Leopards go wild: Former Hawke’s Bay family ditch everyday life for caravan living and travel

A family-of-five is now 20 months into a 12-month trip around New Zealand in a caravan.

But the Leopard family say they have no intention of stopping their nomadic lifestyle and want others to know it’s possible, even with three kids.

Michael Leopard said the spark for their trip started when they did a caravan trip just after the Covid-19 level 4 lockdown and they didn’t want the good times to end.

The next few years were spent working and saving to the point where they were confident they could make the shift from house to caravan with enough money to survive for a year.

In November 2022, they took the plunge, and after 20 months on the road and a fair few kilometres under their belt, Michael says they’re now more scared of stopping than carrying on.

Michael Leopard (left) with Jade, 12, Toby, 8, Riley, 10, and Sophie at the Waihi Falls in Tararua. Photo / Michael Leopard

Originally from Napier, Michael, his wife Sophie, and their kids Jade, Riley, and Toby were living a normal life in their home at Rotorua.

“We said when we started - in 10 years are we going to go ‘I wish we hadn’t made that trip?’

“And we thought there is no way we would think that, even if things go wrong.”

Michael said their children still get an education through correspondence learning, rent their home to pay their mortgage, and Sophie works in a remote role three nights a week.

They plan their trips around the weather and since being on the road have only paid for two campsites. The rest of the time they, through being self-contained, parking at freedom camping spots.

“We have so much freedom to choose. If we don’t like somewhere we can move, or if we like somewhere we can stay a bit longer.”

Leopard said without the normal stress and obligations, life was much simpler.

He has developed a passion for filming and editing and has posted videos of their adventures on YouTube since the trip started. He said it was a great way to document their “highlight reels” as the kids grew up.

Their channel now has around 7600 subscribers, who watch their tips and tricks for caravan living, and documentation of stunning locations.

They recently spent time in Ākitio in the Tararua District. Leopard said it was a location he’d always had on his list after he lived in Waipukurau for five years.

“We love going to those places that are out of the way, and we know we are going to have them mostly to ourselves - and that’s exactly what it was.”

The Leopard family explored Akitio and were delighted to have the beach to themselves. Photo / Michael Leopard

Michael said a big inspiration for hitting the road, was their work with young people, and the realisation that their children would eventually develop other interests and move on.

“We thought let’s take this opportunity while our kids are still young enough and they think Mum and Dad are cool and they want to spend time with us to go and make some cool memories together.”

Leopard said life on the road was not for everyone. One of the downsides was the significant amount of research into where they would stay at each place and access water.

“We haven’t been everywhere, but we have been to all of the main places, and we have found a few favourites that we have returned to.”

The family is now planning to head to the South Island for the winter - they’re hoping to see a hoar frost.

The Leopard family adventures can be followed on Facebook and Instagram and watched on YouTube at Leopardsgowild.

Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings and Central Hawke’s Bay newsrooms. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and has a love for sharing stories about farming and rural communities.