CAMPING THE KIWI WAY

I am sure you have whimsical maintenance tips you would love to share or things you have learned the hard way, while camping the kiwi way.

Here are my whimsical maintenance tips from my bus Keltic Star.

• Rust never sleeps even after you de-rust it, paint it and kiss it.

  

• The rear lights hide deep secrets and mini hobbit houses with green moss sprouting out around the bulbs.

  

• The seal around these rear lights, that once was new, now is expiring, if you can even find it, so long ago did it perish and shrivel.

  

• The gas carver that vents the hot water often has surprises including the large 8-legged kind.

  

• The windows, up top and at the bottom can have a gap — you will find they hide more surprises. Much to my dislike, I found cockroaches and spiders a-glorie.

• The unmentionable smells that come from the shower trap or sink — vinegar and baking soda often fixes it. If really, really, bad, use Thetford Duo Tank Cleaner. Do not put coffee grounds, blood or fat down the sink. eewww. It ends up in your grey tank where it is so much harder to clean out.

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  The smelly area often needs some bleach or baking soda and vinegar. If its really serious, has calcium build up, or a reptilian-scale look, then one has to get the big guns out and use Thetford Duo Tank Cleaner which has the down side that you must wait 16 hours before emptying. It’s a bugger if you are full-time on the road — that’s why one carries a bucket. 
A bucket. Got it.

  

• Water tanks need cleaning too, if you can. Lucky me, I have a tap, so I can water the lawn instead of wasting it in the gutter.

• Windscreen-wiper-water-thingies often clog up with dirt. Keep a pin handy and clean those suckers out; won’t fail a COF now.

• Insect screens on windows do need a bath now and again as do the windows behind them — be amazed at how black the cloth gets if they have waited a year or two. Heheheh.

• Inside and out, the windows need some love, especially to get those fairy footprints off.

• The underbody of one’s vehicle can also grow rust. Either get a mechanic to do it, sandblast it or do it yourself (my neck and back hurt for weeks; next time I will pay someone). Beware of road kill under there.

I am sure I can tell you more, after 10 years on the road you learn a trick or two. Might wait ‘til the next magazine unless you beat me to it and share your tips first. 🏕️

Images ©2025 Maggie O’Rourke