2 Summer 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption electric-battery-rv_m.webp ​ Articles from Collyn Rivers Collyn Rivers Battery capacity “Cabins and RVs should have the maximum solar capacity feasible. This ensures batteries will charge fast and deeply even with intermittent sun.” Collyn Rivers. Read the article: ckw.nz/battery-capacity Lithium-iron batteries in RVs Lithium-iron batteries in RVs – they are safe to use. They deliver a lot of energy and pack a lot of power but need specialised knowledge to use safely and reliably. Here’s the how and why for the LiFePO4 (lithium-iron) variety. Collyn Rivers. Read here: ckw.nz/lithium Lithium-ferro phosphate (LFP) batteries – a lithium battery rival The two battery types share some similarities but differ in high-energy-density, long life-cycles, and safety. The use of lithium-ferro phosphate (LFP) in batteries increases the choice of chemicals for battery production and reduces reliance on the more expensive, and difficult to produce, lithium hydroxide. Collyn Rivers. Read here: ckw.nz/lithium-rival Collyn Rivers' 2004 4.2 litre TD Nissan Patrol and TVan each had their own self-contained solar system. (Photo rvbooks.com.au ) Up Up 2 Summer 2022 , p 23

3 Autumn 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption ​ Fiat Ducato Motorhome Owners NZ Ian Read Our very first Fiat Ducato owners rally was held at Lakes Ranch, Rotorua, November, 2022. We had 42 vans stay and a couple of day visitors. The idea was for owners to help one another with problems, issues and share experiences and knowledge. We had a couple of general chat sessions which provided answers for those with questions on all aspects of maintenance and error messages that rise. I certainly learnt plenty myself. A fabulous shared meal was held Saturday and the food variety was amazing. Lakes Ranch provided dessert. There were a couple of raffles held and it was great to see a first time rally attendee win one. There were also prizes awarded for a ‘furthest traveled to rally’, ‘shortest length of ownership’, ‘most spent in the last 12 months’, ‘highest total kms’ and ‘longest ownership’. In the free times between events people could go kayaking, swimming, hiking, play tennis, relax and chat, or head into the city. On Friday night we watched a couple of videos on the making of the Alko chassis and the construction of the habitation area. After the Saturday pot luck we all headed over to the fire pit area, sang some tunes and roasted marshmallows over the coals. A few also wandered along the Burma Trail in the dark and found the glow worms. Many stayed on an extra night and we've set the date for another rally over ANZAC weekend 2023, same venue. Find us on Facbook ckw.nz/ducato Up Up 3 Autumn 2023 , p 32

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

5 Spring 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Issues in making this real Freedom camping under the new law Miriam Richardson There are new penalties and some exemptions There are now fines of $400–1200 for freedom camping or preparing to freedom camp, in the wrong place. The homeless are exempt from most (but not all) of the new penalties. Note 1 Are you homeless, or making a lifestyle choice? The legislators were keen to prevent people who have chosen to live on the road from claiming to be homeless (and exempt), so changed the definition of ‘homeless’ for the purpose of this act. Homeless doesn’t mean not having a home to go to, it means being ‘unable to live in appropriate residential accommodation’, with the definition of ‘residential accommodation’ being revised to include ‘accommodation in a dwelling house, flat, hotel, motel, boarding house, or camping ground’; and, no stone unturned, ‘camping ground’ is redefined to include ‘any site at which a fee is payable for camping’. Unless you are ‘unable’ to live in a motel or camping ground etc, you are not ‘homeless’, and not exempt from this act. Note 2 It is also now an offence if a person makes ‘preparations’ to freedom camp in the wrong place. This is defined as ‘setting up a tent’ or ‘parking a vehicle’ to use to freedom camp. Short term parking, day-trip excursions, and recovering from driver fatigue are not ‘freedom camping’. Note 3 Who gets fined and how they are notified Fines can be levied either on the person accused of doing wrong or the vehicle owner. Further, even if you never actually receive the notice of an offence, you are still liable. Enforcement sends an email and you are ‘served’. Note 4 The law is vague Are you ‘unable’ to stay in this campground? The homeless definition does not define what ‘unable’ means. A motel or camping ground is too far away (what is ‘too far’)? Not enough money to pay (is having 1 night’s worth of dollars for a camp ground enough) (what about night 2)? The camping ground is not open when the person arrives in a town? The law does not define ‘appropriate’ accommodation. Personal circumstances will determine what counts as ‘appropriate’ but does the camper’s judgement count? What counts as ‘preparing’ to freedom camp? Putting out a chair? Drying a tea towel? Using an awning? Everything that is part of camping can also be part of an exempt day-excursion. Councils and enforcement officers Councils are tasked with translating the vague law into working rules for their officers to apply in real life. Is this vehicle: parked, day-tripping, freedom camping or is the driver recovering from driver fatigue? Is this person homeless? Is this person preparing to freedom camp? It so hard (impossible?) to evaluate intentions. If homlessness depends on what is available, then the enforcement officer will need to assess local accomodation in relation to this person and this vehicle. Is local accomodation available, appropriate, affordable for this traveller? Is a local, paid, parking site / camp ground able to take this particular vehicle? Can it take this length of vehicle? Are there parking or driving hazards: is the driveway wide enough without scratching the vehicle, will it fit under the trees (without damaging panels and vents on the roof), are both the driver and vehicle able to negotiate the gate, a bend on the drive? Is the ground firm enough for the weight of this vehicle (at this time of year, in this weather, after tonight’s rain)? Councils will need procedures for responding to alleged offences, as campers and councils work out how to bring the new laws into real life. Notes Note 1 (Section 5, 2a, FCA † ) (FCP † ) Note 2 (Section 5, 3b, FCA † ) Note 3 (Section 20, 2b, FCA † ) (Section 5, 2, FCA † ) Note 4 (Section 27 A, 2, FCA † ) † FCA: Freedom Camping Act 2011 † FCP: Freedom Camping (Penalties for Infringement Offences) Regulations 2023 Up Up 5 Spring 2023 , p 2

6 Summer 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption lithium-Li-ion-bike-banner_mw.webp ​ Lithium-ion battery safety Fire and Emergency New Zealand ALERT: Incorrectly charging your E-bike can cause violent fire. Do not attempt to extinguish.Evacuate immediately and call 111. These days, lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are everywhere, from e-bikes and e-scooters to vapes and power tools. They are light, compact, and long-lasting, but can be a fire hazard if they are damaged, mishandled, or improperly disposed of. Do your research. Only purchase and use devices and equipment from reputable manufacturers and suppliers. Only use chargers and batteries supplied with the device, or certified third-party charging equipment compatible with the battery specifications (same voltage and current). Always charge e-scooters and e-bikes away from exits to ensure you can safely escape in the event of a fire. Where possible these should be stored and charged outside or in a garage, shed or carport, away from living spaces. For smaller devices, such as vapes, phones, and laptops, do not charge these under a pillow, on the bed or on a couch — they can overheat and cause a fire. Do not overcharge your batteries. When your item is fully charged, disconnect it from the charger. Never store or leave batteries or devices in areas where they can be exposed to heat or moisture. Do not leave devices in direct sunlight or in parked vehicles where they can quickly heat up . Only get device repairs and battery replacements done by a qualified professional. If a device or battery starts to smoke or emit flames. Evacuate immediately and close doors (if safe) to slow the spread of fire. Once in a safe location, call 111 and wait for firefighters to arrive. Ensure no one goes back inside the building for any reason. Battery gases, vapour and smoke are highly toxic and flammable and must not be inhaled. If anyone has been exposed to battery fluids, debris, smoke, vapours, or flames, seek urgent medical assistance If a small battery or device such as a vape or phone starts overheating Unplug it from the power outlet if it is charging. If possible, move it outside, away from any flammable material and windows or doorways. Small devices can be dropped into a bucket of water if this can be done safely. If your device starts to smoke or release fumes, evacuate immediately to a safe location and call 111. Battery disposal Do not put lithium-ion batteries in the rubbish. Recycling is always the best option — contact your local council for a recycling location. Do not leave discarded batteries in piles. Source: ckw.nz/lithium-fire © Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND) LiFePO4 are a safe choice for a motorhome or caravan Up Up 6 Summer 2023 , p 14

5 Spring 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption The best site We had the absolute best site of this campground, right on the lake front. On the lake front, Lake Tarawera. We became the camp meet and greet Camped at Lake Tarawera Hot Water Beach Meet and Greet As people arrived, we would jump up and help carry their gear up to the elevated sites. On the lake front, Lake Tarawera. I decided to pre-prepare the meals then flat pack freeze them Cooking on the road: planning food for…off the road Junaya Binns WInning an adventure This winning adventure package came with a 2 person tent, 2 camp chairs, a light for the tent, 2 self inflating sleeping mats and a cute little collapsible table. Thanks Kiwi Camping! We are van-life people, so we had to investigate the facilities in full, and we appreciated the help of Jonathan Collins from NZ Fun Adventures. No power or showers just long drop toilet facilities and the ground you camp on. And we don’t have a boat. No fridge. Jonathan loaned us a massive chilly bin. Getting there by water taxi meant space was of premium importance! How to carry enough food? The most enjoyable part of this adventure was experiencing the ‘true blue’, ‘pay it forward’ Kiwi nature. We had the absolute best site of this campground, right on the lake front, so we became the camp meet and greet, as everyone else camping there had boats. As people arrived, we would jump up and help carry their gear up to the elevated sites. Through this we met some wonderful people. Which gained us 5-minutes boat rides to the amazing natural hot pools that were otherwise a long, 1hr 30min, uphill trek! When we ran out of alcohol on the last night, a lot of those who we met and helped and engaged with in the evenings, quickly came to our rescue. Got to love NZ! So, if you want to get away from absolutely everything including reception, Lake Tarawera Hot Water Beach is the place to go. And so ... We won a 4-day camp adventure at Lake Tarawera Hot Water Beach in Rotorua for Easter this year, courtesy of NZ Fun Adventures. We are van-life people, and this site is only accessible via water, no van this time! How on earth were we going to keep food cold for 5 days? With the date, the tenting gear, a loaned chilly bin ready to go, it was time to plan. Let the planning begin To reduce the amount of carry-on I decided to pre-prepare the meals then flat pack freeze them in large snap lock bags for easy stacking in the chilly bin. Also freezing 8 large bottles of water to layer on the bottom of the chilly bin, as there is no drinking water available at this site, so as well as food we required enough drinking water for the 5-day escape. Top tip: Take baking paper to line your frying pan, we did not have to wash the pan once while away. Another top tip, for this site in particular —the ground is hot so forage for some logs and get your chilly bin off the ground. Dinners Night 1: After a long drive up from Wellington to ensure we met the water taxi on time. we set up camp. We are no strangers to tents but have not done it for a while, and dinner was going to be quick before daylight faded. So American hot dogs it was. We only took 1 frying pan so everything had to be one-pan meals. I packed the sauces into tiny containers so no wastage or leftovers floating around; pre-grated a small bag of cheese, just enough for the meal. Fried the hot dogs, filled the rolls popped them back in the pan, foil on top to get the delicious melty goodness, boom! All ready in 15 mins. The next 3 nights are meals that I had prepared and flat pack frozen at home. Night 2: Creamy chorizo and mushroom pasta. Night 3: Home made sweet and sour pork with udon noodles Night 4: Vegetarian nachos, just in case things weren’t so cold at this point. We topped them with plain yoghurt and of course piled high on the chips. Dinners covered, we then had to think about brunch food. Brunch We still wanted to tantalise the taste buds with holiday goodies like bacon and eggs and so on. So again, to combat the space issue, I decided to pre-make and freeze camp toasties! An absolute favourite of ours. These are no basic toasties by any means, chock full of all things breakfast. You can make them as amazing as your creativity takes you. Simply construct using your favourite loaf and wrap individually and freeze them fresh, no pre-toasting. Save the toasting for the one pan on the day. These also stack amazingly in the chilly bin. The rest To wrap it up, the only thing we had to make fresh was our coffee in the morning. Nothing took longer than 15mins to reheat or toast in the pan and like I say, baking paper was key!! No washing of the pan only the 2 plates, cutlery, and coffee mugs. We also took a 24-pack of water bottles just in case, which came in handy for teeth brushing and providing the hikers, that passed through daily, thirsty after their 5 hours walk, and not realising they couldn’t refill their bottles at the beach while they waited for the water taxi, to arrive to pick them up Junaya & Dan @adventures_of_the_escapegoats (instagram) Up Up 5 Spring 2023 , p 7

8 Winter 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption easy, effective and safe Diesel heating in caravans and motorhomes – it’s easy, effective and safe Collyn Rivers Diesel heating for caravans Diesel heating for caravans and motorhomes is easy, effective and safe because it hugely reduces the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, Collyn Rivers reports. Diesel heating for caravans and motorhomes is also relatively affordable. Furthermore, it is easy to self-install. Fuel is readily available, safe and readily stored. LP gas versions are also made. This is the Webasto Dual-Top water heater unit. The Eberspächer (Dometic) unit is similar. Pic: Webasto. Carbon monoxide poisoning is your main risk (of heating) in a confined space. Carbon monoxide is colourless and odourless. It forms when a carbon-based substance (coal, LP gas etc) burns without enough air. The (only minor) indications are headache, nausea, fatigue, and then unconsciousness. If you sleep, you may never wake up again. Carbon monoxide is rightly called the ‘silent killer’. It also causes brain damage at minor concentrations. Your second risk is oxygen deprivation. We need about a half a cubic metre of air an hour. We convert about 4% of that air into carbon dioxide. If you are in a confined space the exhaled carbon dioxide level rises. As a result, the remaining oxygen level falls. It is normally 21%, but symptoms (such as fatigue) set in below 15%. Brain damage consequently occurs shortly after. Oxygen deprivation is serious (or lethal) in poorly ventilated areas. It occurs whether heated or not. See Gas risk in caravans. Diesel heating for caravans and motorhomes — safety Use diesel or LP gas heating in caravans and motorhomes to avoid such issues. Both draw air from outside the RV into a tiny furnace that is sealed from the living area. Diesel oil or LP gas is injected and ignited in this furnace. Air to be heated is blown across it and ducted to wherever needed. The ‘burnt’ air expels to the atmosphere. Burning gas is thus totally sealed from the air heated within the vehicle. The units were first made in the 1930s by Germany’s Eberspächer and later by Webasto. Both are still respected worldwide. The units are similar in many ways. Some parts (such as silencers, calorifiers etc.) are interchangeable. The Snugger, a similar but cheaper unit, is sold by Diesel Heating Australia. The Snugger unit. Pic: Diesel Heating Australia. The company’s Genesis product too is worth considering. So also is the Alde Compact 3010 LP gas unit. This combines space heating and water heating. It also runs from 230 volts ac. The Genesis II provides space and water heating in one unit. Pic: Diesel Heating Australia. Truma introduced similar (LP gas) units a few years ago. The Truma LP gas space heaterPic: Truma The two main types are air heating, and air and water heating. Some are made in various sizes. Use the smallest to heat annexes, camper trailers, small caravans and motorhomes. Use the next size up to heat large RVs. Air heating The basic (soup-can size) unit is best floor mounted. A separate tiny electrically-driven pump, hose and filter connects to a separate tank. Alternatively (with motorhomes) to the vehicle’s tank. You can locate the electric control panel wherever convenient. Water heating The combined space/water heaters use a furnace unit to heat glycol. This flows through a calorifier heat exchange unit, that also stores heated water for taps and showers. In addition. small fan-powered radiators blow hot air wherever required. The calorifier is also available as a tiny unit that heats water as it is drawn. The heaters in action We used a Webasto air heater unit in our OKA in outback Australia. Temperatures there drops quickly after sun-down, often below freezing. Even on its lowest setting, it heated the OKA to 25º C. Expect to use a fifth of a litre of diesel per hour. We had a Webasto Dual-Top air and water heating unit in our Tvan camper trailer. Used too, around Australia, it worked well and reliably. Its on-line calorifier supplied hot water for cooking and showering. The water is hot within a few minutes. You must, legally, in Australia, add a tempering valve. This valve automatically mixes cold and hot water. It prevents it from exceeding 50º C. Without it, however, the water reaches a scalding 80º C. If not silenced, the exhaust is noisy outside the vehicle. It bothers nearby campers. You can reduce this by adding the (now standard) exhaust silencer. You can reduce it yet further by adding an inlet silencer. The units are still not totally silent, but unlikely to disturb others. Here is the Webasto Dual-Top water/space heater in my Tvan. Pic: rvbooks.com.au Further information on diesel heating for RVs is in Caravan & Motorhome Electrics and The Camper Trailer Book. In addition, The Caravan & Motorhome Book. You can use these units to heat rooms in solar-powered houses. My books on solar are Solar That Really Works (for cabins and RVs), also Solar Success (for homes and property systems). rvbooks.com.au ©2024 RV Books This article: onlineckw.nz/d-heater Collyn Rivers has published 6 books relating to caravans and motorhomes. Information about them & more than 150 searchable articles are included on his website: rvbooks.com.au Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 32

Articles from Collyn Rivers Previous Next Collyn Rivers Battery capacity “Cabins and RVs should have the maximum solar capacity feasible. This ensures batteries will charge fast and deeply even with intermittent sun.” Collyn Rivers. Read the article: ckw.nz/battery-capacity Lithium-iron batteries in RVs Lithium-iron batteries in RVs – they are safe to use. They deliver a lot of energy and pack a lot of power but need specialised knowledge to use safely and reliably. Here’s the how and why for the LiFePO4 (lithium-iron) variety. Collyn Rivers. Read here: ckw.nz/lithium Lithium-ferro phosphate (LFP) batteries – a lithium battery rival The two battery types share some similarities but differ in high-energy-density, long life-cycles, and safety. The use of lithium-ferro phosphate (LFP) in batteries increases the choice of chemicals for battery production and reduces reliance on the more expensive, and difficult to produce, lithium hydroxide. Collyn Rivers. Read here: ckw.nz/lithium-rival Collyn Rivers' 2004 4.2 litre TD Nissan Patrol and TVan each had their own self-contained solar system. (Photo rvbooks.com.au) ​ Previous Next electric-battery-rv_m.webp electric-battery-rv_m.webp 1/1 ​ Advertisment ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 2 editor@campingthekiwiway.org

6 Summer 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption fire-blanket_mw.webp ​ Fire blankets Fire and Emergency New Zealand Fire blankets are useful for covering cooking related fires, and for wrapping around a person to smother a clothing fire . Fire blankets are made of fabrics that are fire resistant and can be purchased at most hardware stores. Store fire blankets in a location close to your kitchen. Fire blankets can usually be bought from your local hardware store. Source: ckw.nz/fire-blankets © Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND) More: Caravan fire safety More: Lithium-ion battery safety More: Do you need a permit for your BBQ? (Gas & charcoal) Up Up 6 Summer 2023 , p 14

7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Game solution ​ Word search solution Rhonda Marshall Download a pdf of the solution Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 46

8 Winter 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption favourite tips and tricks for cold Winter tips from our previous issues Editor Winter tips never go out of date... Winter’s here… Here’s a few favourite tips and tricks for keeping warm, dealing with cold, wind, rainy days, and embracing the colder months outdoors. ckw.nz/winter-tips Photo © 2023 Bette Cosgrove TIPS for the cold Camping in the winter (tent or van) needs to be pretty organised and good gear is needed. I do most things, from being out and about in my van to tramping and snow-holeing. ckw.nz/tips-cold Photo ©2022 Daniel Munro More cold season tips Sharing our best hacks which made life so much easier on a recent Matariki vanning trip. ckw.nz/tips-cold-more Photo ©2024 Bette Cosgrove Insulation: Preparing for the cold winter “brrrrrr’s” Darn, we could only get the new heater up to 10ºC on that night, and woke to a -3ºC frost. Eventually we were told the poor insulation and many windows in the bus were the problem. ckw.nz/brrrr Photo ©2023 Linda Butler Pegs for tough weather A commercial and a DIY (metal) version of a peg for windy weather. ckw.nz/pegs-for-wind . Photo ©2023 M Richardson A stove jack Best mod for camping so far, a stove jack sewn into the awning. ckw.nz/stove-jack Photo ©2023 Keil MacDiarmid It was cold at Mavora Lakes I think the Mrs thought I was a bit crazy suggesting a night away in the van this time of year. ckw. ckw.nz/mavora-cold Photo ©2022 Daniel Munro Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 31

Clifden Suspension Bridge Previous Next Heather Auckram Scrambling out of a tent is not so easy for me these days, so car camping allows me to still enjoy the outdoors. Clifden Suspension Bridge, about 10km out of Tuatapere, has a grassed area for tents and a stoned carpark for overnight stays. It's free and has new, clean toilets. Only disturbances were a few cattle in a nearby paddock and a cute friendly rooster. ​ Previous Next Clifden Suspension Bridge Clifden Suspension Bridge, about 10km out of Tuatapere ©2022 Heather Auckram ©2022 Heather Auckram Friendly rooster at Clifden Suspension Bridge Clifden Suspension Bridge the only disturbances were a few cattle in a nearby paddock and a cute friendly rooster. ©2022 Heather Auckram Clifden Suspension Bridge Clifden Suspension Bridge, about 10km out of Tuatapere ©2022 Heather Auckram 1/8 ​ Advertisment ISSN 2815-827X (Online) | ISSN:2815-8261 (Print) ISSUE 2 editor@campingthekiwiway.org