The Great New Zealand Road Trip: An unexpected windfall and a new life on the road - top PR man leaves corporate stress for campervan caper

A top PR and communications strategist has ditched long work hours and stress to hit the road, exploring the backroads and small towns of New Zealand, thanks to an unexpected and life-changing windfall. As we start the NZ Herald Great New Zealand Road Trip this week, we speak to a man on his own enviable Kiwi adventure.

The Pokémon cards sitting in three large cartons in Mark Russell‘s wardrobe in his Wellington home were essentially passports to a new life.

The former journalist and now top PR and communications strategist had little idea of just how valuable - and life-changing - those cards would be.

“At the start of the year, I had an unexpected windfall,” says Russell, from his campervan parked up in rural Taranaki.

“Let’s just say collecting the first 18 sets of Pokémon cards, in mint condition, from 1998 onwards wasn’t a waste of time. They sold at auction in London, and suddenly I had the freedom of choosing what I really wanted to do next.”

As a result of the windfall - and without needing to reveal specific financial details - he’s been able to buy the 2019 ex-rental Carado RV, while boosting the bank accounts of his family. He’s quit fulltime work, packing in corporate life for rolling countryside.

Mark Russell and cavachon pup Paddy on Day 1 of their new adventures on the road - the day they picked up their newly acquired Carado RV in Christchurch.

As the NZ Herald starts the Great NZ Road Trip this week, Russell and his trusty cavachon pup Paddy are more than 100 days into their own.

“Journalism took me from New Zealand to Fleet Street to post-handover Hong Kong, and then 20 years in communications,” says Russell, who celebrated his 65th birthday on the road just over a week ago.

“Like most people, my work was rewarding but often stressful. Increasingly, I realised I was happiest when I was taking the foot off the accelerator – tramping, trekking overseas, enjoying nature and New Zealand away from the main centres."

That’s now become a way of life. Russell is still keeping about 10 hours a week of paid work, otherwise you’ll find him chugging along the highways and back roads of the North Island at a leisurely 80km/h, often stopping for one or two nights at places where few other travellers get to spend time.

He’s now on day 104 of his journey, having bought the 7.4m Carado T447 from Wilderness Motorhomes in Canterbury, driving it to Wellington before embarking on his first big adventure, around the North Island’s East Cape.

Then it was back to the capital - he wanted to catch the All Blacks v France test last month - before hitting the road again, now moving slowly up the other side of the North Island, aiming to be in Northland for the remaining months of the year.

He’s rented out his Wellington apartment. In 2026, he’ll be in the South Island and, if he’s still enjoying the nomadic lifestyle, he’s eyeing a circumnavigation of Australia after that.

“Many years ago, I was captivated by the book Blue Highways [by William Least Heat-Moon], a story about his journey around the back roads of the United States, and I guess that’s what I’m doing here,“ says Russell.

“Least Heat-Moon wrote, ‘At the beginning we learn to travel, then we travel to learn’ and that has stuck with me through my many adventures – I’ve trekked in the Himalaya three times, and in Patagonia, and sailed from Auckland to Tonga ..."

Mark Russell: "People are relaxed and friendly and, in small towns, there’s just the old thing of people saying good morning or good afternoon as you walk by ..."

But this road trip is something else.

“Some days I may only travel 20km if I see somewhere I like, where freedom camping is allowed, or there’s a great little town or beach or walkway.

“Some days I walk or cycle more than I drive. I have an e-bike, and Paddy happily sits in the dog basket for hours at a time. I keep a close eye on the long-range forecast and in a way that dictates my immediate travel plans, because driving in heavy rain and strong winds isn’t much fun.”

He tells of walking on wide, expansive and empty beaches at sunrise or sunset, or finding “brilliant food in unexpected places”, such as the Wimbledon Tavern on Route 52, the easterly route from Masterton to Waipukurau.

He was invited to a 21st at the Pongaroa rugby club when he was overnighting in the Tararua settlement.

“I’ve met some fantastic people – baristas in caravans serving excellent coffee on the East Cape, teens riding their horses down Ruatōria’s main street, the locals who invited me to their Anzac Day ceremony in Rotherham, north Canterbury, and Matariki in Te Karaka, the hunter whose property I stayed on in Ruatōria who sent me on my way with fresh venison steaks.“

A sign in the Anglican Christ Church at Raukokore in the eastern Bay of Plenty.

Before his journey, he says, people asked him, “Won’t you get bored or lonely?”

“The answer is no to both of them. It’s going much better than I’d even hoped.”

At the Waitara Holiday Park, he got talking to a long-term resident, thanks to Paddy (who’s regularly an icebreaker).

“She and her husband have lived in buses at the site for 14 years, and they invited me to Happy Hour - [a] 4pm start because it’s too cold at 5pm. There were eight of us, and it was just a case of good people, good laughs.”

Paddy is the perfect companion and is loving his new life as well, says Russell.

“His breed is incredibly loyal, so just being with me 24/7 works for him. On the road, he just curls up, riding shotgun beside me. Of course, some pubs and cafes aren’t dog-friendly, but even those usually have outdoor seating.

“He’s energetic, which gets me out on those long daily walks, ball throwing, etc. I’ve trained him well: off leash, he’ll freeze when I tell him to ‘wait’, he’ll never stray out of eyesight of me, and he very seldom barks. Perfect travelling companion. He doesn’t shed hair, which is another real bonus.

Paddy is a perfect travel companion for Mark Russell.

“Some towns – such as Masterton and Whanganui – ban dogs from the main streets. I just ignore those rules and play the dumb tourist. Local government surely have better ‘issues’ to sort."

Russell’s only lowlight was the theft of his e-bike while back in Wellington; that’s now been covered by insurance.

As he’s in no rush, he lets other drivers - including truckies - pass him regularly and with ease.

He feels safe, whether it’s freedom camping or at one of the dozens of cheap New Zealand Motor Caravan Association parkover sites.

“There are far more holiday parks than most people realise. But I only visit them when I need to plug into the mains. My house batteries and solar panel mean I can be off the grid for maybe six days if I’m getting some sunny days.”

He calls the Carado “a German-built house” on a 2.3L turbo diesel engine - “fully self-contained, with loo and (small) shower, great-sized fridge/freezer and an enormous storage ‘garage’ at the rear”.

He has strong Wireless Nation mobile broadband for the work that he has maintained. That also allows him to stay in touch with family and the news.

But the biggest highlights are what he sees outside the campervan each day.

Russell says the country is “simply stunning”.

Mark Russell: "Some days I walk or cycle more than I drive. I have an e-bike, and Paddy happily sits in the dog basket for hours at a time."

“Whenever possible, I get off the main roads - I have a Garmin sat nav for the RV, which knows the vehicle’s height, length, width and weight, so that now means I avoid almost all on-road misadventures.

“And the longer I spend outside cities, the more I really appreciate [that] there is a tangible, almost unbridgeable, divide between how urban and rural New Zealanders see the world and politics.”

He says there’s still an old-school way of living in many regions.

“People are relaxed and friendly and, in small towns, there’s just the old thing of people saying good morning or good afternoon as you walk by ...”

There are hidden charms everywhere on New Zealand's back roads.

For Russell, the joy of hitting the road has also highlighted what he’s left behind.

“Just realising that often your working life may not have been as important as you thought at the time. And it’s a cliché (but most truisms are) that sometimes the journey is more important than the destination.”

And he has one other word of advice.

“My message to people would be, grab your kids’ Pokémon cards, the Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, The Gathering ... because, you never know!”

• Follow Mark Russell’s adventures on Instagram at the handle @markwrussell

Best of the best

On Day 100 last Wednesday, Mark Russell listed some of the highlights of his adventure to date. And that’s before he even spends proper time in the South Island, in 2026.

Favourite beach: Wainui (Gisborne)

Favourite coffee: Bhanga Coffee Caravan (Te Kaha) and Porangahau Coffee Cart

Favourite stays: Ashhurst Domain, Masterton A&P Showgrounds, Te Araroa, Wairata Station (Waioeka Gorge), Tatapouri Bay

Best ride: Napier cycle path to the Sunday market

Wettest day: Stratford

Mark Russell has spent more than 100 days on the road, alongside his trusty pup Paddy.

Windiest night: Pongaroa

Cool memories: Horses in Ruatōria (& venison gift)

Best meals: Whitebait burger (Mōkau) & Hauiti’s battered mussel sandwich (Pātea)

Best bush walk: Huatoki Walkway (New Plymouth)

Best sunrise: Every one’s a winner – Te Paerahi Beach was memorable

Best pie: Pāua (Te Puia Springs)

Best events: Anzac Day (Rotherham) and Matariki celebration (Te Karaka Area School)

Best pubs: Awakino Hotel, Wimbledon Tavern, Rangatira Tavern (Te Karaka), Smash Palace (Gisborne)

Coldest morning: Ōtorohanga

Best churches: Anglican Church of Raukokere (East Cape) and Rātana Church

Best gardens: Napier Botanical Gardens

Foggiest morning: Takapau

Best lake: Ngāroto right now

Best read: Mick Herron’s Slough House series

Worst roadworks: Devil’s Elbow (Wairoa Gorge)

Worst moments: Stolen bike and Maranui farm goat track misadventure

Best purchase: Garmin RV GPS unit

Paddy’s favourites: Any beach or park chasing balls, belly rubs from strangers, the scent of rabbits

What I miss: Friends, whānau and regular yoga

The Great NZ Road Trip starts this week

I’m on the road again – from coast to hinterland – in our latest editorial series to gauge the mood of the nation and celebrate the very best of New Zealand.

As we head into spring, it’s time to reset and uncover some of New Zealand’s best stories on the third annual Great New Zealand Road Trip.

This year, with the support of sponsor Night ’n Day, we will be meeting notable and everyday Kiwis helping make a difference in their towns, regions, country and the world.

Or there might be a strong story in the plight of your town and community.

I’m heading to Dunedin today for the official start tomorrow of the Great NZ Road trip. I’ll be making my way from Otago and Southland to Northland over the next two weeks.

Know a great character, business, project or story? I’d love to hear about it. Please email me at roadtrip@nzme.co.nz

Editor-at-Large Shayne Currie is one of New Zealand’s most experienced senior journalists and media leaders. He has held executive and senior editorial roles at NZME, including Managing Editor, NZ Herald Editor and Herald on Sunday Editor.