The Harding family (#67325) motorhome has two distinct lives. During the summer and most weekends throughout the year, it’s the perfect way for Andrew, Larna, Finn, 11, and Lily, 9, to escape their busy lives in Wellington and head away for some family time and adventure.
Come April, the camper becomes HQ for an entirely different kind of adventure as Andrew and a group of friends take off for their annual month of fly-fishing, exploring New Zealand’s best rivers and lakes.
Andrew has been keen on fly fishing since he was about 10 years old, and has been chasing trout ever since. Others keen on fly fishing may recognise him from his guiding days, regular articles in Fish & Game and Trout Fisher magazines or stints on the TV show Pure Fly NZt. It was his passion for fly fishing that was the motivation behind purchasing an ex-rental Canter four years ago.
“Fly fishing and campervans go hand-in-hand,” he says. “They take you to some amazing locations off the beaten track and being fully self contained means you can stay just about anywhere. It’s just a fantastic thing to do. Everything seems good in the world when you’re on a river – well it does for me.”
After more than 20 years of hiring either motorhomes or cabins for his annual trips away, Andrew realised rentals were getting more and more expensive each year, and made the transition to ownership. He hasn’t looked back.
“You can be out on the river all day and come home and have a hot shower and a cold beer and watch Sky TV. There’s no other way you can do that without spending thousands of dollars in accommodation. Plus, there are no 10am checkouts.”
That’s not to say there are many sleep-ins during the fishing trips away.
“I’m one of those people who will go from dawn to dusk with only a half-hour break. It’s an absolute passion for me, I can’t get enough. The challenge for me is fitting it in alongside family and work commitments.”
Andrew’s passion for fishing doesn’t extend to enjoying them for dinner. He works strictly on a catch and release basis.
“I can’t stand the taste of trout, it’s like eating cardboard to me. Give me sea fish any day,” he says. “I always release back into the rivers. Quite often you’ll catch the same trout four or five years in a row, you get to know them personally!”
While fly fishing adventures may have been the motivation for buying the Canter, the enjoyment the family has got from trips away has almost eclipsed its original purpose and during the summer months they average at least three weekends out of four on the road. They enjoy the thrill of heading somewhere new, alongside the familiarity of visiting favourite spots.
“The thing about Wellington is that you can only go north without spending something. But we are lucky because we have the Wairarapa which is a massive slice of New Zealand and it’s just untouched,” says Andrew.
Family favourites include Lake Ferry, and Castlepoint where Finn and Lily are particularly keen on sliding down the sand dunes.
Other favourites close to home are spots on the Kapiti Coast including Otaki, and Paraparaumu where you can spend the night right by the shops and the beach (TD #5216).
When it comes to heading away for weekends, the family enjoys the spontaneity that owning their own motorhome allows.
“Sometimes we will be sitting at home on a Friday night and at 8pm we’ll decide that we want to go somewhere. So the kids will get in the campervan with their jammies on and watch a DVD until they fall asleep and we’ll drive for two or three hours and they’ll wake up somewhere new.
“We always keep it stocked and all fuelled up so we are ready to go at a moment’s notice. It’s a backup pantry for us, if we run out of rice or anything we always go and check the campervan.”
Finn and Lily have adapted very well to campervan life. Andrew says it helps that theirs is a five berth so there’s that little bit of extra room for the family to spread out in. The three seats in the front are reminiscent of the bench seats of old Holdens and the like, and are perfect for encouraging a little one-on-one time with parents up the front.
In fact, the kids enjoy travelling so much they get disappointed when a drive is less than their ideal four or five hours.
“It’s bizarre,” says Andrew. “Not all kids would be like that, but they love it.”
Fortunately, they got plenty of chances to indulge their love of extended driving stints over this past summer, when the family headed to the South Island.
An extended family Christmas was spent at Lake Ruataniwha, just out of Twizel. “We stayed there for seven days. Previously, I wouldn’t have thought there was much to do there but it was the most wonderful spot. We had access to a boat, so went water-skiing, and fishing every day. The kids rode their bikes and had a fantastic time.”
Another highlight was Queenstown, which Andrew says is a perfect destination for a campervanning family that likes to be kept busy.
“I know it’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s a campground right in the middle of Queenstown (TD #8599) that cost us $80 per night for two adults and two children and its walking distance to the CBD. You could easily pay a lot more for that same sort of privilege. Queenstown has got a massive buzz about it and the kids love it.”
Other highlights were Kaikoura, which Andrew reckons is one of the most underrated scenic spots in the country, and the Nelson area, which ticks all the boxes for being family friendly.
“We love staying at Tahunanui Beach. It’s a huge, beautiful beach with plenty of flounder and we love hanging around on the mudflats. Everything is in walking distance, which is great because there are no hassles with packing up and trying to find parks.”
While Andrew’s confident the rivers will be there for fly fishing well into his future, he’s aware that time with his children is fleeting, and he and Larna are intent on making the most of it.
“We’re definitely seeing a lot more families on the road these days,” he says. “It’s about spending good, quality time with your kids.”
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