Life on the road a blast for couple
If Hipsy Scott wants a different view from her window, she can drive somewhere new.
The 50-year-old’s life is packed into a 1987 Hino FD10-17 and a trailer – home for the past two years.
Scott and partner Dick Wedd live in the Hino, along with Little Man the cat, and there’s a spare bed for guests.
The truck recently stopped in Hamilton with the Extravaganza Fair, a travelling market.
Scott’s not good with square metres, she said, but she and Wedd converted the truck themselves.
‘‘Everything has to have at least two uses in a house truck. That was a rule I was told when I first went on the road [about 20 years ago],’’ she said.
By her back step, there’s a compartment with a composting toilet – that’s new and they’re pretty excited about it – and a shower head.
Step in the door to find a little office to the right and wardrobe to the left. Overhead is the loft room for guests. The kitchen, living and dining area has leadlight windows, a wood stove, french doors and a fold-out deck.
If she sees a view she likes, she can park up and take her armchair out. She hasn’t had a TV for 20 years.
Scott loves to cook, so there’s a full-sized gas stove in the kitchen, a three-burner gas top and a big sink.
The vertical pantry is packed with containers and extra utensils hide in the hinged steps to the master bedroom over the cab.
‘‘Now that I’m back on the road, I know this is where I will stay as long as I can,’’ Scott said.
The truck has two solar panels on the roof which charge batteries, and the couple stock up on water at each market site.
The Extravaganza Fair’s next stop is in Papamoa, at Simpson Reserve in Parton Road, on March 4-5. Waipa motorists are being warned to expect the unexpected via a new road safety campaign aimed at avoiding crashes. The Expect Campaign highlights obstacles on rural roads like stock, tractors and milk tankers and warns motorists to slow down, through billboards and other advertisements. Over the last five years speed was a factor in 18 percent of Waipa crashes. Eight Hamilton children will be wearing helmets bearing their own designs thanks to a Hamilton City Council competition. More than 600 entries were received when Hamilton City Council invited kids and teachers from Hamilton primary and intermediate schools to design artwork for a bike helmet. On Friday, Deputy Mayor Martin Gallagher presented each of the eight winners a helmet airbrushed with their design. Winners also got a bike safety pack.