May 12, 2006
NZ Holidaymaker -- Issue #004 -- May 2006
Table of contents
1 Renting or buying a camper van?
2 Grey water tanks
3 Tsunami alert
4 Travel comfort
5 Dangerous Tongariro Crossing
6 Solution to high NZ petrol prices?
Renting or buying a camper van?
Every now and again people ask us: What do you think is the best thing to do: buy or rent a camper van for a period of let's say three months? Finding out how much it'll cost you to rent a camper van for such a period of time isn't too difficult, but it's not easy to figure out how much it'll cost you to buy a camper van yourself and estimate how much you'll lose when you sell it again after three months either by selling it back to the dealer or by selling it yourself. Maybe reading about our experiences in buying and selling a camper van in New Zealand will help you make up your mind.
Grey water tanks
If you've decided that bying a camper van would be the best option for you, the next question is what kind of camper van you'd want to buy. We'd strongly recommend a van that contains a holding tank for grey water. It's not only far more convenient: you don't need to put a bucket under your van each time you use the tap in your kitchen (a bucket which you have to think of emptying regularly and which you'll be most likely to leave behind a couple of times), but chances are in the near future your camper van needs to have a grey water holding tank anyway to get the required WOF (warrant of fitness). At least, that's wat the New Zealand National Party recently proposed. At the moment, you already need a self containment certificate if you want to be able to use some of the DOC camping sites throughout the country.
Tsunami alert
On Thursday morning May 4th the US Pacific Tsunami Warning Center put out a tsunami alert for New Zealand, Fiji and other isles in the Pacific. The reason was a huge earthquake (measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale) that had taken place in Tonga at around 3.30 am New Zealand time. There were fears that as a result a tsunami could strike the east coast of New Zealand by 6.30 am, but fortunately nothing of the kind happened and the tsunami warning was lifted a couple of hours later. After the tsunami disaster on December 26, 2004, an early warning system developed, with new seismic sensors in the Pacific and Indian oceans. The system issues a warning as soon as an event (like the quake in Tonga) happens, to help alert people to the possibility of a tsunami developing.
Special Offers Page
We recently added a Special Offers page to our website. To see if there are any special offers available, check it out now: Special Offers Page.
Travel comfort
If you're like us and have to travel long hours to get to New Zealand, consider booking a seat in the Pacific Premium Economy class of Air New Zealand. For a little extra money you'll be much more comfortable: you'll have extra leg room for instance, with a full leg rest and foot bar (so you can put your feet up), your seat will have 50% more recline, and you'll be offered priority check-in. The service is offered on Air New Zealand's long-haul routes (to San Francisco, Los Angeles and London) and also on some Tasman services (from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane). For more details see the website of Air New Zealand.
Dangerous Tongariro Crossing
The Tongariro Crossing - also called 'New Zealand's best one day hike' - can indeed be a wonderful experience (we've walked it twice and would be happy to walk it a third time). But it can also be a very dangerous hike, because the weather conditions can change unexpectedly in this area. This month, an American couple became disoriented in low cloud near the highest point of the track. The weather got bad, they got wet (their clothing wasn't adequate), and when the temperature dropped, they tried to find some shelter behind a rock bivvy. One of them didn't survive it, and the other was rescued seven hours later, with advanced hypothermia. So please, don't take this hike lightly, and take all the necessary precautions before you set off: check the weather, carry maps, make sure you have plenty of food and water, wear warm, wind and water proof clothing, bring a first aid kit, and of course wear sturdy footwear.
Solution to raising petrol prices?
James Macdonald has found a unique solution to the raising petrol prices in New Zealand: he runs his car on used vegetable oil! Vegetable oil only costs about 50 cents a litre (plus GST), while standard petrol is sold for around NZ$ 1.70 a litre at the moment. He says he gets the same fuel economy with his vegetable oil as he would with petrol, and that there's absolutely no difference in the power of his 2-litre Corona. He has driven it from Bluff to Cape Reinga and back to Wellington, and even got a speeding ticket!
Happy travels,
Boukeline & Rob
www.new-zealand-camper-van-adventures.com