Westport

We had hoped to go to Westport for Easter, but unfortunately the three way valve needed to pump the water, in the rig, is playing up. And, without any water it was pointless going.
However, we did go for the day. And, it was sunny! When we arrived, we headed to North Beach and enjoyed a long walk with the dogs. Then we visited the Shepherds, who knew we were coming and had lunch already for us. We saw Don & Moira and bought 5lbs of whitebait from them. Then we managed to catch up with Amanda & Paul who were staying at Muz & Lyn's NZMCA CAP site close to the crossroads. I wish I had of taken some photos because it's a cool place to stay, and one we definitely plan to go to.
Just as we left to head home we stopped in at 'Tonys' and got the best fish n chips EVER. Yum! 
A quick trip, but worth it.

We left before sunrise.

First stop at Wai-iti Domain to let the dogs have a stretch.

Misty morning in Murchison

The dredge making the tip head a bit deeper for the cement ships to get in and out of port. This won't be happening for much longer as Holcim Cements is shutting down in a few months time.

Paddle boarders enjoying the surf (and sun).

NZMCA camp, right beside the beach.

Tauranga Bay area; another stop for the dogs to have a stretch.

Tapawera Trials

We have a few things to try out. The fridge. The truck. And the dog enclosure.

When we stayed at Tapawera for the ‘Music in the Mountains’ rally, we both agreed, it was a nice little village. Plus, being close to Nelson is a bonus. So, we chose Tapawera as the destination to test out some things.

Firstly, the fridge:

What is it like on solar power?

How long does it take to cool and freeze food items?

Is it noisy?

Secondly, the truck:

How was the temperature when towing the rig over the hills?
How well is it starting?

And thirdly, the dog enclosure:

How easy was it to put up?

How long did it take?

What is the new gate like to use?

Also … I’m about to do my first interview on a couple in Tapawera, for an article I’m writing. So, for me, I’ll be trialling my interviewing skills!

Magazine Journalism

This year I'm learning magazine journalism through the New Zealand Writer's College. It consists of 11 modules and can be completed in 6 months to a year. Hopefully I'll have an article published soon :-)

Fridge Fiasco

We thought we may have a few teething problems with the rig. And it seems the fridge is one of them. We love the fridge. It's big. It's stylish. But, it loves gas. It's a greedy, gas guzzler. One weekend away, the fridge struggled to cool the contents down. By Sunday, the bread we had put into the freezer still hadn't frozen. If we were living on the road full time, and the fridge was stocked up, it would be more efficient and able to freeze things, as it would be on the whole time. But, turning it on just for a weekend doesn't seem to work.

So we've researched other options. And, Solar 'Dave" suggested getting a normal household fridge (24 volt), with a high star rating (good efficiency rating). The other option was a solar fridge (12 volt). The household fridge was $900 compared to $3,000 for the solar. We went with the cheaper option.

Nick helped Bernie take the fridge out of the rig. It was a bit of a juggle, not much room to manoeuvre. It sold in two days on Trade-me and we bought another fridge from Harvey Norman. A smaller one, with single doors. It's the same size as the one we have here at home, and although it's smaller than the one originally in the rig, it is in fact a good size.

There's now lots of room around this new fridge. So we'll get a kitchen joiner to put in some cupboards to match the rest of the kitchen. Yay ... more kitchen storage.

Dog Proofing the Rig.

With out a doubt, travelling with three dogs, can and does create a few challenges! One such challenge we've found, is staying at places that require dogs to be on leads. Don't get us wrong ... we agree that dogs should be appropriately managed when staying in public places. 
But for us, our challenge is ... having three dogs on leads. This usually results in tangles!
However ... "Where there's a will, there's a way."
We realised we had to make an enclosure for our dogs. An area where they could be off their leads, but still be close to the rig. Plus, it had to be quick to put up, lightweight and able to be stored using minimal space.
Bernie came up with the perfect solution...
Here's what we needed..

1. 4 waratahs (stakes)
2. Shade cloth
3. Tent pegs 
4. And an afternoon to test it out.

The next weekend, we travelled to Wai-iti Domain to trial it.

And, it was up in no time! 

• First, Bernie hammered in the waratahs - about two metres from the rig, at each corner. 
• Then, he attached the shade cloth along the waratahs.
• The next thing he would have done was to hammer in tent pegs to secure the bottom of the shade cloth. But when we saw that the set-up (enclosure) was a success, we decided to by-pass putting the tent pegs in.
• Now, the only thing left to do, is to make a gate, so we can enter and leave the enclosure. And Bernie has that covered!

Here's a photo of our trail run.