Are We Having Fun Yet?

Our first night in our new rig (Wednesday 28 June) was spent at Papamoa Beach Resort—a fabulous motor camp with lovely staff, and the amenities I saw were modern and spotless. We arrived late at night and fortunately had some friendly neighbours assist with plenty of parking advice, as we had rather a tight spot to manoeuvre into. We just thought, “It is what it is”, and got on with it. Found out in the morning as we were about to leave that we were really too large for that spot and would probably have been better off in another lane. Well, Dave managed to get us in and out of there, so we figure any others will be a breeze! Next time, we’ll ask for a site with a sea view as apparently they are more spacious.

We spent the evening unpacking and finding places for things to live. Although the camp ground is right on the beach, we never even saw the beach. It was over the hill. I fell into bed exhausted that night.

Then we were up and off the next morning. We had quite a tight schedule, mostly due to delays in picking up the rig. I was still driving the Citroen—we’d held onto this as it transported most of our gear we needed to pack into the rig. We went straight to my brother’s farm where our container is stored in Arohena (near Arapuni, east of Te Awamutu). I led the way in the Citroen and felt like I was towing the Ranger and the rig myself! Probably more nervous than Dave, driving down some of those tight country roads willing oncoming traffic to “Get outta the way—move over!”

We parked on Grant & Pam’s tanker track but were having problems getting our fridge to work on gas. Fortunately, we were able to plug into their power and thus save our frozen food.

As soon as we were set up, we took the Citroen in to the car auction place in Hamilton where we left it with them to sell. We had an appraisal done on Mum’s car as well before dropping it back to TA, then headed back to the farm in Grant’s ute. Another full day.

The next day we were flat out busy transporting “stuff” between the rig and the container . . . final decision time. "Do we need this? No! Can we fit this in!?" I'm sure I've made some bad choices, but we can always come back.

We were back on the road again after lunch, down to family in Inglewood, arriving just after dark. Our granddaughter’s birthday was on the Sunday. Fourteen 8 to 9-year-old children make a lot of noise! Note the doughnut theme.

Monday we moved on to Stratford, where our friends, Garth and Helen, laid out the red brown carpet for us. I must have begun to relax as I’d started to take photos again.

We felt very welcome and although we were a little apprehensive about getting down their drive, it went without any problems. Once unhitched, (still no fridge on gas), we hooked into their power supply and then found our satellite dish and the gas heater were not working. We eventually managed to get the satellite dish going again after unplugging everything to force a reset.

A couple of nights earlier, our battery had started to tick. This was more obvious at night-time with it situated at the foot of our bed. Dave described it as “Chinese water torture”, and did not sleep at all well. No sleep = one grumpy bear in the morning! The next night, following advice, we switched it off. This caused a beep from another monitor but that noise was further from the bedroom and could be ignored more easily. We switched it on again in the morning, but the problem remained.

The next morning (now Tuesday), all our lights went off. The water pump died at the same time. It wasn’t long after that we made the decision to travel back to Mount Maunganui to where we bought the rig to have all these issues addressed. We’d been in touch with On The Way RV (OTWRV) all this time, and as there were a number of issues, they advised us to come back and let them find out what was causing all the problems. I’d also discovered a small leak under the kitchen sink. So we packed up and set off. “Are we having fun yet?” was beginning to become the catchcry of the week.

The gas man walked into our rig within five minutes of our arrival at OTWRV and pronounced the fridge and heater both working well. Grrr!!

Then the electrical guy discovered the battery was not charging. Apparently, during assembly, some fuse thingy parts were not put on tight enough and had been moving around. The end result was that our battery was not charging and so, of course, we eventually ran out of power. Lots of things I don’t understand, (not being an electrician), but it seems the gas needs power to ignite and this could have been causing the issues with the fridge and the heater as well. With the long drive over, the battery had charged up sufficiently from the truck (Ranger/Ute) battery for the fridge and heater to work when the gas guy tried it. I don’t know why it would charge up off the tow vehicle but not the solar or the 24v power connection. It’s a mystery to me. But I have to admit, I’ve learned a lot over the past week and know quite a bit more about these things than I did before we moved into the rig. Sadly, I’m still no expert.

Facing an evening without lights as the battery would not have charged up fast enough, OTWRV sent us to a motel just across from the harbour. A lovely relaxing hot shower was bliss! 

This was the view across the road from our motel.

Almost There

Today we stepped into our new home! But we cannot move in yet as it’s still being worked on. So much is already done – extra solar panels on top, bike racks on, lots of compliance certificates arranged, satellite dish and mobile signal booster for the internet installed, etc. They still have some work to do on it, including a railing for the awning, and I think one of the extra water tanks is still to go underneath.

It was great to see it though. We’re really happy with the way it looks, and we get to move in next Wednesday. We’ve had so many ongoing delays, it seems a bit risky to actually state a date, but we plan to travel over to the Mount and pick it up that afternoon.

After we've settled in, we’re heading back to Taranaki for our granddaughter’s birthday, then back up to Hamilton for a couple of mini “house-warmings” with friends. Then we will head off over the hill . . .  finally!

We did buy the house I referred to in my last post. Now we need to find some tenants. There’s a bit of maintenance to take care of as well but nothing major.

And there's a wee bit of a sea view. Try to ignore the wires!

So if you know of anyone wanting to rent a house in Bell Block, please let us know.

Good News!

We just heard today that the building of our 5th wheeler is progressing well and is expected to be finished this Friday. Yay!

It’s booked on the boat departing for New Zealand on 9 June. Although we're very happy to receive this news, I don't think we’ll really breathe easy until we’re actually in it and see for ourselves that everything is exactly as we’re expecting/hoping it to be. It arrives in Auckland on 15 June, and then has to be transported to Mt Maunganui where we’ll pick it up about a week or so later (actual pick-up date is yet to be confirmed). The company at the Mount that we purchased it from need to add some bits and pieces to it and will arrange compliance, etc. for us.

In the factory in Australia . . .

From what I can remember, the guy is standing at the entrance door and the far end will be the bed. It looks as if they may have taken the photo through the back window. This near end is a U-shaped lounge area.

Not at all what Dave’s Rotary friends considered our 5th wheeler might look like! Ha ha! They shared this pic in their club newsletter: [Very funny, guys!]

We've been busy looking for a property to buy (rental investment) here in Taranaki and have finally been successful—our offer has been accepted on a property in Bell Block. We had a couple of unsuccessful offers prior to this one, but our third find is in many ways better than the first two. I’ll post photos after it goes unconditional 19 June and is really ours . . . watch this space!

Still Waiting

Just a short post to let you know we are still not on the road. We’ve had a bit of a setback with our fifth wheeler. Apparently, they were busy building it and then discovered the chassis was warped! They had to order in another chassis, and now we’re not expecting to have our rig finished and delivered to NZ before June. No set date was given, and we’re reluctant to ask for one. We have planned towards a date twice before, and it’s disappointing to have all your plans turn to custard. Actually, I’m sure the company in Mount Maunganui will let us know when it’s left Australia and is on its way. It will be another 2-3 weeks after that before it arrives and everything that needs to be done in NZ is completed. Then we can pick it up.

Needless to say, we’ve had to make some more long-term living arrangements. We're staying in Taranaki with our daughter and her family—they have a detached unit that is perfect. However, I'm reminded why we moved away from this beautiful region… it is soooo cold!

We’re keeping busy with our jobs and open homing on the weekends looking for a rental property to buy.

Hopefully, the next time I post it will be good news! Much more interesting…   :)

Waiting... Waiting...

The latest news is that our fifth wheeler will not be available until 5^th May, but whenever the guys we’re buying it from tell us this, they appear to be holding their breath. We appear to be at the mercy of the Australian company that is building it. Let’s hope no further delays.

As we see photos of the flooding the eastern Bay of Plenty is experiencing, we reflect on the fact that if everything had gone to plan and the fifth wheeler had arrived end of March, it’s highly likely this is where we would have been. We are reminded that God’s timing is perfect.

We moved out of our house last week—a VERY long, busy day, with several trips back and forth to the container on the farm (just over an hour away). The removal guys were amazing: Rocky & Doug from Waikato Movers knew their stuff well and even rearranged the boxes already packed in our container so that they could fit the rest of our stuff in. Our final trip to the farm saw us arrive at our new temporary home at 11pm. We were determined to get it all done that day!

So we’re now living with my brother and sister-in-law (Grant and Pam) in a small farming district near Arapuni, called Arohena. I’ve set up my “office” on the end of their dining room table and Lucy is happily curled up on her bed near my feet. She has been introduced to Kitty, a mischievous cute little cat who easily steals anyone’s heart. She thinks Lucy’s fair game, and both need close watching as their games of chase threaten to get out of hand. Kitty teases Lucy mercilessly, knowing she’s relatively safe with four pairs of adults’ eyes keeping tabs on things. 

With no fencing around the house, we cannot leave Lucy behind at “home”. This is a new challenge as we work around how to best manage having her come with us everywhere. She seems to be adapting quickly and now sleeps on the back seat when travelling, whereas she used to pace around excitedly, whine and look out the car windows all the time. 

Just before we left Hamilton, Dave achieved his Heavy Traffic (HT) Class 2 licence! Well done, Dave—who hates exams/tests of any kind but is now the proud holder of another number on his driving licence. He recommends PassRite as excellent trainers.

He doesn’t need this to tow our rig but was hoping to become more employable by adding another skill to his list of talents. Maybe a job in the fruit industry, or wherever—I don’t expect he will be too fussy. 

We have bought a couple of mountain bikes—that’s right, no engines this time—pure pedal power. Before we left Hamilton, we had several rides around the block just to check the required muscles were still functioning. And they were… they complained loudly about the new unaccustomed usage, so I’m giving them a reprieve while we’re at the farm. Actually, riding on country roads could be hazardous to our health, and the weather has been terrible as well.

 Dave had to get the bikes out to the farm prior to the shift, so following instructions (yes, truly!) he secured them to the back of the truck. He did an amazing job—they would not move at all. Not even the wheels. Not even a fraction of an inch. And it took him all of 45 minutes. I’m suitable impressed with his patience and stamina… it was all very quiet in the garage while he accomplished this feat.

We plan to move down to Inglewood, Taranaki on Easter Monday and stay with our daughter and her family for a couple of weeks. Can’t plan too far ahead at this stage, but who knows… we might even get those bikes out again! Dave has plans of doing some of the rail trails, and as for me, the mind is willing….