Tag Archives: worth doing

Mikes Fridge upgrade

January 16, 2016 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 1 Comment

A week or so ago, I published Robs Fan which showed how clever people can make their European (or any fridge) perform better by simply expelling warm air from behind or in Mike’s case, circulating cool air as well.

Both are novel ways of getting much better performance and both work briliiantly.

Mike and I were at school together a hundred or so years ago and where I went on to be a newspaper photographer, Mike became a very able Gasfitter and Plumber and clever with it.

Mike recently purchased a very nice new A class Rapido from an elderly chap who imported it from Europe but due to a change in his circumstances, couldn’t keep it.

Fiona and I caught up with Mike and Wendy at Shakespeare Bay for a very nice lunch not long after they got their van. I published an article then and you can see that here.

The Rapido has a 90l Dometic fridge in it and since Mike picked it up has been very unimpressed with its performance and ability to keep things cold. After reading Robs Fan, Mike decided to sort it once and for all.

Pix by Mike. Click on them to see the detail in slideshow

A bracket to hold he fan at the top of the cooling tower

Fan in cooling tower

Twin Fans inside. Purchased off Ebay and clipped to the evaporator fins.

Wiring for the inside fan

Fan at bottom to create airflow

Bottom fan to create airflow

Separate switching for fans

Here is what he did in Mikes words.

Hi Chris

I've just finished installing three fans to to accommodate the cooling for a Dometic 8505 fridge freezer 90 l. All items were purchased from Jcar.

There are two 120 x 120 x 25mm fans fitted in the cooling tower.

The top fan is fitted 150mm below the cooling fins...connected via a 50degree temp thermostat. 
Duratech:   YX-2574
Air flow:      37 (CFM)
Current:      0.08A
Fan Speed: 1000 rpm
Noise:          20.2dBA

The bottom fan is fitted 100mm above the top of the bottom air vent...connected via a 70degree temp switch.
Duratech:    YX-2584
Air flow:       64.3 (CFM)
Current:       0.22A
Fan Speed:  1500 rpm
Noise:           25dBA

The fridge fan:
Duratech 90mm: YX-2572
Air flow:                 31.32 (CFM)
Current:                 0.13A
Fan Speed:            1500 rpm
Noise level:            20dBA

Each fan can be independently controlled by an on/off switch installed inside the motorhome.

The results:
Motorhome vents in full sun:
Ambient temp 27.1 degrees:
Fridge on setting three:
1) Even temperatures through out the fridge at 4degrees.
2) Freezer -10.7
3) On setting 5 the freezer got to -17degrees

Before I had a shit fridge...now I have a master piece.


Regards Mike.

Here is the link that Rob found with more technical stuff.

Northland

Whangarei Falls

December 31, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

On the way back from Matapouri, we almost stumbled on these falls in a well setup park on the Ngunguru road.
Very nice new toilets too if you’re looking for good loos.

We spent an hour or so wandering around what’s called the inner loop walk which takes you down an easy track to a huge cavern like area with the huge waterfalls falling into a big lake about 100 odd feet below.
There is a picnic table there and a nice area to take it all in.
Well worth a look and good exercise too 😎

Close to home, Day Trips

Xmas day

December 26, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 1 Comment

On Christmas eve, we stayed in my sons family’s driveway and early Christmas day was spent opening pressies with Alex, Sarah, the two grandsons, Ayden and Liam and with Sarah’s parents and brother Andrew. The hard part was keeping Liam on task opening all his presents as he wanted to stop and play along the way. All part of being a 3 yr old.

Waiting for the ferry at Half Moon Bay. Liam with Fiona and Ayden with his dad Alex.

After Fiona had made croissants with Cheese and Bacon .. yum! we left to catch the ferry from Half Moon Bay to Waiheke, where were to have a great lunch with the wider family at Fiona’s sister Sara and Robs place in Onetangi.

Jessa doing the bubbly

Drew’s mate Lucas (on left), Drews cousin Merryn and my son Drew

Ayden, Dad Alex(my son) and Liam

Ayden, Fiona, Liam with cousin Jessa

Son Andrew on the Shredder

Andrew on the shredder, note the Drone

Rob showing Ayden how to pilot a drone

Rob showing Ayden how to pilot a drone in the barn

Liam with his cousin Merryn

Rob has some new toys in his toy box at the barn so after lunch we went up to the barn and he wheeled out the entertainment.

The Razor: a 4 wheel drive farm bike with roll cages but souped up mechanically. The Shredder: A track driven by a petrol motor steered by a wake board like setup.. see the piccies. Remember too to click on them for hi res.

Lots of fun mixed with some nice wine and great food with great company.

We all made it too the 7pm ferry at Kennedy point in time to get back to Half Moon Bay and to Ardmore.

It was a big day and I was literally falling into bed when I got back to Rafe.

We’re looking forward to heading up North for the next week .. watch for some Northland posts! I hope everyone had a great Christmas.. have a good new year and if you’re on the road, be safe.

Close to home, My Motorhome

No Rafe for the weekend so feet have to do.

December 23, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 2 Comments

Rafe had developed a nasty little irritating rattle in what seemed to be the left front suspension. We thought given the warranty runs out in 6 months or so, we need to get straight onto to these things and get it sorted. I dropped it off last Wednesday morning and took a technician around the block so I could point out the noise. It only appeared on coarse seal but was a quiet as a mouse on smooth seal.

Initially it seemed that although they could hear the noise, they couldn’t find a reason for a rattle. The suspension checked out ok and after a few hours of searching, there was nothing else.
A bit of light reading by yours truly on the Fiat forum in the UK showed that they have this issue in Britain too. The Euro’s have smooth seal but they use coarse seal in Britain like NZ. On Monday, they wired it all up with microphones and went for a drive to locate the rattle. To add the sound equipment, they had to take off the tray which is a big piece of black rubber/plastic mat that covers the whole underside of the engine and gearbox area to protect it from dust. The Brits found that they were the cause of the rattle. With all the sound equipment, they couldn’t hear any noise at all so it seems the tray might be the cause here too. We picked Rafe up on Monday and the’ve left the tray off to try it over the new Year period and so far I haven’t heard a thing 🙂 I’ll head back to the engineers in January and have it put back on with some foam to stop it rattling if that’s what it turns out to be.

As always, make sure you click on these images to see them in hi res.

Fiona with Takapuna Beach in the distance

What to do last weekend instead ? We decided to walk around from Milford Bridge all the way down the beach and around the waterfront to Takapuna Beach. Its a great walk and only takes about 1/2 hour.

Milford Beach

Waterfront homes at Milford

The track around the rocks

Getting close to Thornes Beach

Cable car up the hill

Thornes Beach

Nice waterfront homes at Thornes Beach

Thornes Beach

Thornes Beach half way around

Fishing off the rocks half way around. Rangitoto behind

Fiona with one of the waterfront houses near Milford

Almost Crystal clear

Foreshore houses, Takapuna in the distance

Takapuna Beach in the distance

Looking back to Milford

On the way to Takapuna

Rangitoto with the Pohutakawas

We stopped at Takapuna Beach for a while and watched the launching antics of the masses and the wayward backing attempts. Always a good hour or two’s entertainment although better at low tide 🙂

We walked up to Hurstmere Rd and had a nice lunch in a café there and then walked back towards Milford. There is a little track down to the beach right on the corner with Kitchener Rd so we headed back down along the beach and back home.

We’d only been home for a n hour or so when our good friends Tony and Julie popped in with a bottle of wine and some cider and then spent several hours sitting in the sun watching boats come and go in the marina.

A very pleasant day but I’m REALLY pleased to have Rafe back !

Close to home, Great Beaches

The Dunes

December 8, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 1 Comment

After leaving Orua Bay, we quickly checked out Graham’s Beach which looks like a great spot to stay.

As were a stones throw from Awhitu Wines, we toyed with the idea of going wine tasting but as it was only 10am (yep, we checked the time) we decided it wouldn’t be a good look🍷😳 so we went on to Awhitu park.

This was originally a huge farm run by the Brook family in the late 1800’s.
We left Rafe in the carpark and walked down and along the beach to the Brook homestead and cottage. Many generations of the family lived in these houses and there is a picture there if them enjoying Christmas dinner on the verandah in 1950.

The Awhitu beach walk to the Brooks Homestead

After getting lost in the golf course, yep.. We even had to consult google maps to get back to the carpark. We had lunch and then left to find Hamilton Gap in the West Coast.

What an an amazing place. There is a self contained Motorhome park there which is free but as it was blowing 20 knots from the west, we decided to press on.
We had a good look around at the most amazing Sandhills built up by the wind. Check out the images.

Make sure you click on them to see the hi res versions.
Fiona checked out a very trendy looking toilet and decided it wasn’t that trendy inside.

Rafe with the Trendy Loos which Fiona says aren't that trendy inside! — Rafe with the Trendy Loos which Fiona says aren’t that trendy inside!

Two days of having a look around the peninsula just on our doorstep and finding these beautiful spaces. Such a contrast.

After an hour or so of looking around, we headed back to Waiuku and then onto Ardmore to check in with Alex, Sarah and our grandsons.

Close to home

Where to today? North or South

December 6, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

The leading contender was head south and as I’ve been keen to check out the lighthouse at the end of the Awhitu Peninsula which is on the western side of the Manukau Harbour from Waiuku.

It’s about 100ks from Auckland by road. It’s an interesting drive and who would believe it was on Aucklands doorstep!
We left Milford and headed for Shore City for Fiona’s new specs, then onto Countdown for a couple of days provisions. I like Countdown in Takapuna as its really easy to park Rafe in there. They have these great double length car parks.

We headed south towards Waiuku. It’s an amazing little town that gets forgotten about but it’s got so much history. I must remember too to take the grandkids to the Glenbrook historical steam railway. That is just out of town and largely run by volunteers. A great setup.
The road out from Waiuku to the lighthouse is quite windy towards the end and in parts quite narrow but Rafe did it with ease.

We parked in the carpark and when I saw the steps up the hill. I thought of my mate Alan who visited me for a cup of tea a few days ago at Milford. Our driveway there is almost vertical and Fiona still refuses to drive up it. Alan got to the front door and said “oxygen oxygen”! Im sure he was joking but one never knows 😜
The steps up to the lighthouse were a piece of cake but there were a few of them. I remember seeing someone’s blog somewhere who reckoned there were about 275 odd !

The view at the top was well worth it. The lighthouse has been moved from its original location further up the hill but is basically as it was. There was a full community built around the lighthouse keeper and his family with a complete self sustainable farm to provide food, eggs and milk.

The light

Out towards Whatipu, the bar on the left

Towards the city

The winding road to the carpark

Fiona on the lighthouse deck looking out to Whatipu

The Maunkau bar over the signal station

The lighthouse

Looking towards Auckland

Towards the heads

After an interesting hour of checking it all out we checked into the Orua bay Motorcamp about 3 k’s away on the beach opposite Cornwallis.

The Motorcamp is largely occupied by permanent caravanners. One of them wandered over for a chat about Rafe. Nice chap. It turned out that he was related to the lighthouse keepers family and had grown up in the area.
Tomorrow we’ll head to Awhitu park back down the peninsula.

Great Beaches, Northland

The Beach

November 26, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

Uretiti has to be in one of the best locations for a camping ground. Right behind the sand dunes and onto a beach that runs from Waipu Cove in the South to Ruakaka in the north. It’s about 10 kms long!

The park itself is huge and you basically park where you want to. As it is all grass, it’s sometimes a little tricky getting level but there is plenty of room with Long drop toilets and cold shower stations dotted throughout the park. There are walks around the dunes for those looking for some exercise.

Don’t forget to click on the images to see the Hi Res version

For the benefit of those offshore. Uretiti with the beach on the right and the main highway on the left. South of Whangarei

We parked on the beach side next to a track through the sand dunes to the beach.

We’d spent a great day brunching and riding around Whangarei Town centre which was fun so when we got to Uretiti, we were ready to blob out. On arrival, Fiona discovered that we had run out of tea😕 so in the morning we were off for a shopping trip to Waipu, then back to Uretiti to enjoy the sun. We parked on a knoll parallel to the beach and had a bit of a view of the dunes.

It was time for a swim. Even though it was a hot day, I’d have to say it was “refreshing”! I wasn’t in for long but it’s always nice to be able to tick off that first swim.

After a couple of hours on the beach, it was time to watch more Motorhomes and caravanners roll in for parks. Even when Uretiti is busy there are always plenty of gaps. It is huge!

With the sun coming down, out came the awning and down went the new mat under the awning for the first time and it was great to put the bike clothesline into service too.

With the phone ringing with work coming in, we knew we had to head back to Milford the next morning.

Our first night at Uretiti showing how much room there is

Uretiti is a magic spot. It’s even better when you have a NZMCA/DOC pass and we’ll be back.

Northland

The tenants are in and we’re off.

November 23, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com 3 Comments

After a few last minute things to do to get the house ready for the tenants saw a couple of quick trips between Milford and Devonport but the tenants are in and it all looks good.

I celebrated with my first night away by catching up with long term friends Alan and Grant for a few cold ones and stayed the night at a reserve in Torpedo Bay in Devonport.
There were a few jobs to be done this week so we were in Milford until Saturday morning and now the fridge is pretty much sorted, we’re off.

The forecast was evil. Thunder and lightning was due and it was blowing a cross wind for most of the way north. We stopped for brunch at the Cider Shed just north of Warkworth. We’ve been there a few times before and they’re always good for a nice feed. There is a nice big level carpark making it easy to park large Motorhomes.

After a good break, we headed further north to Wellsford and then finally Waipu. Checking out the new NZMCA bible, we found the Caledonian park behind the shops. What an amazing place to stay. With power too, all for $10 a night.

Fiona with the menu in McLeod tartan at the Pizza Barn

We walked down to the McLeod Pizza Barn so Fiona felt right at home(she’s a McLeod) after an hour or two there we walked back to Rafe at the Caledonian Park.

All the Motorhome parks at the Caledonian park .. All with power and water.

By midnight it was raining pretty steadily and about 3am it was all in thunder and lightning. With the huge roof vent above our bed, it was fun watching the fun and games above. By the sounds of it, nothing like what they had back in Auckland.

On Sunday, we thought we’d head up to Whangarei and have a nosey around. We parked in the Motorhome parking in the Town centre while we had brunch. Whangarei is very Motorhome friendly with plenty of parking for bigger vehicles and several dump stations. The town centre is a fantastic place where it seems half of Whangarei meets, lunches and enjoys the ambience.

The walk to the town centre

Fiona waiting for brunch at the town centre

The town centre Marina

One of our neighbours at Pohe bridge

At the Pohe bridge

On our bike ride. The town centre from the Riverside bridge.

After a few hours of taking it all in, we set off to try a new park we heard about on the NZMCA Northland Facebook page called Pohe Bridge. A big carpark next to a new bridge. There is a cycle way / walkway which goes all around the harbour from the bridge and back again. Off came the bikes and we were heading back into the town centre again. Across a foot bridge, through the town centre and back along the northern side and back to Rafe.
We opted not to stay there, only because the sun was shining and we fancied getting some mileage out of our Doc pass which we’ve hardly used, and thought Uretiti beach seemed like a nicer spot with the beach.

Fiona on the Uretiti bridge — Fiona on the Uretiti beach

A walk and sit on the beach for a while and we settled down for the night.

Rallies

The slide out cupboard

November 18, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

The nice thing about a get together like the Dethleffs Owners meetings is to catch up with other owners like John with his Dethleffs Black Magic, and see the modifications and improvements they have made to their Motorhomes.

One of the wee gems that I really liked was John’s change to his curved galley cupboard which was hinged with shelves, into a full slide out cupboard. It completely changes the the availability of the shelves behind and allows you to make better use of the shelf space.

Day Trips

Historic place 400m

November 6, 2015 Chris Miller - Buggeritweareoff.com

While waking up this morning to another nice sunny day, I thought I should head out to Kawakawa Bay and have a cup of tea while the cockle gatherers were doing their thing. It’s also a bit more interesting that watching small planes come and go for another day. 💤
There were plenty of gatherers there too, making the most of the weather and getting down to business.

While there, I met an interesting couple with their newly built Motorhome who were trying to retire after giving their lifelong printing business to their adult children. There was a problem with a machine so they’d been summoned from their break down by Kaiaua, to sort it out! It was interesting swapping notes on how our respective but similar business’s had changed over the years with technology and changes in the economy.
After an hour or so there, I headed back to Ardmore. As I went through Clevedon, I kept seeing these signs saying “historic place 400m” so decided to check it out.

The warehouse at Clevedon wharf with a ship purpose built for the river.. In the late 1860's. Pic from the sign on the wharf. — The warehouse at Clevedon wharf with a ship purpose built for the river.. In the late 1860’s. Pic from the sign on the wharf.

Clevedon Wharf, the site of he old wharf.

It turns out that the Wairoa River in Clevedon was quite a bustling place. There were warehouses, a sawmill and several other businesses on both sides of the river. They even towed barges with planes on them during the war from Hobsonville via “Port Clevedon” to hangers in Ardmore. Really interesting.
I had a quick walk around Clevedon before heading back to Ardmore MCA park for the afternoon.

Fiona's favourite shop in Clevedon and Cafe — Fiona’s favourite shop in Clevedon and Cafe

When I returned, I found my next door neighbour in the middle of the grass, under his Toyota Landcruiser doing a lube and oil! A caravanner saving some money. Isn’t it funny what people choose to do on a hot day😎

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.

	Phyl Binney on An amazing Little Town Called…
	freelygeneral1a93899… on Over the Hill to Woodville
	Warmenhj on Over the Hill to Woodville
	Kath Ingram on Heading South for the New Year

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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.