8 Winter 2024 8 Winter 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption A wrap Stephen Wood A wrap. Time to start heading back south after weeks cycling. Bike packed for this afternoon’s bus trip. ©2024 Stephen Wood Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 15

1 Spring 2022 1 Spring 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption A national network 
of qualified testing officers NZ Lifestyle Camping NZ Lifestyle Camping is proud to support NZ campers with a national network of 160 qualified testing officers from Keri Keri to Invercargill. You don’t have to belong to any club to get a self containment check done. If you need to get a self containment check done please contact one our friendly and approachable team. To find out more or check out the latest listings visit www.nzlifestylecamping.com We are committed to supporting NZ campers and the Leisure Camping industry. We are also actively lobbying Government on your behalf to ensure we secure a fair and sustainable leisure camping industry. Don't get caught out by misinformation. The current 4 year NZ Standard for certified self containment NZS 5465:2001 is the standard being used by the NZ leisure camping industry. As we head towards Summer the industry gets super busy. Please get in early to ensure your vehicle servicing is done, well in time, before your trip starts. Gary Stoneley, Managing Director, NZ Lifestyle Camping Ltd. Note: NZ Lifestyle Camping has a standard fee of $45 to cover costs of issuing the required documentation and maintaining our national network. It is also expected that the testing officer will charge for their time. Up Up 1 Spring 2022 , p 32

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption autumn-run-off-4_H.webp Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson GO TO Autumn Gold Got run off the road Vanessa Parkinson Got run off the road last weekend. Luckily no real damage due to the skills and help from some awesome West Coast farmers. The guy towing a caravan was hogging the road coming towards me around the corner and refused to move. But anyhow… onwards and upwards. ©2024 Vanessa Parkinson Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 13

4 Winter 2023 Winter 2023 ISSUE 4 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Waikato west coast road trip Greg Lokes Up We headed to Raglan along some back country roads. We lunched in Raglan and then headed out to Manu Bay to see some surfing action followed by a quick visit to the spectacular Te Toto/Raglan Gorge. Looking down on the Ruapuke Beach school campground From there we headed along Whaanga Rd to Ruapuke Beach where we overnighted at the fantastic old school camping ground. Ruapuke Beach Whaanga Rd was not too difficult to negotiate in our 6m campervan, if you’re comfortable with the potholes and corrugations on the drive from Manu Bay to Raglan Gorge then you should be fine with the rest of it. Ruapuke Beach Greg’s photography on Facebook: ckw.nz/gregs-eye PHOTOS: ©2023 Greg Lokes Up Up Whaanga Rd was not too difficult to negotiate in our 6m campervan. 1/0 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 GO TO Autumn Gold campers need really fat cables going the shortest possible distances Watts & Amps Some basic science behind using electricity when camping Graham Leslie Using electricity safely while camping requires some basic knowledge to avoid electrocuting yourself or burning your caravan/camper down. This article explains some of the science behind this. Electricity at its most basic is the flow of electrons along a wire. Electric power is a combination of two things: how many electrons are going along the wire — Amps; and how much force is pushing the electrons along — Volts. It is a bit like using a water blaster, where the power comes from how much water comes out and what pressure it comes out at. Electric power it is measured in Watts. For example, a LED light bulb might use about 8 Watts, a laptop 30 to 70 Watts and an electric kettle uses 2,000 Watts. The power consumption is normally written somewhere on the appliance. The power or Watts is calculated by multiplying Volts by Amps. So if you run a 240 Watt appliance on mains power of 240 Volts, you will only need 1 Amp of electricity. But when you run the same appliance on a 12 Volt system you will need 20 Amps of electricity. 240 Watts = 240 Volts x 1 Amps or240 Watts = 12 Volts x 20 Amps In simple terms, when you have lots of Volts (240 Volts at home) you don’t need many Amps and when you don’t have many Volts (12 Volts camping) you will need heaps of Amps. So, when camping with a 12 Volt system you use heaps of Amps to get the same amount of power as you would at home. The more Amps you use, the quicker you use up the electricity stored in your battery. Look at the Watts on your device and if you are using a 12 Volt battery divide it by 12; this is the Amps the device uses each hour it is on. For a 150 Watt appliance: 150 Watts divided by 12 Volts: 150÷12= 12.5 Amps Remember Amps are the number of electrons flowing down the wire. Using the water blaster analogy, Amps are similar to the amount of water flowing. If you need more water to go down a hose then you will need a thicker hose. So, if you need more Amps to flow down a wire you will then need a thicker wire. Typical cross section of wires 240 Volt home wire needs more insulation. Lots of insulation to avoid electrocution from high Volts. Not much copper wire because not many Amps. (Using a water hose analogy; not much water but under lots of pressure.) 12 Volt camper wire needs more copper wire. Not so much insulation because Volts are low. Lots of copper wire to carry lots of Amps and avoid power loss and fire risk. (Using a water hose analogy; lots of water but not much pressure.) Big enough wire If the wire in your camper is not big enough then you can lose power as it goes down the wire. At the battery you may have 12.5 Volts, but at other end of the wire where the appliance is you may only have 11.5 Volts. The power drop increases with large loads. The power drop along the wire means there is less power available to run your appliance and it may not run properly. The power lost along the wire turns into heat and sometimes this generates enough heat to melt the insulation off the wires and start a fire. See arrows in the photo. To reduce these issues and the fire risk, in 12 Volt RV wiring, you need really fat cables going the shortest possible distances because you are using heaps more Amps than you would with 240 Volt mains power. For instance: A 2,000 Watt kettle draws 8 Amps at home, but in your camper, with an inverter, it would draw 167 Amps (2000 ÷ 12). For that many Amps your cables need to be huge. What might seem like not much power at home could be very different when you are off the grid. 240 Volt mains power and 12 Volt battery systems are both dangerous but in different ways. Why is 240 Volt mains power dangerous? Compared with 12 Volts from your battery, 240 Volts mains power is a bit like a high-pressure hose and the electricity really wants to get out and escape through whatever is close or touching it, including us (which would electrocute us). So electrical equipment with higher voltages (240 Volts) has more insulation around it to keep the electricity in the wire. Why are 12 Volts battery systems dangerous? 12 Volts does not have as much force to push electricity to escape. It is more like very, very low water pressure. So there is less chance of electricity being forced to flow through us and give us an electric shock. However, to get enough power and make up for the lack of pressure (Volts) we increase Amps or current flow. If the wires are not big enough to carry that much current, they can heat up and become a fire risk. Tips for installing a 12 Volt to 240 Volt inverter Set the inverter up as close as possible (short fat cables) to the battery and if need be run an extension cord from the inverter to the appliance. If you are buying an inverter with a big power capacity (anything over 150 Watts) get it professionally installed. Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 28

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Fixing-H.webp GO TO Autumn Gold Touch wood, I have now fixed the soft patch in my floor Fixing a soft floor on a UK Caravan Graham Leslie UK caravan floors sometimes get spongy or soft in high traffic areas due to delamination of the floor. A UK caravan floor like mine is made of about 30 to 40mm of foam sandwiched between two thin (about 4mm) layers of plywood. Touch wood, I have now fixed the soft patch in my floor, and I found the repair job relatively simple to carry out. ONE I started out by watching some YouTube videos to see what others had done and found this very useful. I recommend you watch lots of these videos to gain a consensus on the best technique. TWO I ordered a repair kit online that came with resin and wooden dowels. THREE After removing the caravan’s carpet mats I carefully cut the vinyl floor along the lines of the floor board wood pattern with a fresh sharp-bladed craft knife. This is made it easier to hide cuts when I put the vinyl back. In my caravan the vinyl is not glued down (I don’t know how common this is) so once cut, it was easy to lift up and peel back the vinyl from the area of spongy floor. When you cut out the vinyl for the area you want to treat, allow a border around your treatment area of at least 5cm. I also only cut out 3 sides of the square and carefully folded the vinyl back to make it easier to reinstate later. FOUR Next job was to drill holes in the floor. These are to pour resin in and plug with the 8mm wooden dowels. It is important not to drill right through the floor, so I set up a spacer on my drill to limit the depth. Calculating the floor thickness can be done by measuring through a ventilation hole or holes cut for wiring or heating, probably found under one of the bunks. The drilled holes are laid out in a 5cm by 5cm grid. Sweep up the sawdust after drilling the holes. FIVE Then it is case of filling and refilling the holes with resin until it stops running into the floor. On my floor I had rows of six holes, and I would fill a row several times, then fill the next row and then come back and refill the holes again and keep refilling them until the resin was overflowing the holes slightly and the resin stopped disappearing down the holes. Where the floor was particularly spongy it took a lot more resin and I repeatedly refilled the holes. Some disposable gloves are handy when it comes to this stage, and I recommend you mask the vinyl edges with masking tape to prevent getting resin on the vinyl. I tried cling wrap to protect the vinyl and it did not work. SIX Once you have filled a row of holes so that they don’t take any more resin push the dowels down into the holes like plugs. The repair kit came with 30mm-long dowels which pushed down flush with my holes. I ran out of the kit dowels and continued with some 40mm-long dowels I already had. These sat proud and had to be trimmed off later — not really a major problem. I found having something like a spatula or putty knife to push them down was handy. SEVEN I worked my way down the caravan floor towards the door. As the resin goes off it foams (like Gorilla® glue or polyurethane glue) up and around the dowels. Some of the YouTube videos recommended I put a flat board with weights on it over the floor while the resin went off to stop the floor bowing upwards. I could not see how I could do this without then also ending up with it glued to the floor. My floor still feels flat to me, so I don’t think in my case it was necessary. EIGHT We then left it alone for 48 hours. When we came back it had all set hard and we just needed to clean up the resin that was sitting proud. This was fairly easy with a multi tool to trim the bulk of oozed out resin and then a bit of sandpaper to finish things off. NINE We have laid the vinyl back down but have not glued it down yet in case we want to lift it again for other bits of floor. The joins along the side are invisible but there is a 1 or 2mm gap at the far end as if the vinyl has shrunk slightly long ways. I am not sure what is the best option to re-secure the vinyl. Two options spring to mind. a. Lay some sticky tape on the floor, sticky side up. Lay this tape under the edge of the vinyl still on the floor and then lay the raised vinyl back onto the other half of it and effectively join the bits of vinyl. b. Glue the vinyl back down with coloured silicon “no more gaps” type sealant. Wood coloured versions are available and will hopefully hide any damage or gaps in the vinyl. The repaired floor looks good at the moment, not secured, and now the carpet mats are back on top. However, I think it could get ratty if left unsecured long-term. All images ©2024 Graham Leslie Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 26

Winter 2025 ISSUE 12 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption winter_H1.webp GO TO CHILLY CHILLY CHILLY OUT THERE first-time hikers that had never stayed in a hut before Winter in the Tararuas for first time trampers Jono Collins New Zealand Fun Adventures Our group tramp to Atiwhakatu Hut in the Tararua Ranges was full of first-time hikers that had never stayed in a hut before. We were excited to have a big range of ages attending as well, with parents walking in with kids, through to grandparents enjoying getting outdoors again on an overnight adventure. The walk was around 7km of beautiful native trees and the well-formed track crossed over lots of streams along the way. For a lot it was an opportunity to try out new gear or learn to use things for the first time like gas cookers, sleeping mats or warm winter clothing. NZ Fun Adventures Camping were there to help everyone get set up if needed, and to ensure they had an enjoyable trip. Jono, who created the opportunity, carried in 20kgs of manuka firewood to enjoy, which meant the wood-burner got started and in no time had the hut toasty and warm. Meal time was a real treat as well seeing what everyone had carried in on the trip. We had braised short ribs on a bed of cheesy mash, steak and veggies, curries, deserts and of course 2 minute noodles ( photos ). We had the hut to ourselves for the night, as we booked and filled it, which allowed for plenty of card games and puzzles. Jono took the kids out to make boats out of leaves and sticks which were raced down a shallow stream behind the hut. Overall this was a big success at helping new people get outdoors tramping in a fun and encouraging way. If you would like to know more about attending one of these Fun Adventure events you can find out more by visiting our website nzfunadventures.co.nz and joining us on Facebook . 🏕️ Up Up 12 Winter 2025 , p 23

7 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Right to the top of the headland then over to the petrified forest © 2024 Maurie Edwards The petrified forest If for no other reason, the petrified forest is a good enough reason to visit. © 2024 Maurie Edwards Campground © 2024 Maurie Edwards We made it to Curio Bay Maurie Edwards Well we made it to Curio Bay on Monday afternoon, after an 8¾ hour drive. I did the Balclutha to Curio Bay run. Jeeze it’s like Gisborne to Tolaga Bay 5 times non stop. And the road’s crap as well. Lots of soft spots on the fog line where the seal has been squeezed out of the holes and looks like 9 or 10 inches from top to bottom. Then there’s the normal refills that aren’t working or didn’t work. I guess the message is, the roads around the country are generally not fit for purpose, so drive and be very wary — scan the road 30 or 40 meters ahead so you can mitigate the risks. I guess I’m lucky. I had good patient teachers in the military, on trucks with power steering by arm and shoulder movement only. Anyway, greeted by reception and allocated a site. We asked for as close to the amenities as possible as we are broken arses. No worries, got a great site. Hauled out our new air tent and with some glitches got set up in about an hour. Cook a feed, take meds, do washing up, tidy up and hit the sack. Day two, up at sparrow fart and do a recce, have breakfast then off exploring. Right to the top of the headland then over to the petrified forest. If for no other reason, the petrified forest is a good enough reason to visit. The sites are natural land and each site is surrounded by mature harakeke. The first sound you are greeted by is something that sounds like it’s a stuka of WW2 vintage. Then you start bleeding and realise its fekin Curio Bay sandflies. Despite the bombers it’s a pretty good camp. For a few nights or a day trip it’s a pretty cool place. n The Catlins, Southland, Photos © 2024 Maurie Edwards STATUS: Campground. Not affected by law changes. GO TO Celebrating Summer Despite the fekin Curio Bay sandflies bombers it’s a pretty good camp. Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 5 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

Summer 2025 ISSUE 13 BUY PDF Contents Click on image for full view and caption spring-home-5_H.webp spring-home-2.webp spring-home-4.webp spring-home-1.webp spring-home-3.webp GO TO as the seasons change when you wake to find your kettle frozen solid STOP and STAY Home for the next week Tony Kissel Lake Ohau. A tad chilly in the mornings. You know it’s been a cold night when you wake up to the water in your kettle frozen solid, and that’s inside the tent. A lovely view to wake up to, the highest peak is Mt Sefton (I think). ©2025 Tony Kissel Up Up Summer 2025 , p 8

7 Autumn 2024 Autumn 2024 ISSUE 7 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Swimming www.gonatural.co.nz Camping au naturel www.gonatural.co.nz Camp au naturel gonatural.co.nz There are many ways to have a summer camping holiday, and everyone has their own reasons for choosing where they camp, how they camp and who they camp with. Some like the resort style camping holiday where everything is laid on for both adults and kids, while others choose to go bush, where they have peace and quiet and can get right down to the basics of camping. And some folk choose to go where they can shed their clothes along with the stresses and worries of every day life. Do you remember those halcyon days as a child when you could run around the house or back yard without clothes and no one thought anything of it. When Mum would strip your togs off at the tide’s edge to rinse the sand off and you’d do the mad dash to the car laughing all the way. As a teenager, that first midnight skinny dip at the beach, just because you could. Ahhh if only we could relive those carefree moments, when it didn’t matter that you were as naked as the day you were born. Well, there are several places around New Zealand where you can camp au naturel , in the buff, clothes-free. Where you can sit out in your camp chair with a good book and feel the breeze on your skin, all of your skin. Where you can lie in the sun for that all over tan and no one is going to bat an eyelid. Where you can go for a swim in the pool or a dip in the hot tub free of the clinging of togs then lie out for a gentle breeze and the sun’s rays to dry you off. Interested? Sounds like it’s too good to be true, but it isn’t. If you want the ‘shed it all’ holiday you’ve got a few choices in New Zealand. There are two commercial naturist campgrounds along with several naturist clubs that are well set up for camping holidays or if you’re lucky enough to find that really isolated spot with no else around to see what you are or are not wearing. There are also several beaches, some close to campgrounds and holiday parks that are frequented by naturists regularly. In fact you can be naked on any beach in New Zealand if you choose to. There is no specific law in New Zealand that prevents anyone from being naked on a beach or anywhere for that matter. Provided you are not engaging in offensive or disorderly conduct, obscene or indecent exposure anyone can go for a skinny dip or get that all over suntan. So why would you want a naked camping holiday? Why not? For starters there are the health benefits of sun exposure and vitamin D. Keeping in mind you still have to be sensible and use sunscreen or cover up when it gets too hot. Creating a positive body image is not easy in today’s world. Self-esteem is greatly enhanced in the naturist lifestyle and our own self-esteem increases when we accept ourselves for who we really are. However, it isn’t until a person gives it a try, that they can experience that concept for themselves. Latest research shows that vitamin D may play an important role in mental health. The recent Mental Health foundation annual awareness week was themed ‘Nature is Key’. We all know that getting out in the fresh air and sun just makes us feel better and all the more so if you are clothes-free. Having a camping holiday without the need for clothes brings a whole new meaning to the word holiday. For starters there is only half the amount to pack. Just imagine getting home and there is only a load of towels to go through the wash and not a mountain of dirty clothes. Get caught in the rain, there are no clothes to try and get dry in the tent or caravan. The kids won’t be rummaging through bags and drawers looking for their clothes every morning, they will be up and gone. And swimming without togs, once you’ve tried it you will never want to wear togs again. The number of different interests and hobbies that one can participate in these days is as wide and varied as the people who go camping, so why not include these within your camping holiday. If you are a seasoned naturist or just think you might like to dip your toe into the world of naturism there are multiple opportunities to include it while you’re camping. For more information check out www.gonatural.co.nz GO TO Celebrating Summer shed your clothes along with the stresses of every day life Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 35 ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 4 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

10 summer 2024 Summer 2024 ISSUE 10 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption Pohangina Valley Looking over the Pohangina Valley from a freedom camping spot on Valley Rd. Manawatu ©2024 M Richardson GO TO Springing Each council makes its own choices But I am not freedom camping… Miriam Richardson We are in a time of transition, as councils try to work out how to apply and enforce the new freedom camping laws. They are each doing it in their own way, so there is no consistent advice for campers around the country as a whole. The law gives councils no criteria to judge what counts as a ‘ day-trip excursion ,’ ‘ temporary and short-term parking ’ or how a person can establish they have ‘ driver fatigue ,’ all of which are, the law says, not feedom camping. There is also a new offence, ‘ making preparations to freedom camp ’ in a place where freedom camping is not allowed. The law says that this means to “ park a motor vehicle to use it for freedom camping ” or to “ erect a tent to use it for freedom camping. ” (Freedom Camping Act 2011, 20, 1 (f)(g), & 2) The impossible thing with this, is that there is no way to know a person’s intentions. Are they parked to freedom camp, or are they parked on a day-trip, which is not freedom camping? They often look identical in real life. Each council makes its choices when it trains its enforcement officers: what criteria determines ‘freedom camping’ or ‘preparing to freedom camp’; how to recognise a ‘day-trip excursion’ vs ‘preparing to freedom camp.’ There is no way for the traveller to know in advance what criteria any particular council is using. What to do if you fall foul of a council’s criteria? First, write in to the council and explain your actions and intentions. If they still assert you were freedom camping or preparing to freedom camp, seek support from camping/motorhoming groups such as All Points Camping or NZMCA. Their support may make a difference as you decide between the personal costs of fighting vs the dollar cost of the fine. ◊ Next issue we will explore these issues in more detail. I would love to hear about your summer experiences: editor@campingthekiwiway.org Image: Looking over the Pohangina Valley from a freedom camping spot on Valley Rd. Manawatu ©2024 M Richardson Up Up 10 Summer 2024 , p 2

2 Summer 2022 Summer 2022 ISSUE 2 CONTENTS PDF BUY Up The Wild Wairarapa Coast Allan Henderson Up We spent a few days on the coast out from Martinborough, Te Awati camping area and then back to North Tora Reserve, some very rough coastline. When we arrived it was beautiful, stunning and no wind. We enjoyed a beer or 2 under our awning, giving respite from the sun’s heat… Well ,that lasted for several hours and then the southerly wind hit us, full side-on and was moving our slide-out in with its gusts. We pulled anchor and swung about, tucking ourselves in a more sheltered area and facing the wind head on… Eventually we had to move our slide-out in part way, which meant we had to climb over the bed to use the bathroom in the night. The next day started out fine, no wind and our world was at peace. Had a great day, bit of a walk and explore and chilled. Our night slowly started rocking as a fresh Northerly wind bashed into the rear of our camper. Again we battened down the hatches to ride it out. TEventually we moved camp to Tora and enjoyed another beating from the wind. Time to head inland. We had a great time out there. The wind and the ocean are brutal, Mother Nature at its finest — but what a blast (pun intended)! Yes, we would go back but would be very mindful of the weather. This area is beautiful, the roar of the ocean, the battered rocks, and the hills are stunning. The road is very doable. We have an 8.5m motorhome with a toad, and generally had a smooth trip in, considering the length of gravel road. One section was very steep, a patch up after a slip — we bottomed out our tow bar on the way in and out. We have an Iveco rear wheel drive with good ground clearance; beware any front wheel drive and or low-to-the-ground rigs. Photos © 2022 Allan Henderson Up Up © 2022 Allan Henderson Wairarapa Coast We spent a few days on the coast out from Martinborough, Te Awati camping area and then back to North Tora Reserve, some very rough coastline. © 2022 Allan Henderson Wairarapa Coast We spent a few days on the coast out from Martinborough, Te Awati camping area and then back to North Tora Reserve, some very rough coastline. © 2022 Allan Henderson © 2022 Allan Henderson 1/7