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Summer 2022

ISSUE 2

Index ISSUE 2

Worth a detour: The Marokopa River Valley

Next time you’re in the Waitomo area (the Waikato region of the North Island) it’s worth the detour to check out three natural landmarks that are really close together, on the Te Anga Road.

Freedom camping on the East Cape

Gisborne District Council have very clear freedom camping bylaws which demand waste management, #leavenotrace principles.

Nokomai station

Nokomai station on the way to Queenstown. We went there as kids; now we take our kids there.

Caravan & Motorhome Electrics by Collyn Rivers

This is a book for people who want to understand how their electrics work as well as for people who are designing / building / converting a caravan or motorhome.

Fishing at Kingston

Secured a magical spot beside the lakes edge at Kingston freedom camp and went fishing.

South Island Lakes: Game

Can you fill in the blanks?

Camping without a fridge: chilly bins and cooler bags

In the old days, people used “meat safes” or “safes” but my experience is with chilly bins or Esky cooler bags.

Pannekoeken for breakfast

Every trip we make a breakfast fruits pancake. Usually apple pannekoeken.

Hitting the Northland beaches — Stop and Stay

Heading up to the top of the North Island to see Cape Reinga is on most people’s bucket lists. For those who enjoy a bit of camping, finding that perfect spot to stay is an added bonus. Finding two such places is something special. Tapotupotu DOC campsite. Matauri Bay Holiday Park

TIP: Solar panel cleaning

Except in rainy areas solar panels need cleaning from time to time.

Finally made it out to Ocean Beach

Finally made it out to Ocean Beach in Whangarei. Mavis in her natural habitat.

Hints and tips on toilet cassettes

I figured Heather and John had put lots of time into thinking into how best to manage a toilet cassette as they developed their Dump Mate, so I asked them to share their best tips with us. Editor

A DIY tool to unscrew the top of the cassette

This tool takes some of the pressure off the plastic lugs, that get some stress every time you open up the cassette for cleaning.

Katikati coastal estuary cycle way

Cycling on a stunning Spring day around the Katikati coastal estuary cycle way.

Instagrammable: making the most of instagram

So many travellers, campers, and vanlifers are recording their journeys on 'the gram' these days, sharing snippets of their lives, packaged neatly in squares or reels.

Purakaunui Bay Campsite

What a stunner this place was! Nothing like falling asleep to the sound of waves crashing on the beach.

Another beautiful day at Tangimoana

Another beautiful day at Tangimoana. (Manawatu)

Preparing for the cold winter "brrrrrr's"

Darn, we could only get the new heater up to 10ºC on that night, and woke to a -3ºC frost. We opened the oven door, lit the gas and waited for sunshine.

Tanners Point

Paradise is when you coddiwomple to a pristine tidal bay for a swim and discover what the locals already know.

Articles from Collyn Rivers

Three helpful articles on electrics.

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