Retirees find freedom
Some people dream about selling the family home and moving into a motorhome but a Timaru couple has actually done just that and are now on a perpetual holiday.
Retirees Tim and Pam O’Connor brought up their four children and had a neverending trail of overseas students staying in the four-bedroom home they owned for 40 years.
Now they’re living in a 1990, 174horsepower Hino house bus. They are temporarily located at a Seadown property but are looking forward to seeing more of the country while avoiding big cities.
They purchased the bus, which came complete with seats, in 2005. Since then, Tim has spent hours refurbishing and making it liveable. He said the only aspect he could not do himself was the joinery.
With a compact bedroom, a toilet/ shower room, gas stove and fridge/freezer, housework takes about five minutes.
‘‘We had been thinking about downsizing for years,’’ Pam said.
But the actual decision to go ahead with the plan took a while.
‘‘This year I was braver and we took the plunge.’’ she said.
They had a garage sale, gave stuff to charity, stored things they would not need for now, sold the house and moved into their new living space three weeks ago.
Leaving home was a wrench. At one stage they considered renting a house, but decided the motorhome, named Wanderlust, would be more exciting, she said.
Pam, a former mail delivery person, said she misses her garden but carries secateurs with her and can’t help but weed a little wherever they go.
Tim, a former dairy truck driver, has found the switch a relief as he was having difficulty getting up the stairs and keeping up with maintaining the house.
‘‘I’m not bored yet. I’ve got a book,’’ he said.
Being able to leave a place when the weather changed or the locals weren’t friendly appealed to them. They also tow a small car to get about.
Tim said he would like other motorists to be more patient with motorhome drivers.
‘‘We’ve got all the time in the world, but everyone else is in a hurry.’’
They both said they felt like they were on holiday because when the children were young they used to take them to the Pareora River in an old 28hp Bedford. It had a double bed and two sets of bunks.
As the children got older they preferred tents, so they sold the old bus in the early 2000s.
The couple have plans to go to a music festival north of Murchison, visit family, investigate places they haven’t seen including the east coast of the North Island, and probably winter north of Auckland.
They haven’t ruled out buying a house, but in the meantime were enjoying the simplicity and freedom of their mobile home.