7 Autumn 2024 7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Best pullout kitchen at Campfest 2024 ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Best pull-out kitchen at Campfest Bette Cosgrove Best pull-out kitchen at Campfest ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 31

2 Summer 2022 2 Summer 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Pick and pedal Gary Stoneley Is that e-bike right for you? Many New Zealanders are now moving to e-bikes and they definitely have health advantages while being cheap to operate and maintain. E-bikes allow travellers to park up and get on their bike to explore areas they might usually not get to while keeping their fitness up and catching some good old vitamin D. E‑bikes, battery-powered bicycles, have evolved quite a lot from the early days but with prices ranging anywhere from a thousand dollars to upwards of six thousand dollars how do you choose the bike that is best for you and your budget? I’m not a hardened cyclist and neither is Beverley, my wife, but for several years we have considered purchasing e‑bikes. We have been to many shows and visited many bike shops, tried out our friends’ and show models and watched the prices fluctuate against our limited budget. When Covid-19 came along demand and prices of e‑bikes climbed considerably. It took us a while to decide what was right for us but in the end the purchases were an easy choice. How do you make the right choice, first time round, on purchasing an e‑bikes? What will you use it for? One of the most important things to consider is what you will use the e-bike for and how often, keeping in mind that this could change. If you are only going to use the bike around town then an urban e-bike with limited features will be more suitable than one designed for riding over gravel and travelling rural trails. Some bikes are only suitable for urban riding and generally come with smooth tyres and without suspension. Others are more of a crossover, good for urban riding but with chunky tyres, suitable for occasional off-road riding. How much power assistance do you want? My personal preference is for an e-bike that requires you to still do the hard work with a wide choice of motor assistance. Some e‑bike riders prefer a bike where you only need to pedal occasionally, with the hand throttle giving you all the power and speed that you need. Will you be transporting the e-bike from place to place or will it be permanently kept at one place? If transporting it, how much space do you have to store it on or in your vehicle? What kind of bike rack would the bike need? How would it fit on your vehicle? In some cases a folding e‑bike may be an advantage, so it can be put in the boot or camper rather than mounted on the back (do try it out before buying, to make sure the folded bike actually fits). How far do you want to ride in one go? How far you can go on a single battery charge depends on the size and quality of the battery and how much pedalling you do and how much the bike engine does. Ask the seller how far the bike’s battery should be able to go. Each bike and battery will be different. Also check out how long it needs to be plugged in to fully charge. How much are you prepared to pay? For a couple getting into e-bikes for the first time you could easily spend $2,500 to $10,000 on your first two e-bikes. In NZ bike shops most e-bikes start around $3,400. For smaller folding bikes, or purchasing online, they can be considerably less than $2000. Check out online and instore specials for a bargain or use a discount membership card e.g. All Points Camping Club / Torpedo 7 to get year-round savings. Our experience We bought our e‑bikes in two steps and got some terrific deals by shopping online, but there are risks in this and you need to make sure the bike you are ordering will be suitable for your size and weight. Bev’s lime green urban bike was the first purchase which we scored for under $1000 and was a test run before we spent more money. It came with mudguards, carrier and front basket with the option of three levels of power-pedal assistance or simple pedal-free power. The bike also came with good tyres for a bit of off-road use. After taking this bike away for a camping weekend, two of our friends decided to purchase this model. My e‑bike was purchased initially because I could not keep up with Bev on my mountain bike. After an online search we found an Australian electric mountain bike for $1400. Both bikes are proving their value and we now travel around with them exploring towns, cycleways and on trails rated as ‘moderate level of difficulty’. We have added a few accessories like cell phone holders and mirrors but for under two and a half thousand dollars we have purchased two new e‑bikes that meet our needs, improve our fitness levels and we still have money in the bank. We could have spent so much more and for a first time purchase. Perhaps next time we might buy that $5000 bike but for now we can cycle along merrily. When travelling, check local information for urban and trail cycleways. There is a Facebook group for motorhomers who go cycling (see p36). There are also a variety of cycling apps that you can download on your phone to find and track your next cycling adventure. Up Up 2 Summer 2022 , p 17

3 Autumn 2023 3 Autumn 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Festivals & Shows Up Up 3 Autumn 2023 , p 35

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption Beautiful phone Take phone to a beautiful lake-edge perch. Engage with phone. Return to van. Drive away. 
It takes all kinds. Lake Wanaka. © 2024 M Richardson Beautiful phone Take phone to a beautiful lake-edge perch. Engage with phone. Return to van. Drive away. 
It takes all kinds. Lake Wanaka. © 2024 M Richardson GO TO Autumn Gold The phone is beautiful M Richardson Take phone to a beautiful lake-edge perch. Engage with phone. Return to van. Drive away. It takes all kinds. Lake Wanaka. © 2024 M Richardson Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 17

Winter 2025 ISSUE 12 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption chilly-rollercoaster_H.webp GO TO CHILLY CHILLY CHILLY OUT THERE Rollercoaster Francis Donegan It has been somewhat of a rollercoaster ride of late. New campa repairs — gearbox etc. After a new clutch kit, synchro failed. Now up for a new box, thanks Walsh Autospares, Inglewood, and Pitstop Levin for coming to the rescue. I’ll be back on the road soon. ©2025 Francis Donegan Up Up 12 Winter 2025 , p 13

Autumn 2023 ISSUE 3 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption We took the dog on many of the easy bush walks (it’s amazing who you meet on the tracks — old friends and famous people ©2023 Heather Auckram We took the dog on many of the easy bush walks (it’s amazing who you meet on the tracks — old friends and famous people ©2023 Heather Auckram We took the dog on many of the easy bush walks (it’s amazing who you meet on the tracks — old friends and famous people ©2023 Heather Auckram Cooking marshmallows. ©2023 Heather Auckram ©2023 Heather Auckram I was invited to spend the New Year with friends at their crib at Papatowai. ©2023 Heather Auckram I rode on a trailer being towed along a long sandy beach. I squashed a few sandflies and went to bed blissfully happy each night. Catlins, Southland . Heather Auckram ©2023 Heather Auckram We took the dog on many of the easy bush walks (it’s amazing who you meet on the tracks — old friends and famous people ©2023 Heather Auckram About 10pm the sun went down, so we put the lead on the dog and made our way to the beach. We set up our deck chairs and chilly bin and watched the huge bonfire being lit on the sand. It crackled into life and flames reached for the stars in the still air. People mixed and mingled, sharing a laugh and a story. I crept into my camp some time around 1am on a warm, star-filled night. Hello 2023. ©2023 Heather Auckram We dipped our toes in the cold sea. ©2023 Heather Auckram I went to bed blissfully happy each night HELLO 2023 Heather Auckram I was invited to spend the New Year with friends at their crib at Papatowai. To tell you the truth, it has been fifteen years since I was last in the Catlins. Shameful really; I live in Southland. The weather was perfect. Long hot sunny days with a warm gentle breeze. The drive over was easy, on good roads with little traffic and well signposted. I met my friends at the New Year’s Eve fair on the beachfront. There were markets and games and prizes to be had. I didn’t take any photos as I was so overcome with the joy of being at an old-fashioned fair like those of my childhood many decades ago. About 10pm the sun went down, so we put the lead on the dog and made our way to the beach. We set up our deck chairs and chilly bin and watched the huge bonfire being lit on the sand. It crackled into life and flames reached for the stars in the still air. People mixed and mingled, sharing a laugh and a story. I crept into my camp some time around 1am on a warm, star-filled night. Hello 2023. Over the following hot summer days, we took the dog on many of the easy bush walks (it’s amazing who you meet on the tracks — old friends and famous people), dipped our toes in the cold sea, rode on a trailer being towed along a long sandy beach, squashed a few sandflies and went to bed blissfully happy each night. Oh, I must tell you — there is limited mobile phone reception at Papatowai. I believe a couple of providers work, but I am with Spark and had no phone reception at all. Four days off the radar! If you want to stop the world and get off for a while — then Papatowai could be the place for you. I was shocked at how often I reached for my mobile phone. It was great not being beeped at on a regular basis or concerning myself with melodramas that are not even part of my life. I think I had developed a habit — but no more. My phone stays at home more than I do these days. Thank you Papatowai. Photos ©2023 Heather Auckram Up Up 3 Autumn 2023 , p 8

Autumn 2023 ISSUE 3 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption 700 Campers at Kaitoke NZ Fun Adventures What a fantastic weekend of weather and fun. Kaitoke saw over 700 campers on Waitangi weekend. We saw some amazing set-ups of all different kinds. NZ Fun Adventures on Facebook ckw.nz/nzfunadventures Up Up 3 Autumn 2023 , p 4

Autumn 2023 ISSUE 3 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption We jet boated upriver for approximately an hour. ©2023 Fiona Thomson We jet boated upriver for approximately an hour, through spectacular gorges, stopping to hear about historical and scenic interest spots. ©2023 Fiona Thomson We jet boated upriver for approximately an hour. ©2023 Fiona Thomson We jet boated upriver for approximately an hour. ©2023 Fiona Thomson My mother and aunt. ©2023 Fiona Thomson The bridge is a large concrete structure that was built in 1936 to provide early pioneering farmers access to their farms. Unfortunately the local area became a valley of abandoned dreams as the land proved unsuitable for farming. ©2023 Fiona Thomson The bridge is a large concrete structure that was built in 1936 to provide early pioneering farmers access to their farms. Unfortunately the local area became a valley of abandoned dreams as the land proved unsuitable for farming. ©2023 Fiona Thomson Nowhere special Fiona Thomson Our trip to the Bridge to Nowhere, on the Whanganui river, will always be a special memory that I share with my 84 year old mother. We camped overnight at Pipiriki on a non-powered site in our campervan. Cabins are available, with a clean communal kitchen and lounge area. We parked up in the provided day parking before donning our life jackets and wet weather gear. Our local guide and driver of the jet boat was helpful and knowledgeable. We jet boated upriver for approximately an hour, through spectacular gorges, stopping to hear about historical and scenic interest spots. After arriving at the Mangapurua landing, we were guided on a gentle 40 minute walk through native bush on a fern-lined track. The first hill up from the river was the most difficult — however my mother rose to the challenge and managed to walk the distance to the Bridge to Nowhere. The bridge is a large concrete structure that was built in 1936 to provide early pioneering farmers access to their farms. Unfortunately the local area became a valley of abandoned dreams as the land proved unsuitable for farming. Hot drinks and biscuits were provided at the bridge. We ate our own packed lunch before making the return bush walk and jet boating back to Pipirki. If you have the opportunity, this is a great day trip. Photos © Fiona Thomson Up Up 3 Autumn 2023 , p 9

8 Winter 2024 Winter 2024 ISSUE 8 BUY PDF CONTENTS Click on image for full view and caption GO TO Autumn Gold Packing the van for Booktown Bette Cosgrove Packing the van for a weekend at the Featherston Booktown Karukatea Festival 2024. Very excited for this annual event. Accommodation is SO hard to find so All Points Camping NZ have arranged a great place for us to camp in our vehicles — right in town, with koha to the local school. Everybody wins! ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 23

Find the services you need for your camping or motorhoming. Summer 2023 ISSUE 6 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Rv & Camper services Up NZ Lifestyle Camping Find rv and camping services. Any relevant business can list; it is free. Anyone can recommend a business to add to the list. No endorsement is implied. The thumbs up shows people you can ask, if you are stuck. Their local knowledge can help you find the service you need. North Island listings South Island Listings Up Up RV-Business-Services_MW.webp RV-Business-Services_MW.webp 1/1

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. Summer 2023 ISSUE 6 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Dehydrated dinners Up Margaret Earle Recipes for camping Initially I bought a dehydrator to make fruit snacks for tramping — like dried banana and feijoa. Over time, friends inspired me to use my dehydrator to make pre-cooked dinners. I use a simple round dehydrator with five trays and follow this method: Cook the meal in a large pan until it is almost dry and then spread the contents evenly across the racks of the dehydrator (about 1 cm thick). It will take at least 12 hours for the meal to be sufficiently dehydrated. It should be the consistency of corn flakes. Place the dehydrated meal in a dry plastic bag and seal it. Store it in a cool and dry place away from the direct sun. A dehydrator enables you to make meals in advance for either tramping or camping. These meals will keep for several weeks unrefrigerated and longer if you vacuum seal them. You can make both meat-based and vegetarian meals. When using meat, I have found that generally minced meats (beef, lamb, pork) are easier to rehydrate than chunks of meat. When you want to rehydrate the meal, empty the contents of the bag into a pot or billy. Cover completely with cold water. You can leave it to soak for a while or heat it immediately. Bring to the boil and continue heating until the mixture is fully rehydrated. Here’s a couple of recipes that I have adapted for the dehydrator. Ratatouille Serves 4 Ingredients 3–4 large eggplants Salt 1–2 onions (chopped) 2 Tbsp olive oil 2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes 2 capsicums (chopped) 1–2 tsp dried basil 2–3 chopped zucchini Method Chop eggplants into small cubes; sprinkle liberally with salt and leave for at least 30 mins. Rinse and drain chopped eggplants. Fry chopped onions in olive oil. When onions are clear, add drained eggplant and fry until eggplant is soft. Add additional olive oil as needed. Add chopped tomatoes, capsicum and basil and simmer uncovered until most of the fluid has boiled away. Add zucchini and continue simmering until mixture is dry. Be careful it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Lay mixture on trays in dehydrator. Turn dehydrator on and check after 12 hours. Continue dehydrating until the contents are the consistency of corn flakes. Can be served with rice or pasta. Venison stew Serves 4 Ingredients 450g venison (diced, all sinew removed) 1 Tbsp olive oil 2½ cups diced potatoes 2 cups diced carrots 1 cup diced celery 1 large onion (diced) 2 cloves garlic (minced) 2 tsp, a mix of dried green herbs Salt and pepper to taste 400g tin of chopped tomatoes 1 cup beef stock (or more, if needed) 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce Method Heat olive oil in a large pan and add diced venison. Sauté for a least 5 minutes until it is beginning to brown. Remove venison. Add potatoes, carrots, celery and onion to pan and sauté for around 10 minutes until they start to soften. Add garlic, dried green herbs, salt and pepper. Cook for a further minute and then add chopped tomatoes, beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Add venison and bring stew to the boil. If necessary add more beef stock but don’t make the mixture too watery. Simmer covered for 1 – 2 hours, stirring occasionally. When venison is tender, remove lid and boil off any excess liquid. Be careful it doesn’t burn or stick to the bottom of the pan. Lay mixture on trays in dehydrator. Turn dehydrator on and check after 12 hours. Continue dehydrating until the contents are the consistency of corn flakes. Can be served with rice or instant mashed potatoes.  Photo above: ©2023 Danielle Carp instagram ckw.nz/dehyrdate-it-video Shoshanna, Instagram Up Up Dehyrdrating food, Danielle-7632 recipe-dehydrator_w.webp recipe_shoshanna-dehydrate_w.webp Dehyrdrating food, Danielle-7632 1/3

This super affordable camp ground close to Wellington, Hutt Valley and Kapiti is situated on a former farm and a significant historical site. Summer 2023 ISSUE 6 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Battle Hill Farm Forest Park: A great Summer camping spot Up Bette Cosgrove STOP and STAY Pauatahanui, Paekakariki Hill Road, Wellington Regional Park This super affordable camp ground close to Wellington, Hutt Valley and Kapiti is situated on a former farm and a significant historical site. In a sheltered valley, it caters for everyone on a pay per person basis with online reservation and payment services at the gate. It’s a lot like freedom camping in that you simply register and park up wherever there’s a suitable spot, either near the stables, river or forest. There are plenty of natural spaces for everyone from pup tents to large RVs. There’s always a wide variety of campers enjoying this camping spot. We love the masses of eels to feed, day hikes and night walks to search for glow worms; there are safe fire-pits too and a little swimming hole for hot days. A basic flushing toilet block and water facilities are provided, with the only restriction being that no dogs are allowed. Big vehicles stick to the southern road access. MORE Pauatahanui, Paekakariki Hill Road, Wellington Regional Park. STOP and STAY Where to stop when travelling and camping in NZ — use it, share it, add to it. Stop and Stay is a free resource for NZ campers and travellers, brought to you by campers for campers. It might be a country pub for a meal, a rural property, a council reserve, a DOC camp; it might be a commercial campground or a unique day-stop or cafe. Please add your recommendations to the list. Anyone one can access the list or make recommendations. It’s free, too, for property owners to be on the list. Remember to always check with hosts first — phone numbers are provided on most listings, and keep in mind that some properties have restrictions. Dog-friendly properties are indicated on each listing, as are wheelchair accessible properties. STOP and STAY | Add a place to Stop and Stay Up Up battle_20230218_074430_mw.webp battle_20230218_125924_w.webp battle_20230217_191709_w.webp battle_20230218_074430_mw.webp 1/3