Artisan's love of caravans leads to display of tiny tourer

The caravan dog kennel that Ian Ellis built for his dog Max.

Waihi's Ian Ellis has a passion for caravans, especially the miniature variety, and one of his creations is now on display in a Christchurch museum.

The Stewarts Classic Car collection is a private collection of classic motor vehicles and memorabilia owned by John Stewart and is one of the largest in New Zealand.

Mr Stewart asked Ian to create a miniature replica of his original 1959 caravan which he bought on Trade Me for $6140 to match his Chevrolet.

The 1959 mini replica caravan will be showcased in the largest private car collection in Christchurch.

To reproduce this vintage model, Ian had only a couple of pictures with a brief description in Early Caravans of New Zealand.

Three-months and countless hours later, the mini retro-caravan is the exact replica of its bigger sister.

"Even the lights are working and I also crafted the small painting which is hung on to the kitchen's wall from the bigger model," says Ian.

Ian and John first met at the Beach Hop earlier this year where Ian had his rare caravan with a miniature replica on display. Since he retired a few years ago, Ian Ellis has always kept "his hands up" and dedicates time to pursue his love for retro vehicles.

He has made around seven vintage mini caravans since.

"I just enjoy making them. It all started when I had to restore my own caravan ... I started looking up on the internet for some smaller version like small pet caravan and I ended up building a dog kennel from my caravan model," he explains. His retro caravans are made of wood that he sources locally and some have extravagant features. "I would like to add a stereo and a fridge on one that I am making at the moment for myself."