Having helped park a couple of these Rallies, they are a BIG job for the volunteers who put these together and with this one, Neal and his parking team kept the bar high with their direction and parking skills.
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Chief parker Neal with his 3m stick
This year like last year, the parking costs were covered by Covi organisers along with a free bus service which ran in a cycle every half an hour or so… it worked beautifully. There was also a storage area at the Show where you could securely store any goodies purchased and pick them up on the way back on the bus… a great idea.
Plenty of white Motorhomes
I’m not sure how many people were at the Rally but a general estimate I would say it was at least 500 vehicles on the first day all beautifully parked by Neal and his team from the Waikato group with Counties pitching in too as a joint parking effort.. well done guys.
My little place in the world
The best part for me at these events was catching up with friends I haven’t seen for a while who have come for the show.
A great effort and well done to all those Volunteers.
Rafe’s Tracker map to the show Motorhome parking – Armada GPS
I always look forward to these mainly for the new gadgets which this year, was the Drones which you can take away and use them for fishing.
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Drones that can fish!
The Star of the show for me though was ACM’s Freedom Platinum Elite. The one in the show is customised for wheelchair access but it is HUGE inside. ACM is owned by a Boatbuilder Chris and the Elite just reeks of a quality build everywhere you look.
Click on the Galley below for a look at the Platinum Elite
Looking forward in the Kitchen lounge in the ACM Platinum
Looking back in the ACM Platinum
The Bathroom in the PACM Platinum
The outside of the ACM Platinum
The ACM Platinum
The Vivaldi made by Tabbert was the first one of these I’ve seen new having seen one in Tokoroa at the Scottish Games event. Beautifully appointed and well made and really popular in Europe.
Kitchen Dining area in the Vivaldi
Its really nice to see them arriving here.
Click on the Gallery below for the beautiful Vivaldi
Vivaldi Exterior
Looking down the hall to the Bedroom in the Vivaldi
Vivaldi Bedroom
Kitchen Dining area in the Vivaldi
Dining in the Vivaldi
Recently I helped some friends buy a Burstner Lyseo and it was my first opportunity to see one up close if you like.
The Burstner Lyseo
They have an amazing 850kg payload! Some of its competitors in its class, only have half that, and with the Police just getting ready with their in road weigh stations, I’m sure it’ll be a big seller.
Click on the Gallery below to see the Lyseo
The Burstner Lyseo
Lyseo Galley
Looking forward in the Lyseo
Lyseo Bedroom
The Lyseo Lounge area
The Burstner stand
It was great to see some of the travel destinations like Awakeri Rail there and also the Top 10 Holiday park team.
A happy man from the Top 10 organisation.Awakeri Rail Trail
I was there on Friday and it was busy from 10am on and a couple of the dealers I spoke to seemed pretty happy with the way things were going.
Click on the Gallery below for Show Images
No 1 NZMCA
The happy team at the NZMCA stand
RV Super Centre
RV Super centres smaller vans
Niessman and Bichoff
The Autotrail Commanche
Commanche Bedroom
AutoTrail Commance shower
Outside the Autotrail Commanche
Trailite Country
Dethleffs Caravans
Inside a Dethleffs Exclusive Caravan
The Dethleffs Exclusive caravan
Another year another great show.
Plenty of white Motorhomes at Ellerslie Racecourse
One of the first things I do after publishing a post is to link it through to several Facebook pages relating to Motorhoming.
I’d only just posted my post on my new Batteries from AA Solar when several people commented on how they were not optimally wired. They weren’t incorrect but I would get more life out of them if they were changed and several made suggestions on how it could be improved.
To be fair, Thorsten the Technician, only rewired what he inherited from the previous setup and increased the wiring size while he did it.
I actually thought it looked much better than how it was but when I posted into the NZMCA facebook forum, the advice came back on improvements that could be made and it was worth giving it another look.
How it was
I called AA Solar and after seeing my photos, they agreed and were more than happy to reset the wiring. What a difference! Its got a much more obvious flow to it and even tidier than before.. It should perform better too.
Its a Beautiful thingThorsten finishing off the changes.
Thanks to all those who pitched in with the advice and thanks to Thorsten and AA Solar for a job well done.
Isn’t it funny how as you go through the various upgrades on your Motorhome or Caravan and someone tells you, “buy this, its the best there is” and you say to yourself later “more homework was required!”
In early 2018, I did just that and bought some new batteries which were then the best thing since sliced bread as they had a new fangled silicon plate system.
Click on an Image to Enlarge
Not long after I had them installed, I took Rafe back to get the new batteries load tested as I thought they were dropping their voltage too quickly but they passed with flying colours.
Over the last few years I’ve persisted with them and we’ve found ourselves being plugged in to power more often than we’d probably like to prevent voltage range anxiety.
A nameless friend and battery advisor has explained to me that the batteries I had, due to how they’re made were not known performers as house batteries for Motorhomes.
So here we are only 3 and a bit years later replacing them with Champion Deep Cycle AGM’s from AA Solar in Silverdale. With the NZMCA discount, these batteries are known performers as house batteries and are quite a bit less expensive than the 3 yr old ones I’ve replaced.
The empty space under the seat for the new batteries after the old batteries were removed.
Thorsten was the technician on the job and got into taking Rafe’s seat out to get at the batteries underneath.
Thorsten re doing the cables for the terminals.
Out they came and with a quick test, although they had lost a significant amount of power, they were probably ok as low load crank batteries for a year or two. I made the decision to dump them as I could see them sitting in the back of our carport in three years time 🙂
Just about done.
In went the new batteries.. the new Champions were a bit longer but just fitted in under the seat. Thorsten took one look at the wiring for the second battery and declared it to be vastly undersized.. so he replaced this with colour coded heatshrink and new terminal bolts.. very tidy.
I was really pleased with how it went with the wiring and the batteries and am now looking forward to now being able to be off grid a bit more than we have with known performing, Deep Cycle batteries.
All done !
With the new wiring and all cleaned up it really is a big improvement just looking at it and it almost seems a shame to cover it all up with the seat 🙂 Thanks Thorsten for a really tidy job.
I’d just switched the engine off and was plugging in the power point when Lance and Sophie pulled up alongside in the next door Camp spot. They were huge plots so we had plenty of room.
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It turns out that they has recently just bought it online from Palmerston North and was only 5 weeks old ! This one is a Flagstaff Mac made by the great American RV company Forest River.
Lance and Sophie with their trailer
This is their second one of this type although the first one was no where near as flash as this new one. They leveled it on the ground, plugged in the power cord to the post and flicked a switch and up it went! Quite impressive if you haven’t seen one before. Apparently their last one was a wind up one.
With a slide out dining area and the end bedroom areas that po out, its amazing how much room there is. It has a built in BIG gas heater for those cold nights too. Despite the fact that it is mostly canvas and several layers of blinds etc, it really holds the heat in.
Roomy!Galley area
Lance was saying they got theirs second hand but they are available here new for around $32k fully kitted out which is an option for families who have a limited budget and don’t want a big Caravan.
Extra bed spaceDining area slideout
This was one of the first trips away they have had in it apart from bring it up from Palmerston North and they seemed very happy with it.
Only 40 odd k’s from the centre of Auckland is the fantastic west coast surf beach called Muriwai and directly behind the dunes is a raised campground.
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The view
Being so close to Auckland it is super handy if you’re not looking at doing any serious miles and it feels like you’re miles away.
I checked in during the week as they have a minimum of $46.00 during the weekend. It was just $23 for 1 during the week. I wondered about the wisdom of doing this as a lot of people in Motorhomes do travel on their own and now there are no international tourists, it is excluding a large section of those travelling.
Cheryll and Denise were very welcoming and gave me a brief guided tour and allocated me a park up on one of the top terraces with a view over the sea.
Before I’d even plugged in I had met my immediate neighbours also both from Auckland !
New Showers
The campground is leased from the council and about 4 years ago, the council demolished the old tin shed toilets and showers etc and built brand new concrete and really upmarket new buildings.
BBQ area
I tried out the shower and all it has is a push button which once pressed, the shower delivers the perfect pressure and temperature and automatically turns off afterwards. You can turn it off earlier I’m told by simply pressing the button again… very smart… and super clean.
Its a simple hop skip and a jump over a small park and over the sand dunes to the beach.
Click on the Gallery below for a Slideshow
Nice Grounds
The Beach
Showers
The Gannet Colony
Looking North
While I was there, there were dozens of young people catching waves and enjoying the surf.
Great surfThe Gannet Colony
Muriwai goes for miles so if its a walk you’re after, there is plenty of scope for that too! I was impressed with the camp, its facilities and the friendly hosts.
Looking NorthEnd of the Day
A nice spot and if you like the beach, the perfect place for a long weekend.
A couple of years ago I went to the Tokoroa Timber Town Romp and it didn’t disappoint with Bagpipes, Scottish games and some bands in the hall for entertainment later. A great event over three days put on by the Waikato NZMCA Crew.: Des, Michael and Neil along with many others.
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The main parking area at Te Aroha
I missed last years event so I was determined to get to the Te Aroha weekend run by the same very clever people.
A Boat a home !
The venue was the Silver Ferns Event Centre at Te Aroha so the parking was on the football fields surrounding it. For the 60 or so Motorhomes and Caravans that made the event, there was plenty of room. Neil was out their as chief parker and it was great to see him again too.
In the Dethleffs corner
On the Friday when I arrived it was catching up with everybody with the main events happening the following day.
One of the highlights was the Kayaking where two groups of 7 were taken up river and set off to be picked up further downstream. Nice big wide Kayaks and everyone had a ball.
I’ve never really got to see the domain and the historic buildings where the Thermal Baths are so I walked into town to see them and have a general gander around the town. Its not big but full of very friendly people and with the influx of 60 odd Motorhomes, the NZMCA’rs were very dominant in their red shirts 🙂
Escaping the Heat
Some were off on the bike trails north and south and there was also an organised trip to a berry farm for fresh fruit ice creams.
Click on the Gallery below for a Slideshow
Des getting things under way.
Heading into town
Setting off in their bikes
The Waihaou river
On the Railway bridge
Amazing Sculptures
The old Hotel
In the domain
Kayaks return
After a couple of hours of wandering around the town and watching the Kayakers return, I wandered back to Rafe.
Te ArohaBaths MuseumCroquet
A nice event in a lovely town. Well done again to the crew for putting it on.
We all know how buses come in all shapes and sizes and this is why I find them amazing with self conversions as to what gets squeezed in and the décor.
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Paul, Ruth and Wilson the Labradoodle with their Motorhome behind.
My next door neighbours in Pauanui, Paul and Ruth were no exception to the surprises with their amazing bus.
Shiny new paint!
Their 2008 Mitsubishi Rosa was one of a fleet of 10 or so 19 seaters that had been downsized due to the Covid lockdown. Paul had the choice of a few but they are all bright red! When Paul made a mention of the colour, “We can paint it any colour you like in our paint bay”! So it was given a new paint job too !
Bedroom
Over the course of 6 weeks off work, they both got stuck in and completely redid the insides to make it work as a motorhome and it looks fantastic.
Looking back to the Bedroom area, Wilson’s bed below.
A King size bed right across the back with a bed underneath for their big Labradoodle underneath.
Oven and Microwave
On either side of the hallway on the sides are the toilet and shower on one side and the pantry, oven and galley on the other.
Loo with a view with the shower beside. No vision from the outside!
At the front is a table for 4 with new seats which were apparently a nightmare getting them certified for seat belts, and were installed on a solid plate together which in turn is bolted to the floor.
Looking down the hall to the Pantry
As Paul said it is still very much work in progress but from what I saw, on their first trip away, its all looking really good and very functional.
The Galley
We were sitting down outside after the images and catching up on some of the details on their Motorhome when out of the blue, we realised that Paul’s brother and I used to work together at the Auckland Star back in the late 1980’s! .. Small world 🙂
Nice people, great motorhome and its going to look pretty flash when its all done.
With the Covid scare stopping our Anniversary weekend trip dead in its tracks, we headed off to Pauanui for the weekend to catch up with family and friends with our bikes on the back.
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Fantastic Beach
Its a great place for bikes as its all pretty flat and as most of the locals there use bikes to get around, they seem pretty tolerant and used to seeing them on the road.
We checked in at our favourite place for parking there, the Pauanui Sports Club. The Pauanui Club have been offering parking for NZMCA’rs for a few years now and doing a great job of it.
Looking good
The first day we were there, there was a knock at the door in the morning and it was our grandson Ayden who had biked around to say hello. We were later joined by his Dad, Alex and brother Liam.
Alex teeing off
The mini golf course next door was the place to be which was also busy with the long weekend. Granny Fiona went along too. 8 yr old Liam found a water trap within a few strokes of his club. As it was quite hot, he was in no hurry to get out either 🙂
Click on the Gallery below for a Slideshow
Liam cooling off !
Liam fishing his ball out of the water 🙂
Fiona and Alex
Ayden at the mini golf
Fiona and Liam at the mini golf
Off to buy a slushy after with Granny.
We had been invited out to tea with one of Fiona’s old school friends Janette and her husband Evan. Always nice to see them so we were off on our bikes to their place for a great night.
Busy busy
The next day we spent meeting the neighbours. Paul and Ruth on one side from Auckland and Peter and Wendy from Tauranga on the other. Small world stuff too. It turns out I’d met one of Peter and Wendy’s good friends involved with the Motorhome industry who we met again later in the weekend. I also used to work with Paul’s brother in Auckland 30 plus years or so ago in the newspaper industry..
We took the boys to the village to get some lunch.
We finished off here by having fish and chips with the grandkids around at their place. A nice weekend.
I’ve been a great supporter of the Pauanui Club. They’ve been great supporters of the NZMCA and its members and provide a great facility. It is run with little human intervention meaning, no booking, no sites are marked out.
Due to its popularity now, I think time has come for the sites to be marked out and a limit placed on the numbers like the NZMCA sites.
Over the weekend, we ended up having 14 vans in there with only half having some reasonable fire gaps between them.
An extra one out by the Airfield
The general thought here was that it would be a good idea that the club put some “below lawn mower height” pegs in to define some sites and make sure that everyone is kept safe. Cheap and easy and it can continue to be run as it is.
Busy busy busy
Its a fantastic place to stay with great people and long may it continue.
Nice to get away for the long weekend and catch up with everyone at a great spot.
Kiwi North which is about 5k’s out of Whangarei on the road from Dargaville is also the home of the Whangarei Museum and many of the local clubs with an amazing collection of things that clubs have.. Stationery Engines, Medical Museum, Radio operators, Cars and Tractors, Railway enthusiasts and the list goes on.
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One of the Kiwis – pic supplied
The big attraction though is the Kiwi house where you can get up close with them. This is the first time Fiona and I had ever seen one this close and with one of the volunteers close by telling us all about them was amazing.
Click on the Gallery below for a Slideshow
Octagonal Chapel
Car ethusiasts
Stationery Engines
Niagara Lifeboat being restored.
Another well know homestead
Ride on minature trains.
They are actively involved with a Kiwi breeding program to try and stop the decline in their numbers and their modern Kiwi House makes it so easy to see them right up close. We were inches away from them!
A Nugget in the museum found in Hukerenui
The park is also currently refurbishing the Clark Homestead along with an amazing Octagonal shaped Chapel and other outbuildings.
There is the old Kauri Train station and the old Whangarei Woman’s Gaol there too.
Whangarei Woman’s Gaol
To make it easier for NZMCA’rs who would like to check it out, they also have parking for up to 4 vans with power, toilets and showers for just $15. There is also a discount for access to the Kiwis and the Museum for NZMCA’rs too!
The parking for Motorhomes
I’ve popped in here before but this was Fiona’s first time and its a great place with plenty to see and do.
Every Kiwi should do this and with international visitors being hard to come by due to Covid, make sure you pop in next time you’re up that way 🙂
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.
This year like last year, the parking costs were covered by Covi organisers along with a free bus service which ran in a cycle every half an hour or so… it worked beautifully. There was also a storage area at the Show where you could securely store any goodies purchased and pick them up on the way back on the bus… a great idea.
The best part for me at these events was catching up with friends I haven’t seen for a while who have come for the show.
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