RV Travel Lifestyle

happy christmas, safe travels

It is early December as I write this, the Christmas tree is up, Caspar has his antlers on, and it is pouring with rain – thunder and lightning are taking over the skies.The same weather has been affecting a lot of the country over the past week. When we came back from Wellington airport a few days ago we had to take an alternative route home to get into Martinborough, because our local river was flooded and the bridge into town closed. We had gone to Queenstown just in time for the late spring snow – weird old weather that’s for sure.We have lots of travel info in this issue, and with the NZMCA AGM coming up over March 1–3 in Gisborne next year we have highlighted the region’s many…

destination kaikōura kia ora from kaikōura

KAIKŌURA GEMSIf you’re planning a journey around the South Island it is worth taking time to stop in Kaikōura. To get the most out of New Zealand’s premier marine destination we recommend you stay overnight and take an early morning whale watch or dolphin swim trip. Then, you can use the rest of the day to see seals and albatrosses, go kayaking, hike the Kaikōura Peninsula (two-hour return trip), go mountain biking, fishing, quad-biking, play golf, attend a sheep shearing show or take a helicopter or fixed-wing flight around the region. There’s plenty to see and do for visitors of all ages.KAIKŌURA UPLIFTEDJust over two years ago, on November 14, 2016, Kaikōura experienced a 7.8 (Mw) earthquake. The land rocked and rolled and creaked and groaned and the seabed was…

hiking and walking trails

KAIKŌURA PENINSULA WALKThe district’s signature walk, the Kaikōura Peninsula Walk is 4km from Kaikōura township. It takes walkers from the Point Kean seal colony across the peninsula to South Bay. Apart from a short fiveminute huff and puff to get to the top of the peninsula, it’s an easy walk. You’ll see wonderful vistas out along the coastline and great examples of the post-quake uplifted seabed. Previously at high tide all the rocks (seabed) were covered with water but now the new high-tide level is shown by the green coloured rocks. At low tide you can now walk out 1km on the seabed and visit the new ‘teenage seal hangout’ on the right-hand side of the Point Kean seabed with the traditional ‘retirement village’ of seals by the left side…

we all love to hear about success

First: CI Munro was established in 1948 in Otorohanga originally building caravans, then began building motorhomes in the 1970s. The company was purchased by Tourism Holdings (thl) in 1995 and relocated to Hamilton in 2007, expanding into a much larger factory to cope with increasing demand of rental campervans for their Maui and Britz rental fleets.Secondly, KEA Manufacturing was established in 1995 in Auckland as part of KEA Campers. Grant Brady, one of the founding members of KEA was running the manufacturing side of the business. KEA was the first to design and build a two-berth shower/toilet campervan to put into the rental market in New Zealand. Up until then anyone looking to rent a campervan with a shower and toilet had to rent a larger four or six berth…

in hot water

When I dived into the lake I passed through a patch of hot water. “Ouch.” Seconds later the water cooled, and my head was relieved to feel the cooling sensation it craved after a hot 16-kilometre walk around the shore of Lake Tarawera. Hot Water Beach, true to its name, producing scalding hot water in places with telltale puffs of steam rising from the surface.The scenic Tarawera Walk is a partnership between several Māori land trusts and the Department of Conservation. The trail starts at Te Wairoa near the Buried Village, and follows the contours of the lake through a forest of tall ponga trees, past several bays and areas of regenerating forest, to Hot Water Beach. The return journey to Tarawera Landing is by water taxi, a welcome ride…

waipu – highland at heart

Ravioli Rose by Alarnya Ashby. ((photo Peter Grant))Planning on visiting Waipu? What better way to begin a New Year than to experience the sights and sounds of the traditional Waipu Highland Games with clans, kilts and cabers, pipe bands and bagpipes, sports, stalls and Scottish dancing! Each New Year’s Day Waipu celebrates its Scottish and Nova Scotian heritage, as it has done for almost 150 years, by holding the games, now one of Northland’s most iconic events, with a range of activities for all ages. This year, we decided instead to rock up to another event that’s quickly gaining popularity – Waipu’s Art ‘n Tartan wearable arts show. The show is held in July, and we took the opportunity to look at what else was on offer during that weekend.For…