Caroline is a Canadian born Kiwi who had only seen New Zealand when travelling for work.
I’m a born and bred Kiwi who very fortunately had parents who loved to travel. I have seen a great deal of New Zealand, but mostly as a child.
A camper-van (Motor home, RV) sounded like a really good way for me to introduce Caroline to some of New Zealand’s wonders.
I’d not done much camping as an adult, and I’d never lived in a van.
So I joined the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association in February 2018 and then joined a few motor-homing Facebook groups. I watched, read, listened and considered. The ‘dream’ camper would be tall enough for me to stand up, have access from driving compartment to accommodation, have a toilet and shower and be within budget.
I watched the auctions and increased the budget. I decided the shower, toilet, walk through and height were optional. I kept looking.
There was a job coming up which would involve travelling the length of the South Island where it would be handy to take tools, computer parts and an air compressor. A camper could also work as a mobile workshop. I kept looking.
In August 2018 a Ford Transit was re-listed on TradeMe. I hadn’t taken much notice first time(s) it was listed because there wasn’t much detail provided. It was local (same town – Rangiora), so I made an appointment to go and have a look.
- Walk through from cab. ✔
- Tall enough to stand up. ✔
- Shower and toilet. ✔
- Looked really tidy. ✔
- Drove well. ✔
All boxes ticked.
Purchased August 31st, 2018!