Braveheart the tiger in their tank

By PATRICK GOWER

The Jessen family are having a summer camp with a difference - they take their holiday on a motorbike, towing a mini-caravan behind them.

But the trip is not just a holiday. It is a tribute to their 8-year-old son, Zaan, who died of cancer before he could join them on the ride of his life.

"It was Zaan's dream to ride in this - he never made it," said his father, Don Jessen.

His 12-year-old daughter, Brie, interrupts: "I think he would have liked to learn how to drive it when he got older too, Daddy."

Zaan was diagnosed with a brain tumour when just one-and-half-years old and had four major operations and radiotherapy in his short life.

He loved riding motorbikes but was always too unstable to ride in anything but a sidecar.

Mr Jessen bought the 1300cc Kawasaki motorbike last September and had a two-person side car custom-built so that Brie could sit with him while his wife, Marilyn, rides pillion. Zaan's close friend Hayley Were is travelling with them.

The miniature "caravette" they tow behind them weighs 254kg - half the weight of the motorbike.

They cruise at the legal limit of 90 km/h, and even with their two kayaks on top, are capable of much more.

The manager of the Kopua Holiday Park at Raglan, Yvonne Owens, looked twice when they first rode in.

"We have all sorts of weird and wonderful things in here," she said, "but I've never seen a caravan that small, and it was towed behind such a beautiful bike."

Zaan did get to sit in the sidecar but passed away before it could be attached to the motorbike.

The family have named the bike after Zaan's nickname, and his picture is fixed to the bike so he remains Mr Jessen's right-hand man.

"We used to call him Braveheart - it was just his nature, he had no fear of anything," Mr Jessen said. "Now he always rides with us, in spirit and in mind.

"The motorbike was Zaan's inspiration. And that gave Dad all the motivation he needed."

Towing the caravan came to Mr Jessen after Zaan died. He knew of the Lightweight Caravette - he was production manager of the company his father founded when the limited run of 60 were made in 1986. But they are now as rare as hen's teeth.

Mr Fessen knew that, designed to be towed behind small cars like a Mini, it would be ideal behind his six-cylinder, fuel-injected Kawasaki.

And where did he find the caravan? In the Trade & Exchange.

"It cost me $1600," he said. "The same price they were going for brand new 15 years ago."

The Jessens were spending a couple of days at Raglan but will take the bike and caravan on a big cruise after working as volunteers for Camp Quality, a holiday camp in Hamilton for children suffering from cancer.

The "shakedown cruise" is not just a holiday for the Jessens. Their journey is symbolised by the "Zaan thumbs-up" they give when travelling.

"Its something Zaan would do," Mr Jessen said. "Even when he was really crook ... he would give us the thumbs-up."

Body1: The Jessen family are having a summer camp with a difference - they take their holiday on a motorbike, towing a mini-caravan behind them.

But the trip is not just a holiday. It is a tribute to their 8-year-old son, Zaan, who died of cancer before he could join them on the ride of his life.

"It was Zaan's dream to ride in this - he never made it," said his father, Don Jessen.

His 12-year-old daughter, Brie, interrupts: "I think he would have liked to learn how to drive it when he got older too, Daddy."

Zaan was diagnosed with a brain tumour when just 1 1/2 years old and had four major operations and radiotherapy in his short life.

He loved riding motorbikes but was always too unstable to ride in anything but a sidecar.

Mr Jessen bought the 1300cc Kawasaki motorbike in September last year and had a two-person side car custom-built so that Brie could sit with him and with his wife, Marilyn, as pillion passenger.

Zaan's close friend Hayley Were is travelling with them.

The miniature "caravette" they tow behind them weighs 254kg - half the weight of the motorbike.

They cruise at the legal limit of 90 km/h, and even with their two kayaks on top, are capable of much more.

The manager of the Kopua Holiday Park at Raglan, Yvonne Owens, looked twice when they first rode in.

"We have all sorts of weird and wonderful things in here," she said, "but I've never seen a caravan that small, and it was towed behind such a beautiful bike."

Zaan did get to sit in the sidecar but passed away before it could be attached to the motorbike.

The family have named the bike after Zaan's nickname, and his picture is fixed to the bike so he remains Mr Jessen's right-hand man.

"We used to call him Braveheart - it was just his nature, he had no fear of anything," Mr Jessen said. "Now he always rides with us, in spirit and in mind.

"The motorbike was Zaan's inspiration," he said, "and that gave Dad all the motivation he needed."

Towing the caravan came to Mr Jessen after Zaan died. He knew of the Lightweight Caravette - he was production manager of the company his father founded when the limited run of 60 were made in 1986. But they are now as rare as hen's teeth.

He knew that, designed to be towed behind small cars like a Mini, it would be ideal behind his six-cylinder, fuel-injected Kawasaki.

And where did he find the caravan? In the Trade & Exchange.

"It cost me $1600," he said, "the same price they were going for brand new 15 years ago."

The Jessens were spending a couple of days at Raglan but will take the bike and caravan on a big cruise after working as volunteers for Camp Quality, a holiday camp in Hamilton for children suffering from cancer.

The "shakedown cruise" is not just a holiday for the Jessens. Their journey is symbolised by the "Zaan thumbs-up" they give when travelling.

"It's something Zaan would do," Mr Jessen said. "Even when he was really crook - so sick that he couldn't even talk - he would give us the thumbs-up."