FEEL AT HOME IN THE BAY
GET YOUR MOTORHOME RUNNING AND JOIN A CONVOY FOR A COST-EFFECTIVE TOUR OF THE NEIGHBOURS’ BACKYARD
Former AFL Star Peter “Spida” Everitt and wife Sheree are always on the move filming their hit TV show The Great Australian Doorstep, which airs on 7Two every weekend. You can also listen to their weekend travel radio show on 68 Australian stations across the TripleM and FlowFM Networks for more deals, tips and insider secrets. READ MORE AT greataustraliandoorstep.com
They’re the cousins we love to throw shade at (especially when they’re beating us in the rugby), but we always protect each other when in strife. While we give our Kiwi neighbours plenty of grief, there really is no better place for an Aussie to holiday than New Zealand when it comes to convenience, cost and adventure.
With motorhome and campervan holidays on the rise in popularity, we chose a motorhome tour of Middle Earth aka The Land of the Long White Cloud aka New Zealand.
It combines the security of travelling with a group of like-minded people, whether it be couples, singles, families or big groups, with the freedom of being out on the road.
You can travel in convoy or you can chose to spend each day discovering on your own and then catch up with the group every afternoon for sunset drinks — to get your motorhome slang correct, it’s called “chair and beer”.
Travelling with a group of eight other couples, we all met up in Auckland, picked up our motorhomes and headed due north to the stunning Bay of Islands.
Our first two days were filled with snorkelling, fossicking on the gorgeous beaches and taking in some of New Zealand’s most stunning scenery on the famous Hole In The Rock day cruise.
Using Paihia as our base and staying at the beachfront Beachside Top10 Holiday Park, we visited historic Russell and the Waitangi Treaty Grounds. There are many more options from Paihia, including a day trip up to Cape Reinga, where you will drive home along 90 Mile beach in the bus and visit the Te Paki sand hills (not for the faint hearted).
From the Bay of Islands we head south, exploring the Coromandel Peninsula, one of the North Island’s most picturesque places.
Have you ever swum in hot ocean water? Hot Water Beach is where the hot mineral water bubbles up through the sand. Borrow a shovel from reception at Top10 Holiday Park and dig a hole to make your own spa. Just be careful and heed the signs as this water can be too hot to handle.
With New Zealand being so sparsely populated, secluded beaches are around every corner. Seldom will you find a place that is commercialised right on the beachfront. Rather you will find many tiny little old beach “bachs” hugging the sand, holiday homes handed down from generation to generation. Beach life in New Zealand is about keeping everything original.
Rotorua is the Maori culture capital of New Zealand and Te Puia is the place to get your indigenous spirit going.
Te Puia offers guided walks that include their woodcarving institute and weaving, where you will see young Maori people learning the craft of their forefathers. Also check out the Pohutu geyser — a remarkable photo opportunity!
Smack bang in the middle of the North Island is Taupo, home to New Zealand’s largest freshwater lake and Huka Falls.
From Taupo we head south through the everchanging alpine region, past the three sisters: Mt Ngarahoe, Mt Tongariro and Mt Ruapehu.
Our North Island adventure finishes in Wellington. The locals call it Windy Wellington and it lived up to the name. We visited the Te Papa Museum, which has the most awe-inspiring Anzac exhibit featuring larger-than-life-sized historical figures, made from wax and costing Sir Peter Jackson a pretty penny to commission.
On the waterfront and very easy to get to, Te Papa is a place you can easily spend an entire day.
Travelling by motorhome, you have the luxuries of a hotel but the ease of not having to pack and unpack each day. Unpack once and enjoy the freedom of roadside coffee, bathroom and lunch stops whenever your heart desires.
Life on the road sure is relaxing, especially with New Zealand’s scenery as the backdrop.
“YOU HAVE THE LUXURIES OF A HOTEL BUT THE EASE OF NOT HAVING TO PACK AND UNPACK.”