1 Spring 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Gives access to most, but not all, DOC campsites. DOC and its Campsite Pass Editor Thirty- or 365-night pass. Buy online or at a DOC visitor centre. Gives access to most, but not all, DOC campsites. Some you book online before arrival; others, first in first served. Check online for each site. The pass has a maximum of 7 nights in a 30-day period at one campsite (you can buy further nights). 2022 prices 18 years + 30 nights: $97.50 1 year: $195 Age 5–17 yrs 30 nights : $47.40 1 year: $95 0–4yrs free LINKS DOC campsites DOC campsite pass DOC booking and paying onine PHOTO: Marfells Beach ©2022 Miriam Richardson Up Up 1 Spring 2022 , p 7

5 Spring 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Have you found the names of these small towns? Puzzle solution ​ Have you found the names of these small towns? Do you know if they are located in the North or South? After you have identified all of the towns in the grid there are 24 remaining letters. Working from left to right and top to bottom you will discover a three-word phrase! Download pdf of the solution Up Up 5 Spring 2023 , p 38

7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Is it a tent? ©2024 Alex Koveskali take heed to weather warnings It was a tent Alex Koveskali People should take heed to weather warnings up here in the McKenzie country. Strong winds early hours of this morning and rain. The winds stayed. It’s too big for a chair and it’s not moving in the water so I can only guess it’s another tent blown away, full of belongings. Folks tend to leave their tents and go sight-seeing for the day and this happens. Yep, it was a tent. A guy just pulled it out. Photo ©2024 Alex Koveskali Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 25

1 Spring 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures Te Rātā Bay, Lake Tarawera ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures Te Rātā Bay, Lake Tarawera ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures Preparing to cook in the ground We planned our evening meals to be cooked in the ground and loved putting them in each morning. ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures Cooking in the ground The best part was the no-stress cooking approach. ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures Just a little longer We were amazed by how great they were in the evenings. ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures Carrying the food back to camp ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures The camp Te Rātā Bay, Lake Tarawera ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures tarawera_4416.jpg We spent the day watching families arrive and set up. ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures Te Rātā Bay, Lake Tarawera Jetskiiing ©2022 NZ Fun Adventures We planned our evening meals to be cooked in the ground Te Rātā Bay, Lake Tarawera Jonathan Collins We started our trip leaving Wellington at 4am sharp. The journey was great, avoiding all holiday traffic, and we made short work of the 5-hour drive towing our jetski up to Lake Tarawera. We transferred our camping gear into our ski and welcomed our friends from South Africa who joined us for Easter as we helped get everyone on the water safely. What we could not fit on the skis we had the local water taxi service bring over to our camping spot. This is a well-run service, and their friendly helpful approach makes it fun. We left the ramp at 11am and had flat water all the way, arriving to the beauty that is Te Rātā Bay (Hot Water Beach). We were the 1st to be at the DOC-run campground and had our tent and site set up within about an hour. The facilities are great there with toilets and a kitchen area to use if needed. Planning is essential as there is no fresh running water there so you do need to take everything with you. We spent the day watching families arrive and set up. We went on walks and explored the area around the camp, which is full of walking tracks. We planned our evening meals to be cooked in the ground and loved putting them in each morning and were amazed by how great they were in the evenings. The best part was the no-stress cooking approach. Our trip was full of swimming in the thermal-warmed water around the lake, jetskiing, exploring, meeting fellow family campers, fishing, diving, hiking, watching sunsets and relaxing in the great outdoors. We highly recommend this as a spot to visit — its affordable and jam-packed with things to do. It's an annual destination for our family now. BY: Jono Collins PHOTOS: ©2022 Jono Collins - [DOC info](/doc-pass) Up Up 1 Spring 2022 , p 7

7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Xmas at Aniwhenua... ... with 6 others, all old friends from around the North Island. ©2024 Carolyn London Xmas at Aniwhenua ©2024 Carolyn London Xmas at Aniwhenua ©2024 Carolyn London Xmas at Aniwhenua ©2024 Carolyn London six others, all old friends Christmas at Lake Aniwhenua Carolyn London Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 15

7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Taihape: the perfect stopover place Taihape facilities ©2024 Peter Scott Taihape sign for the loo. ©2024 Peter Scott Shower and loo ©2024 Peter Scott Under cover sink for doing dishes ©2024 Peter Scott Corner of Weka and Kōkako Sts Turn at MacDonalds and go 500m to the show grounds. Memorial Park, driveway on the corner of Weka and Kōkako Sts. ©2024 Google street view Taihape main street Taihape main street. ©2024 Google street view Okay, listen up Taihape: the perfect stopover place Peter Scott Okay, listen up, this is new. When travelling the North Island, Taihape has become the perfect stopover place. The local council has gone to extreme trouble and cost to provide the best stopover place in the country. Turn at MacDonalds and go 500m to the show grounds. Memorial Park, driveway on the corner of Weka and Kōkako Sts. Plenty of room to park up and a new facility to enjoy. Cnr of Weka and Kokako Sts ©2024 Google street view Large camper parking is on the gravel area before turning left into the sports parking car park. (Oh, and, Saturday morning sports…) Free facilities include an outside food prep area, toilets, and showers. All councils should be thinking like this… taihape.co.nz Water fill: Kuku St, behind the Town Hall Dump station: Linnet St Dog park: Robin St Laundromat BP and Mobil Taihape Community Garden Taihape Musicians Club, every Friday night, 7pm Taihape main street, right ©2024 Google street view Freedom camping in Rangikei The Rangitikei District Council, since the 2023 law change, says, for council land: “people can effectively freedom camp wherever they like.” They ask that you “be aware of your surroundings, other people, litter, and comply with other bylaws and laws.” ckw.nz/rangitikei-free-camp Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 19

2 Summer 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption ​ Caravan & Motorhome Electrics by Collyn Rivers Miriam Richardson 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. It tells you how to install, how to identify, understand and (sometimes) fix anything that does not work as it should. It will give you a good understanding of alternators, regulators, batteries and their charging and monitoring, solar energy and generators. It will help you scale what you want to do with what is possible in your particular setup. It also helps when you are talking to rv service professionals, who may be expert in vehicles but not rvs, or vice versa. Problems arise when service professionals don’t truly understand how the vehicle and RV systems differ and how they interact. You can read the table of contents ( ckw.nz/cme-contents ) and download a sample chapter from his website’s book page . His books are often in local libraries, you can buy them at book depository ($36NZ free delivery), or buy a kindle version from amazon.com.au ($AU12). Highly recommended. Links are here: rvbooks.com.au Choose > Our books. Up Up 2 Summer 2022 , p 23

3 Autumn 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption ​ Our first camper! Anonymous We are thrilled with our Pop Top. Up Up 3 Autumn 2023 , p 41

8 Winter 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption CKW-Featured-8-H.webp ​ Featured content, Winter 2024 Editor 7 Autumn gold: All the fun of Autumn: places, shared experiences, inspiring things you have seen and done. 8 Am I freedom camping? You may be surprised to learn when you are and aren’t actually freedom camping. 16 Composting and Coddiwompling I’m about to swap out my portable toilet for a composting, waterless toilet. 21 Carbon Monoxide Poisoning The problem, is that people are not taking the risks seriously. 28 Watts & Amps How to use electricity safely while camping. 45 RV businesses and services Need self-containment? LPG work? Electrical? And more. Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 3

1 Spring 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Steampunk 2021 Ray's Rest, Kaiaua, Firth of Thames The Maritime Museum in Paeroa Ray's Rest, Kaiaua, Firth of Thames The Maritime Museum in Paeroa Goldmine in Thames A fantastic time away A Trifecta in Hauraki: The Maritime Museum, Rays Rest & Steampunk The Thames Gary Stoneley We always enjoy our trips to Thames and often stay at the Miranda Holiday Park for a day or two beforehand. This time, however, we spent the Monday night at The Maritime Museum at Paeroa and freedom camped at Ray’s Rest (Kaiaua) the next night. The Maritime Museum is just a few kilometres out of Paeroa, heading west and well worth a stop. Run by trustees and volunteers there has been a considerable amount of time and money put into developing the facilities. The museum is full of interesting memorabilia and volunteers have a wealth of knowledge on the early history of the district. The volunteers operate daily boat trips from the park and the trustees are developing the venue for summer concerts. This is most definitely one venue worth stopping at and for overnight camping, with on-site toilets and optional power available for a small charge. Traveling on from the museum to Rays Rest is an easy 35-minute drive and we arrived there just after midday. At the southern end of the Firth of Thames inlet, this area is rather exposed but a very picturesque location. The expansive views, sheer quantity and depth of deposited shells and variety of birdlife are serene and peaceful making it hard to leave. Just down from Ray’s rest is the Pūkorokoro Shorebird Centre at Miranda. This is another worthwhile stop if you are in the area, that also provides overnight accommodation. With the 2020 Steampunk event cancelled due to the pandemic, the event was rescheduled for the school holidays and the new ANZAC weekend. We made this a combined event between All Points Camping, the Bay of Plenty Caravan Club, and the South Auckland Caravan Club. Being in the first week of the school holidays we we able to camp at the Thames South School from Wednesday to Sunday. Over the 5 days, we had in excess of 35 groups join us for Steampunk fun. The Thames community went all out for the weekend events and the Saturday parade was, as always, a lot of fun. A final highlight for Bev and I on this trip was doing the tour of the Thames Goldmine which included going into the mine and seeing the amazing ‘stampers’’ and other machinery in operation. For us, it was a fantastic time away. There is something special about the history of the Thames and Coromandel area and still so much more to explore. BY: Gary Stoneley Photos: ©2022 Gary Stoneley, Miriam Richardson, The Maritime Musem, Steampunk the Thames and Thames Goldmine. 11–13 Nov 2022, Thames All Points Camping are hosting a camp for the weekend. RSVP Circuspunk 2022 Up Up 1 Spring 2022 , p 25

3 Autumn 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption ​ Simple is good Tony Dennerley Yep, simple is good. Tony Dennerley Photo ©2023 Tony Dennerley Up Up 3 Autumn 2023 , p 10

2 Summer 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption ​ Buckets, gladwrap, and gossip Miriam Richardson As the select committee considering the proposed changes opened for oral submissions, the Minister of Tourism the opened the speaking, and talked of buckets covered in gladwrap as toilets in motorhomes. It is indicative of how far removed the Minister is from actual facts, that he (a) quotes gossip and (b) misquotes the gossip to support his proposed changes to NZ law. (The gladwrap gossip was about toilets, not buckets.) The Minister is convinced, on no presented evidence, that the fixedness of a toilet is related to its use. No-one knows where he got this idea from; but we know that he is extraordinarily (fixedly, even) insistent on it, regardless of the lack of any evidence. Sadly, there are precious few facts, lots of gossip, lots of time pressure, and a scattergun of poorly aimed legislation heading our way. Get out an enjoy those freedom camping spots while you can. Up Up 2 Summer 2022 , p 4