Miriam H.

Running a cafe always seems a precarious and hard line of business to be in. People can be fickle where they take a coffee and business can not always be guaranteed. However there seems to be a growing number of cafes in New Zealand and my husband and I are pleased about this. We like […]

My husband is lured into laundromats by viewing the number of people in them. It might surprise you, as it has surprised me, that laundromats are everywhere and sometimes there are two next to each other. Peter treats these establishments like cafes or restaurants. If there are people in them you assume there is a

We have now been travelling around the North Island for some months. In this time we have walked some of the tracks depicted in the book ‘Excellent Short Walks in the North Island’. I am a short walker. It has been an excellent reference so far as each walk time has been accurate and the

The last blog touted that for members the N.Z.M.C.A. camps provide private, cheap and secure parking spaces. I also suggest these camps are a bit of a haven from other types of camps. NZCMAers do not have to worry about cleaning staff blocking amenities with yellow signs or tripping on tent pegs or listening to

This blog is now going to turn into more of a travel blog. I feel I have exhausted the topic of how we live in this caravan. After five months travelling around I think I am now ready to look outside myself and discuss the places which we travel through and stop in. The North

It might seem like a difficult life choice to make at our age but selling our home and moving into a caravan has not been as filled with fraught as you may think. It has had its difficulties of course but nothing to make us regret the decision. It is hard to explain why my

When thinking about heading into the real world of camping my husband and I (possibly myself more) were hesitant. We had been cosseted by the staff and amenities at the Greymouth Top Ten Holiday Park. I do mean cosetted. Shower blocks there have underfloor heating. Private bathrooms are paved and warm. Water is on tap

This life allows us to head off into uncharted waters (uncharted that is for us) and unhook from the constraints of home ownership and responsibilities connected with living in an established community. We are only responsible for ourselves. On the down side this can be quite isolating. We do not want to be hermits. We

Queen Mary had a dolls house built for her in 1921. I have recently been looking at pictures of this wonderful, miniature dwelling and the things in it are really cute and intricate. If you are in England you can pay thirty pounds to view this tiny residence. I will probably never do this but

I think misfortunes (minor, sad things that happen) either belong in the category of ‘Unavoidable’ or the category ‘You only have yourself to blame.’ Some misfortunes are manmade and some just seem inevitable. It was inevitable that after a while the caravan was going to look not so new. Wear and tear takes its toll