is quite impressive. Logs? You want logs? We have lots of logs!

Having arrived in Picton early, dined early, and gone to bed early, we were appropriately early at the Interislander terminal next morning. The lady at check-in informed me that there “might be a bit of a delay”.

“How much delay?” I asked. “Well the ship hasn’t left Wellington yet.” She suggested we go back into town for some breakfast. Back at the dock again later we finally saw a ferry arrive. I wondered how they would cope with two sailings worth of cars and passengers, but once on board it was obvious there was plenty of room for everyone. I have drawn my own conclusions – I will leave you to draw yours.

All of this meant we had now wasted almost a day, so it was an unhappy crew that finally made it to the camping ground at Foxton Beach, having picked up dinner at KFC on the way through Levin. We gave this one, with its excellent showers and toilets, 8/10. Being so late meant we had to miss a scheduled visit to Ohakea, kindly arranged by Grant Stewart, and pressed on toward Auckland. Just stopped long enough to photograph the DC3 on the pole at the ‘Mangaweka International Airport’ and then breakfasted at Flat Hills café where I was able to enjoy one of my favourite Kiwi dishes, mince on toast. On the road again via Waiouru (no time to visit the Army museum).

Finally arrived back at my sister Nicki’s place and next day we unloaded the vehicle, did all the cleaning and emptying at a dump station

before returning the RV to the Iconic depot – 15 minutes late!

So would we do it again. Yes, we have already booked a larger model for 2020. With Robyn’s indulgence, I will tell you how it goes, in the fullness of time.

10. Mandeville Hanger - with the Tiger Moth and the frustrated aviatrix 11. Tiger Moths in production at Mandeville 12. Logs on the wharf at Picton 13. Flat Hill cafe, a very nice breakfast place 14. Mangaweka International Airport, and a DC3 on ‘ take-off ‘

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ROAD TRIP

SOUTHLAND Central Otago

SILENCING THE VOICES IN MY HEAD

Justine Tyerman defies ‘age-ism’ and ‘sensible-ism’ on an Easter road trip, revisiting places in Central Otago last travelled as a child, exploring new territory in the Catlins … and sleeping in the back of a station wagon.

Part one

Story + Photos Justine Tyerman

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yebrows were raised to the ex-hairline and there was much tut-tutting among our friends as they inspected the double bed neatly made up in the back of the JUCY Cabana station wagon and the little kitchen tucked into the rear of the vehicle.

“You’re a bit old for this sort of thing,” they guffawed, shaking their heads in disbelief.

“And besides, it’s far too late in the season to be camping – you’ll freeze to death.

“Stay on here with us – play golf, go fishing and e-biking … sensible, age-appropriate activities. Or at least check in to a hotel along the way,” they said.

That’s all it took to galvanise the stubborn in me and harden my resolve to defy ‘age-ism’ and ‘sensible-ism’, throw caution to the non-existent wind and be daring – some might say reckless.

After all, we were only heading for a brief sortie to the Catlins, not a month trekking overland in Outer Mongolia, so there was always the option of a hotel or motel if the weather really misbehaved.

“Late-life crisis,” I heard them mutter as Chris and I piled our far-too-large suitcases into the JUCY campervan and prepared to depart. The cases hadn’t looked so bulky in the palatial guest wing of our friends’ luxurious Wanaka home, but we were now wondering what the heck we’d do with them at night time. Note to self: ‘If you want to relive your youth, get a rucksack and travel lightly.’

We waved goodbye and drove off into the delicious unknown with an old-school paper map on my knee… and a new-age Roadtrippers App.

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They were off to golf and lunch at a winery; we were heading in the general direction of Kākā Point at the north-eastern boundary of the Catlins, revisiting places along the way I’d last travelled through as a child.

In our mid-60s, in the heady post-children and pre-grandchildren zone, we had lately developed nomadic tendencies that worry our adult daughters. It’s a classic case of role reversal – we get texts from Sophie and Bridget urging us to take care on the road and report in at the end of each day. Their parents love nothing better than to wander around the countryside going wherever the spirit wills

and the weather looks most settled. The idea of not being tied to an itinerary or having to book accommodation ahead appeals to us. It gives us a giddy sense of freedom and brings back distant and fond memories of youthful road trips.

1. Autumn reflections in Alexandra 2. Coal Creek Flat near Roxburgh 3. Lake Dunstan at ease in the landscape © Regional Identity, Shirley Howden

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ROAD TRIP SOUTHLAND Central Otago Following the untimely deaths of a couple of friends, the road trip also helped to silence a cluster of voices in my head urging me to make the most of my good health and ‘do it while you still can’. I felt so privileged to be able to enjoy the simple, unsophisticated pleasures of cooking outside in the fresh air, sleeping in the back of a station wagon and hiking in bright sunshine under clear skies amid the beauty of Aotearoa in all her autumn regalia.

We were so late making the decision to undertake the trip that the Cabana was the only vehicle JUCY had left. I was tingling with excitement and up for the challenge.

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The weather certainly wasn’t promising as we drove out of Wanaka under a slate-grey sky like a duvet firmly tucked into the folds of the mountains. It looked ominously like the linger-all-day inversion layer common in these parts in May and June, but by the time we reached Lake Dunstan glimpses of blue peeked through holes in the ‘duvet’ and soon the sky cleared to reveal a dazzling autumn day.

Nowadays the manmade lake looks much more natural and at ease in its environment than when the Clyde Dam power station was commissioned in 1992 and the vast 26sq km hydro storage reservoir was formed from the waters of the mighty Clutha River. It took 18 months to fill and reached its full height in September 1993, but for many years it looked temporary and out of place.

There are smart new settlements on the shores of Lake Dunstan such as pretty Pisa Moorings 10km north of the township of Cromwell at the foot of the Pisa Range.

Where farmland,

Take charge of your batteries

tussock, and stone and pipfruit trees once held dominion, vineyards now cover hillsides facing the sun, and huge cherry orchards under nets have sprouted up on the flat lands.

Cromwell was relocated to higher ground in the 1980s before the lake swallowed up its original location at the picturesque junction of the Clutha and Kawarau rivers – along with 2300 hectares of productive land. A resilient town, having survived many a boom-and-bust since its birth in the 1860s gold rush, Cromwell exudes a new sense of confidence. Long in the shadow of self-important neighbours Queenstown and Wanaka, Cromwell has emerged as a thriving hub with a well-preserved historic old town, a colourful gold mining history, a beautiful lake for fishing and aquatic activities, award-winning wineries, excellent cycle and hiking trails … and affordable real estate, something its celebrity neighbours do not have.

I vividly recall Cromwell of yesteryear, the mingling of the turquoise Clutha and the blue or sometimes muddy Kawarau at their confluence, the graceful old Cromwell suspension bridge with its cables and red brick piers and the huts of the Chinese gold miners, all now nine or ten metres beneath the water.

As a child prone to car sickness, for me the winding Cromwell Gorge to Alexandra was

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

just another obstacle to endure on our long car trips from Dunedin to our little crib in Arrowtown. But the old gorge road is long gone, submerged under Lake Dunstan, and the new road is straighter and much higher up the side of the gorge wall, closer to the craggy, weathered mountain tops that once towered above us.

Fifteen minutes from Cromwell, the curved rim of the Clyde Dam looms into view, the 103m-high concrete gravity structure that holds back the of water thanks to one million cubic metres of concrete and steel.

Shortly after the completion of the Clyde Dam in 1993, we took a guided tour of the power station including a walk-through of the dimly lit, vibrating interior corridor of the dam wall. I doubt I would do that now, having researched the history of the dam’s construction during PM Robert Muldoon’s ‘Think Big’ era, and the discovery of fault lines above the dam as well as safety compromises made back then.

Clyde has transformed itself into a seriously classy village since the days we used to drive through the sleepy settlement and stop for a cuppa beside the river. Now the start/end point of the immensely popular 152km Otago Central Rail Trail, Clyde has a great range of accommodation and eateries including Olivers – an upmarket craft brewery, bar, bakerycafé, and gourmet restaurant with boutique accommodation – located in the old stone gold-rush-era general store.

Six or seven minutes further on is Alexandra whose claim to fame in my teenage years was the October Blossom Festival. I seldom managed to get there because I was always in

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Dunedin, buried in my books studying for end-of-year exams.

Alexandra reached its heyday during the late 1800s when huge gold dredges worked the Clutha River. The most successful dredge was the Dunedin, which extracted around 528kg of gold. Today Alexandra is better known for its pinot noir vineyards, apricots, peaches, cherries and apples.

In mid-winter, we used to go ice skating on nearby Manorburn Dam, the largest natural ice skating area in the Southern Hemisphere.

The dam has been a popular place to skate and play ice hockey and the game of curling since the late 1880s. Parts of the dam still freeze over but most people now go to the artificial rink in town.

They sure knew how to build beautiful bridges in the ‘old days’. The graceful stone towers that once supported the bridge over

the Clutha/Mata-Au, built from 1879 to 1882, still stand strong and proud in New Zealand’s swiftest river. The vivid turquoise of the Clutha against the bright gold of the autumn poplars and willows on the riverbank and the deeply weathered rocks on the hillsides above is stunning.

The replacement bridge, built in 1958, looks so utilitarian and ordinary by comparison.

Near the bridge, van-loads of excited cyclists were setting off to do the three-stage Roxburgh Gorge Trail, a 34km trip following the Clutha River from Alexandra to Lake Roxburgh Dam with a boat link in the middle.

•A lexandra township to Doctors Point – 10km •B oat transfer Doctors Point to Shingle Creek – 25mins • S hingle Creek to Lake Roxburgh Dam – 12km

JUSTINE TYERMAN TRAVELLED COURTESY OF JUCY RENTALS

6 4. A quick bite at Kaka Point 5. The 103m-high concrete gravity structure at Clyde Dam holds back 26 sq km of water 6. The mighty Clutha Mata-Au River. Credit Regional Identity, Shirley Howden

Pick up a JUCY campervan, 4WD, people mover or car from JUCY Rentals www.jucy.co.nz at Queenstown Airport. We’ve tried them, all but this time we had a two-berth JUCY Cabana campervan with a double bed and a little kitchen which gave us the freedom to camp out whenever we felt like it. The Cabana is not self-contained so we stayed at camping grounds and met some awesome people along the way. We liked the ease and manoeuvrability of the basic little campervan and the freedom of not being tied to an itinerary or pre-booked accommodation.

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Combining fascinating history, stunning scenery and wildlife, this is definitely top of my e-biking list. A remote wilderness experience with no road access, the trail passes through what’s described as New Zealand’s ‘Grand Canyon’ with rocky bluffs 350m high on both sides of the river. It also takes in some of the best-preserved relics from Central Otago’s gold mining era and if you’re lucky, sightings of the magnificent kārearea (New Zealand native falcon) that’s made its home in the gorge – I can’t wait to experience it.

I’ve always regarded Roxburgh as the heart of Central Otago, “well-suited to the making of ‘Westerns’, ” my father used to say whenever we drove over the wild, barren landscape scattered with jagged, grey-brown rocks.

Roxburgh’s hot, dry summers and cold winters are ideal for growing apricots, apples, pears, raspberries and strawberries. We used to stop at a friend’s orchard there to pick sweet tree-ripened sturmer apples.

Roxburgh is near the site of the earliest of the large hydroelectric projects in the South Island. Opened in 1956, the concrete gravity structure dams the Clutha River/Mata-Au, 9km to the north of the town of Roxburgh creating a lake 30km long.

The land flattens out towards Raes Junction so we took a detour just before Lawrence, opting for the Tuapeka West Road to Balclutha.

What an incredible contrast. Suddenly we were

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surrounded by rolling green pastures populated with well-fed sheep and cows and barely a rock or weed in sight. A huge dairy factory stood in the middle of nowhere.

At Balclutha, we headed towards Kākā Point and the much-anticipated start of our Catlins adventure, all new territory for us. I stood there gazing in disbelief at the silvery sea and white sands of Molyneux Bay on New

Zealand’s south-east coast. It all seemed far too easy to have left the snow-capped mountains of Wanaka in the morning, traversed the wild and arid heart of Central Otago and the verdant pastures of Tuapeka and arrived at the seaside by lunchtime. That’s one of the myriad things I love about New Zealand. The contrasts are huge but the distances are not.

Continues in part two > 7. The Junction at Cromwell in springtime. Credit James Jubb, Tourism Central Otago 8. The graceful stone towers that once supported the historic Alexandra bridge still stand strong in New Zealand’s swiftest river 9. Vivid autumn colours in Central Otago. Credit Regional Identity, Shirley Howden

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

SOUTHLAND Catlins

ROAD TRIP

‘DO IT WHILE YOU STILL CAN’

Lighthouses and sea lions act as bookends to Justine and Chris Tyerman’s Easter road trip in the Catlins where they drove the Southern Scenic Route

Part two

Story + Photos Justine Tyerman

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ROAD TRIP

SOUTHLAND Catlins

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’m a great fan of information boards (I read every word, much to the extreme frustration of my travelling companions), and at Kākā Point on the south-east coast of the South Island, the boards told us we were standing where the Clutha River used to flow to sea until a massive flood in 1878 moved the river mouth to the north.

Molyneux Bay marked the much-anticipated start of our Catlins adventure, all new territory for us.

Māori settled here about 900AD living on moa and seal meat. Captain James Cook sailed by in 1770 but did not make landfall. He named the bay Molyneux after the ship’s master who died on the journey.

Whalers and sealers from England and Europe came to hunt the abundant prey in the coastal waters of the southern coast during the early 19th century, and European settlers arrived in the mid-1850s to mill timber. The name Catlins was bestowed upon the region in honour of a whaling captain, Edward Catlin, who purchased land beside the river from a Māori chief in 1840.

Late in April, just after Easter, we almost had the place to ourselves.

Ten minutes down the coast, the headland at Nugget Point looks as though it has thrust itself into the Pacific Ocean with such force that fragments have broken off. Captain Cook decided the rocky outcrops scattered at the tip of the long, deeply weathered finger looked like gold nuggets – hence the name.

A lighthouse, one of the oldest in the country, was built on the far end of the promontory in 1869–70 at the height of the coastal shipping era. The 600-metre walk to the impressive white beacon runs along a narrow ridge allowing breathtaking views of the coastline to the north and south. Vertiginous cliffs rise almost vertically in both directions.

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Built from locally quarried stone, the Tokata Lighthouse stands an impressive 9.5 metres high and is 76 metres above sea level.

Watching the surge of the waves pummelling the rocks far below, even on this calm day, was a lesson in the awesome power of the sea to shape and fashion the face of our land. I’d love to return at the height of a storm and witness the winds that force all trees there to grow horizontal to the land.

A hotspot for marine diversity, over 40 species of seabird inhabit or visit the headland, and fur seals and sea lions are a common sight. Orca, southern right whales, humpbacks and dolphins are occasionally spotted off the point … but not today. We did however see fur seal pups frolicking far below in sheltered rock pools.

The information boards, especially the woodframed stone plaques with beautifully written descriptions in Te Reo and English, are superb.

They read like poetry: “He wahi taoka – a special place … Toitu te whanua, toitu te iwi – As the land endures, so too will the people.”

Roaring Bay, just south of Nugget Point, is a breeding ground of the yellow-eyed penguin/

hoiho, the world’s rarest penguin. Standing 65cm tall and weighing about 5kg, they are the fourth largest penguin.

Hoiho means ‘noise shouter’ a name given because of their shrill call. We spent a good half hour scouring the seashore from a hide above the beach but there was no sign of the creatures coming ashore. Reading the information in the hide about their life cycle, we discovered that it’s uncommon to see them in March/April because they are moulting and confined to land until their new feather coats grow. They are not waterproof during the moult so they cannot forage at sea, relying on their fat stores to survive.

According to the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, despite efforts to protect this critically endangered species, there are only 225 breeding pairs left on mainland New Zealand, the lowest level since 1990–91. This is indeed sad news.

Cannibal Bay was our next stop, a place name that conjures up all sorts of macabre visions. Long ago, a surveyor found human bones on the beach but there was never any evidence of foul play so one wonders why he

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leapt to the conclusion that the deceased had been eaten. It’s a remote, windswept bay with a huge rock standing sentinel at the northern end and a long curve of sand stretching south.

We walked the length of the beach, drawn by a cluster of people taking photos of large dark shapes in the water. As we got closer, we realised with great excitement that eight or so critically endangered New Zealand sea lions or ‘rapoka’ were having some sort of territorial dispute on the beach and causing a heck of a ruckus. Having read up on protocols about how to behave around sea lions, we kept our distance. But we were so fascinated with the battle being waged in the shallows, we were completely taken by surprise when two more large creatures suddenly appeared from the sand dunes behind us and came lolloping towards us at great speed.

We beat a rapid retreat but the pair were not remotely interested in us. They were intent on joining the noisy fray among the other sea lions.

The behaviour was fascinating but puzzling. A female appeared to be protecting a young calf on the beach while a large bull with a shaggy ‘mane’ was vigorously fending off challenges from younger rivals. The attacks were relentless.

It must have been exhausting for him.

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As the light began to fade, we found an excellent overnight camp site called Newhaven Holiday Park at Surat Bay named after the sailing vessel Surat that was wrecked there in 1874. We got there just in time to set up our comfy, cosy double bed in the back of the campervan and stroll down to the beach with a bubbly and beer to watch the sunset.

Our campsite was on beautiful Pounawea Estuary, fed by the Owaka and Catlins rivers, a place rich in birdlife and virgin podocarp forest.

It was so mild, we cooked outdoors in our little ‘kitchen’ … so convenient, like an upmarket tent on wheels. And so much for freezing to death; during the night we had to open the doors, the campervan was so warm.

The young ones in tents around us thought it was pretty cool to see a couple of ‘oldies’ sleeping in the back of a bright purple and green station wagon. That really did make us feel like teenagers again. It brought back memories of the carefree roadies of our youth.

Next day we were up bright and early, our heads brimming with things to do and places to see. In our excitement, we nearly missed the turnoff to Jack’s Bay

1. Built from locally-quarried stone, the Tokata Lighthouse at Nugget Point stands an impressive 9.5 metres high and is 76 metres above the sea 2. The silvery sea and white sands of Molyneux Bay marked the much-anticipated start of our Catlins adventure, all new territory for us 3. A group of New Zealand sea lions or ‘rapoka’, were having some sort of territorial dispute on the beach at Cannibal Bay 4. I envied the 20-30 bach owners with their properties right on Jack’s Beach 5. Steep steps on the track to Jack’s Blowhole 6. Jack’s Blowhole is a giant gash in the earth, 55m deep, 144m long, 68m wide and 200m from the sea

and Blowhole – so glad we didn’t.

Remote Jack’s Bay with its pristine white sands is unbelievably beautiful, especially on a calm, sunny autumn day. I envied the 20–30 bach owners with their properties right on the beach.

The blowhole is at the end of a scenic coastal walkway, about one hour return. It’s a giant gash in the earth, 55m deep, 144m long, 68m wide and 200m from the sea. Even on a calm day, the force of the water swirling and churning far below was riveting. I’d love to see it spouting up at the height of a southerly storm with a big sea running.

After brewing a quick cuppa in our handy little kitchen, we drove to pretty Pūrākaunui Falls, a very popular spot. The lovely 10-minute walk alongside the stream that feeds the falls is through a lush forest of tōtara, tāwhai, mataī and kōtukutuku with native birds flitting among the branches.

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At the foot of the exquisite three-tiered falls, there were dozens of overseas tourists and photographers with tripods and extremely long lenses, trying to capture the perfect image. It’s one of the most photographed waterfalls in New Zealand, so if you want time alone here get up early or stay late.

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The track to the 22m-high McLean Falls, the tallest waterfall in the Catlins, was closed by a rock fall so we consoled ourselves with lunch at the award-winning Whistling Frog Restaurant.

The blue cod was the best fish I’ve ever tasted, washed down with an ice cold Monteith’s crushed pear cider. The restaurant is the hub of a substantial accommodation complex with cabins, motels, chalets and tent sites.

Well-fortified, we set off towards Cathedral Caves, stopping at Florence Hill lookout with its sweeping views of perfectly curved Tautuku Beach to the south and Tahakopa Bay and Long Point to the north. This is the only area left in the South Island where native forest covers the land from the hilltops to the sea. Some trees are over 1000 years old. There’s an abundance 11 of wildlife with native birds, New

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Zealand sea lions, yellow-eyed and little-blue penguins and albatross frequenting the area.

Access to Cathedral Caves is across private Māori land so there’s a charge of $5 per adult and $1 per child. The 1.5km track through kāmahi/ podocarp forest drops 100m to Waipati Beach and then there’s a 10-minute walk along the sand to the caves. Our timing of the tides was accidentally perfect. We were able to explore the entire sea cave system which has two huge

7. Justine and Chris at Purakaunui Falls, one of the most photographed waterfalls in New Zealand 8. Our handy Cabana ‘kitchen’ ready for action 9. After descending through native forest, there’s a 10-minute walk along Waipati Beach to the twin entrances to Cathedral Caves 10. The V-shaped passage connecting the twin Cathedral Caves is 199m in length, one of the longest in the world.

11. Florence Hill lookout has sweeping views of perfectly-curved Tautuku Beach to the south and Tahakopa Bay and Long Point to the north 12. The trees grow sideways on the Catlins’ coast 13. Perfect timing - the tide was out at Curio Bay allowing us to explore the petrified forest 14. Justine at Slope Point, the windswept southern-most tip of the South Island

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entrances joined by a V-shaped passage. It’s one of the finest in New Zealand, and at 199m, among the longest in the world.

In contrast to limestone caves which form by the chemical action of water dissolving calcite in the rock, sea caves are formed by the action of the waves eroding or collapsing the rock.

We took a torch so we could examine the ceiling (up to 30m high) and deep recesses of the Jurassic sandstone that dates back about 160 million years. Just inside the west or first entrance, the ceiling is much higher, indicating an area of roof collapse. Over time, such features create skylights such as at Jack’s Blowhole.

The caves are outstanding and well worth the fee and the one-hour hike down and back up, but to avoid disappointment make sure you check the tides and the closing time of the track.

The petrified forests at Curio Bay had long fascinated me and again our timing was spot on. The tide was well out allowing us to explore this extremely rare phenomenon.

The incredible story of how the forest was formed is recorded on a series of excellent

information boards overlooking the rock platform where the tree trunks and stumps are lying, set in stone.

A lush forest stood here about 170 million years ago, along with ash-covered volcanoes nearby. After heavy rain, a great flood occurred submerging hundreds of kilometres of land under mud, ash and rocks washed down from the volcanoes. The ash in the floodwaters was rich in silica which impregnated the trees, turning them to stone. Thousands of years of pounding by the sea have worn away the soil to reveal the fossilised trees.

I lost track of time as I wandered around the tree trunks and stumps, frozen forever in time, trying to imagine the forces of nature that could bring about such an event. The fallen tree trunks still look like timber but when you touch them, they are hard, cold stone. You can even see the growth rings in the stumps. The forest was alive when New Zealand was part of Gondwanaland – and we’re able to see the remnants of it today.

At the southern edge of the platform, I was 13

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transfixed by waves of kelp surging and swirling up and down a narrow channel in the rock. I stood there until the incoming tide began to lap at my feet and the kelp threatened to envelop me like a thousand slimy eels.

Hoping for a glimpse of the rare yellow-eyed penguins at this location, we found the perfect spot to park up overnight, at a camping ground right on the seashore. But Curio Bay’s penguins were also in hiding, along with the endangered Hector’s dolphins… so a return trip is definitely on the cards.

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SOUTHLAND Catlins

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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The recently opened Tumu Toka CurioScape at Curio Bay has a café and outstanding interactive museum with a wealth of information about the region.

Before heading south, we climbed to the top of a headland where the views are stunning. An information board there said that by 1840, with 1000 whalers operating in New Zealand waters, the southern right whale was already becoming scarce. The invention of the explosive-tipped harpoon in the 1860s made other species of whale harvestable because the device caused whales to float when dead. I was horrified to read that 65,966 whales were killed worldwide during the 1961-1962 season.

Twenty minutes south, we reached Slope Point, the southernmost tip of the South Island.

A 10-minute walk through private farmland, the point is a windswept, ruggedly beautiful headland where the trees grow horizontal to the land and the waves of the southern ocean crash onto rocks sending walls of spray high into the air.

A signpost marks the exact spot as Latitude 46° 40˝ 40˝ South; Longitude 169° 00˝ 11˝ East. From here, the Equator is 5140km north and the South Pole is 4803km south. It was blowing a freezing cold gale but photos had to be taken at the signpost and on the cliff edge above the pounding surf.

Our last stop on the Southern Scenic Route was the Waipapa Point lighthouse at the far south-west corner of the Catlins. It’s the site of New Zealand’s worst shipping disaster. In April 1881, 131 of the 151 passengers on board the Tararua lost their lives when the steamer was wrecked on the reef just offshore.

It’s a short walk to the cemetery where many of the victims were buried. In response to this tragedy a lighthouse was built and became operational in 1884. Automated in 1976, it remains active today.

I read with great interest the 1866 Instructions to Lightkeepers: “Keepers are required to act as signalmen, telephonists, and undertake such duties as may be required of them, without receiving any extra remuneration.” Other duties included cleaning, routine maintenance, gardening and tending the ‘Tararua Acre’ gravesite.

A couple of sea lions were cavorting in the turbulent surf near the lighthouse. It seemed

fitting that our Catlins odyssey began and ended with lighthouses and sea lions; they are quintessential images of the Catlins and my enduring memories of this remote and beautiful corner of Aotearoa.

The voices in my head are quieter now but they are still pestering me to ‘do it while you still can’. There will be time for more ‘ageappropriate’ activities … when we grow up.

15. Waipapa Point is the site of New Zealand’s worst civilian shipwreck 16. In April 1881, 131 of the 151 passengers onboard the S.S.Tararua lost their lives when the steamer was wrecked on the reef just offshore 17. Waipapa Point lighthouse at the far southwest corner of the Catlins

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| info@catlinsoceanview.co.nz RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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CYCLE + WALK TRAILS

Christchurch LITTLE RIVER RAIL TRAIL

Profile

A GREAT RIDE Cartographer and trail designer Gary Patterson has mapped his way around the globe from subantarctic islands to back-country bike trails on every continent. He returned home for an epic adventure, riding all 22 NZ Cycle Trails Great Rides to make a mobile app. The Great Rides App is the only mobile app for the trails, and can be freely downloaded from the app stores. Follow his travels to inspire, plan and to help you on your own journey.

A Great Ride

Big City to Little River An easy and peaceful ride through the countryside Story + Photos Gary Patterson

Above: Hagley Park – a masterpiece of greenspace to unwind in the urban wilds (credit: Neil Macbeth) Below: The Avon River is an inner-city delight (credit: ChristchurchNZ)

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

C

hrist Church at Cathedral Square is where I park my bike on my first visit to the city since the devastating earthquakes some years before. I peer through the barrier fence at the toppled place of worship … it is clear there is still a lot to achieve. Once the entrance was a meeting place for city folk, yet today nature has gathered weeds aplenty while the lofty stone tower and the large rose window are now just a dark gaping hole where pigeons perch. The view towards the ruin is in contrast to the rebuilding behind me. I turn and see plenty of new spaces and pathways that now connect the city like never before. Switching on my GPS units, I begin a journey on one of these urban paths linking the city to the suburbs; a safe and green way to explore the blooming beauty of the Garden City.

In the square I enter my first waypoint for the Great Rides App before starting towards the river. My journey today has me riding 50 kilometres between two little rivers: the Avon of Christchurch, and the Okana that flows through the settlement of Little River.

In a few seconds I cross the Avon twice. I am impressed how its banks include modern seating areas, perfect refuges to relax and reflect. A few minutes later I ride past the botanical gardens and into Hagley Park, an ideal way to start the Little River Rail Trail. I am enjoying this ride already – despite being in the heart of the city I’m in cycling bliss.

I am not alone. Also sharing the path are

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cycling commuters, parents with pushchairs, and joyful joggers on leisurely laps around the reserve. Cities need grand parks like Hagley, a masterpiece of greenspace and a place to unwind in the urban jungle.

1. All cities need an area of greenspace like Hagley Park (credit: ChristchurchNZ) 2. Riding the yellow line on the rail trail 3. The nostalgia of Lincoln’s Pioneer Hall

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CYCLE + WALK TRAILS Christchurch LITTLE RIVER RAIL TRAIL After leaving the park and some quiet lanes I ride the cycleway that roughly follows the route of the southern motorway. This stretch is a wide concrete path, and a tail wind powers me along with the effortless joy of those on e-bikes. Hurtling along I soon arrive at Hornby on the outskirts of the city where I reach the first segment of the former railway alignment to Prebbleton. I don’t mess about in this rural settlement but push on to the university town of Lincoln, which is well placed for stopping, walking and sampling fine food and drink. Formerly the town was the start of the Little River railway branch and was known as ‘Springs’. No railway here now of course, and today as I depart Lincoln I visit a peaceful wetland beside the trail then follow the slow meandering currents of a trailside spring.

I pass the camping area of Waihora Park and reach the magnificent Motukarara Railway Station. I say magnificent because it is the finest, cutest and most extraordinarily well restored railway shed I have seen on my great rides. A wagon is parked up outside, but I was blown away with its interior. Inside are the authentic workings of a historic station, right down to worn leather suitcases and original NZ Railways trolleys parked ready for patrons. It’s just like

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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the railway master has gone out for a cuppa and has yet to return – this railway relic is a credit to the hours spent by the trust and its volunteers. While I’m no railway enthusiast, I surprise myself with the time I spend reading tales, sizing up tools and examining timetables of this former branch station. Heritage waits here.

The Little River railway branch commenced operations in 1882 (running as far as Birdlings Flat), and reached the village a few years later as a timber hauling line. In 1927 and for a few years after, an Edison batteryelectric railcar operated twice daily passenger services between Christchurch and Little River in quick time – 69 minutes. The railcar was later destroyed in a depot fire and was never replaced

during the poor economic climate of the Great Depression. If it had been replaced, how amazing it would be to return via an electric cart! While the line was popular in its time for freight, no tree replanting took place in the area, resulting in falling freight volumes to a point where the line closed in 1962. The line lay abandoned for nearly 50 years before a millennium project opened up walking and cycling access from Motukarara station to Little River. The trust worked with several parties and volunteers to open up the entire trail to Hornby, and a few years later it was linked to Cathedral Square.

After taking several photos and another GPS waypoint at the station, I hop onto the former railway line and pedal straight lines towards Lake Ellesmere. As I ride, the scenery changes, the elevated causeway giving me views over the flats and down to the marshy shallows of one of our country’s largest lakes.

As I cycle it quickly becomes apparent that if you’re a biking birder then this is pedal-

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pusher’s paradise! From the saddle I spot several species of wading birds, and at times I stop to appreciate their poised position, gangly legs and long bills prodding the mudflats for food. The long wings of herons flap overhead as I reach Kaituna, and I’m mesmerised by a flock of birds in the shallows sporting fluffy crests of feathers with funny shaped beaks.

These are the royal spoonbills. As the name

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implies, they have a spoon-shaped bill with inbuilt vibration detectors which helps them search for prey in the murky waters. I could have watched these birds feeding, and in flight, for hours. Actually, I did!

For some visitors … birds are birds, but if you are heading this way it could be good to know the difference between seabirds, shorebirds and waders. Seabirds such as albatross, gannets

and petrels are pelagic and spend most of their life out at sea. Shorebirds like oyster catchers, plovers and stilts are generally migratory nz birds and scurry along the shore looking for nz such as egrets, herons and food. Wading birds spoonbills are taller birds with long bills that wade in wetlands looking for a meal. Lake Ellesmere has the most diverse and populous birdlife in the country with 167 species.

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4. The Motukarara Station is magnificent and the finest, cutest and most extraordinarily well restored railway shed I have seen on my great rides 5. It’s just like the railway master has gone out for a cuppa 6. Royal spoonbills wading in the shallows 7. I watched feeding birds for hours 8. Birdlings Flat, a gem of a place

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45

CYCLE + WALK TRAILS Christchurch LITTLE RIVER RAIL TRAIL

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A recent inter-agency wildlife survey counted 41,500 gulls, terns, waders, waterfowl, herons and shags. Unfortunately, this shallow lake with an average depth of just 1.2 metres is considered one of the most polluted in the country. A local trust hopes to reverse this deterioration by improving water quality and undertaking habitat restoration for the benefit of future generations.

I continue my ride past the lake and make a small detour out to Birdlings Flat on the shores of Canterbury Bight, the Pacific Ocean. This cute coastal settlement is known for its smooth gemstones of greywacke, quartz, jasper and volcanic pebbles. I took a spell and walked along the Kaitorete Spit looking for a gem while keeping an eye out for rogue waves for which the beach is infamous. Once back on my bike

STATISTICS 50km Easiest Trail (Grade 1) Official Links: www.littlerivertrail.kiwi.nz Great Rides App: Download the app free from the App Stores

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

I reach another waterway. Lake Forsyth has a lakeside reserve where I watch rare Australasian crested grebes. Plagued as it is by algal toxic blooms, Lake Forsyth didn’t make me want to linger and I finish the ride just a few kilometres away. Rolling into Little River I discover a second lovingly restored station at the terminus of the branch railway. On the main road of this little settlement there is a good café, an information

11

centre, and quirky grain silos that provide a restful stay for some riders. As for me Little River is a place for a bite to eat while waiting for the shuttle back to city.

The shuttle van arrives and I find a seat by the window and watch my journey unfold in reverse. While I found no gemstone on the coast, the trail’s jewel is that it’s big on birds!

The birdlife biodiversity is booming and would captivate twitchers for days. Wow! What a

start to a trail leaving the square, crossing the Avon before entering the grand green space of Hagley Park. There are so many trail side attractions I had no time visit, such as the botanical gardens, the museum and the art centre. I am excited to see a city building a green tread (a term I just made up but it’s a bit like a footprint) with 13 major cycle routes popping up throughout the city. I am looking forward to their completion, in particular

the Avon and coastal routes that are likely to be popular with locals and visitors alike. So, thanks Christchurch for today’s ride from the big city to the little river; I will soon return, tempted back by your new urban cycleways from the city centre to the sea.

9. Grebes and swans in Lake Forsyth 10. Reaching Little River, the railway terminus 11. The quirky grain silos of Little River’s SiloStay

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47

CYCLE + WALK TRAILS

Kahurangi National Park HEAPHY TRACK

Profile

A GREAT RIDE Cartographer and trail designer Gary Patterson has mapped his way around the globe from subantarctic islands to back-country bike trails on every continent. He returned home for an epic adventure, riding all 22 NZ Cycle Trails Great Rides to make a mobile app. The Great Rides App is the only mobile app for the trails, and can be freely downloaded from the app stores. Follow his travels to inspire, plan and to help you on your own journey.

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

A Great Ride

Riding up the Downs

An epic back-country cycling adventure Story + Photos Gary Patterson

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he Heaphy Track has been on my riding bucket list since its winter-only reopening for bikers a few years back – it’s the only Great Walk you can cycle! My plan to ride the track a week earlier had been quashed while camping up at the western trailhead, thanks to a localised weather bomb.

During my first early-morning start, it was even a challenge to avoid the wash of debris on the track, well before I encountered an impassable slip. I was the first to reach this near-vertical wall of sloppy mud with torrents of chocolatecoloured water that thwarted my riding plan.

I returned to the car safely but disappointed.

On my second attempt a week later, I elect to begin at the opposite end of the track – some 463 kilometres by road on the eastern side. The weather forecast looks perfect, being cool and frosty, and a detour is now in place around that formidable slip. So, not far from Collingwood at the top of the South Island, I reach the trailhead carpark and once again unpack my gear for the two-day adventure.

I load my bike with overnight essentials as well as work cameras and GPS equipment to collect data for the Great Rides App, that regular readers of this column will know I have created to assist bike riders all over New Zealand. Flicking on the GPS units and setting the tracking to one-second intervals, I waypoint the carpark and start cranking the pedals to begin the ride up to the Gouland Downs. That’s right, up to the Downs.

However, the climb is not immediate – in fact some trickery is at work – the first hundred metres are actually a descent to a hut before the hard work of the climb begins. The gradient of the ascent is ideal. I pick a low gear and start the meandering elevation gain under a lush green canopy. After fording a couple of creeks the views improve as I reach the highest point of the track. Flanagan’s Corner is 915 metres above Golden Bay and from here it’s an easy traverse to my home away from home, Perry

4

Saddle Hut. Already settled in at this modern hut are a couple of local trampers, a young walker from France and another rider. We riders nip out under torchlight to view kiwi along the trail, having heard some calls in the early evening. Before bed a hut warden lets us know of the possibility of a takahē sighting on the track tomorrow. I couldn’t wait to wake up … wondering about the slim chance I might have of seeing these rare birds on the Downs.

It’s a cold night with a hard morning frost. I hop out from the warmth of my sleeping bag, bare feet tiptoeing on the freezing wooden floor

like a clumsy ballerina wannabe as I struggle to put on layers of clothing. Sipping on a warm brew and munching on muesli, I survey a map of today’s ride to the West Coast. I delay my start until the sun rises, keen to avoid clashing with giant nocturnal snails that make their own slithering trails at night before retreating with the light of day to dark and damp recesses.

With winter riding kit on, I head west through the stunted forest before reaching the expanse of the Gouland Downs. I brush past bowing red tussocks’ icicle-clad fronds that glisten in the early-morning light and at Picnic Table Corner I stop and look. Wow! From here I can see much of the 3,000 hectares of moorland.

1. Down into the Gouland Downs 2. A frosty start up on the Downs 3. The spans over pristine waters into the wilderness 4. The native Powelliphanta snail shells along the trail were just huge 5. A perfect spot for a rest and a picnic

5 RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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CYCLE + WALK TRAILS

Kahurangi National Park HEAPHY TRACK

It is unusual land cover thanks to the acid soils, resulting in one of the few unforested areas below the normal tree line in the Kahurangi National Park. In geological times past, it was once a shallow sea then tectonically lifted 700 metres above the Tasman. Today some of the limestone marine deposits appear like scattered island outcrops, shored up with beech trees and circled with waves of red tussock. I had reached the tableland and I coasted on.

The next feature I pass is the boot pole. It’s DON’T a quirky totem-like post dressed in boots and MISS OUT other types of footwear left behind by trampers.

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After hiking up from Brown Hut to Perry Saddle with Cyclone Gita closing, the boots set out in pre-dawn where they saw two large kiwis on the trail before the soul gave up and they were attached to the pole.”

So, the soles of the boots gave up, but perhaps the writer was also referring to the footprint that one’s soul may leave. They may be well travelled and entering a slower pace of life … to join others’ weary boots … their ‘souls’ living on to watch new treads or tyres like mine negotiate the curve of the memorial Either way, it is a good read, I’m sure you’ll agree. I am also reminded that there have been some big strides taken in opening up the track to pedal power in recent years. Formerly the forest park track was considered a Milford Track of cycling, but when the Kahurangi National Park was created in the mid-1990s bicycles

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were classed as vehicles, and like the demise of the proposed road, cycling too was lost for a while. In time and with political pressure, bicycling (with rules) has once again returned to the track; what a great privilege it is for us riders. It’s a sweet nod to the recent cycling revolution. As my wheels turn again I wonder how long it will be before a bike tyre is pinned to the boot pole monument given the soaring popularity of mountain biking on this track.

After I cross a ravine on a pretty arched timber bridge I reach Gouland Downs Hut, a more rustic and traditional refuge than last night’s stay. What I see ahead I can barely believe; five takahē greet me before scattering into the undergrowth away from either friend or foe. I almost shout ‘friend!’ before sitting quietly at a picnic table to observe every moment of their movement in the tussock. One by one

they reappear, stoop over and intently feed on the grasses. I gaze at their busy beaks and marvel at the markings on their iridescent coats. I notice they are wearing some modern bling – a tracking transmitter. Resembling giant pūkeko, takahē are the largest of the rail family. They were liberated in the Downs in 2017–18 – it’s one of the few places to see these rare flightless birds in the wild. How rare? Well they were thought extinct until 70 years ago when they were rediscovered in the Murchison mountains. In October of 2017 the official takahē population was 347 – in the entire world. So … you know, RARE! In November of 2018 DOC reported that one of the Gouland Downs nests had three eggs in it. I am delighted, blessed and enriched.

Regrettably, I need to keep moving and farewell my feathery friends, and hope I will see them when I return next.

On leaving the hut I am swiftly into another close encounter – this one of the botanical kind having entered the otherworld of the enchanted forest. I momentarily leave the tussock glade for a gloomy finger of cloud forest, cloaked with hanging wispy threads, a forest floor of lush mossy carpet and the trail that weaves through this surreal green living space. It’s like a world from a Dr Seuss book, and just like a child, I am in awe. At a chasm, I spot sinkholes, caves and a remarkable arch that the trail crosses.

6. Boot Pole – there is no mistaking it 7. A beautiful span over Cave Brook 8. Takahē in the wild, a rare sight to behold 9. The otherworld of the enchanted forest RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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CYCLE + WALK TRAILS

Kahurangi National Park HEAPHY TRACK

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I decide to go subterranean and look for cave wētā. Not far away are a hut and a waterfall cave, the latter having frozen shards hanging out of its limestone entrance like teeth from some kind of gnashing phantom jaws. My senses are alive. Within metres, I have been on rare avian, botanical and geological field trips – a wonderland of natural attractions with free entry to all. I leave the forest … enchanted.

Back in a glade, I ride over pretty creeks

and past another hut before climbing out of the weathered peneplain to pretty ponds. I then take a seat divided by a yellow paint line indicating the boundary line between east and west. From the track it is my first glimpse of the Tasman Sea – just a blur of deep blue against the backdrop of lighter sky.

Not far from the seat lies a mile marker, a tramper’s guide before the days of GPS. After entering a waypoint for the boundary seat I

head west and pass James Mackay Hut, named after the first-recorded person to traverse the approximate route of the Heaphy Track. From the hut it’s all downhill. The hours of pedal labour are rewarded by glorious freewheeling.

I tighten my grip to restrain my silver steed as we hurtle down from the mountain top, its pace spurred on by its jockey. This is real riding delight. Slowly the canopy changes to a podocarp hardwood forest, bush that hugs

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STATISTICS 78km Advanced Trail (Grade 4) Official Links: www.doc.govt.nz/heaphytrack Great Rides App: Download the app free from the App Stores

the Heaphy Hut beside the river mouth giving the large dwelling a snug appearance. I take a break here and rehydrate, but not for too long as I’m keen to keep my presence secret from buzzing sandfly scouts. Upon reaching the coastline the surf break is deafening, and spray fills the air with a fine mist coupled with that familiar salty scent. My senses are refreshed and I regain my energy. The track then turns south weaving around the smooth trunks of nīkau and skipping between rocky headlands and sandy bays. Once over a final steep bluff the track terminates at the road of Kohaihai Shelter – journey’s end for most riders before heading down the road to Karamea.

With my travel up to the Downs over and my bucket list emptier, I sit in my office with a smile on my face. The GPS tracks I download snake along the map, offering memories

of tough climbs, sweet descents and the explorative meanderings from east to west. The waypoints dot the slivering line, identifying my numerous highlights along our country’s longest Great Walk. The sights I saw flicking through photos of flora, fauna and forest are magic; being there was even better. These tracks, waypoints and snaps will linger in my mind map 13 forever. My experience of the Heaphy Track is one of a genuine backcountry ride, a favourite overnight crossing, and one I consider all adventurous Kiwi riders should experience before kicking the bucket.

10. One of the several grand caves near the trail 11. One of the advantages of riding in winter 12. A cascading infinity river 13. Descending down to the Heaphy River

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WAIKATO Raglan

MORE THAN

TRAVEL

JUST

A MECCA FOR

SURFERS Carl and Justine from ‘Life on the Road NZ’ share stories of their travels and adventures in and around Raglan.

They kayak to the pancake rocks, ride the surf that Raglan is famous for, take a trip out to the remote beauty of Ruapuke Beach and marvel at the magnificent Bridal Veil Falls Story + Photos Carl Rapson

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TRAVEL WAIKATO Raglan

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R

MYSTERIOUS RAGLAN

aglan has always been a magical, mystical place for me. For years I’d heard people talk about this cool little town on the edge of a magnificent harbour, where you could ride some of the best waves in New Zealand by just hopping off the rocky shoreline, or climb to the summit of Karioi, a 2.4 million-year-old extinct volcano, or descend to the base of the spectacular Bridal Veil Falls.

About 10 years ago the pull of this mysterious place proved to be too strong, so I strapped a longboard to the roof rack of my Jeep and headed off for a day trip from Auckland – it’s around a two-hour drive from Auckland or just 45 minutes from Hamilton.

The last part of the drive winds through some beautiful countryside, giving you tantalising glimpses of the blue-green waters of the harbour before you finally descend into the pretty town centre.

THEN AND NOW

The area was first settled around 800 years ago and was originally known as Whaingaroa (‘long pursuit’) which refers to the Tainui waka’s long search for its destination. (The waka eventually made landfall at Kawhia Harbour, further to the south.)

The first Europeans to arrive were missionaries James and Mary Wallace in 1835. In 1858 the name ‘Raglan’ was adopted in

honour of Field Marshal FitzRoy Somerset, 1st Baron Raglan, who had commanded British troops during the Crimean War. In the early days, Raglan relied on the sea for its trade as an exporter of timber and flax, followed closely by farming, which is still a mainstay for the local economy along with tourism.

Nowadays the town centre is a vibrant, lively hub of cafés, restaurants and bars lined up along the main street. They are joined by numerous arts and crafts stores selling handmade wares produced by local craftsman and artisans, as well as a generous sprinkling of surf stores serving the myriad surfers who come here in their droves in search of the perfect wave.

FIRST VISIT

On my first trip 10 years ago, I didn’t actually spend much time in the town centre as I wanted to get straight to the beach and catch some waves. With a two-hour return drive awaiting me, back to Orewa, there was no time to waste on shopping or lattes so I headed straight for Ngarunui Beach, the main beach where the surf club is located.

I was still learning to surf back then, so wouldn’t dream of testing myself on the sacred waters of Indicators or of Manu Bay; the pounding waves at Ngarunui were more than a test for my fledgling skills. I did make the rookie mistake of heading out barefoot across the jet black volcanic sands though. It was early

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in the day and the sun had not yet turned the beach into the hotplate that it would become later on, so it was an extremely long and very painful dance back across the scorching sands to the car after a day of surfing.

A SURFING MECCA

Surfers have been coming to Raglan since the 1960s and have given the town the laid back, slightly alternative vibe that it still retains today. It’s not difficult to see what attracts them though – some of the surf breaks here are literally world class. Those at Indicators, Whale Bay and Manu Bay are world famous, thanks in part to Manu Bay featuring in the classic 1966 surf movie The Endless Summer.

It also has one of the longest, if not the longest, left-hand point breaks in the world, and when conditions are right you can ride the wave for 2km, or a staggering 10 minutes! There’s quite a number of surfboard shapers who call Raglan home, so if you are in the market for a new board then maybe give them a go.

My flying visit really opened my eyes to the delights of this special place and my burnt feet didn’t put me off, so it wasn’t long before I was back to explore the abundance of natural wonders that the area had to offer.

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1. Up close to one of the Pancake Rocks in Raglan Harbour 2. Looking out over Ngarunui Beach 3. Looking down on Manu Bay 4. Awesome surf breaks at Indicators 5. Dusk falls over the Tipi Forest at Solscape 6. A Tipi nestled in the forest at Solscape

SOLSCAPE

For this visit, I stayed at Solscape, magical, eco-friendly accommodation nestled in 10 acres of native bush at the base of Mt Karioi, with stunning views over the Tasman Sea.

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TRAVEL WAIKATO Raglan

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I was in one of the off-grid Tipis (teepees) in the Tipi Forest, an eclectic collection of wooden-floored Tipis and Belle tents, sheltered in the native bush. With no car access, it’s a real back-to-nature experience, with an openair communal cooking/gathering space, and composting toilets. It’s about a 10-minute walk from the rest of the accommodation, so you really feel immersed in the natural surroundings, an incredibly peaceful and calming place.

If Tipis are not your thing, then you can choose to stay in one of the railway cabooses or the stunning earth domes. For something really different you could spend the night in the ‘Overlander’ train a recycled 17-metre railway carriage full of native timber and character. My parents stayed in the train while I settled into

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my Tipi, I was also able to sample the railway experience first hand, and it was awesome.

For those who prefer their accommodation to be slightly less alternative, there are a number of gorgeous baches, cottages and studios on site, along with a small camping area for your campervan or tent.

Solscape offer surf lessons, yoga classes and massage/holistic therapies. They also offer a number of retreats combining their services, so you can soothe your body, mind and spirit while enjoying the stunning surroundings.

KAYAKING THE MIGHTY WHAINGAROA HARBOUR

I returned to Raglan a couple of years later with my partner Justine to explore further. We had read about some interesting rock formations

on the far side of Whaingaroa harbour, so we headed off in our inflatable kayak in search of them. There’s a lot of water flowing in and out of the harbour, so the current can be quite strong at times, and you definitely don’t want to go anywhere near the bar as it can be very dangerous. The harbour is around 13km long so there’s lots to explore, but luckily the rock formations that we were searching for were straight across from the town centre.

It’s around a 900m paddle across the harbour but once you reach the rocks you can relax, and if the tide is high enough you can cruise between the towering stacks. The rocks are pancake-type formations similar to those at Punakaiki in the South Island and are really impressive, especially up close like this. There are heaps of nooks and crannies to explore,

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and as you drift between these impressive structures you really get a sense of their incredible age, and can imagine how they were formed layer by layer over millennia.

We continued to follow the shoreline further into the harbour, where there are many pretty little bays to explore and little beaches to pull up on for a rest. At Tokatoka Point there is a second set of pancake rocks. After landing on the small beach in amongst the rocks, we climbed to the top for expansive views back across the harbour with the Te Uku wind farm dominating the skyline.

TIME FOR A DRINK

Back in town, you are spoilt for choice for where to grab a coffee, juice, or something a little stronger to help you unwind after a hard day’s paddling. There’s so many cool little coffee shops, bars and restaurants that it’s difficult to choose one. Best to try out a few so you don’t miss out. Make sure that you include the iconic Harbour View Hotel in your list. Originally built in 1866 and then re-built in 1903 after a fire, you can’t miss this imposing building that stands right in the heart of the town centre.

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RUAPUKE

South of Raglan is the small settlement of Ruapuke. We took the coast road. It’s 25km of some of the windiest gravel roads that New Zealand has to offer, but around every treacherous bend is another stunning vista that makes the hair-raising drive more than worth the effort.

It was a moody weather day when we set out, and the looming clouds gave a real sense of foreboding as we wound our way towards our destination under the ever-present watchful gaze of Mt Karioi.

The landscape is nothing short of breathtaking, with large cliffs and huge drop-offs greeting you at every turn. The trees have long since given in to the will of the prevailing wind, and are now permanently stooped over, like old men struggling uphill.

As we finally descended to the vast expanse of jet black sand, we passed a pretty waterfall on the side of the road where the waters from Mt Karioi drain into the Tasman Sea. The beach is rugged and windswept, with the backdrop of rolling green hills contrasting sharply with the dark sands that glisten and shimmer, almost as if filled with fallen stars.

7. Cool cabooses at Solscape 8. Setting up our inflatable kayak 9. Great views of the Pancake Rocks 10. Justine climbing the Pancake Rocks at Tokatoka Point 11. Watching local teens dropping like lemmings from the Papahua footbridge 12. The iconic Harbour View Hotel

THE PAPAHUA FOOTBRIDGE

While you are wandering around the town centre it’s worth taking the short walk out to the bridge that joins the town to the Raglan recreational reserve. Here you’ll find the campground and also the local airstrip. The Papahua footbridge was first built in 1926 and is now in its third reincarnation, as the foundations for its predecessors became unsafe and had to be removed. It’s a bit of tradition for the local teens to jump off the bridge, and if you are here in summer you’ll be able to watch them drop in their droves like lemmings into the harbour waters below.

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TRAVEL WAIKATO Raglan

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Even with the pounding surf crashing against the worn rocks, it’s still a really peaceful and serene spot. Maybe because so few people make the trek out here, and most of them are surfers, there’s a real feeling of remoteness and solitude.

WAIRĒINGA (BRIDAL VEIL FALLS)

A visit to Raglan would not be complete without making the 20-minute drive out to one of the prettiest waterfalls in New Zealand, Wairēinga or Bridal Veil Falls. Wairēinga means ‘leaping waters’, referring to wairua (spirits) who leap the great height of the waterfall.

The walk out to the top of the falls is an easy ten-minute stroll and is wheelchair and stroller friendly. From here you get some stunning views of the falls as the waters of the Pakoka river cascade over the edge and plummet 55 metres to the pool below.

There’s a huge band of basalt rock under the top of the falls, which has resisted the continual attempts of the powerful water to erode it over the past two-and-a-half million years. The softer sandstone rock around it has been worn away, creating the spectacular bowl with the glistening falls as its centrepiece.

The track carries on to the base of the falls (no wheelchair or stroller access on this part of the track), winding its way down through native bush as you negotiate the 261 steps. The enticing glimpses of the falls that come and go through the Nīkau palms whet your appetite for the views that you know await you at the bottom of your descent. A viewing platform halfway down offers a magnificent vista of the falls and a real taste of just what water can do over the aeons.

As you reach the last of the steps and cross the bridge that spans the river at the base of the falls, try not to think about the fact that everything that comes down must go up (or something like that), and instead absorb a view that’s nothing short of spectacular.

From this angle it’s easy to see where the name ‘Bridal Veil’ comes from, as the white waters fan out from the top of the falls, never touching the cliff face again, before crashing into the magical pool below.

Māori legend has it that Patupaiarehe (Māori fairies) who are kaitiaki (guardians) of the area live here, and you can almost see them dancing in the swirling spray at the base of the

BOATS

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falls, and hear their flutes carried on the wind above the cacophony of the crashing waters.

We have now been to the falls three times, and Raglan a handful more than that. Neither of us tire of this unique, awesome little town though, and I know that it won’t be too long before the pull to return again becomes too strong, and we will find ourselves drawn here once more.

If you would like to read more of our travels you can check out our blog at: lifeontheroadnz.com

13. The jet black sands of Ruapuke Beach sparkle as if infused with fallen stars 14. The magical pool at the base of Bridal Veil Falls 15. The bridge and viewing platform below the Bridal Veil Falls

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Lowburn, Central Otago

The Willows, West Melton

45 low-cost parking

sites for NZMCA members This years opening of two new properties – Lowburn, in Central Otago, and ‘the Willows’, just south of Christchurch, at West Melton – brings to 45 the number of New Zealand Motor Caravan Association owned or leased camping sites exclusively for members’ use.

And there’s more to come; work or planning is already underway on two more new sites, at Kaikoura and in Invercargill.

As a member of the NZMCA travelling in a CSC vehicle, you’re entitled to park overnight at these properties for just $3 per person per night.

That’s the bargain of the year in anyone’s language. But that’s only the start of the benefits you receive as a member of this vibrant organisation that’s devoted to helping its 91,000-plus individual members have more fun.

Other benefits include: ❙ Generous discounts on your Cook Strait ferry crossings; ❙ Handy low-cost, on-site parking at dozens of events through the country on the Motorhome Friendly Events Calendar; ❙ Access to campsite discounts through the DOC Pass; ❙ More campsite savings in the offseason with CampSaver; ❙ Discounts with big-name suppliers; ❙ Kiwi Fuelcard discounts that will

save you more than your total annual membership fee; ❙ The opportunity to insure your vehicle with the country’s leading specialist motorhome insurer – Covi NZMCA Insurance; ❙ NZMCA DATA – fast reliable broadband on the road; ❙ Plus, you also get a bi-monthly magazine; a biennial Travel Directory; your passport to fun via www. mhftowns.com; 24/7 access to an information-packed NZMCA website; and even an annual calendar.

Don’t delay, join today: New Zealand Motor Caravan Association | P 09 298 5466 | www.mhftowns.com | www.nzmca.org.nz

Taupō CENTRAL PLATEAU

TRAVEL

TOP OF THE LAKE Dipping a toe at the edges of Lake Taupō leaves a desire for fuller immersion in the future Story Sheryl Bainbridge Photos Neill Bainbridge

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TRAVEL Taupō CENTRAL PLATEAU

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MYTH, MYSTERY AND HISTORY

n terms of distance it wasn’t far, but we seemed to drive for a mighty long time.

Following the GPS instructions to Clements Mill Road led us along a narrow, winding road through a green tunnel of overhanging mature native trees complete with dripping ferns and mosses. Realising that there was no cellphone coverage nor any tyre marks to show that anyone else had used the road recently, added to the sense of isolation on this misty, gloomy overcast day as we drove slowly through the silent, eerie forest, and I was on the point of suggesting that we turn around and go back when there it was! It wasn’t even hard to find.

Right beside the roadside about 10km into the forest was the fabled Kaimanawa Wall, a wall that’s been steeped in controversy for years. Some believe the blocks that make up the wall were constructed by an ancient preMāori civilisation, while others are equally sure they are a natural phenomenon resulting from the prehistoric volcanic activity that this area is renowned for. Opposing views

have polarised enough people over such a long time that we were keen to have a look for ourselves. I’m on the side of the fence that can’t see the logic behind a civilisation, ancient or otherwise, trekking deep into the Kaimanawa Forest to construct an edifice that serves no apparent purpose. This seems to be confirmed by Department of Conservation signage explaining that the rock formation

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has been scientifically established to be part of a large Ignimbrite (pumice-dominated flow deposit) outcrop formed naturally some 330,000 years ago. It’s unlikely that everyone will be convinced, and the origin of the wall will continue to remain controversial. The evenness of the large fractured rocks is remarkable, and the wall is well worth a look, as is the astonishing variety of native flora. There are limited opportunities for vehicles to pass, and as there is a DOC camping area nearby I suspect the road is much busier in the summer.

On our way to find the wall, we’d seen signage for Opepe Bush Historic Reserve about 10km from Taupō on the Taupō– Napier highway. Part of the reserve includes a well-kept cemetery and a sign explaining that this was the site of a surprise attack by an advance party of Te Kooti’s force, who in 1869 confronted a detachment of 14 members of the Bay of Plenty cavalry. Five soldiers managed to escape and the bodies of the nine who were killed are buried here.

Within the reserve are also about 30 of the

protected Dactylanthus plants that also go by the more romantic name of ‘Pua o Te Reinga’ or ‘Flower of the Underworld’. Once plentiful, these parasitic plants that resemble a wooden rose growing at the base of the host plant have been almost souvenired out of existence or eaten by mice and other predators, but DOC is doing its best to protect those that remain by enclosing them in cages.

More than 40 years ago, descendants of Ngātoroirangi, navigator of the Arawa migration canoe, carved the 10-metre rock carvings at Mine Bay. To mark this event, young art students drew a large waka on the cenotaph floor near the Taupō Events Centre. Being drawn in chalk it wouldn’t have lasted, but it was a tribute nevertheless. We were lucky enough to be in Taupō at the time (that was a couple of years ago now) and to have the opportunity of seeing the drawing. Nearby, Lynden Over’s glass sculpture The Cloak of Tia recognises Tia, a relative from the same canoe journey.

HOT STUFF AT LAVA GLASS

Taupō has numerous natural attractions including the magnificent lake itself, the turbulent turquoise waters of the Huka Falls, the geothermal Craters of the Moon and the gold of the abundant kōwhai flowers in spring, to name but a few.

6 1. Kaimanawa Wall 2-3. Opepe Bush reserve and historic cemetery 4-5. Chalk drawings celebrate 40 years since the Mine Bay rock carvings were made 6. Kōwhai at Huka Falls

CUSTOM BUILD NZ custom built motorhome PARTS & ACCESSORIES Comprehensive range available in our on-site shop or on-line NEW & USED RV’S FOR SALE We sell on consignment plus have New stock available

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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TRAVEL Taupō CENTRAL PLATEAU

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A visit to Lynden Over’s Lava Glass studio (not far along the Taupō–Rotorua road) demonstrates just how many ways glass can be used to create beautiful art in such variety.

As well as a gallery full of brilliantly coloured and shaped glass pieces, there’s a well-stocked café and visitors can watch glass blowing every day of the week.

To step outside into the gallery’s sculpture garden feels like entering a fairyland of colour and form where visitors can stroll through the grounds past a large glass rainbow, giant flowers, mushrooms, water features and other eye-catching items all made from glass and numbering more than 1000. They’re set amongst native plantings, and exhibits change or are added to from time to time. One of the most fascinating displays is a group of large glass

‘tree’ orbs that are constructed from the inside out, weigh 8kg each, and take two months to cool down from when their construction starts. The gallery was set up in 2002, the café was added some years later, and finally the sculpture garden was opened by the then Prime Minister John Key. Lynden himself began his career at Northland Polytech in Whangārei, then studied under pioneer New Zealand studio glass artist the late Keith Mahy before setting up his own business. Lynden’s art is based on ideas from the New Zealand landscape, flora and fauna. His ‘ebb and flow’ designs inspired by watching tidal patterns, ‘pounamu’ is influenced by our native greenstone and the ‘volcanic’ range including the very tactile hāngi stones acknowledge local geology. While most 10

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of the glass is polished, the several matt pieces add another dimension to the collection.

Lynden has won several awards including winner of the Best Tourism/Hospitality Business at the BNZ Great Lake Taupō Business awards in 2015. He and partner Christine Robb met at art school and both design glass art; Christine has a range of necklaces that take their inspiration from native birds while Lynden is primarily involved in glass blowing and sculpture. Lynden’s art is in private collections all over the world, and the couple regularly attend glass conferences in other countries to look at new designs and techniques. “I like to push boundaries with blowing and design,” says Lynden, “but you’re limited by your own strength – glass is heavy! It’s also relatively unpredictable. I can sketch the beginnings of an idea, apply a technique but by the time the object comes out of the kiln it looks quite different. We’ve done some of the biggest work in New Zealand, but once again, we’re limited by kiln size. Making something superbig is a new way of thinking, but upscaling is always tricky.” The products are continually evolving. Although the gallery, that includes three glassblowers, may produce a little bit of cast or slumped glass, Lynden’s found that it’s better to focus on blowing and the coldworking – grinding, polishing and finishing.

7. Lynden Over at work 8. Glass orbs like this one weigh an astonishing 8kg!

9. Inside the gallery 10. The sculpture garden at Lava Glass 11. Just lovin’ the kitschiest fish in the country 12. A more traditional fish acknowledges the lake’s favourite occupation

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“Glass is our life,” adds Christine. “We go home and talk about glass, then we go on holiday and look at designs.” And why wouldn’t you? Glass in its many shapes, sizes and colours is one of the most beautiful mediums there is.

KITSCH FISH

With an area of 623km, Lake Taupō, as well as

being extremely picturesque is our largest lake and is internationally renowned for its trout fishing and other aquatic sports. No doubt in recognition of this, a property at Lake Terrace on the lakefront has the most brilliantly kitsch fish that I’ve ever seen. For years I’ve seen these gaily coloured monsters, complete with sunglasses, lounging on their own deck chairs

and relaxing on a property overlooking the lake.

If any readers know something of their history, it would be interesting to learn more about them.

JUST DOING IT

It’s no wonder that Taupō, renowned for its trout fishing, has been internationally recognised as New Zealand’s events capital.

Ngā Tapuwae o Toi walking trail A trail of spectacular scenery, diverse nature and history

whakatane.com

Whakatane.nz

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TRAVEL Taupō CENTRAL PLATEAU

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There’s always something going on, either major events such as the Ironman, the Round the Lakes cycle challenge and the big summer concert, or gypsy caravans and art exhibitions.

This year, due to a significant sewerage spill into the lake, the mid-winter swim was postponed.

It was to be part of a nevertheless successful winter festival that took place over 11 days with

ticketed shows, functions, and family-friendly free events. “We had 32 events in total. This year we had an attendance of about 12,000 people, with 30–40 per cent of them being from out of town,” says organiser Nicola Carter.

Taupō’s downtown area is visitor friendly with many cafés, restaurants and retail outlets, most of which are close to the lake. We generally time

our visits to fit with grabbing a pie at Paetiki Bakery near the Countdown supermarket.

The bakery won ‘supreme pie’ awards in 2010 and 2012, and you can’t beat a good pie and friendly service. With a growing population, now standing at about 33,000, Taupō is well served by retailers and leisure activities. At each of our recent visits we’ve seen new houses springing up, but some subdivisions still sport residences from earlier days, sometimes looking incongruous within the new developments. But our fleeting visits have left us with an appetite for more and we’ll be back for an extended look around sometime soon.

10. Lake Taupō 11. New buildings are going up everywhere, but they’re interspersed with the occasional doer-upper

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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Beach Hop WHANGAMATĀ

EVENT

BEACH HOP TURNS 20

Whether it’s a nostalgic fifties and sixties festival, peeling surf, fishing or a round of golf on a world-class course, Whangamatā has you covered

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n 2020 the Coromandel surf town of Whangamatā will be celebrating the ’50s and ’60s in style with the Repco Beach Hop 20. This small town will be bursting with rockabilly beat, sassy fashion and fun for five days at the end of March. But without a doubt the star attractions will be the gleaming muscle cars, classic caravans, revving hot rods, motorbikes,

Story Jane Dove Juneau Photos as credited

tyre-screeching dragsters and retro scooters. The free event includes parades of vintage vehicles, nostalgia fairs selling retro wares, live bands, while a party atmosphere permeates the whole town.

Noddy Watts runs the show and loves it with a passion. “I call it the mechanical fountain of youth,” he said. “You get behind the wheels of one of these things and you forget how old

you are. It puts a smile on your face and you’re having fun.”

Noddy has the help of an army of volunteers to run the Beach Hop, which has grown from 4000 visitors when it started to about 110,000, making it one of the largest events of its kind in the world. The line-up of V8s in town has the petrol station pumping flat out.

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EVENT

Beach Hop WHANGAMATĀ

The festival raises funds for local emergency services and charities, with more than $500,000 donated to the Whangamatā Surf Life Saving Club, Volunteer Coast Guard, St John, Land Search and Rescue, Westpac Helicopter and Fire Service The locals get in behind the festival which is estimated to contribute more than $7 million to the local economy, according to a survey by the Thames Coromandel District Council. The festival raises funds for local emergency services and charities, with more than $500,000 donated to the Whangamatā Surf Life Saving Club, Volunteer Coast Guard, St John, Land Search and Rescue, Westpac

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Helicopter and Fire Service.

More than 1000 cars from around New Zealand and some even shipped from Australia, enter the event along with as many as 70 retro caravans. Activities during the Beach Hop March 27–31 will include the Repco Whitianga Beach Party, Castrol Edge Thunder Cruise to Onemana, Vintage Market, a burlesque show, Hop Idol at Whanga Bar, a

Grand Parade down the main street, a range of classic car, bike, hot rod and retro caravan shows, live music all around town and an auto swap meet.

The Repco Beach Hop 20 has certainly helped put Whangamatā on the map, and the New Zealand Herald voted it ‘Best Beach’ in Jan 2018. The judges said Whangamatā was set apart by its wow factor of a stunning beach,

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accompanied by modern conveniences. It offers the ability to do every activity you could hope for at the beach from kayaking to nearby Whenuakura Island, SUP’ing, snorkelling, fishing, surfing, golfing or finishing a good book. If all the activity works up an appetite, Whangamatā has that covered with plenty of cafés, restaurants and deep fried nourishment.

It seems we Kiwis like beautiful white-sand

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beaches with waves for the adventurous, rocks and caves to explore, safe swimming areas along with ice blocks and flushable toilets.

Now for those who love the beach atmosphere but aren’t so keen on sand between their toes I suggest you sneak off for a round of golf while the family are at the beach. There is a choice of two courses: the nine-hole Williamson Course in the centre

of town and the 18-hole Tītoki Course on the outskirts of town. The Tītoki is nestled in a sheltered valley, with the greens rolling down between established trees, in a parklike setting. Local golfer Ben Harwood has returned to Whangamatā as the NZPGA Professional Golf Coach. He is keen to share his love of golf with locals and wants to introduce the game to young people.

1. Whangamatā has a unique combination of beach and rainforest.

Photo credit: thecoromandel.com 2. Rock’n’roll beats keep the action pumping 3. Showtime for the immaculate classics 4. Whangamatā provides a stunning setting for the Beach Hop RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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EVENT

Beach Hop WHANGAMATĀ

6 5. Golfing Pro Ben Harwood works with John Pakham at the Tītoki Golf Course 6. Chef Ralph Arnold’s focus is on ‘fresh, tasty and delicious’ food 7. There are white-sand beaches, great surf breaks and islands to explore. Photo credit: thecoromandel.com

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

“Both the Tītoki and the Williamson Golf Courses are world class,” said Harwood.

“Mark Hollard and his green-keeping team should be praised the way they preserve and present the golf courses.”

After a challenging game of golf there is another new face at the clubhouse and that is Chef Ralph Arnold. The Social Club Catering Company have a great range of ‘fresh, tasty and delicious’ to satisfy your appetite. The venue at the clubhouse overlooks the golf course, with tall trees in an elegant setting.

As well as providing great food for golfers, resident Chef Ralph and his team cater for special occasions on-site for up to 160 people or off-site depending on your needs.

I have been to two weddings and a funeral catered by Chef Ralph, and the food was

excellent – definitely ticked the fresh, tasty and delicious boxes.

So whether it’s a round of golf, surfing, fishing or classic cars, Whangamatā has a way for everyone to play. For those who love classic cars, the sound of V8 engines and the rockʼnroll, The Beach Hop is the place to be. The '50s and '60s were a great time in United States history as the country rose out of World War II and the Great Depression.

With few rules and regulations to hold them back, the American motor industry designed and produced extravagant cars with polished chrome, large tailfins and big V8 engines.

With the Elvis-led era of rockʼnroll music, drive-in movies and glamorous women with voluminous skirts and tiny waists – what’s not to love.

BEACH HOP LOW DOWN For those interested in attending the Beach Hop in March, you need to be in quick to make a reservation for an RV site or accommodation. As the event is so popular it is likely you will need to stay at beach towns north or south of Whangamatā such as Whiritoa or Waihi in the south or Onemana, Opoutere or Tairua in the north.

For more information on the Repco Beach Hop visit: beachhop.co.nz or their Facebook page. For a slice of paradise at the Whangamatā Golf Club visit: whangamatagolf.net.nz

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All makes & models.. Including top selling Jayco caravans & campers including a wide variety of motorhomes.

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Levin

RV CENTRE TIMES

JANUARY 2020

0800 RV CENTRE

|

3 Oxford St, Levin

LEVIN RV CENTRE NZ'S NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR FOR ROYAL FLAIR CARAVANS

ROYAL FLAIR 23’ FAMILY FLAIR 5 BERTH MODEL SUMMER IS HERE AND IT’S NOT JUST THE WEATHER THAT IS HOTTING UP. WE NOW HAVE IN STOCK 2 NEW MODELS FROM THE EXCITING ROYAL FLAIR RANGE OF CARAVANS, THEY ARE, 23’ FAMILY FLAIR 5 BERTH MODEL.

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f you are wanting a Caravan that you can travel away in with family or friends, we’ve got you covered.

With a large Island bed at one end of the caravan and a bedroom containing 3 separate bunks, bathroom with separate shower and laundry at the other end there is plenty of space for the extended family, or friends to tag along these holidays. With an L shaped lounge/dining area that features an adjustable dining table there is room for the whole family to sit around and plan the next day’s adventures

at dinner time. A well-appointed and beautifully finished kitchen/ prep area means that preparing the family meals is a breeze. Dad will have plenty of room to grill the “catch of the day” on the Weber Baby Q BBQ that’s located in a dedicated outside locker. Fitted with our standard range of accessories our stock model even has a new bike rack fitted to keep the cyclists in the family happy.

24’ DESIGNER SERIES 2 BERTH MODEL F ollowing on from our 23’ model our stock caravan has additional space available in both the bedroom and club lounge areas. Finished in modern neutral tones this caravan is a very soothing place to come back home to at the end of a hard days holidaying. With features like Air Conditioning, 2 TV’s to keep everybody happy, a BBQ to cook the days catch (or those back-up sausages in the fridge!), and now that Summer is here you will no doubt want to spend those warm evenings gathered under the large roll out awning where you can review the day’s activities and maybe talk about the one that got away.

Keep an eye out for the next edition where we will be introducing you to our “PD” Series and an extended 21’ Piazza range that includes a family model (with a bunk room), our standard 21’ layout and even one that has a push out.

FACTORY FITTED ACCESSORIES

At Levin RV Centre we have decided to draw a line in the sand and supply our Royal Flair models with the highest level of specification we can. With fully galvanised chassis, honeycombed insulated flooring, air-Conditioning, washing machines, slide-out Weber BBQ´s, diesel heaters, roll-out awnings, additional water tanks TV´s, auto satellite dish and solar panels being fitted to our stock models our customers will get the most out of their new Royal Flair Caravans.

Here at LEVIN RV CENTRE, we don’t just sell our Royal Flair range of Caravans. We also act as sub-agents for the European PILOTE Motorhomes. With numerous models in stock from the P740GJ that features 2 Single beds in the rear bedroom to the G740 A-CLASS Motorhome that features (among other things) a pull-down bed at the front to complement the Island bed featured in the rear bedroom.

G740 A-CLASS

P740GJ

A

ll our 4 berth display models have a GVM of 3,500kgs which means that they only require a WOF inspection (so that’s 3 years for your first warrant from new, annually thereafter).

Built on the ever-popular Fiat Ducato Chassis featuring the 2.3L Turbo diesel motor and 6-speed automatic gearbox with manual shifting available. Our

2019 Pacific models are now fitted with 16˝ wheels and an air-top suspension set-up in the rear making the journey to your destination both smooth and effortless.

With standard features like swivelling captain’s chairs up front, a well-equipped galley with everything to hand and a separate bathroom and shower that can be

closed off from both the bedroom and kitchen areas, trips away can be enjoyed by all. You won’t want for luxuries either with features like TV, auto satellite dish and a solar panel to keep everything powered up. Call and talk to our sales manager Billy to find out more about these amazing Motorhomes.

As part of our relationship with the DeLuxe Group we are also able

to offer both the Pandora and Hercules ex rental Motorhomes for sale. Undergoing a thorough refurbishment program through the DeLuxe workshops before being offered for sale and priced at just $119,990 for the Pandora model (4 berth) and $94,990 for the Hercules (6 berth), they represent fantastic value for the upcoming Summer.

WE BUY & SELL QUALITY NEW AND USED RV’S AND CARAVANS

0800 RV CENTRE (0800 782 36873) Contact our Sales Manager Billy Gist on 021 909 932 or Brian Anderson on 027 821 0053 or Email: sales@levinrv.co.nz 3 Oxford St, Levin | Sales Yard Hours: Monday to Sunday: 8.30am – 5.00pm Closed public holidays

Levinrv.co.nz

Levin Rv Centre

WIN BOOK

Are we there yet?

RV THERE YET?

A Guide to Owning and Using a Recreational Vehicle in New Zealand Story + Photos Don and Marilyn Jessen

An excerpt from the newly released book by Don and Marilyn

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s we sit down to write this, a wonderful New Zealand summer has just ended.

We were privileged to travel the lower North Island and East Cape, enjoying fantastic scenery, soaking up the sun and surf, and meeting wonderful New Zealanders who like us think the best place to be is out on the open road.

Our recreational vehicle (RV) of choice is a fully restored and self-contained 1958 14-foot Liteweight Kiwi Caravan. Over the years we have owned many RVs including 11 caravans, a six-metre Toyota Coaster bus and an 11-metre Isuzu bus. We converted both buses to motorhomes. Our RV experiences include nine months living in a caravan while our house was being built, braving the cold of a Waikato winter, and acquiring many hilarious memories including dead possums curled up around the hot water tank, a mice invasion of plague proportions and frozen water tanks.

Don, of course, has years of experience in the caravan industry working with his father Tek Jessen, the founder of Liteweight Caravans Limited. So, it was inevitable really that after a few years away from RVs (when we owned a launch) we should find our way back to the RV scene and embrace it once more.

RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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WIN BOOK

Are we there yet?

And we are not alone.

Travel the length and breadth of New Zealand, stop at Department of Conservation camps, freedom camps, New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) parks or motorcamps and you cannot help but notice the RVs parked up everywhere. We’re not talking about the thousands of campervan tourists, who number around 50,000 per year, but the New Zealand RV owners that ply our country, estimated to be in the region of 80,000-plus in number. Their RVs come in all shapes and sizes, from the small self-contained vans to the luxury multi-metre motorhomes and buses, small caravans to large and specialty vehicles such as fifth-wheelers (so named for the tray-mounted coupling or ‘fifth wheel’ of a semi-trailer) and slide-on ute campers.

Whichever sparks your imagination or suits your purpose, there’s a wide range to choose from regardless of your budget.

New Zealanders use their RVs for holidays, to live in permanently, to put up extra guests, and as temporary accommodation when working away from home. Their owners come from all walks of life, with many in their fifties, sixties and seventies opting for a life of adventure on the open road.

Reflecting the growing popularity of RVing, the NZMCA has seen a huge

growth in membership in recent years. It took 40 years to reach 10,000 members.

By 2016, when we rejoined, they had reached 64,000, but the last three years have seen an additional 30,000 RV owners join the ranks.

While freedom camping may be controversial to some, RVs are big business. Government grants and local authority funding is being poured into providing facilities for RVs in a bid to attract both international and local tourists and acquire motorhome-friendly town status.

From choosing and setting up your RV, to living life on the open road, RV There Yet is designed to guide you through all stages of the decision-making process, from your RV dreams to the practical realities of RV ownership. Whether it is building, purchasing, self-containment, powering up, legal responsibilities, safety or maintenance, our aim is to provide information to assist you to become informed owners and consumers of RV products. Not necessarily with all the information but knowing the questions to ask and being able to discern quality answers. In other words, sorting the facts from the BS. And what would life on the road be like without the sizzle? There are so many ways to enhance your RVing experience: finding the perfect spot; freedom camping; being an eco-

Order your copy online and have your copy posted to your home for just $10

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

tourist; taking in those special events; eating, sleeping and breathing the RV lifestyle; and staying connected while following the road less travelled. We look at why over 70,000 RV owners belong to the NZMCA and share our own experiences and the many top tips given to us by fellow RVers.

Lastly, in the gallery section, we provide a tiny glimpse of some of these outstanding RVs, the wonderful people who inhabit them and the lifestyles they lead. From the basic to the luxury, the old to the new, caravans, motorhomes, fifth-wheelers and others, the gallery showcases a variety of rigs for holiday or permanent living. We are indeed privileged in New Zealand to be able to move around the country with ease and spend our nights in wonderful locations enjoying bush, lakes, beaches, mountains and towns.

In the words of Toad from the Wind in the Willows:

“Here today, up and off to somewhere else tomorrow! Travel, change, interest, excitement! The whole world before you, and a horizon that’s always changing!”

Can there be anything better?

Here’s to travel and adventure. See you on the road.

EXCERPT FROM THE GALLERY Reese and Judi: 1986 10-metre Hino Blue Ribbon

R

eese and Judi are a couple who have recently chosen a full-time life on the road, something that an ever-increasing number of baby boomers are committing to.

Reese and Judi previously ran a holiday park for four years and say this is where they caught the bug to up sticks and travel. They had been on the road close to 12 months when we first met them, parked up at Otamarakau Sandspit between Te Puke and Whakatāne, having a bit of time being close to their grandkids.

We have to admit, all those we have spoken to who are on the road full time have no regrets! Kind of makes you think, doesn’t it?

Reese and Judi’s bus was originally imported for use by the film crew in the making of the The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and was set up with wall-to-wall computer screens. It is powered by an 11-litre diesel engine and has a five-speed manual airshift.

Reese and Judi are the third New Zealand owners of this Hino, purchasing it already converted to a motorhome. The furniture has been built with house-like construction in Melteca. It has a large kitchen with gas oven and extractor, along with a microwave and fridge-freezer. The bathroom is amidships with a separate shower and separate toilet.

At the rear is the bedroom with a walkaround double bed. The storage capacity is huge with a wealth of cupboards and drawers in the kitchen, large wardrobes in the bedroom, and another wardrobe in the

Reese and Judi previously ran a holiday park for four years and say this is where they caught the bug to up sticks and travel hallway that is Judi’s craft-storage area. Judi enjoys knitting, crochet and bead mosaics.

Reese also found a new pastime, taking up wood carving in his retirement and making beautiful wooden spoons.

The lounge area includes two settees which convert to beds and the driver’s and

passenger’s seats swivel to become additional seating in the lounge. There is enough room to have a party!

The bus has a stylish exterior paint job.

There are four large storage lockers that go right through from side to side and two pushbikes hang off the back.

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WIN BOOK

Are we there yet?

The conversion was carried out in 2003, and Reese has since fitted a TV with an autotuning antenna, a 360-watt solar panel, and a battery and energy monitoring system.

They recently removed the air-conditioning unit, replacing it with a large skylight roof vent. They carry a dual hot water system with both electric and gas supply and are well set up for self-containment with 300 litres of fresh water. The new home also has internet and Sky services on board.

To date they have travelled from North Cape

to the lower South Island and are now retracing their steps to some of their favourite places.

Judi loves whitebaiting and lists the Mōkau River as one of their favourite destinations, spending a couple of months there each year.

They also enjoy stopping in the little towns and having a look around, but for them the best aspect of travelling is the people you meet – a chance to compare notes and learn from those who have been on the road longer than they have.

What a tough life they have!

WIN

WE HAVE TWO COPIES OF RV THERE YET? TO BE WON, ENTER NOW AND BE IN THE DRAW TO WIN Question: Who are the authors?

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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Williams TODAY

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Now based near the beach at Mt Maunganui, Peter Williams has worked within the national media world for over 45 years. More recently, as Peter winds down his TV career he is looking forward to sharing more NZToday ramblings as he reflects on some of the places around the country he’s come to know and plans to test a few other towns and villages to see what lurks beneath their surfaces.

Words + Photos Peter Williams

1. Shibuya Scramble - four of the five pedestrian crossings at one intersection 2. Tokyo Stadium as the All Blacks warm up to play Ireland

World Cup Japan 2019 I

n the course of a very privileged working life I’ve witnessed many of the world’s great sports events, with the tab picked up by my employer: half-a-dozen Olympic Games, probably more Commonwealth Games, a few Black Caps tours and overseas test series, and many of the Rugby World Cups.

Invariably on the job I’ve encountered fellow Kiwi travellers in far flung places, there to support their team or just to enjoy the spectacle and atmosphere of a high-quality sports and entertainment experience. From Birmingham to Bloemfontein and Brisbane to Barcelona, the black-top wearing New Zealand fan is never far away when our teams come to town.

But in these days of working for a living (as opposed to being a sports reporter) if I want to be up close to the action, I have to find my

own resources and join the throngs on the supporters’ tour.

So that’s how I came to spend 10 days in Japan towards the business end of the Rugby World Cup. The original plan was that my wife and I would join a group of friends in the tour organised by sports travel specialists, Sportslink International. In the end, work commitments meant she couldn’t come, so I took my accountant along as a roommate.

It’s now his decision as to whether the trip becomes tax deductible!

All up, there were 70 of us on the tour, divided between two buses – known as Samurai Black and Samurai White. Best to keep the names simple and hope no ‘woke’ snowflake would complain about the racist undertones in those identifications.

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Williams TODAY

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I’d been to Japan once before to report on the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, but I was keen to see the main cities in the country at a time of year when the temperature wasn’t below freezing.

By the time we arrived, the RWC had been in action for nearly a month and the group stage was over. Our tour planners secured us tickets for the two quarter-finals at Tokyo Stadium, one of which was guaranteed to feature the All Blacks. Then we had a week to fill waiting for the semi-finals in Yokohama, so the tour took us on a sightseeing trip around Tokyo, a bullet-train trip to Osaka, a day’s guided tour in Kyoto and the bullet train back to Yokohama the day before the All Blacks–England game.

The knowledgeable and the clever among us only booked till that stage, having a premonition that there would be no All Black participation in the final.

(If the truth be known, that extra week was rather expensive and couldn’t be justified with the accountant, let alone with my wife.)

The dynamics of a sports tour group are really intriguing. Because you all have one

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streets and five pedestrian crossings converge.

When it comes to people-watching experiences, this is one of the best. By finding a seat on the first floor in the adjoining Starbucks you can sit and watch mesmerised as literally tens of thousands cross the road in the course of a half hour.

But what we did notice during four days in Tokyo around the time of the quarter-finals was the almost complete lack of awareness in the city about the Rugby World Cup. We hear much from the PR machine about this tournament being a breakthrough for the sport because it was played outside the traditional rugby nations for the first time. When RWC came to New Zealand in 2011 the streets of every city hosting a match were adorned with flags, banners and advertising hoardings. There was nothing of that sort this time, except in Yokohama where the final week of the tournament was concentrated.

Tokyo and Yokohama are, to all intents and purposes, one huge joined-up city, as are Osaka and Kyoto, a two-hour bullet-train ride away.

This is one of the world’s modern day

common interest – watching the All Blacks play at the World Cup – it’s not hard to break the ice. Even the most reclusive of individuals will soon feel relaxed to join in when there’s a few drinks going around.

This particular tour seemed to gather together rugby fans from all over the country. A retired sharebroker from Wanaka, a couple of North Otago farmers, a former headmaster, a doctor, others from the professions and a wide array of business people including a Sir Stephen from Auckland who runs a Warehouse or two, and a recent arrival from England who insisted on wearing a white jersey to our semi-final. We saluted him afterwards.

The first thing noticed by those who haven’t been to Japan for a while, or ever before, is the sheer number and density of people. At times it feels just plain claustrophobic. But then the numbers tell you everything; the density of people per square kilometre in Japan is 333.

In New Zealand the number is 18.

Nowhere is the density more prolific and visible than at the Shibuya Scramble, a famous intersection in the heart of Tokyo where five

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engineering marvels, and has been since the first line went down 55 years ago. Officially known as the Shinkansen, the bullet train could claim to be the planet’s most efficient passenger system. If it says it’s leaving Tokyo Station at 10.34, it will pull away as the digital clock clicks over to that time. If it’s due at ShinYokohama at 10.52, that’s the time it will arrive at that station. Mind you, passengers are under pressure at the changeover. Stops are only two minutes, in which time the departing must get off and the joining must get on. When you’re dealing with 50 or 60 passengers each way through one door per carriage, the rush is on.

The ‘Shink’ travels at over 200kph, but such is the smoothness of the ride, the gentle cambers and width of the track, you never realise just how fast you’re travelling.

At least on the Shink you have a seat. That’s unlike commuter trains that are the nearest thing to a human sardine experience you’ll ever encounter.

(If you want real evidence of this, Google ‘Japanese train pushing’ and watch how they load during the rush hour.)

As one of the foremost sporting nations on the planet, Japan’s stadia were perfectly suited to holding this year’s edition of the RWC. The quarter-final in Tokyo was at what is usually known as Ajinomoto Stadium, thanks to the country’s first-ever stadium naming rights deal signed back in 2003. (Ajinomoto Inc is a 112-year-old food and biotechnology corporation.)

But with World Rugby following on from the likes of the IOC and FIFA, as well as disallowing existing commercial sponsorships to intrude on their event, all stadia reverted to a bland geographical title.

Tokyo Stadium holds just under 50,000 and each section of seats is easily accessible. The

only complaints a New Zealand visitor would have are about the toilets. Maybe Japanese sports fans don’t drink as much beer as All Black supporters but when queues snake out of the loos, up two flights of stairs and onto the concourse, you know there’s a bit of a capacity issue.

Any ‘need to go’ situations were not help e d by t he Heineken girls who wandered 7 constantly up and down the aisles selling cans of the sponsor’s brew, tipped into a plastic glass, for 700 yen, about $10. It’s a service that should be instigated at New Zealand stadia. At least we have the ablutions areas to cope with it.

The International Stadium Yokohama (normally known as Nissan Stadium) made a little history when it became just the second ground, after the Stade de France in Paris, to host both a FIFA World Cup and Rugby World Cup final. The bonus for our group was that it was in the same neighbourhood as our hotel.

I awoke on the morning of the semi-final and pulled back the curtains to enjoy a spectacular view of both the ground and the beautiful snow-capped Mt Fuji behind it in the distance.

That view turned out to be the highlight of the day.

This rugby-watching group did indulge in a little ‘Japanese culture’. We had bus tours of both Tokyo and Kyoto, where the temples and the castles were oases of peace and space away from the massing throngs. The country’s feudal past has ensured the enclaves of past rulers – like the spectacular Osaka Castle – are memorable stops on the tourism trails.

When you consider what the country could build back in the 15th and 16th centuries, it

should be no surprise that the nation has been at the forefront of technology in the vehicle and electronic appliance industries for over 60 years.

And while the rest of the world may have caught up, Japan is still very much a contender in the race. On Tokyo’s Ginza, the Nissan of the future was on display – minus a steering wheel. Who’ll need one of those things when satellites guide our cars?

On reflection, that car of the future was a bit like the All Blacks in their semi-final. They had the equipment, but were lacking directions.

3. Your correspondent finds some space – at The Imperial Palace 4. Two bullet trains ready to be fired from Tokyo Station 5. From my hotel room – Yokohama Stadium and Mt Fuji on semi-final day 6. The stars are everywhere – 1991 Wallabies RWC winning captain Nick Farr-Jones with All Blacks fan Martin Smith 7. Who let him in here? England fan Andrew Williams had the last laugh among the black jerseys 8. These guys didn’t pay to be there – One News Andrew Saville and Simon Dallow at Yokohama 9. What a great idea… the bar service at the end of the row 10. Ready for kickoff – North Otago farmers and a Tauranga accountant in position early for the England game

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Quinn TODAY

Although we all know Keith as a sport commentator for nearly 50 years, there’s much more to him than sports.

He collects memorabilia and books related to the Beatles, loves to travel to mystical places and has a secret addiction – ice cream! In addition, he loves writing. And with 16 books to his credit, penning a column for NZTODAY is a great fit for him. Hopefully Keith will be spinning many more yarns as he travels around New Zealand and the world.

Words Keith Quinn Photos Keith Quinn unless credited

1. The epitome of the “Great Southern Man;” he stands as a welcome to visitors at Dunedin Airport 2. At last female sports stars are honoured in New Zealand; the Southern Sting are found at Invercargill Airport

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Southern Statues part two…

I n my most recent column in NZToday I wrote of a drive my wife and I had made during the 2019 winter, travelling from Wellington to Auckland and back to Wellington. It was mostly to see family and friends, but along the way, at my instigation, we stopped at various towns that I had previously indentified as having statues in their streets honouring their most famous home-grown male or female sports stars.

I framed an idea to create a fun column to write. As we journeyed along I snapped shots of sculptures representing stars like Sir Colin Meads (in Te Kuiti), Sir John Walker (in Manurewa) and Sir Michael Jones (in Auckland). And there were a number of others, enough for the magazine to publish eight in all.

Other statues didn’t ‘make the cut’ as it were.

Each of the published ones showed athletes locked in studied bronze for passers-by to stop and admire; all of them strikingly posed to show forever their best athleticism or finest moments.

As I clicked away with my camera (mostly I have to say with just a cellphone) and then later tapped away with the words to match, it crossed my mind that there was a logical follow up for the completed ‘Statue Stories – North Island.’

And so you guessed it, here I now go with my version of ‘Statue Stories – South Island.’

But, dear readers, firstly I have to be up front.

I cannot write of an actual 2019 statue-studied tour of the South Island. This one instead will come from shots that I have stopped and taken over recent years during various trips and travels to the towns where the statues are.

A couple of the photos are not even actually my own work at all, but they are good for my story lines – and as you would have gauged by now, I do love a good sporting statue story!

(And interestingly I now also have a strong opinion on which South Island town has the highest level of interest in remembering their stars from the past.)

Let me start with a personal connection. In 2018 when my wife was on a solo grandkids baby-sitting trip in Auckland, I was at home alone in Wellington. At the same time my brother Max was alone at his place in Dunedin; that was while his wife Carol was baby-sitting in Australia. (The Quinn wives seem to be great baby-sitters!) I therefore decided to take a trip to Dunedin to catch up with Max. We had a fun couple of days. I started by posing for a shot with the ‘Great Southern Man’ who stands permanently outside the main doors of Dunedin’s Airport. You might say of this first sculpture that he is not strictly a sports star per se; though it could be said he most definitely qualifies for this yarn. If you consider that his horsemanship, muscle control, balance, and his huntin’, musterin’ and gatherin’ skills are essential in the high country of the Otago Province, yes I mark him as a confirmed sports statue of the South Island.

Why not? Thousands of solid South Island residents admire him every day of every week as they rush in and out of Dunedin’s Airport.

But where to go next in the South Island?

Let us try Invercargill which has at least two beauties to respect. The first is located at its RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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Quinn TODAY airport also, representing a sporting pride that Southland sport has totally embraced over recent years. Depicted on arrival in Invercargill, is a wood carving showing two faceless competitors leaping their highest and straining their fullest for a netball. The work is a tribute to the success of the Southland Sting netball team that has dominated the national scene so much recently. I also find the netball statue to be slightly unique inasmuch as not many women have been carved or sculptured around New Zealand (yet); so the netballer’s statue is much deserved and one to be in awe of.

The other great sports personality of the deep south to be honoured is the great Burt Munro – of World’s Fastest Indian fame. He was the self-taught engineer, designer and builder of the record-breaking Indian Scout motor-cycle. Huddled down on its back Burt set world land-speed records back in the 1960s.

He brought honour and glory to the southern land of New Zealand. Hence he is honoured permanently in Queen’s Park Invercargill.

Actually Burt is hunkered down so low on the bike’s seat, with just his head showing, that you could say the actual work shows more of the cycle than of the great man himself! (It is by Roddy McMillan; and of course we all recall the wonderful film starring Sir Anthony Hopkins as Burt.)

A few years ago my wife and I had the chance to walk the famed Milford track. It was a deed we actually achieved twice – a feat of which we are both very proud. True to form though, while on those tramps your writer could not totally push aside sporting stories and yarns – even though each time he was on a five-day hike.

I have always worked to the theory that ‘there is always a story to be found’, so I was very happy in both walks to take a pause from the pain of reaching the track’s highest point at the

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Mackinnon Pass. There sits a lonely statue which honours the Scottish-born but very much a Kiwi explorer, Quintin Mackinnon. It was he who first climbed through the roughness of that region in 1888 and discovered the mountainous way between Te Anau and Milford Sound. That’s the same pass that is so popular for tourism today.

But the eye-catching thing for me was the fact that Mackinnon’s efforts were not only honoured with a remembrance monument at the mountain’s loftiest point, but his seven seasons in the Otago rugby team are mentioned there too. Situated high in the clouds the ORFU helped defray costs to build the appropriate Kiwi-Scottish cairn there.

Heading home from those deep south experiences one cannot pass through the town of Gore without having a stop. In a sporting sense, how appropriate it is to see how the town marks one of its keenest of outdoor pursuits.

You can’t miss it really; it is right there in the centre of town.

The giant trout figure (can it be called a statue?) creates a splendid sight. The town is even billed as the ‘World Capital of Brown Trout Fishing’. You may or may not agree with that; maybe it depends on how many of the fresh beauties you might have pulled out of the rivers and streams the day you cast your line in! Whatever your reasoning Gore deserves high praise for this great tribute to New Zealand fishing.

Next in this summary of the total experience of collecting and paying homage to the best of South Island sporting statues you must come even further north and pass through the town of Timaru. If you are so inclined to pause on your travels you will find some great sporting works to admire. I found no fewer than three shining examples; making the town, I believe, pound for pound (to use a sporting expression) the best city or town in New Zealand for honouring its great sports stories.

Firstly on the northern edge there is a wonderful depiction of the never-to-beforgotten racehorse Phar Lap. Though our ‘friends’ across the Tasman have always tried to lay claims that Phar Lap is totally one of theirs to celebrate, the facts are that the horse was foaled on the outskirts of Timaru and was trained and showed its first promise on our fair tracks. After its early racing in Australia when the horse did not run well, it was ignored there, and true to form, it was only when it became a champion and had its great run of successes (including Melbourne Cup and Caulfield Cup wins) that the Aussie punters and pundits turned their grateful eyes towards Phar Lap. The horse became a mighty champion of 1930s racing, and the great representation of him in full stride at the entranceway to

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the Timaru racetrack is well worth stopping to admire.

As you drive on you can also stop on the corner of Stafford and Strathallan Streets right in town and see another very fine statue. This one is of Timaru’s battling boxing blacksmith of the 1890s and world champion in three different weights, Bob FitzSimmons. This work was commissioned by the Wellington businessman Sir Robert Jones, sculpted by Margriet Windhausen and was unveiled in 1987. If you look closely at my photo here please be generous; you will see that it was taken a few years ago – so you might note my slimmer girth. (I was probably only a light-heavyweight in those days!)

I must be allowed to tell you of my personal favourite sports statue, not only in Timaru or the South Island but indeed anywhere in New Zealand. You will find it just inside the main gates of Timaru Boys High School.

It features the great New Zealand 1500metre runner Jack Lovelock who is superbly on display. He is shown in full stride, racing towards his stunning world-record Olympic gold-medal run at the Berlin Olympic Games of 1936. Those were the so-called ‘Hitler’ Games, named after Herr Adolf Hitler who had hoped that his best Aryan athletes would show the world his vision of that race’s dominance over those races, colours and creeds he deemed to be lesser. With four gold medals to his name, the great African-American athlete Jesse Owens was one of the greats who first

3. The great Burt Munro and his famous Indian which set all those land speed records back in the 1960s 4. The highest location for an honour paid to a New Zealand sports hero. High up on the Milford track is the cairn in place in memory of the Otago explorer Quintin Mackinnon 5. The best brown trout you ever saw! In Gore, New Zealand 6. He is ours! Phar Lap - born and bred in Timaru, from where he ran into equine glory 7. In one of Timaru’s main Streets, blacksmith Bob FitzSimmons shows the boxing talent what won him three different world titles

disproved Hitler’s theories. New Zealand’s Jack Lovelock, of European background (born in Crushington, near Reefton, and schooled as a boarder in Timaru) was another.

Lovelock ran a masterful race and Mr Hitler was so miffed at the New Zealander’s success that he did not deem to come out of the grandstands to present Lovelock with his shining gold medal. Instead, it was awarded by the New Zealand bronze medallist of the 1924 Olympics (later Lord) Arthur Porritt. And a potted oak tree was handed to Lovelock as well – all winners at those Games received one. The gold medal, along with the statue of Lovelock, and the oak tree too are now in the care of Timaru Boys High School. And how lovingly they look after them.

I have been privileged to pay several visits to the school and I marvel each time how they have honoured their greatest Old Boy. However, I will now let you into a secret that I hope will not be seen as too grave. One time when I was passing through Timaru on a private drive I urged those I was with to turn off the main street and head up to the Timaru Boys High School gates. It was after school hours when we arrived and there was no one about, just a couple of lads heading

homewards, maybe after their own sports practice.

My friends and I stepped into the school grounds and I explained to them all about the statue and the race that had inspired it. And then I talked about the cabinets inside the

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Quinn TODAY brick hall behind, in which the Lovelock gold medal and several other items of his significant memorabilia were so faithfully kept. And then we walked across to the ‘Lovelock Oak’ as the school has so aptly called their oak tree.

It is now one of massive size. We stood in awe of its splendour. But then at the moment of leaving I stooped to pick up seven or eight oaktree acorns and put them in my pocket.

Back then I was shortly to leave for a trip to the London Olympic Games – and here comes the naughty bit. A few days later I placed the acorns in an envelope and without checking to see if it was legal or not I packed the tiny nuts among my luggage and took them with me to London. There I had several friends among my athletic TV commentary colleagues. They were very aware of Olympic history and they seemed to love the connection I made from

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Adolf Hitler and to the Lovelock race. Several of my mates accepted my lovingly kept little gifts from faraway Timaru.

At the next Olympics four years later, in Rio, one of my friends reported with great pride that an oak tree sapling had indeed sprung from the ground in his garden and was doing quite well ‘thank you very much’.

I was pleased of course, though I am not sure whether biosecurity authorities would feel the same. Maybe I have to hope that my love of a good Kiwi sports star’s statue, and the story around it, will not get me in too much trouble!

8. Jack proudly wearing his number 467 on the way to an Olympic 1500 metres gold medal at Berlin 1936 9. The statue of Jack Lovelock in the entrance way to Timaru Boys High School 10. It is always worth a stop to honour one of New Zealand’s greatest Olympians; Jack Lovelock

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Allan Dick TODAY

Farewell my Love F Reminiscences from NZTODAY founder Allan Dick Words + Photos Allan Dick

1. A pair – the writer’s Nissan Pathfinder and beloved Kate, the Editorial Border Collie

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or those who don’t know much about me, I have spent the past half-century writing about cars. I fell under the spell of the motor vehicle when I was 10 years of age. Firstly I collected pictures, cut from the newspapers, then I plagued car dealers looking for ‘pamphlets’ and then, at 15 years of age, the real thing.

As a teenager I was a V8 boy, a milk-bar cowboy of the era; noisy exhausts and driving with the devil. A sneer against society across my face.

Responsibility and respectability arrived when I started specialising in writing about cars.

From 1990 to about 2005 I was an automotive journalist ‘A-Lister’ and got invited to new-car launches in some of the most exotic places in the world. Up to a dozen times a year Allan Robert Dick was seated in the front end of a jetliner heading for five-star accommodation in some posh place or other.

It ended in 2005, a week apart – Maranello in the centre of Italy for the launch of a new Ferrari and a week later, Bariloche in the Andes Mountains of South America for the release of the VW Amarok pick-up.

A great life, but what it meant was that I had to turn down the volume on my passion for the motor vehicle so it became a tool of my trade, instead of something I loved.

A constant belief I have held all my adult life is that the motor vehicle is one of the greatest tools for social development in history. Not the greatest, but one of the greatest.

It has allowed us to go where we want, when we want, for as long as we want.

And that has certainly been true with this aspect of my writing career – travel and discovery. I want to go and explore? Hop into the car and go.

Central to this for the past 15 years has been my Nissan Pathfinder. When I bought it, it was virtually new, having been in the press fleet of the Nissan company having covered about 9000km.

Since then, the Pathfinder and I have been almost inseparable, and it has taken the Navigator and me on many, many adventures.

It’s taken us from one end of the country to the other, many times. It’s taken us to the tops of mountains, along riverbeds, through bogs and swamps; it’s been blocked occasionally by extreme snowfalls, but it never let us down.

As of the start of November the Pathfinder had covered 225,000km with just the regular maintenance stuff – tyres, a battery, brake pads and a new radiator. It was such an integral part of my writing life, joining my camera and laptop as ‘tools of the trade’.

But, in November we set off from Ōamaru to the West Coast for a few days whitebaiting on a remote river, staying in a cabin deep in primeval rain forest. As we headed up the Waitaki Valley for Ōmarama, through the Lindis Pass and on to Haast, I thought about the Pathfinder and all the adventures we have shared.

And it had never, ever, let us down.

We stopped in Ōmarama, bought provisions at the Four Square and had coffee at the Wrinkly Rams before pointing the big, blue, blunt nose of the Pathfinder into the Lindis as we have done many, many times before.

We were humming along – the fantastic Clay Cliffs far off to our right and starting on the long climb to the Lindis Summit when I felt the engine skip a beat – something it had never, ever done before. Well, maybe it did the time I filled it with petrol instead of diesel!

I glanced down at the instrument panel and to my absolute horror saw the temperature gauge moving up to the very top.

Instantly I headed for the side of the road and switched it off.

It was hot all right, but not searing, smelly, crackling hot.

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Allan Dick TODAY

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I checked under the bonnet to make sure the fan belt was still on. It was, so we sat for 15 minutes or so before starting it up and turning around to head gingerly back towards Ōmarama.

On the way we stopped at a picnic place buried deep in willows and filled up the radiator from a nearby stream.

In Ōmarama we went back to the Wrinkly Rams for another cup of coffee to let the old bus cool down completely. We filled it up with water, again, and started heading back down

the Waitaki Valley for Ōamaru.

On the flat it was okay, but as soon as we hit the slope to the Ōmarama Saddle the temperature gauge soared. So, another gentle trip back to Ōmarama where we phoned the cavalry in the shape of the AA. We are both members, but the Navigator has AA Plus which gives you all sorts of extra benefits.

The AA contacted their nearest roadside saviour – Twizel Auto and Marine 20km up the road – who phoned us to say their man

with rescue truck was on another job but he’d be with us in about two hours, and he’d have with him a courtesy car that would get us back to Ōamaru while the Pathfinder would be delivered to home the next day.

The rescue truck with courtesy car aboard arrived, and with it, more proof of how small the world is – the driver knew me.

“And you are?” he asked looking closely at me.

I confessed who I was and he stuck out a big paw – “I’m Graham Pauley!”

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DAYS

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Graham and I have corresponded for 30 years by letter and email; always talking about cars!

So, of course, we yarned. He unloaded our courtesy car, loaded up the Pathfinder and headed back to Twizel, while we headed back down to Ōamaru. I’d asked Graham if ‘the boys’ in the workshop could have a quick look to see what the matter was.

Next morning we headed back for the West Coast and the whitebait, the Navigator driving our second car (a Mitsubishi hatchback) with me in the courtesy car, and we made the short side trip into Twizel.

Here I was given the news I had expected – “a blown head gasket, sorry Allan …”. Given the mileage on the Pathfinder and the fact it is a modern turbo diesel I was expecting it to be Bad News.

Over the first 30 years of my passion for cars I had acquired enough knowledge to do all my own repairs, but working on modern vehicles may as well be brain surgery or rocket science and I knew by instinct that the cost of repairs would likely outweigh the value of the Pathfinder.

We left the Pathfinder with them, asking if it could be taken to Ōamaru when we got back from whitebaiting and carried on our way.

The story of those days on the West Coast will appear later, suffice to say at this stage, it was among one of the best breaks I have had in my entire life.

After arriving in rain and being taken by boat up the river to a landing spot, we were blessed with glorious weather in this breathtakingly beautiful environment. No electricity, no phone and no neighbours except dark, lush, mosscovered forest and some deer.

I am not a fisherbloke – or rather I thought I wasn’t – don’t have the patience, I thought. Or the temperament to kill a creature.

But I confess I found two days sitting alone on a riverbank, surrounded by West Coast forest, under clear and sunny skies, with the only sounds being the swish and gurgle of the river

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and the amazing variety of birdsong, watching these tiny fish swim in shoals into my net, just an amazing experience.

It even took my mind off what to do about the Pathfinder!

At first, my biggest concern was simply tossing over and over and over in my mind what I was going to do – repair or replace?

Then there was the cost. Being a member of AA Plus meant our rescue from Ōmarama only cost the petrol to refill the tank of the courtesy car. But cost of repair could be $9000 to $10,000 on a vehicle that would fetch $10,000 to $13,000 if I cleaned it up and got some dents and scratches repaired.

While sitting on the riverbank, wearing a dopey looking sunhat, watching the sun glint off the ripples, that sort of despair was replaced by a feeling of loss. Of sadness. Sitting on that riverbank I discovered that the Pathfinder had been much, much more than just a tool of my

2. The Pathfinder was a beast of burden taking the writer and Navigator to far-flung places.

Here on the Dunstan Trail 3. There were a few other ’baiters also on the secret river 4. The writer, with another dopey hat, and his first catch of the first day 5. If it weren’t for your gumboots … the writer with dopey hat and the Navigator on the banks of a secret river in Deepest Westland

trade. It had become an integral part of our lives.

For 15 years it had sat patiently at the kerbside, waiting for our command. It was like a faithful dog in a lot of ways, and in that regard I started to think again about the adventures we and the Pathfinder had shared with our Border Collie Kate.

For the first five or six years we were a foursome: me, the Navigator, the Pathfinder and Kate.

Border Collies don’t live long but their lives are full of energy and affection. We lost Kate 10 years ago, but the Pathfinder just kept on going and going.

Until, like Kate, it just wore out.

Now I am going to have to attend to the last job. With Kate it was a visit to the vet, leaving in tears. With the Pathfinder it will be a phone call to someone to come and take it away.

I thought all of this as I sat in the sun. And a soft tear fell into the river.

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RV ROAD BOOKS

ONE COPY TO BE WON

ONE COPY TO BE WON

My Van, My Castle Jackie Norman RRP $34.99 New Holland Jackie Norman met her soul mate and sold her suburban home, swapping it for a life travelling around New Zealand in a campervan. Her aim was to exchange a stressful life servicing a crippling mortgage, with a more carefree lifestyle stripped back to the essentials, and living in the moment.

With no schedule and no real goals, and after nearly two years on the road, she writes with humour and insight on the highs and lows of nomadic life and the lessons learnt along the way, with anecdotes, tips, suggestions and favourite spots seen from the tip of the North Island to Bluff in the South. On this hilarious journey with Jackie and her husband we learn about the day-to-day reality and challenges of life on the road, top campsites, special spots, how to cope with mozzies and condensation, and what the traveller community is really like.

RV There Yet?

ONE COPY TO BE WON

Don & Marilyn Jessen RRP $39.99 Bateman Books Travelling the length and breadth of New Zealand, you cannot help but notice the recreational vehicles (RVs) parked at holiday spots across the country. These RVs – now more than 40,000 in New Zealand – come in all shapes and sizes, from small self-contained vans to luxury multi-metre motorhomes.

From choosing and setting up an RV, to living life on the open road, this book is designed as a guide for all stages of the decision-making process – from RV dreams to the practical realities of RV ownership. Whether it’s building, purchasing, self-containment, safety or maintenance, this book aims to provide all the information needed to become an informed owner, regardless of budget.

Gravity is the Thing Jaclyn Moriarty RRP $34.99 Pan Macmillan Abigail Sorensen has spent her life trying to unwrap the events of 1990.

It was the year she started receiving random chapters from a self-help book called The Guidebook in the post.

It was also the year Robert, her brother, disappeared on the eve of her sixteenth birthday.

She believes the absurdity of The Guidebook and the mystery of her brother’s disappearance must be connected.

Now 35, owner of The Happiness Café and mother of four-year-old Oscar, Abigail has been invited to learn the truth behind The Guidebook at an all-expenses-paid retreat.

What she finds will be unexpected, lifeaffirming and heartbreaking.

ONE COPY TO BE WON

The Kiwi: Endangered New Zealand Icon ONE COPY TO BE WON

The First Breath Olivia Gordon RRP $37.99 Pan Macmillan The First Breath by Olivia Gordon is a powerful medical memoir about the extraordinary fetal and neonatal medicine bringing today’s babies into the world.

Unveiling the intense patient–doctor relationship at work with every birth, this book reflects on the cutting-edge medicine that has saved a generation of babies, the combination of love and fear a parent feels for a child they haven’t yet met, and what can happen before a baby’s first breath.

Matt Elliott RRP $39.99 Imagination Press We have Kiwibank, Kiwi Stamps, Kiwi Rail and the Kiwi Bacon Company. We are told to ‘Be a tidy Kiwi’. The national lottery was once the Golden Kiwi and we now have Instant Kiwi scratch-and-win cards. Even the Royal New Zealand Air Force has a kiwi as part of its logo, so what is it about this bird we love so much? Matt Elliott decided to find out.

“I wanted to write this book so that people of all ages could learn more about the five species of kiwi and the extent of conservation programmes that are being undertaken by professionals and volunteers alike.”

ONE COPY TO BE WON

Grandma McGarvey Joins the Scrum Jenny Hessell RRP $16.99 Scholastic Grandma McGarvey inadvertently finds herself on the field at a country rugby match!

But she copes with the situation in her usual style, winning everyone’s admiration for her drive and fortitude … even at the bottom of a ruck!

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RV ROAD BOOKS

ONE COPY TO BE WON ONE COPY TO BE WON

Kiwi Working Dogs Jo Caird & Paula George RRP $39.99 Bateman Books Jo Caird and Paula George take us on a journey inside the world of New Zealand’s working dogs: celebrating the incredibly diverse roles they play within our society and the difference they make in so many people’s lives. Including much-loved farm dogs, this book explores the sniffer dogs trained for frontline duty at the airport or in prison, dogs trained to protect our native birds, rescue victims in emergencies and even a companion dog who can alert a young diabetic girl that she needs to take her insulin. These dogs are far more than just man’s best friend.

Featuring stunning photography, this is a must-have book for kiwi dog lovers everywhere.

Driven: My Story

Allegra in Three Parts

Hayden Paddon RRP $40.00 Penguin

Suzanne Daniel RRP $34.99 Pan Macmillan

Hayden Paddon was just a boy growing up in Geraldine – in love with driving and dreaming big. Starting with nothing, and determined to beat the odds, he set out on a phenomenal 20-year pathway to the World Rally Championship, where he footed it with the best rally drivers on the planet.

But it didn’t come easy.

In Driven, Paddon details the many highs and lows along his road to the top. He opens up about his struggles with bullying and depression as a young man. He also goes on public record for the first time about his 2017 accident in which a spectator was killed, and his controversial dismissal from the Hyundai Motorsport team in 2018.

Eleven-year-old Allegra is shuttled between her grandmothers who live next door to one another but couldn’t be more different.

Matilde works all hours and instils discipline, duty and restraint. She insists Allegra focuses on her studies to become a doctor. Meanwhile free-spirited Joy is full of colour, possibility and emotion, storing all her tears in little glass bottles. She is riding the second wave of the women’s movement in the company of her penny tortoise, Simone de Beauvoir, encouraging Ally to explore broad horizons and live her ‘true essence’. Rick lives in a flat out the back and finds distraction in gambling and solace in surfing. He’s trying to be a good parent to Al Pal, while grieving the woman linking them all but whose absence tears them apart.

ONE COPY TO BE WON

Taming the Wild Kelly Wilson RRP $45.00 Penguin In Taming the Wild, Kelly Wilson shares her training philosophies for creating happy horses that love their lives among humans.

From learning how to read a horse’s body language to taming a horse and starting it under saddle, this book is the ultimate how-toguide for everyday people training their own horse, whether wild or domestic.

It is also the personal, uplifting story of the 24 wild horses Kelly helped save from slaughter during the 2018 Kaimanawa muster, and the experience of mentoring 10 riders as they tamed their very first horses.

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ONE COPY TO BE WON

ONE COPY TO BE WON

The Pale North Hamish Clayton RRP $30.00 Penguin It is 1998, Wellington. A series of catastrophic earthquakes has left the city destroyed.

Returning to the ruins from London, a New Zealand writer explores the devastation, compelled to find out for himself what has become of the city he left years ago.

As he drifts through the desolate streets, home now to the shell-shocked and dispossessed, he finds among the survivors a woman and a child. And although they are haunted, hostile and broken, the strangers feel eerily familiar to him: as if they promise the answers to the mysteries he once swore to leave behind.

ONE COPY TO BE WON

The Little Ghost Who Lost Her Boo! Elaine Bickell & Raymond McGrath RRP $18.99 Scholastic Little Ghost has lost her boo, but she is determined to get it back so she heads out to look for it.

On her night-time hunt she meets a number of her friends, Owl, Pigeon, Rooster and Cow, and asks each of them if they’ve heard her boo.

None of them have but they are all very kind and offer Little Ghost their own sound instead.

But none are as good as her own scary boo so Little Ghost keeps looking. In the end, it’s the reader who finds it for her!

ONE COPY TO BE WON

ONE COPY TO BE WON

ONE COPY TO BE WON

New Zealand’s Native Trees

Meltwater

Big Sky

John Dawson & Rob Lucas RRP $130.00 potton & burton

Suzanne Ashmore RRP $30.00 Mary Egan Publishing

Kate Atkinson RRP $38.00 Penguin

A complete revision, of the bestselling, awardwinning landmark book on New Zealand’s native trees. New Zealand’s Native Trees is a landmark book, the kind that is published only once in a generation. It celebrates our unique and magnificent native forests, and describes and generously illustrates more than 320 species, subspecies and varieties. This edition has been completely brought up to date with a significant number of botanical revisions, as many new species have been described or reclassified in the years since the book was first published in 2011.

It is organised in three main parts: conifers, tree ferns and flowering trees. After authoritative introductions to each part, genera are covered in alphabetical order. The botanical features of each species are then described in detail, along with its distribution, habitat and key relationships with other plants and animals.

More than 3200 superb photographs illustrate fascinating close details of flowers, fruits and other features, and show the form of specimen trees, while wider views of habitats place the species in context. Clear-cut illustrations of leaves are included for each species, arranged in plates for easy identification of larger groups.

Meltwater is a homage to the power of storytelling. Of a woman’s unique journey to find her ‘self ’. A journey made difficult by the fact that Elizabeth has 13 different ‘selves’, all part of her, all created to bury shocking memories of abuse. Related with evocative immediacy, narrator Beatrice, uncovers stories from Elizabeth’s early life, traversing moody, physical and emotional landscapes. Vivid and visual vignettes are set against the brooding backdrop of the Southern Alps, the brittle cold of the Central Plateau and the volatile, volcanic slopes of Mt Taranaki, to where Elizabeth finally escapes, hoping for a new start. But once there, disquieting incidents shatter her mind, forcing interim asylum care.

A place of silence, sorrow and loss. Even so, after leaving hospital and ultimately achieving the stability she desires, unsettling shadows still infiltrate the present. With therapist guidance, Elizabeth must choose, leave her story suspended in a glacial state, or make the torturous journey with her alters to the tower of forgotten memories. She has no choice; with that first step, her story, frozen in time has begun to melt. There is no turning back.

Yet, an ultimate mystery persists and Elizabeth is haunted by this unknowing. Will the final story free her? Poignant, cruel, chilling, yet life-affirming, written with lyrical, edgy grace.

Jackson Brodie has relocated to a quiet seaside village, in the occasional company of his recalcitrant teenage son and an ageing Labrador, both at the discretion of his ex-partner Julia. It’s picturesque, but there’s something darker lurking behind the scenes.

Jackson’s current job, gathering proof of an unfaithful husband for his suspicious wife, is fairly standard-issue, but a chance encounter with a desperate man on a crumbling cliff leads him into a sinister network – and back across the path of someone from his past.

Old secrets and new lies intersect in this breathtaking novel by one of the most dazzling and surprising writers at work today.

ONE COPY TO BE WON

The Yoga Body Lola Berry RRP $16.99 Pan Macmillan Nutritionist, yoga teacher and bestselling author Lola Berry shows you how to achieve and maintain a yoga body, inside and out.

Not only will you improve your fitness and flexibility, lose weight and tone up, yoga will also help you to quieten a busy mind and make mindfulness a part of your daily routine.

Think of this book as your own private yoga class – everything you need to build a strong and flexible yoga body is right here. So unroll your mat, open your heart and let’s go!

BOOK GIVEAWAYS One copy of each title to be won, email the book title as subject to: subs@rvmagazine.co.nz or post to: RVNZT vol 3 Books PO Box 220 Martinborough 5711 with your full details, go in the draw to win. Closes 31 February 2020

BOOK WINNERS VOL 1 Watch Out For The Weka – J Sherlock Motueka Child Power – P Plimmer North Harbour One Single Thing – F Stade Nelson The 104 Storey Treehouse – L Buchanan Tauranga Trails in the Dust – M Haylock Blenheim The Gift Horse – A Epsom Mt Maunganui The Jewel In The Sea – D McNair Hawera Heal – M Gray Weston Wellness – R Helms Hamilton

BOOK WINNERS VOL 2 Ranger the Kaimanawa Stallion – M Chivers Ashburton When The Crowd Stops Roaring – B Burke Nelson You’ll Never see Me AgaIN – J Bagley Mairanga Bay The Dog and the Mog Go Camping – M Fisher Porirua One Good Deed – M Osborne Te Aroha Lost And Found – M Price Ohakune Meet Me In Venice – H Winterbottom Warkworth Dubrovnik My Love – M Silich Brightwater Coo Coo Kereru – R Squire New Plymouth Melt – H Styles Fendalton RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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ROAD KAI

Extracted from Summer with Simon Gault, published by Penguin Random House NZ, RRP $50.00.

Text © Simon Gault, 2019.

Photography © Vanessa Lewis, 2019

WIN

with Road Kai

We have one copy of SUMMER with Simon Gault to be won.

To enter, post or email: RVNZT3 Road Kai, PO Box 220, Martinborough 5711 E: subs@rvmagazine.co.nz Tell us your favourite recipe shown here and supply your full contact details.

Entry closes February 28, 2020

Winner Vol 1

Gut Friendly – A French Piopio

Hazel’s Summer Salad Serves: 6 1 punnet strawberries, stems removed and cut in half (or quarters if large) 75g black grapes, halved 1 punnet blueberries, halved 6 slices prosciutto, ripped into strips 200g mixed green lettuce leaves (e.g. lollo rosso, cos, baby gem) 1 tbsp chopped mint leaves ½ cup walnuts, roughly chopped Goji Berry Dressing (recipe follows) 70g blue vein cheese, frozen Goji Berry Dressing 3 tbsp goji berries soaked in 2 tbsp water for 2 hours 1 tsp honey 1 tsp red wine vinegar 3 tbsp orange juice 1 tbsp grapeseed oil Why not keep a block of blue vein cheese in your freezer? In fact, any cheese for that matter. Cheese freezes perfectly and can be grated from frozen. It’s such a good trick using a microplane or fine grater to finish off a dish with grated cheese. The blue cheese over this salad is a real showstopper.

• Place the strawberries, grapes, blueberries, prosciutto, lettuce leaves, mint and walnuts in a bowl.

• Pour over the dressing and combine gently to coat.

• Transfer to a serving bowl and use a microplane to grate the blue vein cheese over the top.

Goji Berry Dressing • Drain the water from the goji berries, then place all the ingredients in a blender (a Nutribullet is ideal) and blitz until smooth.

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Watermelon, Fennel and Blueberry Salad Serves: 6 800g watermelon 1 fennel bulb 1 punnet blueberries, cut in half 1 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 tbsp elderflower honey 1 tbsp water ¼ cup grapeseed oil 1 tbsp Honeygar (apple cider vinegar with mānuka honey) This is a really fresh-tasting salad that works well alongside big bold steaks or just as well with fish. I use elderflower honey in this recipe because it is delicious, but feel free to swap it out for your favourite honey.

• Cut the skin off the watermelon; remove as many of the seeds as you can, then cut the watermelon into 2cm cubes. Place in a large salad bowl.

• Thinly slice the fennel using a mandolin, drop the slices into a bowl of ice and water, and reserve the fronds. Soak the fennel for 5 minutes, then drain and add to the watermelon along with the blueberries.

• In a bowl, whisk together the mustard, honey and water. Slowly drizzle in the oil while continuing to whisk till the dressing thickens. Add the Honeygar and season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Just before you are ready to serve, pour the dressing over and toss gently to combine. Finely slice the fennel fronds and sprinkle over the top.

Hog Burgers Serves: 6 1 tbsp olive oil 6 Pork Burger Patties 6 burger buns, split and buttered Saffron Mayo (recipe follows) Saffron Apples with Mum’s Onions (recipe follows) 6 thick slices beefsteak tomato Pork Burger Patties 800g NZ pork mince 2 eggs, lightly beaten 2 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 small bunch of basil or coriander, thinly sliced 1 tsp flaky salt and ground pepper 3 tbsp Moroccan seasoning

Hemp and Goji Berry Marbles Makes: 24 (approx.)

1 cup fast-cook oats ¼ cup mānuka honey ½ cup hemp seeds (or hearts) ¾ cup goji berries 1 tsp vanilla essence 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ cup almond butter One might consider these to be ‘high’ balls, but they are nothing like that. In the future, we are going to have many more healthy and enjoyable hemp products.

Hemp hearts presented in this way are a delicious and nutritionally good snack in the same category as other seed products. It’s a recipe the kids can put together; one that has the sweet kick they crave without being heavily laden with sugar.

Saffron Apples with Mum’s Onions 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 quantity of Mum’s Onions (recipe follows) 2 Granny Smith apples, thinly sliced ¼ tsp saffron mixed in 1 tbsp water

These are the juiciest, most delicious burgers.

The inclusion of Mum’s Onions cooked with apples is sensational, but note you’ll need to prepare the onions the day before required.

• Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Take the pork patties and squash into the pan (to match the size of the burger buns). Cook for 4 minutes and then flip over, cooking for another 4 minutes or until the patties are cooked through.

• To construct the burger, heat the buns in a moderate oven or on a grill for a few minutes. Spread Saffron Mayo over the bottom half of the bun, put the patty on top, then add a spoonful of the apples and onions, a slice of tomato, and spread the top of the bun with mayo – and there you have it.

Pork Burger Patties • In a mixing bowl, combine patty ingredients and mix well.

• Divide into 6 equal pieces and roll into balls. Put them in a covered container and rest in the fridge until you are ready to cook.

Mum’s Onions • The day before required, thinly slice the onions into rings and place in a deep bowl.

• C ombine the water and sugar in a saucepan, bring to the boil then pour onto the onion rings. Immediately cover the surface of the onions with ice cubes

Saffron Mayo ¼ tsp saffron mixed in 1 tbsp water ½ cup Kewpie mayonnaise Mum’s Onions 2 medium onions 1 cup water ¼ cup sugar 1 cup ice cubes

• Place the oats with a hefty pinch of salt and 45ml hot water into a bowl and allow the oats to soften for 8–10 minutes.

• Add in all the remaining ingredients and combine with a wooden spoon.

• Scoop the mixture with a teaspoon and roll into odd shapes between your palms. If not eating straight away, roll into balls and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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PROFILE

CARTHAGO Chic C-Line 5.3

AClassy Liner E

arlier this year we dropped in to visit Paul and Rochelle Cook, owners of RnRV in Silverdale, north of Auckland – and were in time to review the Carthago ‘Liner for Two’ luxury motorhome just before it headed off to its new owners.

This time we got a call to visit before a new model that had just landed and, having been sold immediately, was heading out of the yard and over to Aussie for the new owners in just a few days. This liner is the Carthago Chic CLine 5.3 four-berth model.

These are German-built luxury liners, with

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Words Robyn Dallimore Photos Bruce Mountain

quality and innovation oozing out of every pore.

We enjoyed luxuriating in its interior for a few hours so we could share it with readers. We also got quite distracted by a couple of other models on the yard, and couldn’t resist looking through those as well. As it is Christmas time I thought I would share those with you as well in brief.

rear bumper, easy to repair in the event of any damage). Completely wood-free body shell.

Roof outer-shell GRP acts as hail protection.

Floor panel with GRP top and bottom providing moisture and stone chipping protection, and rot resistance. Side walls/rear wall: aluminium on outside and the inside walls. Side roof-rack system for easy accessory attachment and rain deflection. Roof surface can be walked on.

Total wall and roof thickness 38mm. Six-year leak-free guarantee.

Carthago lightning protection tested: Faraday cage by means of aluminium in the chassis and

CARTHAGO CHIC C-LINE 5.3 QB CARTHAGO CONSTRUCTION

Segmented side skirts made from aluminium extruded profiles, powder coated. GRP bus rear with insulated rear sandwich wall (separate

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1. Daytime Large windscreen and side windows for views in the living:dining area 2. Enter the full-width bathroom area through a privacy door at the end of the kitchen. To the left is an en suite toilet room with Thetford C 260 toilet with ceramic insert, small sink, Corian vanity bench, heated towel rail, storage above and below, mirror and LED lighting.

Lots of storage above and below, bench space as well an added bonus. On the right, the full-height separate shower box with teak slatted tray, LED lights in the shower ceiling and roof vent 3. Compact kitchen sure, but check out all the storage; fitted rubbish receptacles, six drawers, a wine rack below bench. Spice racks, overhead lockers with shelves and a classy class cocktail cabinet look cool.

A range hood extractor over the three-burner in-bench gas hob, and a glass lid for extra bench space when not in use, a gas grill oven is above the fridge. Above the sink a spot for the coffee machine, locker storage and a classy cocktail glass cabinet. Kitchen benches are solid, seamless Corian 4. The cab pull-down ceiling bed enjoys a lighting shelf above, and roof vent; it is enclosed as well, nice wood trim edge finish, that is a feature of the roof line when the bed is up. Notice the bed comes down above the drivers cab area, so the entertainment dining area is still free for use. Separate light and storage pelmet is nice touch, and roof vent above for airflow as required 5. Rear bedroom, large side windows. Wardrobe storage on each side, overhead locker storage, nice mirror across the rear bed head, lots of storage under the bed with drawers and cupboard shelving

TECH SPEC Chassis Fiat Ducato 2.3L TD 180 bhp, 6-speed auto trans, ESP, ABS, Hill hold, Traction Plus, electric immobiliser – on a AL-KO low frame heavy 40, 1980mm-wide wheelbase rear axle chassis.

Fitted with crank rear steadies to prevent swaying.

Dimensions (mm) Length 7780, width 2270, height 2890, internal height 1980 GVM 4500kg, tare 3365kg, payload 1135kg Certified freedom camping Water 170L fresh, 140L grey Fridge 160L inc. 30L freezer 2 x 11kg gas bottles, 160L fridge/freezer Overhead gas grill unit, 2 x 80Ah gel batteries Truma Combi heating and hot water – hot-air outlets in driver’s cabin, dashboard front, door entrances, living area, double floor and scooter garage Underfloor heating effect thanks to heated double-floor cavity (climate storage function Living-entertainment Island bed 1950mm x 1450mm, has adjustable head and quality 7-zone cold foam mattress Pull-down cab ceiling bed 1951mm x 1600mm 4.5m awning

interior plus additional lightning protection measures.

Durafix double-connection technology; furniture components bolted and mortised; durable joins, top stability and permanent quietness without annoying rattling during travel. Solid metal, household-quality holder rods, hinges and rails.

Aluminium-lined walls, not glass reinforced plastic – these coupled with a heating system that pumps through the double floor as well as specific outlets, means heat is spread evenly around the vehicle and even heats the floor!

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CARTHAGO Malibu

Malibu luxury Words Robyn Dallimore Photos Bruce Mountain

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he burnt orange colour couldn’t be ignored, nor could those round porthole windows.

We were drawn to the Malibu 640LE two-berth campervan as soon as we saw it.

You can order your own fancy colour – red, blue, white, orange, grey or black – the red and orange models are certainly happy campervans to look at.

This campervan has a rear fixed bed that can be split and raised to each side giving the ability to carry large items in the back area; a dinette in the front with cab seats that swivel

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– the dinette seats have seat belts fitted so you can take passengers with you, and there is room for their tent under the bed, accessible easily through the fully opening back doors.

In between the back and the front we have the really smart bathroom with a toilet that swivels out of a wall cavity when required, giving space in the combined toilet/bathroom/ shower area for showering needs.

The kitchen is opposite the dinette and on the opening door wall behind the driver’s side.

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TECH SPEC

9 1. A spacious dinette area, seat belts for two passengers fitted, swivel table extension as well. Lots of light with overhead skylight and roof vents. LED strip lighting around the overhead lockers. Step up into this area which allows for heating vents 2. Great to drive, grunty with its 112kW 2.3L turbo diesel engine, compact at 6350mm long and reasonable height at 2590mm 3. View from front cab to rear – the hall space is pretty good at 530mm – quite spacious considering it is a campervan 4. Kitchen bench, 2-burner gas hob inset into bench, glass lid is splashback when in use, and bench top when not. Sink-top insert becomes an extra shelf, bench extension on left end 5. A compact kitchen yes, but the drawer storage is decent size and depth, and the utility drawer across the width really great 6. Bathroom – sliding door is so smart, so is the swivel tuck away cassette toilet.

There are shower wet doors in here as well, really smart bathroom 7. Electric step is nice and wide, I like it.

Door is standard slider for entry into house area 8. Large storage under the bed, service cupboard under here, secondary storage locker plus the gas locker in the rear 9. Rear bed area, comfortable large bed, great views, lots of storage in overhead lockers as well as under the bed. Separate wardrobe as well, The round porthole windows are an extra option, but why wouldn’t you pay a little extra, they are so cool

Malibu GT 640LE 2-berth $146,990 GT Model Chassis Fiat Ducato 2.3L 112kW, turbo-charged diesel, Comformatic 6-speed auto trans with reversing camera Insulation Rear wall, doors, side walls and body supports lined with 20mm polyurethane insulating mats to prevent cold bridges. Floor with 20mm RTM hard foam insulation, laminated wood panel and PVC floor covering. Roof lined with 20mm RTM hard foam insulation, breathable wood interior and micro-fibre covering. All this offers protection in the heat and cold as well as a reduction in driving noise.

Dimensions (mm) Length 6350, width 2050, height 2590 GVM 3500kg, tare 3136kg, payload 364kg Certified Freedom Camping 2 x 105W solar panels, controllers and 80Ah battery Thetford cassette swivel top toilet, combined shower/bathroom Truma Combi 6 – 6kW heating gas/electric Dometic 2-burner gas hob 80L Dometic auto 3-way fridge with small removable freezer Water – fresh 100L, grey 92L Living – entertainment Rear bed can be split into two for raising up and placing large items (like bikes, maybe) into the rear for security. 1930mm x 1370mm and 1930mm x 1260mm. Ventilated slatted frame, 7-zone cold foam mattress RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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ILLUSION 650 XMK 4-berth

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Spanish stunner

his low-profile semi-integrated model took our fancy – why wouldn’t it with its U-shaped rear lounge, a front dinette, two drop-down ceiling electric beds and a bathroom with separate shower even.

Surprisingly spacious throughout – a good kitchen with lots of storage options, a dinette area with two front-facing seats with belts for guests, adjustable table and swivel cab seating.

The bathroom is especially nice, with features that rival some larger motorhomes on the market.

The sliding door to the bathroom is a favourite designer style of mine, such a smart use of the

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Words Robyn Dallimore Photos Bruce Mountain

space rather than opening a door out into the walkway area.

The two ceiling, drop-down electric beds take up to 250kg weight. These really do offer the owner so many variations of use, and it is good to see RV importers here looking to these styles of floor plan. Kiwis really do like a good rear lounge, but also a separate bedroom area – we want it all of course.

This is the first Citroën Jumper chassis base we have seen. With a 119kW turbo diesel engine it has plenty of grunt I am sure, though we did not drive it. This last year or so has seen the brands

underpinning the imported models changing.

This is a sign of the growth of the RV industry worldwide.

Check out this model at RnRV in Silverdale, or their website W: RnRV.co.nz to see further information and models on the Carthago Chic-C Line, the Malibu campervan or this Illusion model.

RnRV carry a range of new imported models as well as selling on behalf, and some secondhand caravans and motorhomes are available at times. See Paul and Rochelle Cook and the team to see if they can help you to live the RV Lifestyle. >

1. I loved this layout immediately, especially the sliding door on the bathroom area, big kitchen bench, rear lounge area with electric drop down bed in the ceiling 2. The electric ceiling rear bed, with ladder 3. Rear booth locker accesible from both sides, 2200mm long x 800m x 560mm.

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Reversing camera and bumper protect the rear and edges of the vehicle RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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ILLUSION 650 XMK 4-berth

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4. Lots to love about the tonings here, high gloss white with warm wood tonings and trim. Round stainless sink and quality fawcet 5. The bathroom door shut, view from rear lounge. Door on the left is a cupboard with multiple shelves in it 6. The front electric bed, you can access this easily on the seating or via a ladder, the front cab area remains clear, making it easy to make this bed 7. Rear lounge, comfortable, stylish, storage hatches behind the seating as well as overhead lockers. Pelmets and curtains on the side window, but the windows are fitted with fly screens and privacy blinds

TECH SPEC

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Illusion 650 XMK 4-berth $144,990 Chassis Citroën Jumper, 160hp, turbo diesel, 6-speed (avail manual or auto) Dimensions (mm) Length 6600, width 2350, height 2750 Garage 2200x800x560 GVM 3500kg Tare 3206kg, Payload approx. 294kg Certified Freedom Camping Solar 280W with controller and monitors, 2 x leisure batteries, Heating Truma Combi 6 – 6000W gas/electric Dometic 2-way auto fridge with internal freezer box Water 100L fresh and grey, Dometic swivel top toilet, separate shower, 2 x electric double dropdown ceiling beds

Premium Quality!

CARTHAGO C-LINE

Not your average motorhomes. Built with family pride and care by Carthago and Rapido – supplied to you in New Zealand by RnRV with family pride and care. Magnificent Design, Functionality and Quality.

We are proud to offer these outstanding motorhomes to you!

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Paul Cook Founder/Director

66 Small Road, Silverdale, Auckland | 0800 767 808 | 09 426 7679 | Email: sales@RnRV.co.nz | RnRV.co.nz

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PILOTE P600P

Hot off the Boat 1

Pilote P600P

Words Robyn Dallimore Photos Bruce Mountain

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payload and a rear tunnel boot enclosing 935 litres of storage you can take all sorts of compactible toys with you, and it is also accessible from under the bed. A tow bar can be fitted to take bigger toys as you have the motor capacity to handle it with the Fiat Ducato front-wheel-drive 2.3L 97kW diesel cab chassis.

he latest model has arrived at DeLuxe RV Group in Blenheim – the most compact length to date within the Pilote semiintegrated range they have chosen for the New Zealand market.

We take a peek into the Pilote under-6m motorhome, with three-berths, French bed, good bathroom situation with separate shower and cassette toilet, 20˝ TV with Freeview and DVD with auto satellite dish and 120W solar panel already fitted ready to go.

This size vehicle is so compact you feel like you are driving a car, but with a 728kg

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CONSTRUCTION

Structure assembly is upon aluminium rails.

Thermal–acoustic Styrofoam insulation (28mm sides and roof, 50mm floor). Polyester

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roof with hail protection, and impact-resistant Polyester skin under the floor.

Floor and side walls are enhanced with more rigid battens manufactured from Fibroplast (polyurethane reinforced with fibreglass). Batten against batten, the side wall to floor connection is optimised providing greater water tightness, insulation and solidity. With a 50mm thickness this new floor has proved to provide better insulation and rigidity, and guarantees greater cell durability by inhibiting on-the-road shock absorption.

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1. Habitation entry door is behind the driver’s cab seat. The gas locker is past that door, with waste water tap between the electric step and this locker. Further back we have the kitchen window above and toilet cassette locker toward the rear. Panoramic sunroof above the cab, offering light to the dining area – looks good on the vehicle front profile as wel 2. On the kerb/passenger side of the vehicle we have the boot storage locker entry at the rear, service access locker forward of the wheels and freshwater filler access. New aluminium skirts in two parts – easy to reshape bodywork.

Excellent if repairs are required in the future 3. Swivel cab seats add to the seating options from the front cab area.

Lots of light with the roof vents above 4. The bathroom is good size for such a compact vehicle. Sink/vanity unit with storage to the left, mirror and storage cabinets above, cassette toilet in the middle with shelf storage behind, separate shower stall to the right with pull-out concertina door 5. Seatbelts for two passengers, the TV is on a height-adjustable rail, overhead locker storage here and through to the bedroom area, with wardrobe between the spaces. Side and net curtains add a homely feel to the windows, though they have pull-up blinds and fly screens on all windows 6. The French or side bed is a reasonable size at 1380mm W x 2000mm L. The bed lifts to access the storage area underneath. Overhead lockers for storage.

Between the dinette and the bed area is wardrobe and cabinet storage space. Good ventilation, with the window for views and roof vents for light and air 7. Habitation entry is via the cell door with additional fly screen door and storage options. To the left of entry is the compact kitchen with two-burner gas cooker, under-bench gas oven. Utility drawers under the sink, and overhead locker offer more storage. A range-hood is great, and splashback keeps the area cleanable. I like the spice rack as well. Fridge past that, bathroom in the rear left corner, bed in the right rear corner. Note the lift-up spare seat at the end of the bench

TECH SPEC 2019 Fiat Ducato Pilote P600P $129,990 this model shown Vehicle: 2019 Fiat Ducato 97kW, 2.3L Turbo Diesel engine, WOF, front-wheel drive, ESP, ASR, single rear axle, wide-angle reversing camera, swivel cab seats Extra-low-profile 2.85m-high Fiat chassis with wider track. Flush-fitted double-glazed windows on aluminium frame, electric entry step.

Dimensions (mm): Length 5990, width 2300, height 2750 GVM 3500kg, tare 2772kg, payload 728kg Self-containment certified Kitchen: on-bench 2-burner gas hob, extractor fan above, under bench a gas oven Dometic 3-way auto fridge/freezer.

Water: 130L fresh, 95L grey, 10L hot water Truma Combi 4kW gas heater and hot water 120W solar with controller, monitors and a 100Ah house battery Living – Entertainment French bed 1380x2000mm Lounge area converts to single berth LED strip and spot lighting throughout Bathroom: separate shower box, pedestal toilet, corner vanity, storage, window Automatic satellite dish, 20˝ TV with Freeview and DVD, radio with Bluetooth Lshaped lounge with two passenger seat belts, front cab seats swivel to add seating. Lounge converts to single berth RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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SWIFT Explorer 650 caravan 1

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Swift Heads Off-Grid Words Robyn Dallimore Photos Cam leggett

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ased in New Plymouth Merit RV is the official Swift caravan distributor for New Zealand. Always looking to stay ahead ofthe game, owner Nathan Butler keeps a close eye on development and advances in the brand as they come out of the UK factory.

The most recent developments have seen Swift UK develop the Explorer model for the Australian market, specifically with a big boost to the chassis. The 580, 645 and 650 models are built on extra heavy-duty AL-KO chassis with an ALKO ATC trailer control fitted as standard. This boosts payload significantly, and as part of the Aussie spec’s the chassis is 100mm higher than a standard Swift caravan, giving additional ground clearance – a must

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for the Kiwi ‘freedom’ camper.

Other upgrades are the larger entrance door – increased in size by 100mm in height and width – the must-have external shower, and of course a gas bayonet hook up for the BBQ, fittings not normally found on a standard UK caravan. Fitted fresh- and grey-water tanks are a good size at 120L. Other spec’s include 200 watt solar power, two batteries, and two TV areas – one in the living area, one in the bedroom, nice. The bathroom is almost a separate full-width room with privacy doors between the living area to the front, and the bedroom area to the rear.

Check it out and see if these new models could be what you are looking for in an RV.

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1. Big windows and skylights flood the living area with light and views. The storage between the lounge seating pulls out to a small table, storage in drawers. Double-glazed windows all round with privacy blinds and fly screens. Lots of internal overhead locker storage – and this area makes up into a secondary double bed 2. Outside lockers offer extra storage, large front boot for the gas bottles and other storage items. Double-glazing with blinds and fly screens, extremely well insulated 3. Kitchen has good bench space, pull-out pantry inside the cupboard and wide utility storage drawer, easy access plugs and switches 4. Mid-ship bathroom area, toilet on the left side, shower on the right, being the kerb side of the vehicle.

An opening window, roof vent, 12V electric flush cassette toilet, lots of storage above and below in units, and bench space with mirror for makeup are just some of this room’s features. The privacy door to the front living is a slider to the left, and sliders to the right side cut off the bedroom area, creating three rooms effectively 5. Rear island bed is bigger than in standard Swift caravans. Plenty of storage with side wardrobes, bedside cabinets and shelf top, bedhead with LED reading lights as well as strip mood lighting. Roof vent overhead, good windows for views, plus a second TV unit fitted on the left wall

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TECH SPEC 2020 Swift Explorer Caravan 4-berth $80,995 Dimensions: (mm) 6380 internal, 7940 external, 2750 high GVM 2000kg, tare 1620kg Chassis: Extra heavy-duty twin-axle AL-KO chassis, AL-KO Trailer Control and stabiliser legs, 50mm AL-KO tow ball. Tow vehicle wiring adaption allows operation of fridge on 12V, and house battery charging while the caravan is being towed.

Freedom Camping: • 1 x 9kg gas bottle • Monitored fitted water tanks – 120L fresh and grey • En suite with cassette toilet, handbasin and separate shower • 190L 3-way fridge/freezer • 2-way heating and hot water (gas/240V) • Thetford Caprice Mark 3 gas oven, separate grill, hob with 1 electric + 3 gas burners • 200W solar, 2 x AGM house battery system with smart charger Entertainment – Living: • Satellite Dish • LED TV with inbuilt Freeview/DVD • CD/AM/FM Stereo • Front entertainment area converts to double bed • Rear island bed (north-south) 1850mm x 1450mm, beach slats under bed and seating Other: • 10-year body warranty • 3-year internal warranty • Outside shower • 3-way water system, choose mains water or fill tank, or draw from tank • Microwave • BBQ bayonet • Microwave • LED lighting

TRUSTED.

BY NEW ZEALAND’S LEADING MOTORHOME BRANDS.

The award-winning IVECO Daily is the ideal platform for a wide selection of motorhome bodies and offers a number of market-leading qualities such as an 8-speed full automatic transmission that provides seamless power delivery and super fast gear changes for effortless driving. Coupled to this transmission is a choice of two powerful yet fuel efficient turbo diesel engines, available with 170 hp or a segment-leading 205 hp, providing superior power for motorhome applications. The Daily also benefits from smooth riding, rear airbag suspension available as an option, and a 3500 kg braked towing capacity providing extra versatility to tow a boat, motorcycle or a small 4x4. On the safety front, the Daily features front and rear disc brakes with ABS and four airbags (driver, passenger and curtain side). IVECO’s ‘ESP 9’ safety program is also standard which includes Electronic Brake Force Distribution, Electronic Stability Program, Anti Slip Regulator and a host of additional driver aids. IVECO’s generous 40,000km service intervals also keep Daily owners on the road longer and minimise running costs a minimum. And in the unlikely event that owners need help on the road, IVECO also offers complementary 24/7 Roadside Assistance for the cab chassis warranty period (3yr/200,000 km, whichever comes first), when combined with the motorhome manufacturer’s own roadside program.

To discover why New Zealand’s leading motorhome brands trust the IVECO Daily visit www.iveco.co.nz

David Didsbury 027 403 2035 National Sales Manager

Richard Field 021 719 867 Sales Consultant

*Terms and Conditions apply. For 3 year warranty and Roadside Assistance program refer to the IVECO Warranty Statement of Terms and Conditions & IVECO Roadside Assistance Terms and Conditions (excludes Government and Fleet Buyers). Visit www.iveco.co.nz for full details. Overseas model shown. Refer to your local motorhome manufacturer for further details as actual specifications and options may differ.

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Motorhome in photo: Carado T449

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11 Pavilion Drive, Airport Oaks, Auckland | 3 Export Ave, Harewood, Christchurch | 0800 0007 627 | sales@smartrv.co.nz | smartrv.co.nz

BÜRSTNER Lyseo IT745

PROFILE

Bürstner Lyseo IT745

Here we are looking at the German-manufactured, semi-integrated and low-profile styled Bürstner Lyseo IT745 motorhome. Available at Smart RV in Auckland and Christchurch this is a new model with a dinette, rear lounge and bedroom via two electric beds, in the 7.5m range.

Words + Photos Robyn Dallimore

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e picked up the vehicle from the Smart RV and Wilderness Rentals main office, and after adjusting the seat and mirrors (for me), taking a quick look over the controls and checking the two passengers on board were secure, we headed away out the gates.

We didn’t have far to go to Villa Maria. The vehicle was easy to drive with good visibility, while acceleration was relatively smooth as we headed off into the hills for a few photos and to check out the vehicle inside and out.

EXTERIOR The chassis is a wide rear-axle Fiat Ducato

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front-wheel-drive model. Plenty of grunt for most drivers with the 2.3L multi-jet 110kW engine, with the 6-speed auto transmission. Lots of modern aspects to the exterior with LED lighting under the awning, day running lights in front, and heated and electric adjustment on the mirrors. A roof skylight breaks the low-line profile to add to a bit of character to the outside while also bringing light into the interior.

Construction wise, glass-reinforced plastic (GRP) roof and sides provide protection from hail and severe weather. The subfloor is also GRP providing impact strength for the undercarriage in order to better protect the house body under-floor structure, keeping that pesky water out of the house body being the ultimate objective. Double-glazed windows, electric entry step and full-width boot storage big enough for most needs. Bike racks can be fitted, as can a tow bar if required.

INTERIOR The habitation entry door is on the driver’s (right) side of the vehicle. The electric step comes out at the touch of the easily accessible button control inside the door – you step up to the first recessed step in the vehicle and up again into the main cabin area. The floor throughout is one height, no steps to contend with once in the vehicle. I especially like the grab-handle on the left wall of the entry point, the ease of accessing the lights, and that electric step button right there in easy reach.

2 1. The exterior styling is pleasing to the eye. This is a semi-integrated low-line model, with door entry on the driver’s right side of the vehicle.

Tinted windows and colour detailing around them add a bit of pizzazz to the aesthetics 2. The Fiat cab entry door has fitted privacy blinds in the windows and windscreen. Two passenger storage options in the door, step-up entry to cab 3. A rear camera is a must have, and the rear bumper offers exterior protection across the rear RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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PROFILE

BÜRSTNER Lyseo IT745

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Above this point is the TV on a swivel mount, with other monitors easily read and accessed on the top panel above this.

Upon entry we have the dinette area with front-facing seating with the two seatbelts fixed. The batteries and power needs are under the seating here. The front cab seats swivel to be part of the seating and entertainment area.

Above, tucked into the ceiling, is the second berth option for the vehicle, an electric dropdown bed with a weight rating of 200kg, perfect for guests of both adult or child size.

The kitchen is behind the dinette, offering a full gas oven, gas hob top with glass cover, lending itself to be used for preparation space. A compact L kitchen with two drawers for necessities below the round sink, and overhead locker storage for other kitchen items. Not a lot of storage compared to some kitchens, but the in-floor hatch storage spaces can help here. Reasonable-sized three-way auto 145L fridge with internal freezer box is great.

The bathroom offers plenty of storage in a compact area, separate shower box to the right with two drainage plugs, 12V electric

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flush cassette toilet to the left. This area also has a heating vent so can be used as a drying room if required. The toilet roll is kept inside the cupboard under the vanity sink – a letterbox style opening brings the paper through it to be accessed for use.

Nice way to keep the roll dry.

The rear lounge has a two-seater couch along the back wall, a shelf on each side for cups of tea, a book and glasses, and a coffee table in front. Room for extra seats too.

Above these are wardrobe storage lockers

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just as in a normal RV bedroom. The ceiling has wood panel features and LED lighting, nice features. Buttons on the wall indicate this is an electric bed – with a flip down of the back lounge cushions and lowering of the table if required, this space converts to a bedroom with a north-south island bed of a pretty decent size with pretty good views out the windows over the vineyard. All they need now in this area is a TV and maybe a USB charging port or two – they would be handy.

The central heating system runs all around the vehicle, behind cabinetry as well to create a healthy, breathing air system.

There is a lot to like in this mid-sized motorhome, and it ticked a big box for me with its rear lounge area, and two electric ceiling beds, nice to see some new layouts coming out of Europe that suit our Kiwi way of living the RV Lifestyle.

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11 4. The habitation entry door has a window with privacy blind, fly screen and rubbish bin fitted. A grab-handle on the left entry wall great for safe entry. Switches for lights and the electric step to hand. Above, a TV unit on swivel mounting plus monitors. Even a heating vent below and a couple of storage pockets. Nice mirrored effect on the corner that throws reflective light around the front adding to its visual appeal 5. The table is great and is made larger with the swinging extension leaf beneath for extra guests, side wall seats and the swivel seats in the front cab turning for comfortable and adjustable seating to the table is handy as well 6. The front bed is in the house dinette area, not over the driver’s cab – great for bed making and airflow.

Note the ceiling vent above the bed, and separate roof vent above the cab area. Love the strip LED lighting as well 7. Easy-to-drive vehicle, all the basics with USB charging, drink holders, cruise control, reversing camera and the now common traction plus and hillholding technology. Easy vehicle to jump into and drive away with confidence 8. Storage in the front low-line roof area, making use of every space for travelling essentials 9.The 145L auto fridge/freezer on the left with storage above; full gas oven/grill with three gas burners and range-hood above; overhead locker storage with shelf.

The kitchen sink has bench prep space to the left, two drawers underneath 10. The rear area as a lounge with coffee table, great views out the windows, the bedroom side cabinets are multifunctional for lounge use as well. LED lights in the bed above and nice detailing hiding the fact it is a bed 11. The rear of the vehicle has an electric ceiling dropdown bed with wardrobes both sides, side cabinets under them offering all the standard island bedroom requirements. Domestic-looking roman sheer blinds offer privacy and light 12. The bathroom is well equipped with shower to the right, centre vanity sink and toilet to the left. Storage above and below units, mirror and shelves as well 13. Stepping into the vehicle the dinette is opposite, kitchen behind it in the centre. two storage drawers under the kitchen sink bench

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TECH SPEC Bürstner Lyseo IT745 4-berth $169,990 Vehicle: 2019 Fiat Ducato 2.3L Multi-jet 110kW/150hp Euro 6 Diesel Six-speed auto transmission, cruise control, adjustable and heated mirrors Dual airbags, ABS, ESP, traction and hill holder, reversing camera Dimensions (mm): Length 7650, width 2300, external height 2950, internal height 2050 GVM 3850kg tare 3140kg payload 710kg tow up to 2000kg if certified Living: Four-berth. Front cab electric bed 2000mm x 125mm. Rear electric bed 1900mm x 1500mm Cold foam memory mattress Entertainment: 19˝ HD-LED TV with recording ability and Freeview. 1 x USB charger, Bluetooth stereo system. 4.5m awning with LED lights Freedom Camping: Power – 2 x 90Ah batteries, 1000W inverter, 150W solar panel – 230V. Living – 3-burner gas hob and oven with extractor fan.

Combi 6E gas electric heater. 145L three-way auto fridge with internal freezer. Water tanks 120L fresh, 90L grey, 10L hot water tank. 2 x 9kg gas bottle storage RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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NEW 2020 MODELS ARRIVING SOON

S W NE FL !

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WE CONTINUE TO GROW… NATIONWIDE RV ACQUIRES AUCKLAND MOTORHOMES! NATIONWIDE RV IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE ACQUISITION OF AUCKLAND MOTORHOMES IN DRURY Nationwide RV have been selling quality motorhomes in New Zealand and the purchase of Auckland Motorhomes means we are now the sole agent for the total Autotrail range. With the purchase of Auckland Motorhomes, this also means that Nationwide RV will be taking over the New Age caravans and McLouis range. As part of the business expansion, the New Plymouth branch of Nationwide RV will be moving in the new year to a new premises on Devon Road where McCurdy Engineering were previously. Nationwide RV would like to thank all of its customers and trade affiliates for their support and business through 2019.

We look forward to a good 2020 year and continuing our commitment to providing quality motorhomes and first class customer service.

From all of us at Nationwide RV, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year!

www.nationwiderv.co.nz

ASHBURTON 131 ARCHIBALD STREET, ASHBURTON PH 033078037 SILVERDALE 2 FLEXMAN PLACE, SILVERDALE, AUCKLAND PH 094269916 TARANAKI 11 BURTON STREET, NEW PLYMOUTH PH 067580984 AUCKLAND 61 CREEK STREET, DRURY 09-294 6500

13–15 March, 2020 9am – 5pm everyday

ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane, Auckland www.supershow.co.nz

Go in the draw

Win

to

raft a Jayco Starced caravan valu at over $64K

Come along to the 2020 Covi Motorhome, Caravan & Outdoor SuperShow a $64K Jayco Starcraft 19.61-4 caravan – MUST BE WON! t’s & c’s apply, see www.supershow.co.nz

» Tickets (at gate): $16 Adults » Multiple day pass: $25 » Children under 16 free

Breaking News

COVI Advertorial

The Covi SuperShow 2020 is back with a $64,000 Jayco Caravan Giveaway

T

he Covi Motorhome Caravan & Outdoor SuperShow is offering the biggest prize at a motorhome and caravan show in New Zealand. One lucky visitor will win a $64,432 Jayco Starcraft 19.61-4 caravan. That’s right, someone will tow away this amazing caravan following the Covi SuperShow. Winning it is as easy as collecting seven stamps from around the show, filling out your details, and dropping the entry at the gate prize entry area.

The Covi SuperShow is the largest motorhome and caravan event in New Zealand and features all the major motorhome and caravan brands. The show is the place to come if you’re thinking about your next motorhome or caravan purchase. The latest releases from all over the world will be on display, offering a range of styles and layouts to suit everyone from those brand new to the lifestyle, to those considering a permanent home for the road.

Also back for 2020 is the $10,000 cashback offer. In conjunction with Covi NZMCA Insurance, the Covi SuperShow organisers are again giving $10,000 cash to one lucky visitor who purchases a motorhome or caravan at the show or in the two weeks after the show (you must have registered at the show, and some terms and conditions apply).

Getting to the show will be easy, with free

buses planned from the Greenlane train station and parking available close to the showgrounds in Alexandra Park.

Make a weekend of it by meeting up with motorhoming or caravanning friends and heading to the Covi SuperShow Rally at the nearby Ellerslie Racecourse. For the 2020 Covi SuperShow it will be free to stay at the rally – that’s right, no charge. What’s more, you can bring your pets. They unfortunately can’t come to the show but you will be able to exercise them at the rally on a lead. There will be free buses to get you to and from the show and any purchases you make can be delivered back to the rally that evening (unless it’s a motorhome or caravan). There is no need to register, just keep an eye out on the website, The Motor Caravanner magazine, or sign up to the visitor newsletter for more details.

Mark the dates in your calendar now and keep checking www.supershow.co.nz for more exciting developments.

than $10,000. The MAVE automatic hydraulic levelling kit is state-of-the-art technology that will ensure it is quick easy and comfortable to get your motorhome or caravan perfectly level when you reach your destination.

The newsletters will keep you up to date with what’s happening at the show so you won’t miss a thing.

THE ESSENTIALS

Covi Motorhome, Caravan & Outdoor SuperShow Friday, Saturday, Sunday 13th, 14th, 15th March 9am – 5pm ASB Showgrounds Greenlane, Auckland Tickets at the gate $16 for the day $25 for multiple day pass

SIGN UP AND WIN

Do you want to win a motorhome or caravan levelling system from Apollo Entertainment?

Head to www.supershow.co.nz and register for the visitor newsletter and you will be in the draw to win the system valued at more RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

127

WENDEKREISEN Advertorial

1. No MDF or Particle Board used. All furniture is ply 2. The top bed can be lowered all the way down.

3. All upholstery and curtains are made by Starfish interiors

Koru Star 4 Freedom

T

he Wendekreisen Koru Star 4 Freedom Campervan has been designed for freedom camping off the grid with up to four adults. It is beyond doubt competing to be New Zealand’s best non-composite 4-berth campervan.

The VW Crafter has been upgraded to a 130kW engine and offers a range of safety features such as side-wind compensation, autonomous emergency braking, collision-warning assist and active 360° sensor side protect. The Crafter complies with the EU6 emission standard and is extremely economical at 10L/100km.

The 4-seat front configuration enables all passengers to travel together in close vicinity. It also serves as an area to socialise or have meals whilst the rear beds are set up. Tinted windows improve privacy and support good sleep in combination with quality curtains.

Standard features include an on-board touch screen with reversing camera, a pull-out pantry, a full bathroom (with hand basin), a 130L fridge, decent kitchen bench space, a 3-burner gas cooker with sink and ample storage.

In line with previous productions in the freedom range, we have added a powerful 280W

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MPPT controlled solar system. Two quality deepcycle batteries provide solid 2.88kWh or 240Ah of in-house battery storage. The combination of good solar and sufficient power storage allows you to camp independently for long periods at a time.

The hot water is produced by an instantaneous Suburban LPG IW60 flow-through gas waterheating system that will deliver hot water on demand as needed.

The vehicle is equipped with USB and 12V power supplies to allow modern ways of charging your handheld devices. The combination of energy efficient appliances and LED lighting results in extremely good energy performance whilst freedom camping.

Additionally, we have installed a 2.2kW diesel heating system. This allows for more energy storage and reduces the need to refill LPG gas bottles. The diesel heating system is connected to the 75L diesel tank and uses an average of 300mL per hour of heating.

Overall, this vehicle offers safe transport at little fuel expense, designed for independent camping away from costly 2 campgrounds.

NEW PURCHASE PRICE NZ$164,990 INCL GST FEATURES • 3-burner gas stove • 130L fridge (12V) • 280W solar panels • 240Ah battery • Water: 100L Grey 115L • Diesel heating • In-built TV SPECIFICATIONS • VW Crafter 50, 130kW, RWD model 2020 • 1968cc Twin Turbo Diesel 8-Speed Automatic • Active side protection (360° sensors) • Dimensions H 2.8m, L 7.39m, W 2.04m • Interior height: 2.15m • Double bed (rear bottom) 1.85m x 1.55m • Double bed (rear top) 1.85m x 1.30m • Rear doors open 270°

3

WALKABOUT

George Begg at Classic The Covi SuperShow Motorcycle Mecca 2020 is back with a $64,000 Jayco Caravan Giveaway BREAKING NEWS:

T A

legend is coming home. Classic Motorcycle Mecca, the leading motorcycle collection in the Southern Hemisphere, will soon be home to a world-class display that pays homage to George Begg, a motorsport icon of the 1950s through to his retirement in 1974. The George Begg exhibit will bring Begg’s incredible story – one of taking on the world, and winning, all from a rural New Zealand workshop – to the public. With vehicles built in Begg’s legendary rural workshop, memorabilia from his car-building and motorcycling days and more, it will offer visitors a fascinating insight into how the Southland engineer reached dizzying heights on the world stage. Entry to the George Begg exhibit will be included in admission to the collection, which boasts more than 300 motorcycles including three out of four publicly displayed John Britten bikes, the largest display of Brough Superior south of the Equator, Harley-Davidson, Vincent, tributes to icons such as speedway legend Ivan Mauger, Japanese bikes and more. Those visiting Classic Motorcycle Mecca during the annual Burt Munro Challenge will receive the ‘first look’ at the new exhibit.

he Covi Motorhome Caravan & Outdoor SuperShow is offering the biggest prize at a motorhome and caravan show in New Zealand. One lucky visitor will win a $64,432 Jayco Starcraft 19.61-4 caravan. That’s right, someone will tow away this amazing caravan following the Covi SuperShow.

The Covi SuperShow has teamed up with the good people at Jayco and Jayco Auckland to bring this Jayco Starcraft 19.61-4 caravan to the show. It comes packed with extras including air conditioning, a roll out awning, a washing machine, an innersprung mattress, and Alko Electronic Stability Control plus much more. Winning it is as easy as collecting seven stamps from around the show, filling out your details, and dropping the entry at the gate prize entry area.

Jayco are Australasia’s leading caravan and motorhome manufacturer and the Covi SuperShow is proud to partner with them to give visitors the opportunity to win.

Check out supershow.co.nz for the full list of features and the terms and conditions.

When: February 2020 Where: Classic Motorcycle Mecca, Invercargill NZ Visit motorcyclemecca.nz for more information.

GREAT CHRISTMAS GIFT See page 122 Also available in all Whitcoulls, Paper Plus and retail outlets. $10RRP

www.rnrpublishing.co.nz RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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Upcoming EVENT GUIDE ILT CHRISTMAS VARIETY SHOW

When: December 22 Where: ILT Stadium, Invercargill W: southlandnz.com/node/537451 Without doubt the ILT Christmas Variety Show is one of the highlights of the event calendar with over 400 performers and a special guest appearance from Santa Claus! A spectacular show which always sells out.

WESTPORT RACES TROTS

BAY DREAMS

When: January 4 Where: Trafalgar Park, Nelson W: baydreams.co.nz Presented by Greenroom Vodka and The Edge, Bay Dreams will return in 2020 to Trafalgar Park in Nelson on January 4, with international superstar Tyler, The Creator confirmed as a headliner, alongside other international names including Skepta, Yelawolf and Ella Mai.

When: December 26 Where: Westport A stunning setting, relaxed atmosphere and fantastic live entertainment – this is summer NZ! Treat the whole gang to classic summer memories and smiles with a fun-filled day out trackside at the Interislander Summer Festival Westport Trots.

CLASSIC DAY

When: January 11 Where: Wellington Racing Club W: wellingtonracing.co.nz/wellington-cupcarnival-classic-day.aspx The first day of the NZCIS Wellington Cup Carnival is a day for lovers of sunshine and racing. Our time-honoured tradition is showcased with three black type races, including the Group 1 Levin Classic. Relax between races with live music on the champagne lawn – it’s a true day for timeless classics and sophisticated indulgence.

SPEED WORKS MOTORSPORT NZ CHAMPIONSHIP

When: January 18–19 Where: Highlands Motorsport Park, Cromwell W: highlands.co.nz/event/speedworksmotorsport-nz-championship/ The Speed Works MotorSport NZ Championship is back from the Christmas break and on over the weekend of January 18 and 19 at the fantastic Highlands Motorsport Park in picturesque Cromwell. And it’s a big weekend for motorsport with a new-look Castrol Toyota Racing Series and a brand new class – TCR – making their first appearances.

GIN WIGMORE WITH TAMI NEILSON AND HOLLIE SMITH

RHYTHM & VINES 2019

When: December 29–31 Where: 75 Waimata Valley Rd, Gisborne W: rhythmandvines.co.nz Chase the sun to Rhythm and Vines, the ultimate New Year’s destination to welcome in the new decade. Widely regarded as one of the world’s best New Year’s destinations, 20,000 people from all around the world will once again be travelling to the most eastern point of Aotearoa to farewell the decade in style and welcome in the first sunrise of 2020.

BASS CAMP FESTIVAL

When: December 30–January 1 Where: Dipton W: southlandnz.com/node/462708 Three nights of bands, DJs, fire performers, and daily workshops. A family-friendly festival for creative minds, music lovers and ravers alike! Join us for an unforgettable New Year’s experience.

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

When: January 7 Where: Soper Reserve, Mt Maunganui One of New Zealand’s most-loved and unique female artists, Gin Wigmore, makes her great return to the Kiwi stage to perform at Soper Reserve this January. Joined by Tami Neilson and Hollie Smith, this legendary powerhouse female line-up will have you up from your picnic blanket and away dancing in the Mt Maunganui twilight for one of summer’s biggest shows!

To WIN tickets Post or email subject to: RVNZT Win Tickets, PO Box 220, Martinborough 5711.

Email: subs@rvmagazine.co.nz Will be drawn 7 days prior to the event.

AUCKLAND FOLK FESTIVAL 2020

Where: Kumeū Showgrounds, Kumeū WIN TICKETS When: January 24–27 W: aucklandfolkfestival.co.nz The Auckland Folk Festival is New Zealand’s largest folk music and dance festival. Come and celebrate the 47th annual festival at the Kumeū Showgrounds on Auckland Anniversary Weekend.

With international guest artists, musicians from around New Zealand and six stages there is something for everyone!

Upcoming EVENT GUIDE FRANKLIN SUMMER FEST 2020

HSBC NZ SEVENS 2020

When: January 25–26 Where: FMG Stadium Waikato, Hamilton W: sevens.co.nz Explosive rugby. Global spotlight. Epic vibe.

On-field action. Off-field action. Mind-blowing.

Eye-popping.

MARLBOROUGH WINE AND FOOD FESTIVAL

When: February 8 Where: Brancott Estate, Blenheim W: wine-marlborough-festival.co.nz It’s time to save the date for the 2020 Marlborough Wine and Food Festival, New Zealand’s original and longest-running wine festival held in a world-renowned wine producing region.

When: February 29 Where: Pukekohe Showgrounds, Pukekohe Get your friends together for the biggest party in town featuring a great line-up. Enjoy the lip smacking selection of delicious gourmet food from slow cooked BBQ through to seafood and vegan dishes accompanied by a fine selection of wines, ciders and craft beers. Slap on your sunscreen, grab your picnic blanket, put on your dancing jandals and get ready to celebrate summer in front of the big stage and have a huge day of fun.

TARANAKI COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL ROTORUA HOME & GARDEN SHOW

When: January 31 – February 2 Where: Energy Events Centre, Rotorua W: homeandgardenshow.co.nz/events/rotoruahome-garden-show Check out the variety, the innovations and take advantage of the expert advice. There will be exclusive show specials and exhibitors showcasing the latest trends, plus everyone who attends has the opportunity to enter the draw to win a fabulous show prize.

When: February 14–16 Where: Memorial Place, Waitara W: taranakifestival.co.nz Our aim is to promote Country Music, bring top notable International and National artists to our region, also to encourage the up and coming.

Parking for motorhomes, caravans, or if you have a tent can do this across the road in the school grounds.

A-HA – HUNTING HIGH AND LOW

When: March 5th-6th Where: Horncastle Arena, Christchurch W: FrontierTouring This is the band’s first ever visit to the country and will also mark the return of a day on the green to New Zealand. They’ll be joined by very special guest Rick Astley at both New Zealand shows.

New Zealand’s own guitar pop heroes The Beths will also join the lineup in Auckland-ha

WILD FOODS FESTIVAL

When: March 7 WIN TICKETS Where: Cass Square, Hokitika W: wildfoods.co.nz There’s plenty of wild food and entertainment at the Hokitika Wildfoods Festival to keep you busy from morning and into the evening!

Take a walk on the wild side … we dare you!

GOLD TRAIL

When: February 8 Where: Shantytown, Greymouth W: goldtrail.co.nz A 40km Mountain Bike Ride that will leave a lasting impression for life.

This is achievable by everyone – young, old, middle aged, athlete, weekend warrior or first-time rider looking for a real challenge. You’ll be lost in the beauty, and a few times you may have to get off your bike to cross a creek or get over a tree if it has blown down. This natural West Coast beauty will leave you breathless at times.

NAPIER ART DECO FESTIVAL

When: February 19–23 Where: Marine Parade, Napier W: artdeconapier.com/Events.html Put on your finery and help kick start Napier’s biggest and best weekend. Join His Worship the Mayor, sponsors and dignitaries as we open the Napier Art Deco Festival. Take in the first of the Flying Displays, admire the cars and fashions, and let your imagination soar as we showcase a selection of the entertainment available during the festival.

WAIRARAPA HARVEST FESTIVAL

When: March 14 Where: The Cliffs Riverside Reserve, WIN TICKETS Dakins Road, Gladstone W: wairarapaharvestfestival.co.nz The best of the Wairarapa is expected on the plate as well as in the glass with award-winning chefs from high-profile restaurants throughout the region preparing local specialities. A variety of bands will entertain festival goers throughout the afternoon.

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mhftowns .com

Motorhome Friendly DESTINATIONS & EVENTS

Proudly Supported by the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association | nzmca.org.nz | mhftowns.com

Park & Stay available at all these Events Country Music, Airshows, Festivals, Food & Wine, Motorsport & more! For further information visit: mhftowns.com/events

Top Paddock Music Festival

Topp Twins Concert

Wai Worri Country Muster

Kidnappers Country Fest

Branded Waiuku Concert

Wanaka, 31 December ‘19

Waipawa, 4 January ‘20

Aranga, 4 - 5 January ‘20

Hastings, 10 - 12 January ‘20

10 - 12 January ‘20

Motueka Country Music Fest 11 - 12 January ‘20

Marton Country Music Fest

Whanganui Vintage Weekend 17 - 20 January ‘20

Classics of the Sky Airshow

Katikati Avocado Festival

17 - 19 January ‘20

Tauranga, 18 January ‘20

18 January ‘20

The Lady Killers Concert

Bridge Pa Wine Festival

Kumeu Classic Car Festival

Waipawa, 18 January ‘20

Hastings, 18 January ‘20

Auckland, 18 - 19 January ‘20

Wairarapa Country Music Fest Featherston, 24 - 26 Jan ‘20

Hamilton, 24 - 27 January ‘20

Auckland Folk Festival

Taupo Summer Concert

Kiwigrass Music Festival

Michael Buble’ Concert

NZ Masters Games

24 - 27 January ‘20

25 January ‘20

Cambridge, 31 Jan - 2 Feb ‘20

Napier, 1 February ‘20

Dunedin, 1 - 9 February ‘20

Festival One

Elton John Concert

Buller Gorge Music Festival

Burt Munro Challenge

Dunedin, 4 February ‘20

4 - 6 February ‘20

Invercargill, 5 - 9 February ‘20

Leadfoot Hahei, 8 - 9 February ‘20

Marlborough Wine Festival Queen + Adam Lambert Concert Blenheim, 8 February ‘20

Dunedin, 10 February ‘20

Elton John Concert

Egmont Country Festival

Napier, 6 & 15 February ‘20

New Plymouth, 7 - 9 Feb ‘20

Taranaki Country Music Fest Waitara , 14 - 16 February ‘20

River Park Blues Festival Waipawa, 15 February ‘20

Covi Supershow 13 - 15 March, 2020 New Zealand’s number 1 Nostalgia Festival that celebrates the best of the 50’s & 60’s - Rock and Roll, Hot Rods, Classic Cars and Motorbikes. The festival hosts a wide range of events for all interests and tastes Grand Parade, Classic Car Show, Main Street Car Show, Auto Trade Swap Meet, a Retro Caravan Show & much, much more! CSC Motorhome/Caravan parking available find out more on mhftowns.com

While we strive to have information as up-to-date as possible, all prices and details are subject to change.

All prices and details are determined by the event organisers, not the NZMCA or Motorhome Friendly Towns. You MUST be event ticket holders/attendees to park at these advertised events.

Discover your new favourite Kiwi trail!

Visit mhftowns.com/trails

Alexandra | Ashburton | Carterton | Coromandel | Cromwell | Dannevirke | Featherston | Feilding | Foxton | Geraldine | Gisborne | Gore Greymouth | Hastings | Hawera | Hokitika | Kaikoura | Kaikohe | Katikati | Kawerau | Levin | Mangakino | Marton | Masterton | Methven Morrinsville | Mosgiel | Napier | Opunake | Oamaru | Paeroa | Pahiatua | Palmerston North | Putaruru | Rotorua | Stratford | Taumarunui Taupo | Taihape | Te Aroha | Te Kuiti | Temuka | Timaru | Tokoroa | Waihi | Waimate | Wairoa | Westport | Whakatane | Whangamata | Whanganui Whangarei | Whitianga | Woodville

mhftowns .com

MOTORHOME FRIENDLIEST TOWNS & PARKING EVENTS

Proudly Supported by

nzmca.org.nz

MARKET PLACE

Contact us to advertise: FREE to subscribers or $25 casual advertisers per issue. Supply maximum 35 words, phone, price and contact email, plus one photo 1mb in size. Post to: RV For Sale, PO Box 220 Martinborough, 5711 or Email: Subs@rvmagazine.co.nz

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2009 Mercedes Atego Camper

2010 VW Crafter

2013 Elddis Buccaneer Clipper

2006 Waverley 10.3M

Onboard metro generator, self contained New electric awning, sleeps 6-8 people $220,000 Ph: 027 502 6974

2 permanent beds at rear. Double bed up front.

Front swivel seats. 7.2m. Auto 2.5.Table front or rear. Microwave, Auto TV, 150 watt solar panel. $75,000 Ph: 021574453

8M immaculate, comfortably sleeps 4. 2 decent sized single beds, fully insulated. Central heating, stability control, anti-sway $62,000ono Ph: 021 710 272

Built for us in 2006 by Wakerley Motorhomes on an Isuzu FRR 500 Chassis with 7.8 Litre Turbo Diesel and 6 speed manual Rimu timber interior, slide-out $230,000 ono Ph: 027 476 9847

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2015 Dethleffs XLI Globetrotter A

1991 Trail Lite Zephyr 450

2017 Dethleffs Magic Edition

Ford Transit Kea Dreamtime

Very well maintained, wide entry door Weber BBQ, 6 new tyres Mar 19 New sealed starter battery, new carpet mats $195,000 ono Ph: 027 896 5423

Interior good condition, can sleep four Has the odd small exterior dent Self-contained, an iconic caravan $18,000 Ph: 07 307 0503 Coastal Motorhomes

As new condition, features level floor, flush-fitting windows, leather interior, special lighting and quality cabinets and fittings Very modern and light inside. $139,000 ono Ph: 021 443 298

Reduced in price to sell b4 Xmas, Reasonable Offers considered. As a rear wheel drive with dual’s, these vehicle are sought after for their traction and ability not to get stuck $95,990 ono Ph: 027 496 4813

Routine maintenance and servicing means trouble-free camping!

Our fully equipped, 10-bay RV Service Centre is manned by experienced technicians with years of experience in both New Zealand and European caravans and motorhomes.

We can help with awnings, damp repairs, insurance repairs, satellite, solar, self containment and routine servicing – we’re your one-stop shop for RV repairs.

FREEWAY LEISURE & RV CENTRE LTD.

EV CHARGER INSTALLATIONS / INSPECTIONS www.electrasafe.co.nz AUCKLAND AUCKLAND // WAIKATO WAIKATO AREA AREA CALL: 09 828 1993 / CALL: 09 828 1993 / 0800 0800 WE WE INSPECT INSPECT

EV CHARGER / CALL: 09 828 1993INSTALLATIONS / 0800 WE INSPECT INSPECTIONS

PARTS & ACCESSORIES REPAIRS & MAINTENANCE SELF CONTAINMENT WORK ph. 04 233 0331 | email: steve@freeway.co.nz 25 Ulric St, Plimmerton, Wellington

Beer & Coffee!

OR BOOK ONLINE OR BOOK ONLINE

www.electrasafe.co.nz We use local produce www.electrasafe.co.nz

where possible with local wines and local craft beer on tap.

Legendary service!

90 Commercial Street, Golden Bay Ph: 03 525 9636 | E: brigandcafe@xtra.co.nz

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

Direct to the public across New Zealand 07 846 7771 www.rvsupplies.co.nz

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Toyota Coaster

2003 Mitsubishi Canter

1998 Mazda T3500

5th Wheel & Ranger Ute

New cam belt, water pump, belts and hoses Reconditioned radiator, fresh service. Runs like a dream and starts first time every time $39,800 Ph: 021 057 7724

Total Freedom camping capable with Solar Panel installed. New COF and 6 months rego just applied Mongoose radio/dvd player/gps/bluetooth CB radio, CO2 alarm installed $53,000 Ph: 027 476 4696

Has a great feeling of space. Big U-shaped lounge Great condition inside and out for its age Up to date with servicing and maintenance as well as any preventative maintenance. $43,000 ono Ph: 021 908 334

Motorhome has all the standard features plus much more. Ranger 26,000km and is in as new condition. Must be sold together $165,000 ono Ph: 021 846 317

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2004 Jayco Heritage

2018 CI Magis 82P

Isuzu Motohome

2017 Dethleffs 650 RQT

Very roomy with separate lounge & dining Double island bed that extends plus under bed storage. Security door and insect screens $61,000 ono Ph: 027 469 5371

Near new CI Motorhome has 2 sought after beds at rear with a rear shower and toilet, with another dbl bed up the front. This beauty motorhome is equipped with Everything!! $130,000 ono Ph: 027 459 1955

Built by Wade coach builders, HT licence required Plenty of outside storage, bbq, washing machine/ dryer. Ladder to top deck, four house batteries $130,000 Ph: 027 606 5010

Stacks with lots of extras, oven upgrade.

Awning, 2 king singles, 2000 watt inverter, full stone guard $87,500 ono Ph: 027 677 1405

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2012 Swift Bessacarr

2016 Swift Escape 686

1999 Ford Transit

2005 Zong Tong A-Class Motorhome

Easy to drive and being a certified 4 berth is ideal for a travelling family. Plenty of cupboard and storage space and many extras.

Low milage 31,000km, 3000 kms of RUC $118,000 ono Ph: 027 450 1259

Always been stored under cover, mileage 7500km 6 berth, 6 seatbelts, new deep cycle battery Service at Winger Hamilton Dec 2017 $125,000 ono Ph: 021 255 5318

Good tidy condition throughout Double insulated windows, 2 berth but sleeps 4 96400km 5 speed manual $52,000 Ph: 027 478 5365

11.5m wide body, new 320 Cummings motor.

New deep cell batteries and driving batteries.

Loads locker space, self-levelling stabilisers. $260,000ono Ph: 021 022 56653

For all soft Upholstery needs Squabs, Wall linings & carpet 21 Chelmer Street Oamaru ph. 03-434 6238 E: info@blackhawkltd.co.nz www.blackhawk.net.nz

Wholesale Discounts Direct to the Public “to bring you the BEST brands with the BEST choice, at the BEST price” 07 846 7771 www.rvsupplies.co.nz

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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MARKET PLACE

Contact us to advertise: FREE to subscribers or $25 casual advertisers per issue. Supply maximum 35 words, phone, price and contact email, plus one photo 1mb in size. Post to: RV For Sale, PO Box 220 Martinborough, 5711 or Email: Subs@rvmagazine.co.nz

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1997 Isuzu Campervan

2016 Fiat Ducato

2014 Autotrail Tracker

2003 VW LT35

Furnishings are all in good order. New COF 2 new house batteries. Solar panel, converter, 98,000kms $80,000 ono Ph: 027 232 0234

Immaculate condition, just had a 45,00km service Permanent dbl bed, outside locker storage Auto 6 speed drive on car license $99,950 Ph: 027 622 1475

Super low engine, 6 spd manual override Full leather seating, blackout blinds Spacious bathroom, perm rear double bed $118,000 ono Ph: 027 490 4516

Well presented and in good tidy condition Runs well and is regularly serviced Built in pull out awning $29,500 ono Ph: 027 725 1381

N

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ZEALAND MA DE

this Winter with...

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Coachcraft Mercedes Sprinter

2007 Traillite Akaora

2003 Lunar Stellar 2 Berth

1986 Hino Blue Ribbon

4 berth beautiful motorhome, only done 14,500km Crash camera, daylight running lights. Lots of extras and storage $158,500 Ph: 021 830 773

In good modern condition, has been well looked after and serviced, huge storage inside and out Outdoor hot and cold shower, built in safe and alarm $110,000 ono Ph: 027 431 7504 Sparky

large corner kitchen area, mm, new solar and inflatable awning $22900 Ph: 021 300 740 Alexander Caravans

Perfect for full time living or just cruising the country. Always gets loads of attention, its in great condition. And has been well cared for, king size bed $110,000 ono Ph: 022 356 3857

The Cute Wee Fire with a Big Heart

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2004 Bailey Pageant Moselle

A 1.2kw Lion wetback can be 2008 Lunar Lexon fitted to heat your hot water.

L shape lounge, rear bathroom, mm, solar, inflatable awning, NZ certificates Alexander British Caravans Ph: 021300740

Everyone loves Sparky.

He can be found in many diverse locations and situations from mobile homes, house boats, holiday homes, tiny houses, tucked up in front of inefficient old open fires and even in larger modern new builds.

Sparky will keep you cosy and warm and boil the kettle for a cuppa while1-20 he chuckles away and 545 brightens your day.

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2010 Kea Endeavour Signature Series

ISLAND BED, VGC, mid bathroom, mm, solar panel, Cruises effortlessly and is a pleasure to drive inflatable awning, NZ certificates $37,900 Colour In tip top condition with everything in good Alexander British Caravans 021300740options now working order As new full motorhome cover available! $99,000 Ph: 027 497 3955

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2006 Sterling Vitesse 520 4 Berth, large end bathroom, mm, solar panel, inflatable awning, outstanding condition, NZ certificates, $37,900 Alexander British Caravans Ph: 021300740

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

Mon-Fri 8.30am-5pm, Sat 9am-2pm. Riverlea Rd, Hamilton, Ph: 07 856 0393, Email: sleepland@email.com

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2015 Coastal Motorhome

2016 Jayco Silverline

1996 Hino Rainbow

2003 Bailey Ranger 470/4

Near new condition, travelled only 18,600km Fitted cab surround blinds Delivery within the North Island if required $169,000 ono Ph: 027 568 2861

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Converted 2007, swivel chairs in front Ideal for permanent living or getaways Very comfortable and drives like a dream $134,000 ono Ph: 027 436 4878

Compact 4 berth, large rear bathroom, insulated and double glazed, mm, with 3.5m inflatable awning, very light weight, NZ certificates $20,950 Alexander British Caravans Ph: 021300740

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2015 Jayco Silverline

2010 Traillite 6.6M

2013 Autotrail Tracker FB

2008 Elite Quattro FB

Excellent condition, hardly used. Would suit a new buyer. Club lounge, double slide out, leather interior External TV outlet, washing machine $82,000 Ph: 027 492 7881

No expense has been spared on this caravan, has been kept up to date with constant renewal.

Has been kept under cover when not in use.

This caravan is built in NZ for NZ conditions $74,000 Ph: 027 291 5835

4 berth 6 speed manual Lots of storage, front sky light Motor home cover, external shower point $109,000ono Ph: 021 067 9418

6 Berth, twin axle, front sofas, dinette and fixed bed! VGC, insulated and double glazed, full oven, new solar panel, and a new full awning, NZ certificates $37,900 Alexander BritishCaravans Ph: 021300740

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Contact us to advertise: FREE to subscribers or $25 casual advertisers per issue. Supply maximum 35 words, phone, price and contact email, plus one photo 1mb in size. Post to: RV For Sale, PO Box 220 Martinborough, 5711 or Email: Subs@rvmagazine.co.nz

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Pathfinder 5th Wheel /Colorado Ute

2013 Leisure Line Elite 7.0

2004 Bailey Pageant Moselle

2014 Elddis Avante 574

Tons of room in this easy towing and economical 16 ltrs per 100k (2030kg) recently refurbished.

Separate shower and toilet, new fiberglass roof.

Fully insulated $110,000 ono Ph: 021 331 040

Very tidy condition, pull out pantry Storage cupboards, island bed at rear American HiFi sound system, TV in lounge and bedroom $69,995 Ph: 0800 668 585 ANZA Motor Company

L shape lounge, rear bathroom, mm, solar, inflatable awning, NZ certificates $24,900 Alexander British Caravans Ph: 021300740

Lovely 4 berth, single beds with rear ensuite The front dinette making up to a double Liteweight for towing $42,000 Ph: 07 307 0503 Coastal Motorhomes

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Combing modern French design with Unique features, sleeps 4, is lightweight for towing and is hail resistant fully insulated $46,000 Ph: 07 307 0503 Coastal Motorhomes

Large windows for viewing, great use of space With a u-shaped lounge that converts to another bed Spacious kitchen and plenty of storage Frank bed and large rear ensuite $56,000 Ph: 07 307 0503 Coastal Motorhomes

• Fresh, grey and black water tanks • Resin complies with the AS/NZ Food Standards

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2018 Morelo Home 82LS

3.6-litre Diesel, 7.5 meter long 3 berth Motor Home, Front Axle group rating 2260kg rear axle group rating 4100kg, Dual real wheels. Certificate of Fitness – car license $67,000 Contact Bruce Ph: 021 657 090 email: bruce@rnrpublishing.co.nz

The MORELO surrounds you with luxury and gives you a home on the move.

Outside shower & BBQ, leather seats L-shaped sofa, $365,000 Ph: 0800 227 6662 Zion Motorhomes

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2017 Leisure Line Platinum 6.75

2018 Dethleffs Nomad 590RF

2015 Keystone Carbon

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Featuring a rear bathroom, a walk around island bed. Front u-shaped lounge, good storage anda great kitchen. $89,990 Ph: 0800 222 108 UCC Motorhomes

Huge lounge and kitchen model. Large vertical opening front storage locker. Large double bed, combined bathroom $69,900 Ph: 07 378 0620 Central RV

Sleeps seven, great storage, solar panels, central heating, TV, fridge, microwave, gas hobbs, winterized cabin, convertible furniture, garage for your RV, large awning, and even a bath for the kids! $70,000 ono Ph: 027 230 5848

Featuring a rear island bed, a seperate shower & toilet, and a front lounge which uses the swiveled drivers and passengers seat, this motorhome will tick the boxes of some many clients. $116,990 Ph: 0800 222 108 UCC Motorhomes

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2007 Swift Accord 484

2009 Regal Caravan 17’6

2008 KEA Dreamtime

2004 ACE Jubilee

This caravan has just been through our workshop and the team have made sure that everything works as it should and have done the little repair jobs. New WOF and 12 months registration. $29,990 Ph: 0800 222 108 UCC Motorhomes

Great condition Australian Caravan! this would be the perfect layout for a couple who love adventure! $44,995 Ph: 0800 668 585 ANZA Motor Company

Exceptionally tidy 4 berth Fully reconditioned gearbox with warranty Great layout bike rack $89,000 PH: 027 309 1240

Great entry level caravan, sleeps 4 L-shaped lounge converts to bed Full awning and punch awning $21,995 Ph: 0800 668 585 ANZA Motor Company

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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250 600

RV PETS

M

p a rs C aper

s

as

C

erry woof woof readers We are back in Pukekohe after my holiday at home in Martinborough, and there are lots of shiny lights – our big flashing tree is out of the box and I found my Christmas bear, woofy woofy happy doggie times.

I had a woofy time in Martinborough, it was so ggggrrrreat to be back with my friends.

Walkies meant I ran into lots of friends, lots of times by the shops, and so good it was to have Pete look after me too. From what I have heard from mama and papa, where they went away to wouldn’t have been fun for me.

It is good to be back with Charli in Pukekohe though, we have been out and about visiting people and mama has been doing lots of shopping. I got growled at for playing around the big tree – grrr she should be happy I’m not climbing in it like it did when I was little.

Now it is warm and sunny more often, we have even more walkies. It is the best fun in the woofy world going to the showgrounds. We stayed at this cool place at the start of this year, and at that time I met lots of local rabbit friends – ah that was such fun finding and chasing them into buildings and holes. I was out-of–my-skin excited when we drove through the gates this time and parked up. Admittedly it took me a bit of time to realise my mates the rabbit families were still there, but once I spotted them we were away, running and hiding all over the showgrounds for ages.

Christmas capers

2

1

1. My best buddy santa bear, I love playing around with him and trying to get his hat off 2. Staying in Martinborough again was great fun, lots of friends to meet at the shops RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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RV PETS Caspar’s Capers

4 3. Meeting Loxi and Dink was fun, a new big mate as well I had to adjust to him getting up close and personal a lot 4. I went to work with mama and papa, they took photos of some cool motorhomes and I played with these kids Briana and Lachie Cook 5. Looking for my rabbit mates at the Pukekohe A&P Showgrounds area - lots of motorhomes stay here overnight, I meet new friends there sometimes too 6. This lady sheep had a funny look in her eye

3

Woof woof wonderful times here – I get home completely exhausted and fall sleep.

It is even more fun when little Charli comes here with us. She tries to run as fast as me – she has no show but I come back to her when I have had my fun.

I caught up with lots of friends when we went to Tony and Robyn’s place up north – there was Loxi and Dink and they had a big friend visiting. I was a bit shy to start with but we all had great fun playing. Next stop was Hazel’s house. I played with another big friend there Tama and played with some woolly sheep around a paddock for a bit – I was pretty careful there, that girl sheep was giving me the eye.

Not much going on at the moment for me today though. Mama is busy typing and papa

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RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

is doing his thing as well so I got busy on my column – mama told me I was late and making Cam mad, but I got a bit frisky having fun with my santa bear and was distracted.

I am looking forward to opening my treats under the tree, I can smell them – smells like those little bone biscuits I like, and hopefully some more of those cat treats I like so much too. I don’t know what I will do on the big Christmas Day coz mama and papa are eating way too many vegies nowadays – no meat at all in our house for months now – I wonder what will happen this year. We used to have meat and salad meals for days normally and I loved the ham, chicken and lamb treats. I’m worried I admit – as much as I like a plate of vegies and mash, I am thinking I might have to go next door to the neighbours for

some meat this year – woof woof grrrr that won’t be good. Maybe they will surprise me, hope so.

I hope I am getting a haircut before the big party day too, coz I’m getting itchy and scratchy with the seeds and grasses. I think that is why I got half a pill in my snack today.

I have allergies mama said. Okay whatever, just give me the pill. The scratching is driving us all mental, I woof agree.

Have a fun Christmas Day, readers, and don’t let your doggie mates near the chocolate or booze. Make sure the windows are down in the car if you take them for a ride, and water water water – as mama says every time we get in a car or motorhome – has Caspar got water and a bowl. She is awesome thinking about me all the time.

Letter to Caspar

H

ello there Caspar I am brand new to the RV world. I am only eight weeks old and get to hang out at Coastal Motorhomes & Caravans in Whakatāne. My name is Mexi and I am a Shih Tzu Cross.

I am pretty lucky as I get to go to work every day and meet lots of other RV doggies and pets. Plus, soon I will get my first trip away in a 1979 Trail-lite caravan.

Hopefully we will meet on the road one day.

See ya Mexi Thanks Mexi woofy to you to. My advice to newbies is don’t get out of the vehicle unless your parents say so, never run on the road, don’t be a barker dog unless on guard, and ask for a seat and harness wherenever they take you in a vehicle, it is good to be secure and safe – and water with a bowl – all the time. Good luck little one, I can’t wait to meet and play with you one day soon. Caspar

Where’s Caspar’s

Print Search C

as

Caspar’s paw print is on page number

Find Caspar’s paw print in a story in this magazine, post or email what page it is on and go in the draw to win a $250 INTERISLANDER FERRY VOUCHER Entries end 28 February 2020

NAME

RV PETS

p a rs C a per

s

6

PH

EMAIL ADDRESS POST CODE

Subject Line: Caspar Vol 3 Post to: PO Box 220, Martinborough 5711 or email: subs@rvmagazine.co.nz or enter online: rvmagazine.co.nz/paw

RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle Vol 3 January-February 2020

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Robyn Dallimore

Editorial Team

Writer - Photographer

55 years a journalist, including 25 years as a radio talkback host and 15 years at Radio Pacific. Founder of Driver magazine, as well as NZ Classic Driver and RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle, Allan is passionate about living in New Zealand and has visited pretty much every corner of it. Dunedin raised, Allan left Auckland nine years ago for Oamaru, a move he’s never regretted.

Jane Dove Juneau

A professional photographer, Jane loves exploring and capturing images of New Zealand, so for Jane contributing to RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle is a perfect match.

Our coastal wilderness and native forests are unique in the world and it is up to us to treasure and protect them. janedovejuneau.com

Allan Dick

Photographer - Writer

Gary Patterson Writer

Sheryl Bainbridge Writer

kathy catton Writer

John Bishop Writer

Peter Williams Writer

Editor - Writer - Publisher

Creating the free Great Rides App provides Gary with the perfect opportunity to cycle (+ recycle) all of the NZ Great Rides up and down the country. In addition there are lots of other day and multi-day trails that he is discovering.

Luckily for RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle readers, Gary enjoys sharing his riding experiences. greatridesapp.com

Keith Quinn Writer

Now based near the beach at Mt Maunganui, Peter Williams has worked within the national media world for over 45 years. More recently, as Peter winds down his TV career he is looking forward to sharing more RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle ramblings as he reflects on some of the places around the country he’s come to know and plans to test a few other towns and villages to see what lurks beneath their surfaces.

Although we all know Keith as a sport commentator for nearly 50 years, there’s much more to him than sports. He collects memorabilia and books related to the Beatles, loves to travel to mystical places and has a secret addiction – ice cream! In addition, he loves writing. And with 16 books to his credit, penning a column for RVNZTODAY Lifestyle is a great fit for him. Hopefully Keith will be spinning many more yarns as he travels around New Zealand and the world.

Photographer - Writer

Matt is a full time outdoor photographer and writer who spends around nine months a year exploring places that tend to be by-passed by the majority of New Zealanders and tourists alike ... ‘off the beaten track’ you might say. Matt loves writing about these places so others can also enjoy them. Other interests include wildlife photography, fly fishing, tramping, free dive spearfishing, bow hunting and white water kayaking.

Howden Ganley

From early days in Hamilton as a junior reporter for the Waikato Times, Howden set out on a motorracing career during the 1960s, quickly progressing from sports cars to Formula 5000 and finally to Formula One. Today, while resident in California, Howden is a regular visitor to his homeland as he travels around the world playing golf and attending international motorsport events.

Matt Winter

Writer Sheryl started writing for RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle because she is passionate about the cool people doing cool things in the far north. Since that time she has met so many awesome people from all over the country that it’s been, and continues to be a real pleasure to talk to them and write about their achievements to share with readers – all while sitting at her laptop overlooking beautiful Coopers Beach.

Kathy emigrated from the UK to Aotearoa more than 12 years ago, and has never looked back. She enjoys running, tramping and watching her children in their sporting pursuits. All these activities continue to grow her love of the NZ outdoors. Kathy is a freelance writer, based in Diamond Harbour, near Christchurch.

John Bishop lives in Wellington, and has spent a lifetime in the communications business as a journalist, teacher, trainer, advisor and advocate. John writes travel stories for RVNZTODAY Lifestyle because he is still excited by the joy of expression and the satisfaction of sharing with others. He still writes within the business, economic and political fields but finds most fulfillment in discovering the beauty of our land and the stories of its people.

Alistair Hughes

Fulfilling a life-time dream, we finally moved to Golden Bay, last year. I am a freelance writer and illustrator, and when not balancing a cat on my lap while at my keyboard, I’m usually out exploring my new home by foot, pedal and paddle.

Writer - Illustrator

Allan Walton Sub-Editor - Writer

Cameron Leggett Photographer - Designer

RV-NZTODAY Lifestyle’s second Allan has been writing about cars for almost three decades, and has kept busy editing national classic car magazines for over 20 of those years. As you’d expect, Allan enjoys driving – especially his Lotus Elise sports car – less expected, he is also an enthusiastic music lover and owns a ridiculously large collection of old-fashioned vinyl records.

Award winning magazine designer, Cameron ‘Cam’ Leggett left the big smoke of Auckland city and now enjoys the good life in New Plymouth with his French partner, Stephanie. Other than making each issue look superb, he also finds the time to pursue his passion for photography. camleggettphoto.com

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WALK & CYCLE Little River Trail • The Heaphy Track TRAVEL Kayak and surf at Raglan • Hot cars at Beach Hop • South Island statues • Molten glass and trout fishing Taupo