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2 Summer 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Evaporation can lower the temperature as much as 15°C Camping without a fridge: chilly bins and cooler bags Graham Leslie I am no expert, but here are my tricks for keeping food and drink cool or fresh when camping. In the old days, people used “meat safes” or “safes” which were insect-screened, ventilated boxes or containers located in cool, draughty places. I have no experience with these aand can’t comment about them. My experience is with chilly bins or Esky cooler bags. Without a fridge it is hard to cool things down, so when using a chilly bin or Esky it is important to get everything as cold as possible before you add them in. For instance, we would pre-freeze our drinks in plastic bottles and our meat etc. and these would slowly thaw during our trip. We also pre-froze 3 litre juice bottles filled with drinkable water for a few days before we left so they were really frozen solid. They provided a good reservoir of coldness and when they melted we drank the cold water. When restocking your chilly bin try to get pre-cooled or frozen food to go in it. The coldness in your chilly bin can be extended by: Keeping it in a cool shady spot (this may require shifting it around your camp as the sun moves around). Having it full of cold stuff so there is less room for warm air to circulate around inside it. Avoid opening and closing the bin any more than you need to. Don’t leave things like milk out of the chilly bin longer than necessary as they will warm up. As said previously, without a fridge it is really hard to cool things down, but there are a few tricks. First some science. When something changes from solid to liquid (like ice to water) or from liquid to gas (like water to water vapour) it sucks in heat from the stuff round it. This is effectively how refrigeration and heat pumps work. You can also sometimes see this as condensation or cold patches on the outside of a gas bottle as when the gas inside is drawn off it converts from liquid to gas. Trick 1: Party ice Use a bag of party ice, a chilly bin and salt to cool your drinks or to chill some freshly caught fish to take home. Empty the ice into the bin with your drinks or fish and add some salt and maybe a little bit of water (or use sea water). The salt makes the ice melt faster. The ice needs energy /heat to melt, which it sucks out of your fish or drinks. This cooling is more rapid than just packing stuff in ice. Trick 2: A damp cloth A damp cloth wrapped around what you want to cool will provide cooling as the water evaporates off the cloth. For water to evaporate it needs to go from a liquid to a gas which requires heat which it sucks out of the surrounding objects. This is increased with more air flow. Think about how cold you get wearing wet clothes on a windy day even when the day is warm. This is basically how cooling towers work. Another variation I saw in Egypt was roadside drink stations that looked a bit like large shady rural letter boxes (roof but no sides) with unglazed earthenware jars full of cold water. They were not glazed and were semi-porous so the outsides were always damp and evaporation was happening to keep the water cooler. A couple of other things to be aware of For some foods like milk and butter the light is as much a problem as the temperature and so keeping them in a dark place is important. Cooling drinks in a stream will only work if the stream is colder than the air which often it is not. Our skin is normally about 33°C so most often the air and stream water are going to be cooler than us and we will be shedding heat to them. As water is a better conductor of heat it will feel colder than the air even when this may not be the case. So sometimes putting your drinks in the creek will actually warm them up if they are already at air temperature. Happy Camping Up Up 2 Summer 2022 , p 25

7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Dinner Food supplies can be supplemented with fishing when your caravan floats. ©2024 Graham Leslie ​ Fishing when your caravan floats. Graham Leslie Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 27

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5 Spring 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption smallest-1.webp smallest-3.webp smallest-2.webp smallest-2-angel.webp smallest-2-sign.webp smallest-4.webp smallest-5.webp ​ The smallest church Margaret Earle We visited New Zealand’s smallest church which is just south of Dargaville. The grounds around it have some interesting curiosities. Photos ©2023 Margaret Earle Up Up 5 Spring 2023 , p 32

SUMMER 2022 ISSUE 2 BUY PDF INDEX Summer, Issue 2, Camping the Kiwi Way Previous Next Miriam Richardson (Editor) Buy a copy, subscribe for a year's worth of copies, read it on paper, read it here or read the pdf. The choice is yours. Only $12 a copy delivered, $36 for 4 issues. BUY We bring you travel stories, tips, wonderful places to visit, insight into political changes, some solid information, a crossword: light reading, serious reading and some fun browsing. Enjoy Previous This issue is kindly sponsored by the All Points Camping Club of NZ and NZ Lifestyle Camping. Next left-turn-ruapehu_w_th left-turn-train left-turn-pedestrian_w Left-turn-Maungatautari-view_w Ad ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 2 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

2 Summer 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Mangapohue land bridge © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle PiriPiri Caves © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle PiriPiri Caves © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle PiriPiri Caves © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle PiriPiri Caves © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle PiriPiri Caves © 2022 Julian Thomson, © 2022 Fiona Thompson, © 2022 Margaret Earle Marakopa Falls © 2022 Julian Thomson ​ Worth a detour: The Marokopa River Valley Fiona Thomson 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. Mangapohue land bridge The naturally-occurring Mangapohue land bridge is the 1st attraction. There is a well-formed DOC path through pleasant bush to view the spectacular 17 metre high naturally occurring land bridge. The fern-covered land bridge spans across the cliffs each side of the Mangapohue stream, forming a stunning bush-covered arch. (October ’22: the track is closed due to weather-related erosion. Check the DOC website for updates.) PiriPiri Caves The second stop is a short drive further down the road, to the Piripiri Caves. The walk in was even more fascinating than the cave itself, with this area being filled with interesting rock formations: you could spend a bit of time spotting ancient sea life fossils. Marokopa Falls The third stop was to the Marokopa Falls. Another short bush walk leads to the viewing platform where the 35 metre classic waterfall sprays out above you. Sturdy footwear is recommended, as scenic tracks can sometimes be muddy (and slippery) in this gorgeous river valley. Note: You can’t take your dogs with you on any of these walks. Up Up 2 Summer 2022 , p 15

SPRING 2022 ISSUE 1 BUY PDF INDEX READ Our first night away in Scampi PREVIOUS PREVIOUS NEXT Our first night away in Scampi. Apart from a rip in the brand new canvas, all is well and fun. At Camp Kekerengu. Hilary Cowburn. Photo ©2022 Hilary Cowburn All is well and fun NEXT The Ad ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 1 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

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1 Spring 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption I hear people on Facebook saying ‘I am with xxx and I have no speed problems.’ This is not a big help... Getting the internet on the road Miriam Richardson There are two ways to get on the internet while on the road: with your mobile phone or with mobile broadband. ONE: mobile phone Modern mobile phones use the internet routinely: have you checked your email? viewed a YouTube video? read Facebook? used Campermate? used Google? All of these use the internet through your phone connection. The plan on your phone determines how much internet you can use in a month. TWO: mobile broadband There is a network of towers through NZ that allows Netspeed and Wireless Nation to give travellers access to mobile broadband. Modem To connect to mobile broadband you need a modem. Generally travellers get an adapter to connect the modem to their 12v/24v power. Choosing: mobile phone or mobile broadband? If you are content to do all your internet connection through your phone, stick with a mobile plan. If you want to connect a tablet, iPad or a computer as well as your phone, you have a choice. To choose a plan you need an idea of • how much data you need, • where you might travel, • what devices you want to connect to the internet, and • whether you want to use your phone as the modem. How much data do you need? What do you normally use? Look back on the last few months of internet use, if you can. Will you continue to use the internet the same? Might you use use less when travelling? Might you watch TV through the internet and use a lot more? Hot spot the phone or use a modem? To use your phone to connect all your devices to the internet, you need a plan that allows you to do it: it is called ‘hot spotting’. When you ‘hot spot’, your phone becomes a wireless network that lets other phones, computers etc get online via the phone. The phone needs to sit where the signal is good while you are using it as a modem. Coverage: where can I get a signal? Your phone/internet provider has an online map that shows their coverage — where you can expect to get a signal. Mobile phones have stronger and more complete cover near towns and cities. Different providers share the towers. The coverage maps show the strength of the signal. There are dead zones with no coverage at all (no towers). Speed The biggest complaint people make is about the speed of the internet when they are travelling. There are several reasons why the internet could be slow. You are comparing it to a fibre connection at home. Mobile broadband is slower than fibre. It just is. You are a long way from a tower, so the signal is weaker, or there is something between you and the tower. Try moving. The nearest tower has lesser capacity. Some towers have greater capacity than others. Areas with few people may well have lesser capacity — and a bevy of motorhomers enjoying the back of beyond at the same time might overload it. You are parked up with a bunch of other travellers who are all using the same tower at the same time to get online. (Netspeed, Wireless Nation and local providers are all using the same towers.) You, or your neighbours are doing something that uses a lot of data: downloading video, visual phone calls, online TV or listening to radio, all use quite a bit of data. The locals are busy and using the same tower at the same time. The modem or its connection needs refreshing: do a speed test ( www.speedtest.net ), and then talk to your provider. _____________ I hear people on Facebook saying ‘I am with xxx and I have no speed problems.’ This is not a big help: it all depends where they have been travelling, how far they have been from the mobile tower, when they tend to use the internet, and how many others are using it at the same time. There might be particular times when the towers are being overworked: before work; after school; evening entertainment time (video and TV use a lot of data). Try after 11pm, at 1am, at 6am: if the speed is good, then it is a competition problem. ____________ Aerials Having an aerial on the roof might improve your internet connection. BY: Miriam Richardson Photo: ©2022 Miriam Richardson Next issue: How to choose an internet provider Up Up 1 Spring 2022 , p 23