The rumble of the engine, and the open road stretching out before us—this is the moment we've been waiting for. After months of planning, packing, and a fair amount of chaos, our full-time motorhome adventure has finally begun!
This isn't our first RV adventure. This is our third motorhome and second Hymer, but our new 7.5m German-made beauty, affectionately named "Heidi," feels like a major upgrade. With her extra-special touches, including the wonderful underfloor heating we’re already so grateful for, she’s quite a step up from our previous home on wheels, "de Bussy."
The clock is ticking on our new life. Len optimistically predicts a sprawling 5-7 years for this journey, but I’m betting on a more realistic two. My guess is it will land somewhere in the middle, just like our last adventure that stretched to a wonderful 18 months. With late January 2025 nearly over, we're on the brink of leaving, our bags packed and the motor running.
The Great Declutter
The weeks leading up to our departure were a blur of frenzied activity. Our house, now ready for our tenants, had to be decluttered. This involved a monumental effort of sorting through our belongings, deciding what to take, what to leave, and what to store. Trish, in particular, was pretty exhausted by the time we finally hit the road. Meanwhile, our new motorhome's expansive "garage" was filled with the essentials for a life of freedom: our golf clubs, trundlers, two electric bikes for exploring, fishing rods, smoker, and the ever-important barbecue.
A Bumpy Start
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| Relaxing at Whakatāne Riverside Campground |
We decided a trial run was in order before we officially began our nomadic life. Our first stop was the Whakatāne Riverside Campground, a familiar and comfortable spot. We had a wonderful two nights there, hosting a soiree for a few of our friends, introducing them to Heidi, having dinner at Global Thai with Anne & Dave and the next evening, catching up with Clive & Wendy at the local Fishing Club.
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| Au revoir to Whakatāne friends Clive and Wendy |
The plan was to gently ease into our new routine, but life had other plans. After a quick move to the NZMCA camp at Welcome Bay to rest and recover, Trish—ever the social butterfly—organised a "happy hour" to meet some of our fellow campers. But just a few days later, the sniffles and aches she'd been feeling got worse, and a test confirmed what we feared: Covid. A few days later, Len also tested positive.
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| Trish organises a "happy hour" get together. |
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| Home for an extended stay. |
Our relaxing "rest and recovery" stay turned into an unexpected 10-night quarantine at the NZMCA Park. By Sunday, Trish was finally feeling better, and even though Len was still a bit under the weather, we knew it was time to move on. Our grand adventure had a bit of a shaky start, but as of Monday, February 3rd, we're officially on the move to our next "Park." The road is calling, and we're ready to answer.
Len's technical stuff:
1. Fitted a new awning light, bought from Temu, by cutting through the old light wires and soldering in the new ones (behind the battery & water level indicator panel).
2. We were experiencing problems with the water taps due to malfunctioning micro switches in two of the three taps. After much head scratching looking at possible solutions, I remembered that Pat (the previous owner) had removed the submersible water pump and replaced it with a Sureflo pump, which cuts out when the water system is up to pressure. This, in effect, made the micro switches unnecessary, so I soldered the two wires from the toilet tap (inside the cabinet) together which put a continuous 12v across the pump. This solved the problem!
Monthly tip: The Liquid Laundromats are great!
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