12 Winter 2025 ISSUE 12 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption GO TO Chilly chilly chilly out there Camping the Kiwi Way, 12, Winter 2025 In this issue South Island caravan adventure We set off on a radiantly sunny day for two weeks down south. The trip was designed to include my little pal Frankie, the Lagotto, who at the ripe old age of13 is valiantly managing arthritis and failing joints, aided by a truckload of meds. Chilly chilly chilly out there Your camping experiences over the cold months. Now we have the power to go off grid We wanted more power. We needed more battery storage. We needed it done right. Mains electricity & your caravan for dummies The power points in the caravan work just like the ones in your house, but if you load them all up at the same time the power will trip/ turn off. A honeymoon, in a caravan, in winter, in 1960 . South Island CampFest ‘25 Pack up your tent or camping vehicle and join us at Woodbury. Make a kite, Have a go at archery, buy-sell-swap, plus entertainment. Making the toast off-grid: use gas Table of contents Editorial Come camping Stop and Stay Contribute About Cover image: Front cover: Honeymoon: by the time they got to Lindis Pass they had snow to deal with. ©2025 Graeme Leslie More About Camping the Kiwi Way We hope this magazine will unite the many different camping groups we have in NZ to create a unified voice and energy for sustainable camping for current and future generations of New Zealanders. ISSN: 2815-8261 (Print)ISSN: 2815-827X (Online) ©2025 All Points Camping Club of NZ Inc Editor: Miriam Richardson editor@campingthekiwiway.org | campingthekiwiway.org Published quarterly by All Points Camping Club of NZ Inc &NZ Lifestyle Camping Ltd Order or subscribe Printed copies including postage:$44 for a year (4 issues)$13.50 for a single copy editor@campingthekiwiway.org Read it here online, get a PDF campingthekiwiway.org/issues-camping-the-kiwi-way Or subscribe for a printed copy campingthekiwiway.org/buy-or-subscribe Advertising editor@campingthekiwiway.org For sizes and prices see ckw.nz/advertising Share your stories If your group or club is promoting NZers enjoying our great outdoors, we would like to share your stories. • Tenting, caravanning, motorhoming, van camping, bike camping, hiking and more. • Camping photos and stories. • Club stories and photos. • Upcoming events that include camping. • Opinion pieces on camping issues. Photos 1mb or more in size. Email words and (separate) images: editor@campingthekiwiway.org Contributions close Feb 1 for the Autumn issue May 1 for the Winter issue Aug 1 for the Spring issue Nov 1 for the Summer issue But, for late-breaking articles talk to the editor. Up Up 12 Winter 2025 , p 1

2 Summer 2022 Summer 2022 ISSUE 2 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up TIP: Solar panel cleaning Collyn Rivers Up Except in rainy areas solar panels need cleaning from time to time. Use a tiny amount of washing up detergent, a cloth and warm, clean water. Rinse, using a trace of detergent in otherwise clean water. Let solar modules dry naturally. Never wipe them dry and especially do not polish them. Doing either builds up an electrostatic charge that attracts dust. A trace of detergent in the rinsing water acts and an effective anti-static barrier. Up Up Never wipe them dry and especially do not polish them 1/1

11 autumn 2025 Autumn 2025 ISSUE 11 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption The cafe © Cafe77 Piako Google maps SS-cafe77-sign.webp ©2025 Maggie O’Rourke SS-cafe77 sites.webp ©2025 Maggie O’Rourke GO TO Here & there last summer STOP and STAY Cafe 77, Manawaru Maggie O’Rourke Another great place to go to is the Community View Motorhome Caravan Park and Cafe 77 at the heart of Manawaru. It’s a lovely rural spot 15 mins from Te Aroha and 20 mins from Matamata. They have a lot of visits from cyclists doing the Hauraki Rail Trail and tourists. It was lovely seeing our All Points Camping sign on their park over property, in the cafe window and the flyers inside. They make good coffee and yo yo biscuits the old fashioned way —super yummy. Booking is essential to park in the self-contained camping area. They can fit up to 20 vehicles (for a group) but normally there are 10 spots to park-up on the grass. Open all year around. For $10 a night per unit, you have access to the toilet block, power points to recharge your bikes and wifi, as mobile reception is bad here — ask for the wifi password at the cafe. Bookings can be made at reception next to the toilet block or online. A post box is provided to pay after hours. Also on site are bike racks, a bike tool kit and an air compressor. Cafe/reception is open from 8am–3pm with the kitchen closing at 1.30pm.There’s a large event area with a climbing wall and plenty of seating onsite. Lovely spot to either stay, visit the historic old dairy company, historic churches, or have a beverage or something to eat. ckw.nz/camp-cafe77 Up Up 11 Autumn 2025 , p 30

9 Spring 2024 Spring 2024 ISSUE 9 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Lake Pukaki September 2024 ©2024 M Richardson Lake Pukaki September 2024 ©2024 M Richardson I just can't get enough Lake Pukaki Miriam Richardson Lake Pukaki, freedom camping in Winter: I cant get enough of this place. Any season. ©2024 M Richardson Up Up 9 Spring 2024 , p 24

10 summer 2024 Summer 2024 ISSUE 10 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption Tokomaru Bay ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Tolaga bay ©2024 Bette Cosgrove GO TO Springing welcoming campers for summer Camping in Tairāwhiti this summer Bette Cosgrove This remote and extraordinarily beautiful part of the Pacific Coast Highway is fully open and welcoming campers for the summer season. The ravages of Cyclone Gabrielle in 2023, which completely cut off Te Tairāwhiti along the North Island’s east coast have largely been cleared or repaired along SH35. It is a very special part of Aotearoa New Zealand so try to take your time, enjoying camping in the Gisborne district. Permit applications are open for Raumati/Summer camping period with most sites reopened. Koha is appreciated when applying for a camping permit. You reserve spots via an online booking service that ensures areas are not overcrowded. Making a fair financial contribution to help service these sites is encouraged. About: ckw.nz/camp-tai-rawhiti | Apply for a permit ckw.nz/permit-tai-rawhiti Tokomaru Bay Basic expectations of responsible campers Remember to apply for a permit before you go camping. Tents and non-self-contained and self-contained vehicles are allowed. Take all rubbish and recycling with you when they leave. There is no rubbish collection from any of the seasonal camping areas. #packinpackout #leavenotrace Your dog is allowed at your camp site, but for the safety of other campers they must be under your control. You must pick up and dispose of dog droppings. Drinking water is not available at any camp area, you must bring your own. You must have gas for cooking. No open fires. You must have a chemical toilet — one toilet for every 8 people. ◊ Tolaga Bay Images ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Up Up 10 Summer 2024 , p 9

4 Winter 2023 Winter 2023 ISSUE 4 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Why we chose our Swift Sprite Quattro caravan Two Kids and a Caravan Up We’ve had heaps of people have asked us for feedback on our caravan and why we chose it so here it is. First up, we are a family of 4 and our caravan is a 2019 Swift Sprite Quattro EW from Nelson Caravans. Before we purchased the caravan we made a bit of a wish list. We knew that if it wasn’t easy we wouldn’t use it and our intentions were to get away every second week for 4/5 days (little did we know we’d end up travelling in it full-time). To make everyday life easy, we wanted beds for everyone as well as a space to sit and eat. We didn’t want to be making up beds every nap time and night or be forced to sit on the bed or outside once the kids went to bed. We wanted a full bathroom (not a combined toilet/shower). The Swift Sprite Quattro EW (which is a 6-berth caravan) ticked the boxes. It has a full bathroom at the back, French bed for us (double bed with the corner cut off), bunks for the girls (which can fold down into a 2 seater dinette), and wrap around lounge at the front (which can convert to another large queen-sized bed). You will have heard the rumours that “UK caravans aren’t built strong and aren’t designed for NZ roads” and honestly, every manufacturer has vans that let them down. We’ve travelled in our caravan for almost 4 years and taken it from Christchurch, up to Kaitaia, back down to Bluff and all around the South Island and it’s been perfect for us but here’s a deeper look into our pros and cons so far. PROS ✓ The van is well insulated, so it is far warmer in winter. It also comes standard with a great combined heating/hot water system which can run off 240v or LPG. ✓ Value for money — UK vans are cheaper than their Australian and American counterparts and we don’t feel like we’d get twice the enjoyment from a van twice the price. ✓ Lighter — our van comes in at 1380kg empty (but including fixed weights like the battery and full 9kg gas bottle etc) and fully laden up to 1800kg. (Although each van is different and some of the single axle vans have a smaller payload so it pays to check before you purchase). ✓ We love that it has a large comfy lounge at the front with views to outside. Similar sized Australian vans usually have a small L-shaped dinette because in their warmer climate you spend more of your time outside. ✓ Heaps of storage. When we check out other vans we love how sleek they can look, but our first comment is always “where do you put all your stuff” as they seem to lack overhead cabinets. We’ve heard of people moving from UK to Aus vans and having to donate half their stuff… not that that’s a bad thing. ✓ We can still fit into all campgrounds — while we’d love a big American caravan with all the pop-outs (really an apartment on wheels) it would double the running costs, limit places we can travel due to accessibility, and inhibit our ability to pick up our click and collect groceries on the way through a town and pack them straight into the fridge in the carpark. ✓ We purchased new and our caravan came with a full 3 year warranty as well as a 10 year water ingress warranty; as you might know, most catastrophic caravan issues originate from a water ingress. ✓ As with most new vans, we’ve had to iron out a few niggles and warranty claims and we’ve been impressed with Nelson Caravans’ after-sales service. We’ve heard of a few horror stories in the industry with retailers not wanting to come to the party so, as always, do your research. CONS ✘ They are narrower, so less living space inside, although it makes all the difference when towing it over a narrow bridge with a truck coming the other way. ✘ They’re very low for how long they are and caution needs to be taken coming in and out of driveways, especially supermarkets and fuel stations for some reason. We have scraped our stays quite a few times. ✘ We don’t take it on long gravel or rutted roads. For example we have taken it to Totaranui in the Abel Tasman no problem, but we decided against Moke Lake in the Queenstown district and just did a day trip instead. However in all our travels there’s only been a handful of places we haven’t taken it, and when we’ve visited we’ve seen other UK caravans there so… ✘ We only have a small fridge, however we’ve got so efficient at caravan life, we can still manage two weeks off-grid at a time. Other UK vans have a full fridge but sacrifice the number of beds. We would still choose it We’ve been around in circles and if we went through the process again taking into account layout, value for money, how fast we travel, accessibility to campgrounds, cheaper running costs (RUCs and fuel) and our 10 year water ingress warranty we’d still choose the Swift Sprite Quattro EW again. Our best advice when choosing a caravan is to make a list of your must-haves to make your day to day life easy and enjoyable and consider which aspects you‘re happy to compromise on and then go in search of the right van for you. P.S This is in no way a dig at any other caravans, we have a real passion for caravans and love looking through them all, it’s just our experience with our van and why it works for our family dynamics. facebook.com/twokidsandacaravan Up Up make a list of your must-haves to make your day to day life easy and enjoyable ©2023 twokidsandacaravan ©2023 twokidsandacaravan ©2023 twokidsandacaravan ©2023 twokidsandacaravan 1/8 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) editor@campingthekiwiway.org

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Longslip Station Well, how’s this for a welcome back into the Mackenzie Basin! — Longslip Station, Lindis Pass. ©2024 Shellie Evans. ckw.nz/shellie-fb Longslip Station Well, how’s this for a welcome back into the Mackenzie Basin! — Longslip Station, Lindis Pass. ©2024 Shellie Evans. ckw.nz/shellie-fb GO TO Autumn Gold Longslip Station Shellie Evans Well, how’s this for a welcome back into the Mackenzie Basin! — Longslip Station, Lindis Pass. ©2024 Shellie Evans. ckw.nz/shellie-fb Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 9

Winter 2025 ISSUE 12 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption portable-power_H_river3-MNR_3004.webp GO TO CHILLY CHILLY CHILLY OUT THERE Extra backup power for low-solar days Portable power stations Miriam Richardson When you want that extra backup power for the low-solar days, or as an alternative to onboard solar and batteries for those who do short journeys, then portable power comes to the fore. These devices are charged by plugging in via a 240V wall socket, before you leave home, or at a campground, or a café or library. Some let you recharge via portable solar panels, or via the cigarette lighter while driving. At the small end of size, capacity and price are backup batteries for phones and other small devices that plug in via USB. They might recharge your phone a few times, and cost between $60 and $200 —more cost generally means more juice. At the larger end of portable power are the “power stations” costing from $400 to $8k. What makes a thing a power station is having a three-pin plug socket so you can plug in 240V appliances such as we use at home, such as computers, tablets, modem, a stick mixer, lights, radio, stereo, speakers, bike battery, printer, or a mattress pump. note: Power stations are rarely big enough for appliances that need heat, such as hairdryers or kettles. How much power do you need? How many days do you need to go between charges? Add up your devices. Check the fine print on the bottom or back of the appliance for its power need, usually in Watts. Some devices, like a fridge, start with a huge gulp of power (a ‘surge’) which can be 2x the normal draw; your device has to be able to accept that surge. Choosing your backup power: 🔹 Battery size (Watt hours (Wh) or Amp hours (Ah or mAh). 🔹 How much power can it deliver (Watts or Amps)? 🔹 How much can it deliver in an initial surge (Watts)? 🔹 How long does it take to recharge? 🔹 How can it be recharged? Here are 3 people’s experience. Rovin 600W Robyn Warrendass I have a Rovin 600W portable power station to run my laptop that has two extra screens (3 screens altogether), so it uses more power than a normal laptop. I work from home and in the camper, so the Rovin goes with us. Lately I have had to use it at home as we have had several all day power outages and having the power station meant I could plug in my laptop, and the wifi, and keep working. This kept me going all day without any problems and recharging doesn’t take too long. I guess this can be used for many things, but for me it keeps me being able to do my job on and off the road uninterrupted. It can be charged at the wall or with solar (240W max). It takes just under 2hrs to charge. Rovin 500W, 50Ah Gary Stoneley After 3 years our Rovin 500W, 50Ah portable power supply (from Jaycar) is still going strong. The battery still holds at 100% after being stored for 2 months. Purchased for providing portable power at club events and markets, the power supply can easily run laptops, modems and eftpos machines and a small printer. With 230V AC, 12 volt and usb outlets it’s been invaluable. Our needs have changed and we now use it with power cuts at home, and to run a spare fridge or a back up for the computers when on the road whether it’s in the car or the caravan. 50Ah of power isn’t a lot but the power is there when you need it and it’s quieter than a generator for those emergency top-ups. Would I recommend having one? Too right I would! It’s on my essential equipment list. ChargeTech 350W to EcoFlow River 3, 300W Miriam Richardson My original Charge Tech power station (below left) was bought 8 years ago from Canada. It was one of the first portable batteries that had a 3-pin-plug outlet. I got it when I first moved into my motorhome full time, as I needed backup power for my laptop. It was 54Ah, could give up to 350W output. It was a really good small size. Its biggest downside was that it took 8hrs+ to recharge — that is a long time sitting in the library making sure no-one else walks off with it. I just checked their website and their newer models still take 4 hours to charge. At 8yrs old, it isn’t holding its charge very well, so it was time to replace it. Behold the EcoRiver 3 (below, middle). The ChargeTech power station My new power station is a River 3 from Ecoflow I have gone from 56Ah to 76Ah; 150W output to 300W; 8hr charge to 1hr charge. It is heavy, at 3.5kg, but small, about the size of 2 loaves of bread, and has a very elegant design and is whisper-quiet. 300W (600W surge; 600W boost) output, 76.8Ah battery. You can use the 3-pin plug (AC), a cigarette lighter plug, a usb-a (x2) or usb-c output. It only takes 1hr to charge when it is plugged in to the wall or a generator. You can also charge it via your vehicle cigarette lighter (2.8hr) or with solar panels (2.6hr; 30V max, 110W max). They claim the battery will still hold 80% after 10 years. 🏕️ Up Up 12 Winter 2025 , p 25

Winter 2025 ISSUE 12 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption summ-kekerengu-H-cara-train.jpg GO TO CHILLY CHILLY CHILLY OUT THERE The temptation was too much The Camping Train Linda Butler A short notice decision was made to hold a camping train as there were 3 events being held during March at Havelock, Nelson and Greymouth. The temptation was too much for me, so we decided to give it a go. We called each destination a station just for fun. It was early March. One other member (Angela) joined us for the entire trip. We left home on the Tuesday prior to the Havelock camp. Julie was able to share the first two nights with us. One was spent at the Parnassus NZMCA camp, the next at Conway Flats beside the sea. (Yes, got to see some dolphins jumping and playing in the surf!). We said our goodbyes to Julie and travelled along the coast. We were uncertain of where to stop but decided on Kekerengu. We were thrilled to meet up with Carolyn here on her return home from her holidays. Friday, we continued to our club event destination at Waves Campground for the Havelock Mussel Festival camp. None of us were mussel eaters but were happy to enjoy the Blenheim team chatter over the weekend. Too soon it was Monday and time to move on. There were a number of options available, but we decided on Okiwi Bay. Oh wow. We loved it so much that we stayed for 4 nights. I highly recommend the Mail Run out to French Pass. We went into many little bays along the way. The road went from sealed to gravel to almost dirt! The scenery along the way is amazing. Our driver was knowledgeable about the area and also the fauna, almost sharing in Angela’s passion for foraging. We had lunch at French Pass and watched the stingray before the return to camp. Filled in most of the day. Not bad for $35. Time to move on again, we sadly left this stunning area and headed for Tahuna Beach Holiday Park where we met up with the team from Nelson! A member left their coffee cup with us in Ashburton. So we are taking it with us on our camping train. Here it is at the Tahuna camp café, with friends. Angela enjoyed catching up with old friends who lived in the area. We had coffees at the camp café — they do some scrumptious nibbles. I’ll never forget the Saturday evening meal at the Pirate Pub known as the Smugglers Pub and Café: fun atmosphere there. Washing was done; groceries topped up. Too soon the weekend was over. Time to move on. We travelled down the West Coast. Our first night was at the Kohatu Flat Rock Café. There is a grassed area at the back on the left where we perched on our chairs in the shade of the trees. It was so hot. I didn’t scream when I saw a rat run down a young tree. Thankfully it took off into the bushes. LOL. From here we went to Murchison NZMCA camp via St Arnaud and Lake Rotoiti. We were amazed at the eels! They live under the boat ramp. 200 years old! It poured with rain in Murchison. West Coast pour — for hours… Here I learnt that I need to think of rainy-day activities for those times we get such long periods of inactivity. Murchison We were here for two wet nights. Tony and Lynn joined up with us here and continued with us on the rest of the journey. Angela stayed a 3rd night at Murchison, whereas we moved on to the Fox River freedom camp. We were very near the road but there was little traffic at night. We also happened to be camping on the night that the muso’s had their weekly Wednesday jamming night. I slept through most of it. LOL. Once in Greymouth we thought we would brave it and stay at Cobden Bridge freedom camp for the night. We thoroughly enjoyed it. We topped up on groceries again then headed to our final camp. Nelson Creek Reserve. What an awesome spot. (Nelson Creek photos ©2025 Penny Coleman) The Greymouth crew treated us to open fires, fossicking, metal detecting, bush walks and more. What a good way to finish our 3-week-plus journey. We went home with dirty washing, weary, but smiles on our faces and good memories to store away (and share at a future camp). 🏕️ Up Up 12 Winter 2025 , p 30

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption GO TO Autumn Gold NIWA Winter climate outlook 2024 NIWA Unlikely to be particularly harsh. Unlikely to be colder than average. Unlikely to be wetter than normal for most. More westerly winds than normal, fewer southerlies than autumn El Niño over; La Niña watch issued Read NIWA’s full outlook, with regional predictions: ckw.nz/niwa-winter | facebook.com/NIWAWeather Images ©2024 NIWA Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 36

7 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Tucks Bay © 2024 Darryn Phayer Tucks Bay © 2024 Darryn Phayer Tucks Bay, the overflow part of the Long Bay Campground, Coromandel © 2024 Darryn Phayer Tucks Bay map © 2024 Darryn Phayer Sundown Tucks Bay © 2024 Darryn Phayer Tucks Bay © 2024 Darryn Phayer Tucks Bay, Coramandel Darryn Phayer Not quite freedom camping, but the weather was bad where we intended to stay (at Little Waikawau Bay, Thames Coast) so home for the night became Tucks Bay, the overflow part of the Long Bay Campground, Coromandel. It’s basic tent sites, composting toilet. The lady gave us a discount as they had no powered sites left in the main camp. Nice little drive through the bush, about 1km from the main campground. Its more of an old-school camp site, better than any Top 10. n Photos © 2024 Darryn Phayer GO TO Celebrating Summer better than any Top 10 Campground. Not affected by law changes. Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 7 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption At Rays Rest Friday evening and Saturday morning at Rays Rest. It never disappoints. © 2024 Greg Lokes. At Rays Rest Friday evening and Saturday morning at Rays Rest. It never disappoints. © 2024 Greg Lokes. GO TO Autumn Gold Post box at Rays Rest Greg Lokes Post box at Rays Rest Greg Lokes Rays Rest. It never disappoints. More on p11 ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 22