Category Archives: Close to home

The 2026 Covi Show

March 23, 2026 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com Leave a comment

Always something to look forward to and plenty to see. The Rally at Ellerslie Racecourse generously put on by Covi is always good too.

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I arrived early on the Thursday morning and not long after, one of the parking guys turned up to open the gate and let us in.

Friends of mine who I haven’t seen for a while Nolina and Walter, were there too so it was great to see them as well.

We were directed up onto a mound running alongside the track and parked in lines one behind the other. All very organised.

Within an hour or so there was about 50 or so Motorhomes all parked up and more arrived as the day wore on in the brilliant sunshine. Later in the day, we were surprised by the arrival of old friends Liz and David who had been delayed and weren’t sure they’d be here. It was really nice to see them too.

Walter and Nolina next door on the right.

Later in the day, we all caught up for the 4pm ritual of Happy Hour. As we were in a designated emergency road, we moved around the corner to join some new friends next door, a lot of fun and nice to meet some new people.

Click on the Gallery below to see an Enlarged Slideshow

The secon hand area.

The AMC Unimog

The next day, I wandered down and caught the free bus into the Auckland Events centre where the show was on. What was noticeable was the huge amounts of Caravans from previous years, a lot more from Aussie too.

Talking to some of the vendors that were saying how quiet it was and I noticed that in the smaller than usual number of Motorhomes at Ellerslie as well. The plus side of this meant it was easy to get in and see what you wanted to see without huge queues which was good.

I checked in at UCC’s stand to chat to Rob who showed me their new 2026 Dethleffs Sunlight with a Luton Cab. At only 6 metres it fits in a supermarket carpark and at just under $160k, it is great value. Nice to see Rob again too.

Click on the Gallery below to see the Sunlight Slideshow

The Dethleffs Sunlight

Popping into one of the bigger stands, Zion, I had a look at the new Chic S Plus Cathargo 4 berth Motorhomes. This baby is on a Iveco 3l motor and at 7.9 meters long, offers plenty of space.

Click on the Gallery below to see the Cathargo Slideshow

The Cathargo

Cathargo

From here it was on to the NZMCA stand where I caught up with Ryan and the team and then onto see a huge Unimog based custom adventure Motorhome built by Chris’s team at ACM Motorhomes.

What a monster.. but a fun looking machine.

From here I had a look through some of the small accessory stalls where I ended up buying a set of nice ceramic pots from RV Mega.

It was a bold attempt to replace our mismatched collection of cast offs from our house which seem to spend every trip rattling in a drawer. It doesn’t matter what you do, they want to rattle 🙂
We’ll see how that works!

The Caravans were interesting. From the small Polish Enka, we started with some 13 years ago, they have come a long way with battery systems and using all the available spaces.

The Eriba is slightly bigger than the Enka we had but an interesting addition to the market.

I also had a nosey at the Swift Challenger before looking Jayco’s new 48volt, Projecta powered caravan. Nicely set up and an amazing new concept in powering a caravan.

There seems to be a move to smaller Caravans and Motorhomes and a big change to the use of technology on the road.

I headed back to the bus stop and caught up with my neighbours for a bit of debrief and something wet 🙂

Later in the day Fiona arrived, and we had another look in at the show to see if there was anything we missed! A fun few days.

Rafe’s tracker map home from the Racecourse parking – Armada GPS

Preparation, Close to home

A leak in the Galley roof!

March 15, 2026 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

A random trip into the Motorhome a week or so ago to get something and I heard a fan going. No lights, no indication as to where the sound was coming from. A process of elimination showed it was the extractor in the Galley.

Out with the old with the suspect switches

On a closer inspection with a torch, I could see water between the top of the extractor and the underside of the cupboard where I was attached. not much but how long had this been going on for? I pushed all the buttons to switch it off which are usually lit and nothing worked, it just kept going. The switch next door which feeds it finally turned it off.

So, my next trick was to get on a ladder and see what was happening on the roof and sure enough, I could lift one side of the hat over the flue to reveal the goop had given up.

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I booked it in with Vantage RV in Silverdale and as they couldn’t do the work for three weeks, I got up and put some silicon all around the vent to seal it in the meantime.

A few days later with fine weather, it had all dried out and the Extractor came alive again, by which time I’d bought a replacement new model with lots of improvements and a new Mueller vent hat to go on the roof.

Malcolm masking up. You can see the Mueller vent on the roof.

It was 10 years ago we bought the Extractor and had it installed in the Galley to get rid of the cooking smells. Phil, who has now retired from Vantage RV installed along with a subwoofer!

Malcolm cutting off the old 10 yr old goop.

The day came around quickly to get the new unit installed and Manager Malcolm was ready to do the upgrade.

The weather forecast was fine with occasional showers (A buck each way :-)) so he moved Rafe so the front half was inside the shed beyond the reach of any weather.

After cleaning up around the flue cover on the roof, he completely sealed both the flue and the vent cover edges. Then we moved into the truck to install the unit.

After drilling an extra hole in the cupboard bottom for a new exit point for the wiring, it fitted like a glove and the whole job was done with a couple of hours.

A much nicer unit than the original so I’m really pleased with the result. Malcolm did a good job of getting it all in.

Cutting the old goop off the top of the vent.

Afterwards, senior technician Johan arrived and the two of them checked out all the work they had originally done installing the Satellite, Solar and Tv bits on the roof and after 12 years, it was decided that the UV had got to the exposed sealant so it is booked to have the roof bits all redone in a month’s time.

Johan also showed me their impressive 3D printing setup for making those hard-to-find parts. It’s a monster of a machine inside a large cabinet, capable of printing much bigger components than the typical desktop printers. They’re using it to produce larger body parts as well as repair work, combined with plastic welding for damaged or worn plastic pieces.

Pretty clever stuff, and good to know there are solutions for parts that are no longer easy to find

Close to home

A Small Settlement Close to the Water – Leigh

December 8, 2025 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 2 Comments

One of the first places we ever took our motorhome, about ten years ago now was Leigh.

Back then, we were still very new to motor homing, so the plan was to head somewhere not too far from home… just in case we’d forgotten something or if anything went wrong. Of course, nothing did! Instead, we ended up discovering a fantastic little village overlooking the sea.

Looking out over the water from the wharf.

A few years later I came back while Fiona was working to see the village light itself up for their annual light-up event. It made for some great images; you can see those here.

The park before the wee storm with the conference centre and Motel units also part of the campground behind.

Entrance to the Conference-Wedding centre.

Last weekend was another one of those “unsupervised” trips while Fiona was at work. I’ll admit I was a bit nervous on the first day with hail, thunder, and strong winds in the forecast. The weather did arrive, but it was nothing to lose any sleep over.

Once the sun reappeared, I headed off for a wander through town and down to the wharf, only about a 10-minute walk. It really is a magic little place.

Scary driveway !

The Fish and Chip shop near the Camp.

Lots of colour

Really nice cabins too for friends without Motorhomes.

While I was out, I met the owner of Leigh Central who introduced himself and had a good yarn. A really friendly chap, and he mentioned there are some big improvements planned for the future.

The campground itself is fantastic, close to everything, quiet, and super relaxed. On my last night, I tried the fish and chip shop right next door to the camp… delicious and very reasonably priced.

And of course, one of the best things about Leigh: it’s so handy to Auckland. Only about 60-odd kilometres from Devonport, so it’s an easy and super convenient weekend getaway.

Another great stay in a favourite little settlement by the sea.?

Rafe’s tracker map to Leigh Central – Armada GPS

Close to home, NZMCA Rallies

The Stirling Moss Special and Caravan

October 17, 2025 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 1 Comment

Soon after I arrived at an NZMCA Rally in Glenbrook, Gavin and Gladys rolled in with their absolutely stunning Valiant Hardtop complete with a matching caravan. What a gem!

They were living in Australia when they bought this Stirling Moss Special, which was created to promote Chrysler’s Australian designed Hemi Six engine. The car itself started life as a US Dodge Dart, but with an Aussie nose grafted on, a true cross-continental hybrid!

Of the 139 originally built, it’s believed that only 11 still survive today, so this is a pretty special machine.

Gavin and Gladys used it in Australia before bringing it back to New Zealand, where it served as their family car for more than 30 years. After that, it was tucked away in a shed for about 15 years before being completely rebuilt for a family wedding. What a comeback story!

Under the bonnet now is a 245 cubic inch Hemi with a 350 Holley carb, electronic ignition, and high compression, giving around 240 horsepower. It’s also had upgrades to the brakes, suspension, and gearbox, making it a lot tougher for towing duties.

Having been a Valiant owner myself back in the day, I was blown away when they arrived, it looked absolutely spectacular.

The caravan has its own story too. They found it about three years ago down in the South Island, bought it, and drove it all the way home. The hardest part, they said, was finding one in decent condition that hadn’t been knocked around. They repainted it to perfectly match the Valiant, and now the pair turn heads everywhere they go including at Mystery Creek and other classic shows.

It was fantastic to see them both out there, enjoying their Wheels of Yesteryear. A real treat for the eyes!

Close to home

As Close as You Can Get at Sandspit

September 15, 2025 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

What a lovely little place to sneak away to! And the best bit, it’s not far from the big smoke.

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Fiona was at work, so with a couple of days free I thought it was the perfect time to stretch Rafe’s legs, and Sandspit beckoned.

At just over 50km north, straight up the motorway, it couldn’t be easier.

After checking in, I grabbed a prime waterfront spot, opened a few vents, and headed out for a wander. Across the road is the marina, where a boardwalk winds its way through the mangroves, great for a stroll and a stickybeak at the boats. The bar there was closed (only open Thursday to Sunday), but I was more interested in the boats anyway.

From there, I carried on down to the wharf where you can hop aboard the Mail Boat as it does the delivery run around Kawau Island. It’s a brilliant trip that takes most of the day, with a stop at Mansion House Bay (I’ve written about that trip before, see that here.

Click on the Gallery below to check out the Baches

Amazing Baches

By lunchtime I was back at the campground, soaking up the sun by the water and admiring some of the cute old baches nearby. Most of the baches you can stay in, but some are privately owned.

With the weather set to turn, I made the most of it by walking up the hill to check out the famous big chair and take in the view.

The park itself is a gem. I hear it’s on the market after being in the same family for more than 40 years. That’ll be a sad moment for them, it’s not often you find spots like this anymore.

A fantastic spot, close to home, and one I’ll happily come back to.

Rafe’s tracker map to Sandspit – Armada GPS

Close to home, Waikato

Lovely Parkland Parking in Waiuku

June 12, 2025 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

I was on a bit of a mission. I needed to get some leaky taps replaced out at Zion Motorhomes, and I had to be in Pokeno by 8am on a Tuesday. Anyone who knows me knows… I’m not a morning person! ?

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Solution? I’d been wanting to check out the Waiuku Cossie Club’s motorhome parking and explore the township properly, so this was the perfect excuse.

I left Devonport around lunchtime on Monday and cruised down the Southern Motorway. Traffic was light, and I found myself in Waiuku early in the afternoon.

On the edge of the carpark, in his motorhome, was my neighbour Wizard, doing a few running repairs on his newish Roller Team. He’s a full-timer and a real character.

The setup here is great. There are three blocks of power boards with around eight sockets each. One quirk: when you pay your $25 with power, you also leave a deposit for a key to the power boards so you can switch your socket on.

After I’d paid, I found a spot near Wizard. He was plugged into a board nearby and kindly used his key to power up a socket for me, a great neighbour to have!

Click on the Gallery below for a Slideshow of Waiuku

Lovely Parking

The Historic Church in town

Downtown Waiuku

The Kentish Hotel

The park opoosite the Kentish Hotel looking out towards Glenbrook Steel Mill.

History everywhere

Loveley outlook

I’d driven through Waiuku quite a few times before, but only stopped briefly, so it was nice to have time for a proper wander. There’s a real charm to the place with plenty of older houses being lovingly restored and a tidy, vibrant main street.

The club’s motorhome park is tucked beside a lake, with a walk bridge that takes you straight into town in about 10 minutes. It’s a lovely, quiet spot. If you’re a member of the Clubs NZ network, you can also enjoy meals and drinks at the club, another bonus.

The park opposite the Kentish Hotel looking out towards Glenbrook Steel Mill.

All up, a great place to park up, unwind, and enjoy a charming little town.

Rafe’s tracker map to Waiuku
– Armada GPS

Close to home, Shows

Covi Motorhome Show 2025

March 17, 2025 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 1 Comment

The best way to describe this year’s Covi Motorhome Show? Quiet but interesting.

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It was an interesting show with some exciting new things to see. The trend towards smaller motorhomes continues, but the big rigs were still out in force, many with new tricks up their sleeves.

A couple of notable new entrants caught my eye:

The Frankia K Peak, a 6 metre motorhome on a Mercedes base
The Sunlight Adventure also 6 metres, built on a Fiat base

Click on the Gallery below for the Frankia K Peak

Frankia K Peak

Click on the Gallery below for the Sunlight Adventure

Dethleffs Sunlight Adventure

Fiona was working, so I arrived midday Thursday, while she planned to join me Friday after work in the car. It was great catching up with some old friends from Waikato NZMCA, who were handling parking duties at Ellerslie Racecourse.

This year, there was also a Zion Motorhomes parking area on a nice flat asphalt section, so I slipped in there easily. Later in the afternoon, a 4:30 ish Happy Hour kicked off behind one of the motorhomes—always a fun way to wind down!

Show Day

On Friday morning, I hopped on the free show bus to the showgrounds and started cruising the stands. A few highlights:

The new Swift Basecamp just under 6 metres but still a 4-berth with all the usual add-ons, including a TV aerial. Small but perfectly formed!
Stopping by the NZMCA stand for the annual team photo, a must-do tradition!

Click on the Gallery below for the Swift Basecamp

Swift Basecamp

A lot of the usual accessory vendors weren’t there this year, which was a shame. I always enjoy checking out all the handy bits and bobs.

Fantastic Parking Effort

With all the changes happening at Ellerslie Racecourse, the parking team did an incredible job fitting hundreds of motorhomes and caravans into some tricky spots between trees and in tight spaces, all while keeping it neat and organized.

Click on the Gallery below for Parking Images

Looking across to the Dethleffs Parking area.

Fiona arrived Friday night, so we took advantage of having the car and treated ourselves to a Japanese dinner—yum!

A Fun Weekend

Catching up with motorhome friends is always a highlight, and despite the quieter show, it was still a great weekend.

I’ll let the pictures tell the rest of the story…

Click on the Gallery below

The Food Stalls did well.

RV Super Centre

The UCC stand

Our happy hour in the Dethleffs carpark

Our parking in front of the grandstand.

Close to home, Waikato

Bliss on the Beach

February 13, 2025 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 1 Comment

When we first got our motorhome, Ray’s Rest quickly became one of our favorite freedom camping spots.

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It’s one of the few places in New Zealand where you can park right on the sand, looking out across the water with the Coromandel Peninsula offering some shelter.

A few years ago, this spot like many others saw an influx of largely overseas tourists misusing freedom camping areas. It wasn’t uncommon to wake up with a budget rental van parked just inches from your doorway. Thankfully, updated self-containment and freedom camping laws have put an end to that, making places like Ray’s Rest much more enjoyable again.

A drone being setup for fishing off the beach

Two weeks earlier, I’d been knocked out by Covid, so Fiona suggested I take the motorhome out for some fresh air while she worked, and she’d join me later. Brilliant idea! With the sun shining, I stocked up at Countdown Supermarket and hit the road.

When I arrived, there were plenty of parking spots, though they quickly filled as the day went on. It was great to catch up with several familiar faces, New Zealand really is a small place!

I spent the afternoon walking along the beach, soaking in the sunshine, and appreciating just how lucky we are to have places like this to stay. The weather was stunning, and an onshore breeze kept things comfortable—absolute perfection.

Rays Rest is famous for being a bird migration landing zone.

After two blissful days of sea air and sunshine, I packed up, already planning my next visit.

Ray’s Rest is still magic, and I’ll definitely be back for more 🙂

Rafe’s tracker map to Rays Rest – Armada GPS

Close to home

Matakana in the Sun

February 5, 2025 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 1 Comment

After leaving Dargaville, I made my way back towards Matakana, where Fiona was driving up from Devonport to meet me at a new POP (Park Over Property) called Willow Park. The drive into Matakana was a test of patience—traffic from the Warkworth motorway turnoff to Matakana took over an hour. Apparently, that’s par for the course. Thankfully, the destination was well worth the effort.

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Fiona had already arrived by the time I got to Willow Park. After parking up, we sat down with a cuppa and started planning our next moves.

First on our list was the famous Sculptureum just around the corner. The Matakana markets were also in full swing, so of course, we decided to check those out too.

Willow Park, located on Totaranui Road, is run by NZMCA member Gary Pallett. It’s situated on a gentle slope, but the 10 or so graveled sites are impressively level. The farm setting offers fantastic views, which you’ll see from the photos. There are showers available, though we stuck to using our own facilities.

Although the Sculptureum is within walking distance, we opted to drive down the hill. The place is massive, complete with a vineyard. The experience is split into four main sections, and they recommend allowing at least two hours to fully explore. There’s also a restaurant for lunch and plenty of parking.

We started in the indoor gallery, which was packed with fascinating and unusual art pieces. From there, we ventured into the Palm Garden, famous for its whimsical giant snails. The landscaping is immaculate, perfectly complementing the sculptures on display. (Check out the photos!)

Click on the Gallery below to see Enlarged Images

Fiona admiring a Pergoda

Amazing sculpture with Fiona.

The Snails

After a couple of hours in the sun, we retreated to the verandah for a much-needed coffee.

Across the road, the Matakana Country Park was buzzing with market activity. We moved the car to their carpark and wandered through the stalls for about an hour. Even near closing time, the place was still packed with people!

Before heading back to Willow Park, we stopped into Matakana itself to grab some supplies and have a quick look around. Unsurprisingly, it was still incredibly busy, so we didn’t linger too long.

It was a fantastic day out, with the Sculptureum being the highlight. The art and sculptures are absolutely stunning, and the entire experience is amazing. A great couple of nights away and not too far from home 🙂

Rafe’s tracker map to Matakana – Armada GPS

Close to home, Waikato

Lets get out of the House !

October 11, 2024 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 3 Comments

We hadn’t long been out of bed on the Saturday morning when Fiona announced,” Let’s get out of town, what about Kaiaua”?

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Kaiaua has become our easy bust out of the house destination being not far to drive with a great NZMCA park next door to a fantastic pub and the Fish and Chip shop from heaven 🙂

So, within a couple of hours, we were arriving in Kaiaua. Almost opposite us were full-timers, Kelly and Claire in their Autotrail Delaware. Small world stuff. It turns out that Kelly built a friend’s boat. Moored in the same place as the old family boat Rorqual.

We tootled over next door to the pub next door and there was an amazing band playing called Small stuffed Animals. they were amazing playing all the old favourites.

We also met Vicki and John who are just getting a Caravan ready to hit the road. Vicki grew up in Kaiaua.

I was told that there was a German Ompah band playing the next day and that explained why some of the staff were dressed in the appropriate costume, like the German beer festival. Lots of fun.

Click on the Gallery below to Enlarge

Manu about to deliver some food to a table.

We pretty much spent the rest of the day there and then got fish and chips for tea at the Fish and Chip shop. While we were there, we stumbled on some Liquorice Ice Cream. We last had this with Sambuca over it years ago in Coromandel and it was unbelievable. Well, we’ve found it, and it is made by Lewis Road Creamery… I feel a visit is imminent with the freezer on 🙂

The next day, Fiona went for a walk, and I went to chat to the neighbours and later we found ourselves back at the pub where the Herman band was laying. Barman Manu was in his German gear making the most of it and it was a fun afternoon.

Later in the day we checked in to the Pub for tea. I had an unbelievable Pork Roast and Fiona had a Fish Pie… both amazing.

A great weekend out of the house:-)

Rafe’s tracker map to Kaiaua – Armada GPS

Fiona & Chris, two empty nesters put their dreams of doing something different into reality… Now back in a house, they were living in their Motorhome, come along for the ride.

	Warmenhj on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…
	Chris Miller - Bugge… on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…
	Warmenhj on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…
	Warmenhj on Cruising to the 2026 Dethleffs…

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Show Day

Fantastic Parking Effort

A Fun Weekend

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Fiona & Chris, two empty nesters put their dreams of doing something different into reality… Now back in a house, they were living in their Motorhome, come along for the ride.