NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Travel

Jim Eagles: Motorhome away from home

NZ Herald
5 Sep, 2011 09:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Jim Eagles finds an idyllic spot at Torere School to stop for a cuppa in the Kea Dreamtime motorhome. Photo / Jim Eagles

Jim Eagles finds an idyllic spot at Torere School to stop for a cuppa in the Kea Dreamtime motorhome. Photo / Jim Eagles

Opinion by

It seemed almost too good to be true. We parked outside Torere School, right alongside the magnificent carved gateway; lit the gas stove, filled the kettle and made a nice cup of Lady Grey tea; got out the biscuits, sat down at the table and had a pleasant morning tea, enjoying the spectacular views of White Island and the Bay of Plenty on one side and the school with its carvings on the other.

If it had been a nicer day we could have put up a table and chairs outside. But it was cold and the wind was getting up so we lunched inside where - thanks to the heater - it was comfortably cosy.

Afterwards we washed up, used the toilet - okay, you didn't want to know that, but finding somewhere to go can be a big deal when you're on the road - read the paper, checked out the guide book and, when the time felt right, headed off along the East Cape leg of the Pacific Coast Highway. Fantastic.

If we'd wished, we probably could have spent the night at Torere. But we opted instead to stay at Tirohanga Beach Motor Camp, where we had 6km of magnificent unspoiled beach pretty much to ourselves. And we could plug into the mains supply and - the height of decadence - watch television, play our CDs, chill the wine in the fridge, cook the veges in the microwave and grill sausages on the camp barbecue.

It's that sort of experience that is responsible for the boom in motorhomes and caravans: they offer a seductive mixture of freedom and convenience, wilderness and luxury, that more and more Kiwis are turning to.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

I've found the Transport Agency's statistics a bit difficult to unravel - and they take a while to respond to requests for information - but it seems there are more than 30,000 motorhomes and 50,000 trailer caravans, with about 3000 more being registered each year - making for a pretty impressive fleet.

The Motor Caravan Association has 22,000 members and reckons they spend an average 72 nights away a year, which represents a lot of people out there cruising the roads and enjoying stopping places. There are also around 3500 motorhomes available for rental, which are mainly taken up by foreign tourists.

Part of the reason for their increasing popularity has to be the improved comfort. When my wife and I last used a motorhome, for a family tour of the South Island 25 years ago, it was a fairly spartan experience (though we still had a great time).

But the Kea Dreamtime we took to the East Coast was like a luxury apartment.

If you're interested in seeing the range that's available these days, a great start point is the Covi Motorhome, Caravan and Outdoor SuperShow, which is on at the ASB Showgrounds, in Greenlane, this weekend (from Friday to Sunday).

Discover more

Travel

Mahurangi: Cosy camp in rugged outdoors

17 Sep 05:30 PM
Travel

Gisborne: Five girls and a campervan

19 Nov 04:30 PM
Travel

Rotorua: Van with a plan

20 Aug 04:00 AM
Travel

Roads to get the heart pumping

06 Sep 05:30 PM

There'll be everything from little family-friendly caravans to opulent ultimate motorhomes like our Dreamtime.

It's worth a look. If, like me, you haven't checked out modern motorhomes for a while, you'll be amazed at what they offer.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Travel

Travel

Why a weekend in Byron Bay is just what you need

09 Jul 08:00 AM
Travel

An honest review of the Carnival Encounter cruise ship

09 Jul 07:03 AM
Travel

Why Rotterdam is so much more than the Netherlands’ second-largest city

09 Jul 06:00 AM

One pass, ten snowy adventures

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Travel

Why a weekend in Byron Bay is just what you need

Why a weekend in Byron Bay is just what you need

09 Jul 08:00 AM

The wellness mecca continues to be a haven of relaxation.

An honest review of the Carnival Encounter cruise ship

An honest review of the Carnival Encounter cruise ship

09 Jul 07:03 AM
Why Rotterdam is so much more than the Netherlands’ second-largest city

Why Rotterdam is so much more than the Netherlands’ second-largest city

09 Jul 06:00 AM
Stunning views, outdoor action - why South Island's resort capital is still global favourite

Stunning views, outdoor action - why South Island's resort capital is still global favourite

09 Jul 03:01 AM
Your Fiordland experience, levelled up
sponsored

Your Fiordland experience, levelled up

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP