It's A Wrap

Real Time

Well, you sure won't miss us on the road now! 

This is what has been keeping us in the Bay of Plenty and Coromandel area for the last month while we waited for a special order of vinyl to arrive from overseas. Over the last 3 and half days 'Out There' has been vinyl wrapped along both sides, had the graphics replaced and the pièce de résistance, one of my photos added to the back! 

Some of you may remember a blog I did last September regarding the dull bloom developing on the van and David polishing it. Well once again, and sadly after all his hard work, the bloom returned within a few months. While we love the darker colour of our rig, it does obviously show up marks & fading a lot more than white motorhomes. We decided that after 7 years, 6 of them on the road fulltime and in all weathers, it was time to paint the van. 

Before

For most of our lives we have never followed the norm and we weren't about to now either. After a lot of research, David had decided on 'wrapping' the van instead of painting it, if it ever needed to be done. We had recently visited a company in Henderson and were very impressed with what we saw and then through a chance meeting at the NZMCA Park at Waihi Beach we met another Ultima owner who happened to have a relation at the Mount who did vinyl wrapping. 

After

Craig from Wrap It Signs- located in Newton Road, Mt Maunganui- came and saw us while we were parked at the Mount campground. David also visited him at his workshop and we were both very impressed with his attitude and quality of work. We also liked his sense of humour!  We were finally sold on the idea when he showed us a car that had just been completely wrapped in black. Until you opened the door you could not tell that it had once been totally white. 

Much of wrapping that Craig does is in primary and/or bright colours so once we'd chosen our colour- as near as possible to the original- he had to order it in from overseas. Hence the reason David had some fishing time in the Coromandel while we waited. 

The vinyl duly arrived and with our home out of bounds, we de-camped to a lovely Airbnb at the Mount for a few days.

It was a tight fit but with good instructions from Craig & I, David managed to back the 5th-wheeler through an impossibly tight doorway into the workshop. I know you're thinking ('cause I was too) 'How the heck are they going to wrap that left hand side?' Well they did and it included a bit of Kiwi ingenuity/#8 wire thinking, David re-hitched and maneuvered the front of the van over while Craig and Dylan used their weight to push the rear over; their weight and the very slippery backing paper that came off  the vinyl, placed on the floor under the tyres.

David helped out each day working alongside the guys (or was that hindering). He removed and replaced all the hardware that could be taken off the van and helped tidy up as they progressed. He also took photos for me on his phone.

Dylan set about removing the old graphics using a steamer similar to a wallpaper stripper.

They seemed to peel off very easily. You can clearly see the fading that has happened in these photos.

Initially we'd chosen a metallic vinyl similar in colour to the van but unfortunately that wasn't available, the suppliers only had a similar matt colour. To overcome this Craig added a top glossy coat of clear material to the vinyl which gave it an added sparkle and the extra benefit of double the thickness. The colour is quite deceptive in these photos and in real life, under different lights and from different angles.

The vinyl is laid out on the work table and cut to length and then- this is where the expertise and skill comes into it- stuck on the van side, sealed, window holes cut and everything maneuvered into place. It's just about impossible to see the edge and no masking is required!

Once both sides had been wrapped and the pièce de résistance applied- Craig was crafty, we didn't see him add that, it was there in all its glory when we arrived the next morning- 'Out There' was put outside so the slide-out sides and graphics could be done.

The most amazing part of the whole job, for me anyway, was how the graphics were done. Craig had taken a couple of photos on his phone of the rig outside on the road before we delivered it to the workshop. And from just these non-descript photos he was able to reproduce the exact same graphics (give or take a couple of minor details we decided to leave off) and then place them on the rig with no measurements whatsoever. Just a keen eye and some pretty awesome talent. 

This section of wrap was replaced after a small imperfection was spotted. How's this? The graphics were peeled back, the section removed, the new piece stuck on and then the graphics went back over it like nothing had happened! Is that amazing or what (can you tell I'm impressed?) I know how much fiddling and worry goes into sticking the flamin' red NZMCA Wings on the van let alone all these dashes & swirls!

David had suggested we could put a photo on the back of the 5th-wheeler when he was originally looking at the wrapping process and we had toyed with the idea but had pushed it to the back of our minds as we couldn't decide what photo and how big to have it, amongst other things. But once the job was on track and we'd spoken to Craig we thought we'd re-visit the option.

Initially I was thinking of just having it over half the wall, down to the bottom of the window, or 100mm or so further on but Craig suggested filling the whole space as the window edge would detract from the photo and the box on the back was going to cover a lot of it anyway. So that is why we now have a larger than life 'muriel' on the back of our house!

But how to decide on what photo to use? Well David had one in mind and I had several so over an evening (while Craig patiently waited for the file), I put together a few very basic mock-ups.

1) Whangarei Falls- (Craig was most impressed, he's from Whangarei & he'd never seen them looking so spectacular) but we decided it was a bit too busy and imagine that driving down the road in front of you, it would be like someone stole half the bush.

2) Poolburn Dam- Nearly my favourite, I just love the ruggedness, the fishing cribs and the two tone ice and the fact that it's not a part of NZ you usually see. But let's face it, I just love Poolburn full stop.

3) Aoraki/Mt Cook & the Hooker Valley- again very busy and hey, most of New Zealand has seen a photo of Mt Cook.

4) Kea, our cheeky endemic mountain parrot- David was keen to see the mock up of this one although it wasn't his favourite. We dismissed it straight away; it would be quite scary with Big Bird looking down on you as we drove along.

And the winner was-

5) Ahuriri Valley, MacKenzie Country- where it was minus 16c and I had myself a mini hoar frost this particular morning. This was both our favourite photo and family also picked it when I sent out an SOS. It was the only photo that had our van in it too, and I liked the way the river leads your eye into the scene.

The photo just happens to have appeared on the TV weather back when I took it and also was a NZMCA Motor Caravanner magazine cover, now it'll be forever famous travelling around New Zealand on the back of our van! Here's the blog I did on our visit to the remote Ahuriri Valley.

The photo above & below are comparison shots; above with no storage box on the back and the slide-out side still to be wrapped. And below with the box on and side wrapped.

All finished and ready to go...

...and just in time as a heavy rain storm swept in.

Then it was just a matter of turning the rig around, pausing for some photos and heading out. Job well done. We thoroughly enjoyed dealing with Craig and would highly recommend Wrap It for any job you may want done (and don't worry if your rig is bigger than ours, Craig has access to another larger workshop)

Here are another couple of comparison shots of before & after. Click the photo to see a larger version and then scroll back & forward to see them side by side.

The only visual difference I can see, compared with paint, is a slightly raised join where the vinyl overlaps the next drop. In the photo below there's one down the right hand side of the window on the left and another at the bottom of the awning arm. Nothing to write home about. 

And I know some of you will be thinking how about the cost compared with painting. While we didn't have an exact quote on painting, all indications were that wrapping would be approximately half to two-thirds the cost of painting. Then there is the time factor, which can be an issue when you live in your van fulltime and need to vacate it while work is being carried out. Our job was completed in three & half days so accommodation costs were kept to a minimum, and we had a mini-holiday! Well I did anyway, David worked his butt off.

Oh, and by the way, did I tell you we are absolutely wrapped?

Update- we returned to have the front wrapped too, here's the blog post.

Spit & Polish

Real-time 

While we've been parked up in Napier David has spent quite some time polishing the 5th-wheeler.... again. You may remember he gave it a good going over by hand, when we were here back in January, but unfortunately all his elbow grease and hard work didn't last and it was with great disappointment that the dull 'bloom' returned to the surface within a few weeks.

Since then he has been doing quite a bit of research- on line, through friends and talking to paint and auto shops resulting in the purchase of a quality car polisher (not orbital) with variable speed. For those that would like to know, it's a Rockwell Car Polisher 1200W/180mm #135285 from Supercheap Auto.

And as you can see below it's been doing a great job. Though David soon learnt to put the cutting paste (he used Finixa polish compound) on the van surface by hand otherwise it splattered everything else within reach (including himself!).

After the cutter had done it's job of removing the dull bloom, the pad was changed and he applied Mothers© Carnauba wax for the perfect shine! You can just about do your hair in the reflection off the side now.

The final touch was to replace our NZMCA wings and number, they had faded quite considerably, and also our self containment sticker which some bugger had tried to peel off! 

We were ready to roll...

....but Mother Nature had other ideas. We were due to leave last Wednesday but with the weather forecast predicting heavy rain and high winds there was no way, after all his hard work, that David was pulling out and getting the van dirty. He wanted at least a few sunny days on the road to admire his handiwork.

Which is why we are still parked up in Napier looking at bedraggled freesias out the window.

Back from a wee break- Party Time; Part 2

Real-time

Continued on from Part 1

After arriving home from Melbourne we had a couple of days to adjust to NZ time and get ship-shape before family started arriving from out of town to help Mum & Dad celebrate their Diamond wedding anniversary (60 years). We held a function at the local RSA for everyone on the Saturday night. We all had a ball, there was lots of laughs as old family stories and tall tales were told. It was lovely to see so many happy, smiling people enjoying themselves.

A lot of the credit for the fun and laughter has to go to my two cousins (twin sisters) who acted as MCs for the night. They added to the high-jinks and really helped make the night one to remember.

Mum & Dad were married in 1958 and one of the twins' daughters owns this 1958 Morrie so the twins arrived in the carpark making one hell of a noise with the rattling cans dragging behind and signs on the windows. My uncle, who'd caught a ride with his daughters, had slunk down low in the backseat, highly embarrassed- he collects classic Chevs!

Here's one photo I wanted to share with you; females reign supreme on Mum's side of the family, she is the oldest of eight; 2 boys & 6 girls. Most of the siblings had girls and their daughters have also had plenty of girls. Johnstone girls are high-spirited, fun, loud, energetic and some (most) of them can talk the bottom off a tin can. Here's a photo of the Johnstone cousins that attended, my brother was the only male there. That's my sister on the left, me, then three groups of sisters- you work out who belongs to who.  

We hosted a BBQ lunch at home for everyone the next day as Mum was also celebrating a significant birthday. It was a good chance to catch up with the extended family that had arrived from out-of town and some of the younger family members that weren't at the party the night before. 

Across the generations- Mum's reading the Queens 60th anniversary message to her great-nieces, Eva, Rosa & Lucy. Mum & Dad also received congratulatory cards from the Governor General, Prime Minister, Minister for Seniors and the local MP. 

Once we'd wound down from the festivities and seen the last of the family back to their home town, David & I set about arranging to have some of  the fifth-wheeler's interior refurbished. After six years, the upholstery and carpet were getting a little worn (in fact I'd worn a patch of carpet away below the dining table- it's where I sit at my computer). 

I'd found Douglas Auto & Marine Upholstery in Hastings on the internet, we had a chat with them, were happy with the quote so booked the van in for the 5 days they needed it for. We emptied our gear into Mum & Dads' garage which was very convenient, we wouldn't have managed without it. David then removed the bed bases and dinning bench seats so the carpet could be laid under them. Mum & Dad had a spare bed for us but we had to go to Tauranga for a few days so it worked out well, we drove up there and stayed at a friend's B&B while 'Out There' was getting a makeover.

We also decided, while we were at it, that we'd replace the concertinaed blinds and heavy material pelmets which I've had a tolerate/hate relationship with since the beginning! We were hoping that by removing the pelmets it would open the room up and make it more airy & spacious. With so much wood and the beige walls (American's love their dark wood and upholstery) we decided not to move too far away from the original colour scheme, just freshen it up a little. 

David located a great place in Onekawa, Blinds 2000 Ltd, they measured and ordered the blinds after we decided on the type and colour. The only fly in the ointment was the three week delivery time frame. Originally we were going to be heading off at the beginning of August and we thought they'd have to send them on to us for David to fit but in the end we decided to stay put (winter colds helped make that decision) and the blinds did arrive a week earlier than expected anyway.

You'll probably not notice too much difference but it really has given the interior a pick-me-up. The upholstery looks quite pinkish in some of the 'after' photos but it's not, that's the camera playing tricks. It is a lot lighter than the old material though. Here are the before (2013) & after photos, I now think it's time to change my cushions and floor rug!

And with the blinds closed-

These are Thermacell blinds, the honeycomb effect traps air and provides a barrier against the cold but the best part is that they have 'black-out' colour inside the concertinaed pleats, it's now lovely and dark which may mean I might miss a few sunrises!

We also replaced the two venetians in the kitchen, they now drop from under the cupboards making it look like we have a large back window.

We are both thrilled with the changes and very pleased with the service received from both companies. I'd have no hesitation in recommending them if you're looking to do some interior work. Douglas' also do awnings.

Back 'Out There' .....

.... just as the itchy feet started to return we headed to one of our favourite camps with our motorhoming family for a few days. 

Glenfalls DOC Camp is on the banks of the Mohaka River, 50kms north of Napier and 8kms off the Napier-Taupo road. Over summer it can sometimes be a very busy place but in the middle of winter there was just one other motorhome and us three. 

Mind you, the site wasn't looking it's best due to a winter storm that has flooded down the nearby stream from the range behind and spread silt, rocks and mud out over the track at the southern end of the camp. Someone in a digger has 'helpfully' tried to clear the track but has instead dug it deeper and got bogged down dumping the silt. And it was also a boggy mess at the northern end too! The middle though, where we usually go, was just right- high, dry and flat! 

And then there was one! We stayed on for another day just as the sky cleared and the trout started biting. 

It'll be another week or so before we're back on the road, so until the next blog here's a photo to keep you going- freesias and bees, a sure sign that spring has arrived!

'Out There' at Lake Pukaki

Catch-up; mid June, 2017

Continuing on with the theme of taking our time while making our way to Christchurch, and staying at a number of freedom camping areas that have been on our radar for some time, we left Ohau B Canal and headed for Lake Pukaki, just up the road. 

Beside Lake Pukaki near Tekapo B Power Station

There are a number of free camping areas along Hayman Road which is on the eastern side of the lake but I have a particular one in mind. It involves driving under the penstocks of the Tekapo B Power Station. We've been through here a number of times before, but not with 'Out There' on the back. There's plenty of room but it's still quite daunting when you approach narrow tunnels or low bridges because it seems, from inside the cab, that the beams are right there above your head and about to smash into the van.

Not far past the power station I locate the entrance to the camp site. I head down the track with the walkie talkie to check the access, you soon learn in this game to check out the unknown, there's nothing worse than getting to the end of track to find that there's no turning. It's a good chance to take my camera with me too!

I radio back that it's fine, in fact one of the better tracks we've encountered. David slowly makes his way to the open area at the end, although it's a bit tight round one of the bends. 

We decide on a site that looks a little more sheltered, and also private if anyone else arrives (ha! that's a laugh, no one else is mad enough). We spend an age in the freezing cold chill of the afternoon trying to get  'Out There' level. It doesn't worry me if there's a bit of a lean but it's one of David's pet hates and being the perfectionist that he is, we have to get it perfect every time, even if we're only there for one night! 

Most of the time it's a piece of cake and we're done in a few seconds flat. Other times it's a pain in the butt and especially if it's wet or boggy underfoot. That's when the blocks skid as David goes to drive up onto them. Then we have to start over again, and sometimes, again and again (changing the position or adding a packer to the block) until we either make it or actually make too big a mess and have to move anyway. Oh what we'd do for self-levellers. Although we've seen them disappear into the mud too, refusing to be sucked back out when the owner has gone to leave. Such are the joys of winter RVing.

Finally we have it level but David's still not happy, we're not unhitching tonight and now the 5th-wheel is under strain because the ute is angled on the uneven ground. I've also forgotten to check the TV reception and guess what? We don't have any! The pine forest beside us is blocking the signal from the north. There's nothing for it but to shift over to the point, where we go through the whole process again. And this time I check the reception first!

The hydro lakes are all very low at the moment, and lower than usual for this time of the year although I guess they'll be starting to fill now with all the snow melt and rain that has fallen over the last couple of weeks. 

If those clouds weren't at the far end of the lake you'd be able to see  Aoraki/Mt Cook right in the middle there.

We manage to catch the last of the afternoon sun (from inside the van as it's too cold outside). And then it's not for long because it soon drops behind the mountains across the lake.

Later on I head out to take some sunset photos. I find a track through the pines to a point on the other side overlooking the lake and am delighted to see that Mt Cook has made an appearance and is living up to her Maori name Aoraki- 'cloud piercer'. 

We wake up to a very heavy frost and even colder temperatures and not for the first time thank our lucky stars for our diesel heaters. The early cloud disappears to reveal a stunning sunny blue sky day....but no sunshine reaching into our little patch. It doesn't take us long to decide to head out in search of some warmth.

We pass back under the penstocks and take a left up the hill to the head pond- often called the Fish Bowl or just 'the Bowl'.

The 'Bowl' is a very large pond at the southern end of the 26km long Tekapo Canal, it's where the water is held before it disappears down the penstocks to the power station below.

The 'Bowl' is a favourite (and no longer secret, sorry guys) fishing spot of many including a few of our feathered friends; here a Little Shag/Kawau Paka keeps a look out from a prime spot, the one and only pole in the middle of the pond. 

David had a quick look but decided he'd had his fill of fishing for awhile so we headed off up the canal, past the salmon farm to the end of the road. Well, to the end of the drivable road, you used to be able to travel right to the end and rejoin State Highway 8 but it was closed off a few years ago and now only walkers, fishers and cyclists (on the Alps2Ocean Cycle Trail) can use that section. 

We crossed the bridge and parked up on the canal to have some lunch, there's room to turn around for bigger rigs on both sides at the end, although it's a tight turn onto the bridge and it involves a bit of reversing if you head to the far side of the canal.

After lunch we head back down the road, turning the heads of people fishing along the canal as we go. I'm sure some people get a heck of a fright to suddenly see us approaching them on a narrow road. You can see it in their faces 'where the heck did that come from?', and we're not even a very big rig.

This is a big rig! We stopped in at the power station to say goodbye to friends Roz & Pete, we'd seen them at Ohau B and knew they were shifting to this camp site today. They have the right idea, sun all day here! Although it looks like they were getting a top up from that pylon behind.

And from their camp site we can see ours across the way; on that far point where the pine trees end.

There was one more place I wanted to visit before we made our way to the NZMCA Park at Lake Tekapo for the night. This is one of my favourite places in the South Island and one we've visited numerous times; Patterson Ponds. The ponds are hidden in the bare but colourful willow trees on the right in the photo below, that's the Tekapo River you can see down the other side. This can also be one of the most barren and windswept places and can look quite uninviting much of the time. 

But catch the ponds on the right day and it's a photographer's dream. And apparently there are also a few monster wily Browns in the connected ponds as well, we've seen a few fish but nothing too big. Click on the link above to learn more about the ponds.

I wanted to see if the ponds were frozen, I've seen them in autumn and in spring and also when the nearby, usually placid, Tekapo River was a wild torrent and the ponds were flooded. 

If you look closely in the photo above you can see that they are indeed frozen...or partly frozen. I took the photo from the Tekapo Canal Road, we're now at the top end of the canal about 8kms from where it exits Lake Tekapo.

I left David to turn the rig around up on the road while I clambered down the steep sides of the canal bank to the ponds below. There are 10 or so ponds and I managed to check half of them out before the shadow of the canal wall caught up with me and the ponds.

CSC (certified self contained) freedom camping is allowed amongst the ponds but it's only suitable for small vans, preferably 4WD, the track down is very rough and covered in large rocks and boulders and there are plenty of deep potholes in places too. I've always wanted to stay here, there's an area near the end of the road up on the canal road that would do for bigger rigs but I'd want to do it in summer when it's warm and there's no wind; it can howl a gale through here.

Once I'd finished taking photos I head back to where David's patiently waiting for me, making my way back up the walls. There are two, a flat gravel track separates them and believe me they are really steep with lots of loose gravel. There's also plenty of briar bushes to snag you. I use the dozens of rabbit holes as foot holds as I weave my way through all the obstacles back to the rig. We head off to get settled in at Tekapo before the suns sinks below the horizon and the bitter cold sets in once again.