Road Trip
The Isuzu MU-X is well regarded as a family-freedom mobile, built for regular road trips as well as running round town. Georgia and Hannah Willmot found this out and suffered numerous Dad jokes and a painful music selection on a trip to the 309 Road in Coromandel. Yes, Georgia, it really IS the name of the road. Nice pics, Hannah!
“Road trip? We got a road trip? I don’t care what day, we’re in!”
For my two girls, Georgia and Hannah, a day trip out with Dad is right up there with a trip to Disneyland (well, OK, maybe Rainbow’s End).
When I rocked up in the Isuzu MU-X SUV, there was the anticipated “OMG, it’s huge” from one and an “Ooh, shiny!” from the other.
Mum hadn’t left for work by the time I arrived and when she saw the MU-X well, it was a great excuse to make sure the girls were prepared for an Antarctic expedition, so while regular bags and cameras were being loaded, out came a pair of legs supporting a couple of faux mink blankets and a bunch of pillows. Really?
OK, I guess a road trip with me – could – lead to an overnight at Scott Base, but it’s kind of unlikely. Still, that’s mothers for you. “We should go now before she dismantles the sink, so we’ve got somewhere to wash our hands,” was my eldest’s prosaic observation. Good advice.
I slapped the Isuzu into reverse and with complete disregard for the mirrors, I backed out of the driveway whose two concrete pillars have claimed many automotive victims in their time.
The MU-X is actually a piece of cake to blind back thanks to the huge seven-inch touchscreen that doubles as a reversing camera.
Hannah, sitting in the middle of the middle row, had the best view and she was well impressed. Once out on the road, I was able to offer another surprise and delight feature, the drop-down DVD screen, which – according to
Hannah – can be viewed from any of the five seats that make up the rear accommodations.
Centre seat, second row is best apparently, and it’s comfy too, being ever so slightly higher than the outboard seats and a smidge shorter in the seat squab. It is the centre armrest, so it’s a bit ‘poofy’ – a technical term, I believe – but it’s still “all goods, especially given the view out the front.’’
The DVD screen was an ear-saver, holding Hannah’s attention for the boring part of the motorway trip. I had a few more Dad tricks up my sleeve ... and in the various cubbies scattered strategically around the cabin ... for a little later into the trip.
After about 15 minutes, even Dad’s eclectic music selection is hard on teenage ears and G’s phone has about nine million hours of music on it that she and her lil sis can tolerate and even – shock horror – duet to. Who knew you could harmonise with Green Day above and below the melody?
Anyway, G couldn’t resist trying to Bluetooth her phone to the car.
This wasn’t going well and despite Isuzu’s happy habit of making things as compatible as they can with everything, the MUX’S combination CD/MP3/FM/AM/ Aux/mini USB and ipod capable entertainment unit was not cooperating with a basic Huawei, until Dad came up with a magic cable that actually worked. After that, the cable-free connection went smoothly enough.
Is that a Blue teething problem? “Aw, Dad!”
So with the entertainment sussed and the discovery of some travel lollies, we found ourselves breaking out of Auckland and heading toward Tauranga, giving me a chance to throw the MU-X through some corners after the long straights of the Southern motorway.
“It rides really well considering it’s so high up,” was Hannah’s comment from the back seat. “You mean it’s not got much body roll,” corrected Georgia, transitioning from angsty teen to borderline motoring writer in the space of about a minute and a half. “Whatev’s” was the response.
Our first port of call was the Woodturners Café on SH2 towards Thames. We’d made good time, the MU-X eating up road miles like the kids were going through the travel lollies.
We pulled in, parked and Hannah fell out of the back – literally, she’d missed the running board, always got to make an entrance, that kid – or in this case, an exit.
Scones and cakes were ordered along with the obligatory coffees. Latte for Hannah, turmeric lattes for me and George (it was a Dad dare, and G usually plays the game; I think she enjoyed it…) and while the Bank of Dad was being partially drained, the girls found a Tic Tac Toe game of Pukekos and sheep that would have kept them there for hours had the coffee kept coming.
But there was still a lot of miles to cover and a lot more testing to do. And this time, Hannah called shotgun. Perfect! The chance for the ultimate test of the MU-X’S rearmost accommodations!
We folded Georgia into the back like a Jill in the box, closed the doors and waited for the MU-X to explode.
Two minutes went by and Hannah whispered, “you think she’s OK?”
“Get in and we’ll find out,” I replied. We climbed in to find G sitting quite comfortably, munching on her Shapes crackers and ready to get going. “Didn’t I feed you enough?” I asked.
“Nah, it’s all goods. Just needed the salt.”
We headed south with Hannah doing her diligent shutterbugging through the Hauraki Plains and then we came to the new Kopu Bridge before heading north-ish
towards Coromandel.
At this point, and knowing the road conditions ahead, it was time to uncage and, in Georgia’s case – unfold – the passengers. With everybody moved around to different seats (except me of course), we were off again, Hannah capturing most of Thames for posterity.
Up the Coromandel coast road, the Isuzu’s three-litre turbo diesel and six-speed auto getting a healthy workout, though not even coming close to using the 130kw or the 430Nm of torque at its disposal.
Despite the road calling for a nice, smooth start to finish trip, it was interspersed with “this is good. Stop here Dad?” repeatedly from the back until we finally made it to a township where a pie and coke stop seemed like a plan.
Even then “Stephanie Spielberg” wouldn’t quit. “If you go up that road, I’ll get a shot through the flax trees ... come on Dad, it’ll be cool.”
Long suffering George rolled her eyes and whispered, “She’s not going to let up you know. We might as well get it over with.”
Up into the Coromandel hills and the Isuzu’s massive torque output really came into its own, giving enough confidence to lug the seven-seater up the hills at speeds slow enough for me to point out the world class views and then pull away smartly as required.
We finally reached the famous 309 road and G was mildly surprised to find that this was the actual name. Transitioning from tarmac tearer to gravel gobbler took a simple twist of the dial controller and off we went, only to encounter a pig checkpoint.
No, I mean really, pigs that go oink, on the road. It was a toss-up as to who squealed the loudest, the girls or the piglets! Well, they were cute (you can work out which ones I’m referring to).
By mid-afternoon, we’d found what I had been looking for: the Waterworks, a family fun park that ultimately involves everyone getting wet.
G was not impressed at first and was doing a sterling imitation of a teenage Queen Victoria (we are not amused), but after a thorough soaking from a water cannon, the facade cracked and she was soon soaring round chasing her sister on a flying bicycle.
Back into the Isuzu and more stops on the gravel bits for “Petra Jackson” to do her thing, until we at last made the Coroglen Tavern.
The locals were welcoming enough, but Hannah was concerned that she might be asked for ID. G meantime, had looked over the menu and decided Dad’s wallet had been wounded enough. Pizza was a better bet, even if it was in Papakura.
Blankets and pillows were selected for the long-haul home and by 8.30pm the Westie Wanderers had returned, the Isuzu rating well for snooze comfort as well as space and – from my perspective – all day driveability and excellent fuel economy.
Hannah was almost carried into bed, but Georgia was up for an end of day comment: “hey Dad, when you get that three-ton caravan, can you maybe buy an MU-X to tow it? It’s a cool truck!”
The Defence rests.