Free-wheeling down south

Travel editor STEVE HART* enjoys the comfort and flexibility of travel in a motorhome as he and his family see the sights of the South Island.

No amount of imagination could have prepared us for the absolute feeling of freedom and adventure that travelling and living in a motorhome would bring. The thrill of driving a six-berth mobile holiday-home out of Christchurch and into the open countryside of Canterbury and beyond led to a thirst for more.

Just half an hour earlier, Mandy, one of Maui's representatives, had given us a thorough overview of this gentle giant of a vehicle.

We were shown how seats in the living area can quickly become double beds, how to fill the 85-litre fresh-water tank, empty the dirty (grey) water tank and had instructions on how and where to dump the waste that we'd all like to pretend wasn't there.

Moments after pulling away we were at the supermarket, stocking up on essentials for the week. We filled the medium-sized (60-litre) fridge. Then we headed for the open road - our holiday had started and I began to get a feel for driving the Spirit Six.

We quickly decided to explore every nook and cranny we could - heading for the smallest villages and stopping to inspect monuments to war heroes, former government ministers and even sheepdogs.

We knew using a motorhome would give us freedom from a strict itinerary, allow us to stop and rest more or less where we wanted, but we didn't anticipate how it would open up a whole new world for us.

The Mercedes Benz handled beautifully on the tightest of corners and its 2.2 turbo diesel engine powered us up the steepest of roads - even the country's highest road, along route 84 near Arrowtown (1121m above sea level at the summit), wasn't a problem.

Dual transmission was a handy option; it was good to know that a six-speed manual gear stick was at my fingertips, but I chose to stay in automatic for the entire 2000km clockwise journey around the centre of the South Island.

Driving the Maui is much like being behind the wheel of a large four-wheel-drive car. Being high up gave an excellent view of the road ahead and it was easy to forget I was driving a vehicle that was 6.6m long, 3m high and 2.2m wide.

The Maui cruised along at 100 km/h without difficulty but seemed happier at a steady 80 km/h. The only glitch was pulling away on a hill - the automatic transmission seemed to be confused over which gear to use. This caused a laboured start, followed by a lurch, until it eventually decided on the gear for the job. Other than that, the Spirit Six performed well.

Acceleration and road-holding were good, but stopping was not a quick procedure. More than once we passed a hidden beauty spot and had to turn around to return to it. It's not that motorhomes can't stop quickly, but the safe stopping distance is longer than a family car. It's something you get used to.

Fuel consumption was also excellent, although the price of diesel was generally 5c a litre more than Auckland prices. Completing our journey and returning the vehicle with a full tank of fuel (as required) cost $169.

While driving was a dream, we found a few people on the road who were not on holiday and were not content to sit behind us.

Fortunately, there are so few cars on the roads in the South Island that people powering up behind us were rarely a problem. But when they did appear I simply let them pass, leaving me to enjoy a clear road.

We knew we were taking a well-trodden path, but it didn't matter - everything we saw was new to us. We navigated and drove while the children (aged 8 and 12) were free to play board games on the easily erected tables, or look at the beautiful scenery through the huge picture windows while safely strapped in their seats.

Ignoring the air-conditioning button, we lowered the windows of the cab to let the breeze flow in and took deep breaths of crisp, warm air without a hint of humidity (joy).

The scenery as we travelled to the Church of the Good Shepherd on Lake Tekapo was breathtaking. A picture-perfect blue sky set off the snow-capped mountains, and the lake was a beautiful turquoise.

Before the sun went down we had enjoyed a meal of elephant fish which we devoured along the shoreline; then we found our first free-camp area a little off the beaten track.

With no TV, poor radio reception and not having a CD for the player, we had nothing to do but enjoy the wonderful silence. Perfect silence. We spent the evening playing children's games - it was great to have us all chatting and playing together. Yes, it was forced confinement, but it was great to be able to hold a conversation with my children without having to battle the TV, computer games or the interruption of the telephone.

In the last moments of twilight, using a torch, we climbed to the top of a hill to enjoy a cloudless sky sparkling with more stars than any of us had seen before. Every star seemed to be visible. It must have been a good star-watching night because in the distance we saw the silhouettes of people bustling around the nearby Mt John observatory.

The trick with having a good night's sleep in a motorhome is all down to where you park. It must be flat, otherwise you could spend the night on a tilt. It was our first mistake, but after a little manoeuvring we managed to move the Maui to a level spot.

Once parked, our next job was to convert the seats into beds - this took exactly three minutes. All three double beds are about the same size (2.1m by 1.2m). My son opted to sleep above the cab and my daughter was overjoyed to have a double bed to herself. The Maui came complete with bed linen, duvets, plenty of pillows and more than enough towels.

For those sleeping on the rear bed my advice is to sleep with your feet pointing towards the fridge so its periodic gurgles and hisses don't disturb you.

We got up with the sun and used the on-board shower to freshen up. A pump powered by its own rechargeable battery (leaving the engine's battery untouched) gives good water pressure and LPG provides the energy to heat water to near scalding point.

After enjoying breakfast on the bank of one of the many lakes we found, we folded our picnic table flat (storing it behind the driver's seat). Our picnic chairs folded like a camera tripod and were stored in lockable compartments along the side of the Maui. Neat, eh?

Minutes later we were motoring along again. It was no problem if the children wanted a drink - they could help themselves to the fridge or one of the many overhead food-storage cupboards - and when the inevitable moment came to spend a penny, they used the vehicle's chemical loo.

The kitchen area had a (240v) microwave cooker and two gas rings and a grill powered by the LPG cylinder. We never used the rings for anything other than boiling water for hot drinks, but the grill made great toast and cooked more than one pizza during the week (some things never change).

There are plenty of drawers filled with a range of utensils. There's also a full selection of cooking equipment such as mixing bowls, chopping board and saucepans.

Above the stove is a panel indicating how much fresh water is on board as well as the battery and grey-water levels (keep an eye on these).

It's not advisable to drink water from the fresh-water tank without boiling it. Most people buy bottled water, others fill plastic bottles from taps at garages and campsites.

One of the tricks to living in such a confined space is to have a place for everything and keep everything in its place.

One night we opted to stay at a campground. For $30 we were able to top up our fresh water, empty our grey-water tank and connect the motorhome to a 240v power supply - allowing us to use the large air conditioner/heater in the roof, microwave and charge the video camera's battery.

By 10 pm we were surrounded by motorhomes, caravans and tents; we decided it wasn't for us and free-camped for the rest of the week. Campsites are good but they are not the places for getting away from it all. The only thing we risked by free-camping was a flat camera battery - in the event, they our batteries lasted the whole week.

At the end of six days we had not only seen another world, but also experienced a whole new way to holiday. It was simple, fun and cleansed the soul. To camp in the wild with modern conveniences must be a dream come true for any camper. To be honest, it's not really camping and it's not a B&B - it's the best of both worlds.

* Steve Hart was a guest of Maui.

Case notes

What it costs:

Spirit Six hire charge (for each day - less if used for 21 days or more; minimum rental period five days; insurance extra): May to September, $119; October, $166; November, $230;

December to February 2003, $279

Estimated diesel consumption: 15 litres each 100km travelled

Picnic table: $22

Picnic chair: $11

Mobile phone loan: free - pay for calls only

Take a torch, wet wipes, video-camera battery charger (powered by the vehicle's cigarette-lighter socket), insect repellent (for use along the West Coast), a pack of cards and board games.

Never pass up an opportunity to top up the fuel tank or fresh-water tank.

Prepare an itinerary of things you want to see and places you want to go to, but be prepared to be flexible.

Maui