Category Archives: My Motorhome

My Motorhome

The First Morelo Empire Liner in NZ

1 Comment

What an exciting day for Tony and Fiona. After two and a half years, the handover of their new Motorhome and its HUGE!

Click on any Image to Enlarge

The Morelo Palace behind for comparison

After several trips to the factory in Germany over the last 2 years and lots of research, it has finally happened. As Tony says, “When he was filling in the options form, the pen didn’t want to stop”, so as Tony says, “Its fully pimped “!

The new beast

It is 10 metres long, 4 meters high. Carries 500 litres of fresh water and 240 litres of both black and grey water. It is on a Mercedes Actros Chassis with a 400HP, 7 litre 6-cylinder motor with a 12-speed gearbox.

The “Stairway to Heaven “

There was an option to have the drive in the boot storage for a small vehicle but as Tony said, he could make better use of the space as a bigger garage and get more locker space outside by putting the electrics where the car would go.

Huge living and entertaining space.

It is like a footie field inside with a higher than most Motorhomes stud height, slightly wider than your average bear and of course the length.

The Galley

They had a Morelo Palace before this and there was one parked in front of it at the Zion yard and you can definitely see the difference next to the Empire Liner. When they bought their Palace, the Empire liners weren’t available in a form that was acceptable by NZ Transport, but several rules changed in the last few years.

Centre Island Bed

I’m really pleased for them as they have been through numerous delays due to Covid and shipping/parts delays and its finally here and it is exactly what they wanted.

All new Mod Mercedes Dash

Have Fun Guys!

Europe 2017, Germany, My Motorhome

Ralph and Harry Hymers

Ralph the Renter is from Milton Keynes in the UK. He’s a 1992 Hymer with a 2.9 litre, non turbo, 5 cylinder Mercedes Diesel with Auto Transmission with not too many gears 🙂 He’s not a speedster but can quite easily do 90 k’s without too much stress and with the fills of diesel, seems comparitely competitive with Harry in terms of fuel economy.

Click on the images for Hi Res or a Slideshow

A happy wee Ralph

He’s got a drop down bed and you can drop the table and make up a double there too. We prefer to use the drop down bed as you simply flick it up out of the way fully made up and its quite comfy.

Our Boudoir
Ralphs galley
The front end of Ralph
Ralphs living space with the Niesmann and Bichoff brochures on the table.
Looking forward in Ralph
Fiona and Gary at tea time

There is a loo and a shower at the back and the Galley is across the back with the habitation door on the opposite side. Ralph also has air conditioning too which has been great and we’ve pressed that into service a few times.

The View

Hot Water, Truma heating a 3 way fridge (under bench model) and it all seems to work.

Our little spot in Germany

 

Harry is a 2004 B654 Hymer. It was owned by friends of Gary and Diannes in the UK who had it from new. Gary and Dianne bought about 5 years ago and now store it just out of London. It has a 2.9 litre Turbo diesel and gets along quite nicely.

Harry all set up

It comes fully equipped including Air conditioning and Gary being Gary, has everything you could imagine hiding in its huge garage 😉

Harry’s living area with optional drop down bed for overstayers 🙂
Harry’s bedroom
Harry’s galley
Gary and Dianne setting things up
Drinks time

They’ve had lots of fun in him and with this tour with us, has been hugely helpful for us being European Bunnies and them leading the charge 🙂

Europe 2017, Int'l Motorhomes, My Motorhome, UK

Nibi

Nibi is our good Motorhome friends newest thing of beauty. It is amazing. These are considered to be like the Rolls Royce of Motorhomes in Europe and one look over it, its easy to see why.

Gary and Dianne with the beast behind

We were meeting Dianne and Gary in Telford to check it out before it gets shipped to NZ and we were running late. I texted Gary with an update saying we’d just dropped off the rental car and on our way in a cab to see them. The reply was.. “I’m in RV Heaven” .. I could picture him drooling over it but its neat that both Dianne and Gary are pleased with it as its been a long time coming.

A happy Dianne in the living area while Fiona inspects 🙂

It has a centre island bed with a centre Shower/Toilet bathroom arrangement and the living area in the front. Based on a Fiat Ducato, it is 8.8 metres long and has a custom Alko Chassis from front to back to give it car like handling. Gary also got the Air suspension option so it can self level and be raised to avoid damage on rough campsites.

The living space
Porcelain Toilet
The bedroom

We’re continuing on around Europe with them until early August and it will be back in NZ before they will so what a great homecoming present..

Gary in the garage

Nice one guys. I want one of these too 🙂

My Motorhome, Rallies, Waikato

One of the smaller Classic Caravans!

At the Liteweight 75th anniversary, and right next door to us was Karine and Ross in their 1956 Starliner Starlette Caravan.

Click on an Image to enlarge

Karine and Ross with their Starlette

Its tiny but over the last few years, from the wheels up, they have completely stripped and restored this little beauty.  Ross has gone out of his way to keep it light and tow friendly .. it is less than 475 kgs!

It is a real Tardis but it is surprising how much room is there when the space is used efficiently.

It is what you’re used to as we found with our first Caravan, Wee Rafe.. not much bigger at 650kgs!

It is completely self contained and is surprising how much room it has in it.

Amazing amount of room
Lovely curves on the beds

They tow it with a 1964 Volvo 544 which would be a really rare car.  I haven’t seen any of them anyway.

Ross has completely rebuilt this too including replacing the motor with a Ford Sierra motor and gearbox. It has Ford Mondeo wheels, Smits Gauges on the dash (Triumph Dolomite) Hyundai seats and discs all around. It was a real eyecatcher!

The Volvo

With its awning out they looked quite at home entertaining their friends during the day.

My Motorhome, Waikato

First night away in their restored Liteweight Caravan

After 3 years or so of restoring their 1963 Liteweight Silver Mist, Ross and Kay finally got to get their first night away in it.  What a WOW moment and huge sense of satisfaction that must be, when you’re lying there on the first night taking it all in. 😊

I’m sure there were anxious moments but it all worked out well and they looked really comfortable in it.

Click on an Image to enlarge

Kay and Ross with the Silver Mist

Over the course of a few years in between work commitments and building a house, they have finished what I thought was an absolute gem.

Plenty of room
Dinette / Bed

This is their first foray into older Caravans and  they have done a fabulous job of getting all the period door handles, power sockets and then decorated it with all the period fittings.

Looking really good guys,  a lovely Caravan, well done and nice to see you both again.

Coromandel 2020, My Motorhome

First Outing in their new Van

4 Comments

Parked directly behind me at Hahei Beach were Patricia and Nacho from Wellington in their new van. They’re a really interesting couple with Nacho a programmer originally from Argentina and Patricia is a teacher from Spain.

Looking in from the back
The view!

They bought the van two months ago and after a few initial tweaks to suit, this is their first time away in it.

The Galley area

Already they have plans for some modifications so they have some seating to shelter from the weather.

The cooker

A nice couple just getting started on the road.

Bay of Plenty, Friends, My Motorhome

A little Bedtime reading :-)

Yay .. its the end of lockdown.. we’re away again.. almost !   Here’s a couple more posts from early 2017 until we get away again.

Saturday was a big day. Rob and Helen were off to collect their new Autotrail Tracker RB and they were beside themselves with excitement.

Click on the images for Hi Res

Rob and Helen looking very happy !
Rob and Helen looking very happy !

Their first Tracker RB had taken them and their daughter Chloe. all around NZ over the last 4 years or so.

The new Tracker looking very smart
The new Tracker looking very smart

The new Tracker is a different colour, has Automatic Transmission and has 180 horses. It has more room in the front lounge area, a separate Shower and Toilet area and lots of other little tweaks.

The new beast with Rafe behind
The new beast with Rafe behind

Having Rafe parked right behind, I was amazed with the changes in some of the vents, and other fittings which you see on Dethleffs and other makes.  Even the tyres are different from the older models.. now Michelins.

Rob unpacking the sealed manual packs.
Rob unpacking the sealed manual packs.

We drove down to meet them at Athenree Holiday Park as a meeting point and to help celebrate their first night away in it.

The Bedroom. The bed runs the opposite way to the older one.
The Bedroom. The bed runs the opposite way to the older one.

We hadn’t long checked in when the first glasses of bubbly were consumed. A nice afternoon in the sun with a swim in the hotpools later as well.

Its a lovely Motorhome and they’re over the moon with it.

Its a good thing that Rob is pretty handy and technically minded and likes reading the odd manual.
Its a good thing that Rob is pretty handy and technically minded and likes reading the odd manual.

As the title says.. lots of bedtime reading manuals for Rob!

The Netspeed Speedtest for Athenree Holiday Park
Download: 42.01 Mbps
Upload: 26.18 Mbps
Ping: 54 ms
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&q=-37.448570,175.966467

Rafe’s Track to Athenree

Rafe’s Track to Athenree.. The Green Dot
Int'l Motorhomes, My Motorhome

Classic American Beauty

1 Comment

Yay .. its the end of lockdown.. we’re away again.. almost !   Here’s a couple more posts from early 2017 until we get away again.

What an amazing vehicle. Brian bought this 1981 Revcon of EBay sight unseen and had it shipped to NZ in 2012. It was in his words, “a bit of a mess” so he set to and spent the next two years renovating it.

Enid and Brian with their Recon

Most of the furniture is the same but recovered except the bedroom which went from single beds to a centre island Queen bed.
Of course, you can’t have a vehicle like this without having a cocktail cabinet.

Click on the images for Hi Res or a slideshow

The “Handle Bars” had to be shifted too to right hand drive which was a bit of a mission given its a 454 Chev V8 with a chain driven transfer box all driving the front wheels so there is a lot going on under the floor at the sharp end! Once it was all done, Brian and his wife Enid “the Nagivator ” 🙂 shipped it off to Oz where they spent a year or so clocking up over 25000 miles and loving every minute of it.

Brian with the Revcon

At 10 miles to the gallon, she’s a thirsty girl but what a great look and a comfy 30 feet of Motorhome history.

Bling and more bling

Brian is keen to do up a smaller GM and is currently looking for one to buy to get started with.

My Motorhome, Northland, Quirky things

Retro colour

A repost from days gone by .. enjoy

While we were getting ready for New Years Eve, I couldn’t help but notice and amazing retro looking Mercedes based motorhome on the other side of the park.
It was built in Germany as a Micro Supreme branded Motorhome.

Brian, Kim and their daughter Maddie and the Mercedes.
Brian, Kim and their daughter Maddie and the Mercedes.

Owned by Brian and Kim from Auckland, they bought this two years or so ago and it became Brian’s project do up. The Mercedes D307’s are really popular in Europe as delivery, courier vans and small trucks and enjoy a great reputation as reliable runners and Brian was saying, he has no problem getting parts for it. All he has done mechanically was put in a bigger radiator which is apparently a must do for motorhoming. It also has a real “unimog” look to the front of it which I think reveals its Mercedes truck DNA.

The retro paint job
The retro paint job

Mercedes

The Tv station iutside
The Tv station iutside

Inside, well all I can say is what a great job they’ve done. New toilet and shower area and a new galley area. The minute you walk in, you get this amazing feeling of big volume. Brian has done amazing things with a TV/ sound station including a server for movies, a wifi router and a pop out Tv station in the awning area.

Inside
Inside
The Galley
The Galley

A great achievement by them both, a nice van and although at 1988 it is not really that old, the improvements that they made are amazing and it was nice to see them enjoying Sullivan’s Bay in the sun with friends and family.

Coromandel 2016, My Motorhome

Nana & Poppa Bus

A repost from days gone by .. enjoy

After 15 years of owning their 7m 1990 Nissan Civilian, Engineer Dave and his wife Josy are finally enjoying their now completed Motorhome.
About 10 years ago, Dave and a friend got started on the restoration of two buses, a Hino for Daves Friend and the Nissan Civilian for themselves.
The NissanAfter years of using it while the restoration carried on, it now looks fantastic.
Daves friend had access to a CNC router which they used to make the Matai bench top and bathroom hand basin and the results are amazing. The floor was hand made using strips of native NZ timbers put together to look like parquet flooring but a whole lot nicer.

The Galley showing the pantries opened
The swivel tv above the bed
The Helm
Looking forward
The Bedroom

The swivelling drop down TV which can be watched from anywhere. Two slide out pantries.

The CNC routed Matai bench top
The CNC routed Matai bench top
The routed bathroom bench
The routed bathroom bench

With the centre island bed, it is very comfortable.
I met them both at Te Mata point as we enjoyed a cold drink. It’s great to see them enjoying the results of their hard work.

Te Mata point.
Te Mata point.

They tell me that although they’ve been all over NZ, there are still nooks and crannies that they’re yet to explore.