This is such a hidden gem with sculptures of dragons, a castle slide for kids, water wheel, art hiding in every corner, and all kinds of themed gardens.

I stayed here for three nights; a great spot. Every Friday night they have a Farmers market at the adjacent A&P Show grounds

I’ve always dreamed of travelling around my own back yard in a van and I finally did!

The saying goes that everything you take in your motorhome should have 2 uses.

Hot soup and warm bread are a great combination in winter. Here’s a couple of simple soup recipes that I make regularly and two self-saucing puddings.

The Desert Road On our first road trip with our new caravan. We made it successfully from Wellington to Whangarei.

These recipes come from the fabulous book New Zealand Backcountry Cooking by Paul and Rebecca Garland.

We visited New Zealand’s smallest church.

Initially I bought a dehydrator to make fruit snacks for tramping. Over time, friends inspired me to use my dehydrator to make pre-cooked dinners.

Tinned chickpeas are a useful thing to keep in your caravan cupboard. As well as being tasty they are a good source of protein. Here’s a couple of recipes you could use them in.

In January, 70 adults and 25 young people took part in an All Points camp at the Whanganui Intermediate School for the Whanganui Vintage Weekend.
They camped in a mix of caravans, tents, motor homes and small vans and many camped as family groups or with their friends.

The weather was getting colder and we were keen to have warm evening meals.

Vintage caravan at a Whanganui Vintage weekend 2024 ©2024 Margaret Earle

If you have room for a pressure cooker when you are camping it provides a quick and efficient way to cook.

“It’s a chance to get dressed up and have some have fun” in Oamaru and Thames.

While we were exploring the geosites in the Waitaki Valley, we saw several signs to Danseys Pass.

When I stayed at the holiday park earlier this year, Keith showed me the work being done to make the facilities more accessible.

At the All Points camp at Foxton Beach School over Labour weekend I asked others what they like to cook when they are camping.

Hot cross buns, Lentil and eggplant stew with gnocchi, Pork and vegetables in hoisin sauce.

You can wander around and even have your dinner in the picturesque gardens that surround the museum buildings.

Camp ovens are designed for cooking on a fire, but they can also be used on gas burners. You can use a camp oven to cook everything from stews and curries to roasts, bread, cakes and puddings.

Spring and summer bring a great array of fresh vegetables. Ingredients like fresh ginger, lime, sesame oil, red curry paste and lemon bring fresh flavours to curries, salads and side dishes.

Recipes for Rocks and Gravel, Paneer and Vege Curry and Tuna Pasta. Camp cooking when the fresh food is running out.

This recipe is easy to make. It uses mostly tinned foods so is a great meal to make when you are running low on fresh foods or if you have no fridge.  Increase or decrease the quantities of the ingredients depending on how many people you are feeding.

We did the fairy forest walk at Dog Walk Stream, Hanmer, and lo and behold the fairies camp too!

Martin got the winning photo of the birds last weekend. Fantail. ©2024 Martin Butler

What we thought we wanted soon changed as we sat in and viewed a number of vans over about 3 months.

Do you struggle when you set up your camp or your caravan?

Quinney’s Bush camp: ‘5th wheeler best in camp’.

Kekerengu