No longer the sole reserve of retirees, motorhomes have become enormously popular as an alternative to the old-fashioned bach, says Cameron Officer
Right now, out on the state highways and back roads, there is something of a road-going revolution happening. Unless you're one of the 60,000-plus people invested in it, it might have passed you by.
Or, depending on the road, you might have passed it.
I'm talking about motorhome ownership. The idea of hitting the highway with as efficient a collection of belongings as possible certainly isn't a new one. But boy has it changed.
Many of you will have immediately conjured up an image of a clunking old Bedford house bus with a home-made kayak strapped to the roof and a dream-catcher swinging from the rear vision mirror, chugging up an incline at 40km/h with a line of diesel smoke-enveloped cars following behind.
But such an image couldn't be further from the reality of motorhoming in 2015.
Sure the ancient Bedford leading its retinue of seething motorists to the top of a hill somewhere near Te Kuiti still exists; but for the majority of modern motorhome owners, their vehicle is essentially a luxury apartment on wheels.
Sure the ancient Bedford leading its retinue of seething motorists to the top of a hill somewhere near Te Kuiti still exists; but for the majority of modern motorhome owners, their vehicle is essentially a luxury apartment on wheels.
Today's motorhome design and engineering techniques are world class. The average motorhome costs over $100,000 and, as a result, the owner expects theirs to perform perfectly, as a well-equipped home away from home and as a safe, powerful and comfortably drivable method of getting there.
The average age of the motorhome owner has also dropped considerably, from the mid-60s to the mid-50s. But the surprising thing is just how fast this has all happened.
Shaun Newman, general manager at New Zealand manufacturer TrailLite, says the market has increased significantly in the past five years as motorhomes usage has evolved.
"Registrations of new motorhomes in New Zealand this year are more than double what they were in 2011. From our point of view, we've doubled our production capacity in the last 24 months Holiday homes to keep up with demand," he says.
"Most of this growth is driven by Baby Boomers beginning to retire and looking for their next adventure ... and more and more it's a comfortable way of attending events like concerts and food festivals, or getting to cycle trails and sports events."
Your luxury apartment on wheels is driven like a passenger car.
Another trend Newman has identified is towards family usage. As a result manufacturers are looking to incorporate larger vehicles in their model mix.
"These are often people buying a motorhome as an alternative to buying a bach, so they can take the kids somewhere new each time they go away. The investment is often the same or less than a piece of land, but without the need for continual maintenance that can interrupt holiday time.
"You see kids these days who have grown up with a motorhome and, as a result, have seen much more of their own country than someone my age did growing up. At a recent motorhome show in Christchurch we sold vehicles to two families with primary school-aged children; that's something that wouldn't have happened a decade ago."
In addition to the usability of motorhomes themselves, Newman says New Zealand's national infrastructure is evolving to suit motorhome owners too; from better access to regional parks and more frequent passing lanes on the road network, to dump stations and fresh water filling facilities.
"The biggest change recently was the Freedom Camping Act 2011. This effectively protects the right to freedom camp in New Zealand, which offers the best kind of motorhoming," says Newman.
"Also the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association has been working with local councils on a motorhome-friendly towns scheme. This provides opportunities to freedom camp in different districts and brings motorhomers and their spending money into areas that might not otherwise see a lot of tourists.
"It has been a hugely successful scheme that has benefited motorhome owners and the towns participating. It's another way the entire scene has changed for the better."
Motorhome must dos
1. Do you have room for it?
Even the most compact motorhome can be long, so how will that impact on space at your place? We'd like to think we'd be using the motorhome every other weekend, but sometimes life gets in the way. So if the motorhome is sitting for a month or more, where will it be parked? And how will that impact on other vehicle or pedestrian access around your section? Will it be better to park the motorhome off-site at a storage yard? If so, how much will you need to budget for this and how easily accessible will it be for those spur-of-the-moment weekends away?
2. Where will you be going in it?
Is your dream motorhome for ambling between holiday parks over a long weekend, or will you be freedom camping in the wild for a week at a time? This will determine what sort of set-up you'll need, how self-sufficient (or how reliant on external services) you can afford to be, the size of your fresh- and grey-water tanks, the overall weight and suitability of your vehicle for tackling gravel access roads and even how much locker space your motorhome gives you for those longer adventures away.
3. What will you be taking in it?
Are you a keen mountain biker or surfer? Is part of your holiday plan setting up the motorhome beachside and sending out the Kontiki longline? If your holiday involves lots of stuff, then you need the space to store it all. Make sure there is enough underfloor locker storage for fishing rods, outdoor furniture and the rest. Is it easy to affix a bike rack to the back of the motorhome? Is it going to tow the jetski on the trailer? Also, if your recreation of choice is a winter one, you'll want to look closely at how well insulated the vehicle is.
4. Do you feel comfortable driving it?
In order to enjoy that sublime summer camping spot, you have to get there first. In New Zealand this will inevitably mean threading your way through small towns, in and out of confined supermarket carparks and around 30km/h corners halfway up an alp. Most campervans can be driven on a standard Class 1 (car) driver's licence. But talk to the dealer about test drives before you buy; what looks compact in the yard might feel unwieldy behind the wheel. But today's modern motorhomes are very drivable, with features you'd find in a passenger vehicle, such as ABS braking, Electronic Stability Control, reversing camera, Bluetooth hands-free phone compatibility and more.
5. Do you plan to keep it forever?
You might be empty-nesters, or parents of teenagers who -- for the moment at least -- couldn't, like, even, like, think of going away with Mum and Dad. But circumstances change. Grandchildren arrive; surly teens turn into recreationally-keen 20-somethings. Will you still have your motorhome of choice in five years, or will you need to upgrade or downsize?
• For more advice speak to your campervan dealer or NZ Motor Caravan Association.
