BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption SS_Papamoa-_20250908_115109.webp Stop and Stay Up Up , p 30

1 Spring 2022 1 Spring 2022 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption My little teardrop I always liked the shape of the early teardrops “1939’ so just started with that. he teardroIt has a bit of an old aircraft look to it It isn’t the flashest little camper out there, but the main thing is that it is fun, always changing when I find something new or different to add, and I get to meet great people and enjoy this great country. The feature I like best is the kitchen The main shelf is a fold down one; I put my vintage primus cooker on, with the wash sink. It keeps everything flexible. I like the open feel of having a large window open to the world. A teardrop camper Gary Hitchcock My little teardrop started life in 2016 as an idea to have something I could use to get away and recharge myself, and also as a bug-out camper in the event of a disaster. I live in Christchurch! I always liked the shape of the early teardrops “1939” so just started with that. I had an old trailer with a body that was too rusty to save, but the frame was ok. The main material for the camper was a UV-protected plastic sheet, ideal for outside use. It was getting dumped from where I was working at the time. I had the advantage of being able to use a large laser cutter to cut it to my design. It was about a year before I was ready to start the build, having found funds and materials to start putting it together. A lot of the bits and pieces are reject parts that would have been tossed out, like the windows, roof vent & gray water tank, that are made from PVC cabinet door fronts. I have two layers to the floor so there is lots of storage under the bed. The feature I like best is the kitchen. I didn’t do a full, built-in kitchen in the back as I like the open feel of having a large window open to the world. It is fantastic when you get to camp with a great view you can enjoy even if the weather is not great. It still works as a kitchen, with the main shelf and a fold down one I put my vintage Primus cooker on, with the wash sink. It keeps everything flexible to change around to suit what I am doing at the time. After all, it is supposed to be camping. I have fun cooking up a storm as I have plenty of food in the storage areas, but never know what I will find till I get there. All part of the adventure. I can also easily remove the two clear polycarbonate windows & main shelf if I need to use the teardrop as a covered trailer. I use a small old solar panel to run a small fan to have fresh air circulating, mainly for when the teardrop is not in use over winter, so it is always fresh. I didn’t plan on having a TV, but after finding a bargain & some speakers, media player & amplifier I put them all together and made a great little system to listen to music & watch movies when I just want to relax at the end of the day. With the teardrop having a bit of an old aircraft look to it I was after something to go on the front. While I was working on it I heard Murray Ball passed away, 12 March 2017, so I made the “Dog” graphics as a tribute and also now to my little dog Angel who just loved being in the teardrop. Most of the summer was spent camping out in the teardrop at home, as for some reason we both sleep better in the teardrop than in the house. It isn’t the flashest little camper out there, but the main thing is that it is fun, always changing when I find something new or different to add, and I get to meet great people and enjoy this great country. BY: Gary Hitchcock PHOTOS: ©2022 Gary Hitchcock Up Up 1 Spring 2022 , p 24

7 Autumn 2024 7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption limestone crags set up for climbing and abseiling (byo gear and skills)/ ©2024 Emma Pearson limestone crags set up for climbing and abseiling (byo gear and skills). ©2024 Emma Pearson celebrate-waipu-3.jpg ©2024 Emma Pearson celebrate-waipu-6.jpg ©2024 Emma Pearson The campground: Big flat 9m by 9m tent sites plus parking (vehicle camping sites available too), well-equipped kitchen, flush toilets and hot showers ©2024 Emma Pearson The campground: Big flat 9m by 9m tent sites plus parking (vehicle camping sites available too), well-equipped kitchen, flush toilets and hot showers ©2024 Emma Pearson A campfire... ... playground, farm animals to visit and super helpful and friendly owners. ©2024 Emma Pearson My 3 boys absolutely loved it, as did I! In two minds Emma Pearson In two minds about posting this as it was so wonderful to have had it all to ourselves (the way I like it this side of Xmas!) for 3 nights! But its such a cool place I can’t not share and recommend it. I just got back from camping at Waipu Caves Farm Park (not the same as Waipu Caves DOC campsite), Northland. Such a cool place that’s only recently opened to public camping. My 3 boys absolutely loved it, as did I! Big flat 9m by 9m tent sites plus parking (vehicle camping sites available too), well-equipped kitchen, flush toilets and hot showers, fantastic network of walking and biking tracks around limestone boulders and crags and (marked) tomos, a cave tour (stalactites and glow worms; see page 25 ), river with swimming holes, eels, crayfish etc to discover, limestone crags set up for climbing and abseiling (byo gear and skills), a campfire, playground, farm animals to visit and super helpful and friendly owners. Definitely my new favourite spot and would definitely recommend it! n ©2024 Emma Pearson Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 9

8 Winter 2024 8 Winter 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption autumn-rugby-5_H.webp Rugby at Mt Somers Linda Butler Campers enjoying a local rugby game at Mt Somers. See p31, A weekend at Mt Somers. ©2024 Linda Butler Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 13

10 summer 2024 10 summer 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption twin axel with motormovers Dealing with a caravan flat Duncan Upjohn Have you had a flat tyre on your caravan? I have now had three and would like to pass on some experience that may help you. My current caravan is twin axel with motormovers attached, and I am now in my mid 60s. Before journeying I always check pressures in the tyres. Our last trip I did this the weekend before going and noticed one tyre down on what was expected, and pumped it up with a footpump. I checked again a couple of days before, and the pressure was half what it was supposed to be, so time to take it off and have it checked. An hour and a half later it was off and the spare on, I was glad this was at home and not on the roadside. Cracking the tension on the nuts was the first problem, the tyre lever being only 250mm long. Haha, this I had done before and placing the bottle jack under the lever and raising it does the trick (above) — any jack will do — a block of wood on top can help. Next, to jack up the van. The bottle jack in place, there was not enough room to use the lever with the motormover crossbar. Out came the supplied scissor jack. Again the cross bar and movers made placing it difficult and then turning the handle a mission and a half —an eighth of a turn at a time was all I could manage. Well, after a few choice words, skinned hands and a lovely bruise (found the next day) the job was done. I had the tyre repaired and we left with the spare still on — changing it would wait till we got home. So my main problem was the jack and I found an electric one on line, ordered it and it made change-back a breeze and one I would be OK with at the roadside, should it now be required. ◊ Images ©2024 Duncan Upjohn Up Up 10 summer 2024 , p 16

8 Winter 2024 8 Winter 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Thermette-MNR_H.webp ©2024 M Richardson My vintage thermette ©2024 M Richardson How the thermette works Brand new copper thermette Complete Outdoors sell these. My vintage thermette ©2024 M Richardson oh for a beautiful copper thermette Thermettes: 2 litres in 2 minutes Miriam Richardson I have carried my thermette with me since I went on the road, but it has had little use. I seem to to have spent much of the outdoor-weather time in places with fire dangers. Now it is winter most fire bans are off, though the lure of outdoors is not as strong. My thermette is old and rusty but perfectly serviceable. I thought it might be the perfect way to get rid of paper rubbish while I am travelling, so I keep a $2-shop metal sieve with it so I can keep any hot flying debris inside the chimney. ‘Thermette’ is a brand but has become its common name. NZ made them from 1929 and they were issued to NZ soldiers in WWII, becoming known as ‘Benghazi boilers’, as the Kiwi soldiers used them in the Benghazi desert, burning diesel for fuel. Round black marks on the sand were the sign Kiwis had camped here. Other variations of the idea include Kelly kettles, (Ireland, 1900), Volcano kettles, (UK, 1928). They consist of a water jacket which is also the chimney, protecting the flame from wind and rain, and needing only twigs for fuel. They are very efficient, heating 2.2L in 2 minutes. Sadly, I don’t have the ring for the top which lets you cook over the chimney. I keep admiring the beautiful new copper thermettes that are now available. Would need some soot and flame to break it in. One day… For sale on Complete Outdoors ckw.nz/thermette-c-outdoors (Image, Complete Outdoors) Photo: ©2024 M Richardson Up Up 8 Winter 2024 , p 35

10 summer 2024 10 summer 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption It is a fascinating area with lots of ore wagon tracks still in place ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye It is very steep and a lot of hard work. ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye This track is only 500m long but can take one hour to ascend. That gives you some idea of how steep the terrain is. ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye There is various mining equipment and building ruins to see on the way ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye There is various mining equipment and building ruins to see on the way ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye There is various mining equipment and building ruins to see on the way ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye It is a fascinating area with lots of ore wagon tracks still in place ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye Due to all the rain there were numerous cascades and waterfalls spilling across the trails and also multiple fast flowing streams to cross. ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye There is various mining equipment and building ruins to see on the way ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye Due to all the rain there were numerous cascades and waterfalls spilling across the trails and also multiple fast flowing streams to cross. ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye Due to all the rain there were numerous cascades and waterfalls spilling across the trails and also multiple fast flowing streams to cross. ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye We climbed to the very top. ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye We had a blast! Up, up the Waiorongomai Valley Greg Lokes After a cold morning out in the fog I headed back to the camper to thaw out my fingers and feet while having breakfast. At about 9 am Barb and I donned our tramping gear and went for a 4 hour hike along the bush trails that start at the Waiorongomai Valley carpark. We hiked to Butler’s Incline and climbed to the very top. It is very steep and a lot of hard work. We then descended the very, very steep New Era Branch Track, climbing down backwards in many places whilst hanging onto trees, roots and rocks. This track is only 500m long but can take one hour to ascend. That gives you some idea of how steep the terrain is. It is a fascinating area with lots of ore wagon tracks still in place along the hiking trails and various mining equipment and building ruins to see on the way. Due to all the rain there were numerous cascades and waterfalls spilling across the trails and also multiple fast flowing streams to cross. We had a blast! ◊ July 2023 ©2024 Greg Lokes FB: Gregs Eye ckw.nz/gregs-eye In the Kaimai Mamaku Conservation Park. DOC: ckw.nz/doc-waiorongomai NZ’s oldest known railway: ckw.nz/oldest-tramway Up Up 10 summer 2024 , p 36

10 summer 2024 10 summer 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Terako Downs entrance Debbie Tutton Terako Downs entrance, Labour Weekend. Teeming at Terako Downs ©2024 Debbie Tutton Up Up 10 summer 2024 , p 17

12 Winter 2025 ISSUE 12 BUY PDF ToC Click on image for full view and caption parking-caravan_H_paeroa.webp GO TO Chilly chilly chilly out there Stop 15 mins into the trip and check the temperature of the wheels with your hand Parking brakes and perils Paeroa Towing Service When transporting any trailer or caravan, especially if it is new to you, it is essential to stop 15 minutes into the trip and check the temperature of the wheels with your hand. If they are excessively hot it indicates a problem. Regrettably, this is a common occurrence. Yesterday, I collected a caravan for a lovely couple who had purchased it, but it failed to reach their home due to a brake fault that caused the wheels to lock up while in motion, resulting in damage. Although the caravan had a current Warrant of Fitness and registration, inspection of the brakes revealed that they were metal on metal and required replacement. I frequently emphasize the importance of transporting caravans for inspection and obtaining a new Warrant of Fitness prior to use. When towing a new-to-you caravan, stop 15 minutes into the trip and check the temperature of the wheels with your hand ©2025 Paeroa Towing Service Paeroa Towing Service on FB Caravan parking and brake tip Gary Stoneley, NZ Lifestyle Camping When parking up a caravan you should not leave the manual handbrake on for any length of time, particularly in winter: block the wheels instead . Park brake on Park brake off Don’t leave them on, of course, when you head off. (Easy to say!) Having the hand brake on can cause the brakes to bind up, making the vehicle very difficult to move or tow with increased drag. While the brakes may free up after some movement, the brakes can heat up or seize and the brake pads will suffer excessive wear. Overheating the brakes and wheel can affect the wheel bearings causing the bearing to seize up and can cause a fire as a result. 🏕️ Up Up 12 Winter 2025 , p 22

6 Summer 2023 6 Summer 2023 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption 1988 Bringing inner tubes back to camp atfer blowing them up at a local garage 1973 My sisters Rhonda and Fiona cooking sausages on the fire 1988-e- Our old Van with and improvised awning and my friends ex police motorbike_mw.we 1988 Sitting on the big inner tube telling tall stories to friends kids_mw.webp 1988 Our old Van with improvised Awning and friends motor bike next the little carvan 1988 camp with old fomica bench under the trees and the often explosive Anchor Kerosene. 1988 Bringing inner tubes back to camp atfer blowing them up at a local garage 1988 Everyone on the big tube from a log loader. 1988 Everyone comes off the big tube from a log loader 1993 Our baby daughters bath on her first trip to Morisons bush 1994 Whanua set up at camp 1995 Christmas Morning ready for presents 1995 Christmas Day 1995 Collecting driftwood for the fire was part of the routine then No fires are allowed now. 2000 Our son's 7th birthday 2000 the kids sit at their own table for christmas 2001 Christmas Dinner 2001 Jan hasty pack up as the river floods. We only needed to move out for about 6 hours 2001 Roast dinner from the camp ovens off the fire. Sadly fires no longer allowed 2003 3 caravans and Mum has a camper now 2006 setting up camp 2007 a large dinning fly provides a good communal space 2007 doing dishes after shared meal 2007 Hamocks between the trees 2007 Kids ready for a swim 50 years of camping at Morison’s Bush Graham Leslie A lot of families have a special place they go to camp year after year, ours is Morison’s Bush. I think it was 1973 when I first went camping at Morison’s Bush, but I believe people were camping and picnicking there for many years before that. In some ways it is nothing special — just a grassy area under rugged old manuka trees in a big sweeping bend of the Ruamahanga River. It is between Greytown and Martinborough, at the very end of Glenmorven Road in the southern Wairarapa. But in other ways it is my family’s special happy place where we have camped together over the last 50 years. Mostly we’ve camped there for the long weekends in summer. View of Morisons Bush from the road in. 1973 My sisters Rhonda and Fiona cooking. 1998 Bringing inner tubes to camp after blowing them up at a local garage. 1970 & 80s In the 1970s we camped there as young teenagers with our parents. One time our father rigged a flying fox between the trees and set up a block and tackle swing to lift ourselves up into the trees to the flying fox. In 1986 when we were grown up, didn’t have much money, and almost no camping gear, we returned to Morison’s Bush for the New Year break. We brought our friends who at that time were solo mums with babies on their hips and a motley collection of other young adults. We arrived on several motor bikes, an almost-tidy Morris Minor and a very beat-up old Morris J4 van. Mrs Morison, the owner at the time, thought we looked a bit rough and warned us to behave. She didn’t realise it would be a very quiet camp with the need to get the babies to sleep and our relative poverty limiting our alcohol budget. We took the seats out of the vehicles to provide deck chairs. left 1988 Our old van with improvised awning and friend’s motorbike, next to the little caravan that was then Mum & Dads and has now been passed down, via us, to our son. right 1988 The old formica bench under the trees and the often explosive Anchor Kerosene pressure lantern in the near tree. Later we scored an old Formica bench top we set up on trestles for food preparation. We generally cooked on a campfire. Our tents were small. Later, one of the girls made us a toilet tent to go over a hole we dug for a toilet. Our favourite pastime was floating down the river on vehicle inner tubes. The best tyre was from a forestry log loader on which we could sit half a dozen people at a time. My parents and sisters also joined our weekends away, although they often liked to camp a bit separate from us. 1990s In the 1990s our children and their cousins were born and came to camp at Morison’s Bush as babies (our son was 5 days old for his first camp). With annual trips for Christmas, New Year, Anniversary and Waitangi weekends, Morison’s Bush became the place where we could reflect on how the kids had grown from last year. Slowly the camping gear increased with bits that were homemade or bought secondhand, and eventually caravans and campers were added to the mix. Being relatively close to Wellington, friends and their families often joined us for a day or days. As our children grew older, they invited their friends and eventually set up their own parallel camps. It was great when the young people did their own catering and we, the older generation, enjoyed nice food and drink amongst ourselves. 1993 Our baby daughter’s bath on her first trip to Morisons Bush. left 1995 Whanau set-up at camp. 1995 Christmas Day. above left 1995 Collecting driftwood for the fire was part of the routine then. No fires are allowed now. 2000s Now we are the grandparents, and we watch our grandchildren finding their feet at Morison’s Bush. The repeated visits over the years have marked the different stages of our lives. We have had multiple Christmases and birthdays and a wedding there. For us Morison’s Bush remains a special place and we hope to enjoy relaxing there for many more years. The land now belongs to Brian Tucker and he has been a good host and charges a small fee for camping. There is now a permanent fire ban, and unfortunately the Ruamahanga river is not so clean. A couple of long drop toilets have been installed. In the old days, almost everyone camped in tents but now there are more caravans and campers. You need to bring your own water and take away all rubbish. Pets are allowed but need to be kept under control. 2016 Still collecting firewood but the kids do the work. Still some green paint on the trailer. 2001 Christmas Dinner. above 2001 A hasty pack up as the river floods. 2007 A large dinning fly provides a good communal space. above 2011 Cards in the afternoon.   above 2016 Our niece’s wedding group shot. 2023 All Points Club camp, Waitangi weekend: returning for Waitangi 2024. right 2023 Grandad tries to have an afternoon nap All Points Camping is planning its second camp there from 2 to 6 February 2024 (p35); maybe I will see you there. n Up Up 6 Summer 2023 , p 27

7 Autumn 2024 7 Autumn 2024 BUY AUTHOR INDEX AUTHORS Click on image for full view and caption Bette camping at Morisons Bush Wairarapa, Waitangi Weekend. ©2024 Bette Cosgrove they may not inspect inside your vehicle Self-containment warrant cards: Which one is yours? Miriam Richardson Certified Blue before 6/23, any toilet OK to freedom camp on public land † until 6 June 2025 (or until your card expires, if earlier). Certified Blue, fixed toilet OK to freedom camp on public land † until 6 June 2025 (or until your card expires, if earlier). Last chance for new or renew 6 Jun ‘24 Certified Blue portable toilet You may not freedom camp on public land † . NEW: Certified Green (fixed toilet only) OK to freedom camp on public land † . Lasts 4 years. Private land All of these are OK on private or commercial properties, crown land (that isn’t LINZ or council-controlled land), club sites, organised events and anywhere payment is made. Good for 4 years or until the card expires. What to do Identify which kind of self containment you have, and be clear about where you are allowed to camp, so you can avoid fines and hassles. The new freedom camping law specifically states that ‘short term parking’, and ‘ day-trip excursions,’ are not freedom camping. Recovering from driver fatigue continues to be allowed, and is, specifically, legally, not ‘freedom camping’. † What is ‘public land’? All land managed by district and local councils is covered. This can include land otherwise controlled by NZTA, LINZ or DOC. Currently LINZ has 5 freedom camping areas in Central Otago and the McKenzie Country, and the new law applies. As at Feb 2024 DOC has made no changes relating to self-containment: the existing standard applies (portable or fixed toilet) for sites that require self-containment. ckw.nz/linz Inspection of self-containment warrants An enforcement officer may inspect your warrant card . If asked, you must produce the self-containment certificate . An enforcement officer may not inspect inside your vehicle. More on enforcement p12 Articles in this issue on the freedom camping law changes: Predictable problems with the new CSC green warrant system (p2) Editorial (p3) Self-containment warrant cards: Which one is yours? (p6) So you want to freedom camp (p8) What is ‘self-contained’, anyway? (p10) Enforcement of freedom camping rules (p12) I am not freedom camping' cards (p14) Do your bit: Task of the week (p16) No more freedom camping (p16) Kaikōura: the freedom camping Wild West (p18) Hey NZ Govt? You are messing with my mental health (p20) 7 days a week (p21) Celebrating Summer (p5) Up Up 7 Autumn 2024 , p 6

No fire permit is needed for a charcoal BBQ in a restricted fire season if you meet certain safety requirements. No fire permit is needed for gas BBQs but here is how to do it safely. Summer 2023 ISSUE 6 BUY PDF CONTENTS Up Do you need a permit for your BBQ? Up Fire and Emergency New Zealand Charcoal You don’t need a fire permit for a charcoal BBQ or grill in a restricted fire season if you meet the following safety requirements: ● You must have a suitable way to extinguish it within easy reach. ● Don’t use on an apartment balcony, deck, under a roof overhang or within other enclosed areas. ● You must have a suitable way to extinguish the fire within easy reach — a maximum of 5 metres away. ● You must not leave unsupervised while burning. Source: ckw.nz/charcoal-bbq-safety Gas You don’t need a fire permit for gas BBQs, cookers or heaters, but we recommend you: ● Check the fire danger and avoid lighting when the fire danger is Very High or Extreme. ● Regularly check and maintain any gas fittings and connections. ● Have a no-go zone to keep kids and pets safe. ● Have a suitable means to extinguish your fire within easy reach, a maximum of 5 metres away. ● Do not leave your fire unsupervised while burning.  n Source: ckw.nz/gas-bbq-safety © Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND) Photo: © 2011 Ben Sutherland CC2.0 Up Up bbq-charcoal-ben_mw.webp bbq-charcoal-ben_mw.webp 1/1