This is Zeb White's second lockdown living in her house bus and she has no complaints. Photo / Paul Taylor
Alert level 4 restrictions mean more people stuck at home, but for those in mobile homes like house buses, campervans and tiny homes, where do they go to lock down? Hawke's Bay Today reporter Gianina Schwanecke takes a look.
For most people the thought of spending lockdown confined to their homes is bad enough, let alone in a space the size of a bus or small van.
However, it seems Hawke's Bay's nomads are not only surviving, but thriving in their mobile homes.
Zeb White has been living in her house bus - a nine-metre long 1985 Hino Rainbow - for close to two years.
It's always been a dream of hers, she said, and after her kids left home she made the move.
Alert level 4 means the freedom campsites where she normally parks up are currently closed.
"This means everyone who lives on the road has to quickly find somewhere to go, many just end up on the side of the road somewhere but lots have family or friends' houses to park up at."
Last year, she and her daughter were living in their bus in Auckland. They returned to Hastings where her son and mother were living.
After a "last minute post" on a motorhome page, they found a lovely lady who offered to let them park on her front lawn for the duration of the lockdown - they remain friends.
"Luckily for us, [this year] we already had plans to stay a few weeks on a friend's farm when this lockdown hit, so it hasn't been an issue for us."
She and her fiancé Rory Jackson - an essential worker driving tractors for TMC at various orchards - are saving for their wedding in January.
"My work is on hold at the moment, being in level 4, but we are lucky we don't have many outgoings due to our lifestyle and can easily live on one wage.
"We are saving a lot of money as we aren't in town much."
She said she enjoyed having extra time at home to play with the dogs and do other lockdown activities like baking and cooking, as well as a few repair jobs on the bus.
"We live a minimal waste kind of lifestyle so we don't have much rubbish. We also compost a lot either by digging a hole or using the ShareWaste app to find someone close by who is taking scraps."
The biggest challenge was their mounting recycling as they don't have room to store it all in the bus - it's instead sorted in sacks outside.
She said many people were surprised by the quality of bus life and fact they could still do many normal activities.
It was also a great lifestyle to encourage "free-range" children.
"I'd highly encourage others to seriously consider the lifestyle.
"Some friends or family might think you've totally lost the plot, but see how much you care what others think when you suddenly have no rent or power bills to pay.
"Living the bus life is honestly awesome, you couldn't pay me enough to move back into a house."
Asked to describe her lockdown situation in one, okay two, words - she said it was "absolute bliss".
"Nowhere I need to be and nothing I absolutely have to do. No financial pressure. No stress.
"My fiance and I usually have a bonfire every evening as we enjoy quality time together out in the fresh air or snuggled up watching a movie in the bus."
In a 2006 Volkswagen Transporter T5 High Top measuring little over five-metres long, Francois Thorne takes tiny living to the next level.
However, parked at the Napier Beach Kiwi Holiday Park in Bay View overlooking the sea, he feels "totally content".
Originally from Cape Town, he moved to New Zealand about four years ago looking for a change of scenery and some adventure.
He spent most of that time in and around Auckland but decided to make the jump into van life after his divorce last year.
Thorne fully renovated the van and has been travelling around the country, along with French bulldog Victoria, since February this year.
At 1.86m (6ft1") he can still stand "easily" inside the van, which has a dedicated work space and gas heater that looks like a mini-fireplace.
"It's exactly the way I want it," he said.
The marketing specialist arrived in Hawke's Bay the day before lockdown was announced and said the prospect didn't bother him at all.
"I've always worked from home. The only difference is I can't hit the road and go.
"This is way nicer than being locked down in a house."
He normally goes to the supermarket for supplies once a week.
The thing he's missing most is KFC.
Victoria misses getting to play with the other dogs along their walks, he added.
Others facing nowhere to go had been offered parking spots by members of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA) which he said was "heartwarming".
Thorne said he felt "blessed", adding what more could he want while waking up to beach views.
Advice from councils
All freedom camping sites in Napier are closed with the exception of the carpark for self-contained vehicles near the Pump Track on Marine Parade, where there is a dump station and access to water within this site.
Under normal circumstances this site is normally for self-contained vehicles only, however Napier City Council said it was aware there were a small number of non-self contained vehicles self-isolating there.
Nomadic and mobile dwellers based in Hastings District are still able to dispose of their waste at either a disposal point at the end of Kenilworth Rd or at Napier Rd (at the Romanes Dr roundabout outside the Mr Apple coolstore).
General rubbish is put in bins that are cleaned out by council regularly.
All freedom camping sites in Central Hawke's Bay are currently closed, with just one self-contained freedom camper remaining at Pourerere Beach.
Those in CHB who can't stay where they are for the full lockdown are advised to head to the Waipukurau Holiday Park and remain there.
The Wairoa District Council owned Riverside Camping Ground is closed during level 4, as camp sites and facilities are not considered essential services, however, council's self-contained vehicle waste stations remain operational.
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