Theft from campervan at trail heads?

[JimO]

if you read the first post his van is fully self contained and he leaves no trace so that probably means no jobbies

[FJRider]

99% of the time you are fine BUT like everywhere there are scumbags that see a campervan and think - hmmm.. smorgasbord....

South island is safer simply cos there are less people around.

Also - free camping sounds great but frankly a lot of people here are sick to death of it. Free campers have a bit of a bad reputation and while I'm sure you are a responsible guy just be warned that if you start leaving shit all over the place you are going to become very unpopular very fast... Sometimes its better to find a campground.... There are loads of cheap ones...

if you do free camp and park in carparks - ffs - don't leave your essential documents in the van.... Get some insurance...

South-island trail-head carparks are getting hit on a regular basis now too. Check out local farm-houses ... usually plenty of spare safe parking space there. Easy to find when you get to the locations. Ask the owner/manager nicely ... and there shouldn't be an issue. If they cant help ... they will most likely tell you who can/will help.

[nodrog:Me]

if you read the first post his van is fully self contained and he leaves no trace so that probably means no jobbies

And if you read his last post you will see he is a fucken lying hippie who thinks you can fitout a toyota hiace to be fully self contained.

$10 says he will end up travelling around in a nissan serena and shitting on the beach.

[carburator]

we have a lot of seasonal workers ( backpackers )

its not worth buying a heap of shit, as for building something up better off buying something done.
you need to be self contained, freedom camping has had law changes here and fines are not cheap.

simply put by the time you buy a base vehicle and out fit it to some standard you might as well spend
some decent coin and get one done.

friends borrrowed my "camper" and did three months around nz with no hassles i have canoes on top racks
with a 2hp outboard motor for getting out ( pinnned shoulder ) having a RIB hull sure gets out out but honestly
shoreline rock fishing gets good fish as well.

Trail bikes, not sure?

[jaffamont]

I would seek your information elsewhere mate. Unfortunately this post has been picked up by some real dickheads (one in particular takes this role very seriously). You are about to get a bunch of claptrap about thieving darkies. Reality is that there are minorities that will ruin your holiday very quickly however it's no worse than most other countries. Lock it and be sensible about leaving tempting items out of harms way and you will limit risk considerably. Have a great time when you come, it truly is a special place.

[Madness]

$10 says he will end up travelling around in a nissan serena and shitting on the beach.

Can't be any worse than a container ship full of Filipino sailors.

Seriously though, good luck finding a chemical toilet here. There's still hundreds of families in Christchurch waiting for the next shipment. Your stuff should be pretty safe inside the camper van once you've got a few weeks worth of poo stored in it.

[curly]

beachbum try this site: http://www.rankers.co.nz/respect/

[lostbeachbum]

Thanks for that link Curly, it's just the kind of database I need. Also the tip about farm houses and local businesses. I've asked several farmers for a spot on their "back 40" and never been turned down. Sometimes even invited in for a meal. I don't mind shit talk, I've got thick skin and got the answers I needed. Internet tuff guys are out there, it makes them feel better about being pussies with no lives stuck behind a computer screen. I'd be happy to meet up with any of them for a few beers so they can try out their talking against a trained American fighter and not some hippie backpacker. You do know that not only hippies camp, right? But back to topic, I'm not going to be camping every night and when I do it's not always going to be free. Yes, my van will be fully self contained. Which in theory, really isn't that complicated. A cooking and fuel source, large fresh water tank, smaller grey water tank, hand pump sink, camping toilet, cooler/fridge and trash bags. How hard do you think it really is to get all that into a van? Add a solar shower, power inverter, tv and 2nd battery and you've got all the comforts of home. There are dozens of cheap camping toilets on trademe right now, so those people in Christchurch should use the internet if they're still waiting. I never shit ON the beach, that's what a shovel is for.


Not to sound racist, but you don't have to tell me about trouble from minorities. I've grown up in one of the most dangerous cities in America, we've got a small problem here as well and I know how to deal with them... I'm very realistic and street smart, just needed to know if there were specific areas to be extra cautious. As far as work goes, I'm not in any hurry and won't be looking for typical unskilled backpacker jobs. Definitely not a hippie, although I do smoke pot and listen to reggae. Besides being an outstanding Chef and decent carpenter, I'm a low voltage specialist (CCTV/IP CCTV, Intrusion, Access control, telecom, etc) and owned a small company for several years before selling everything to travel the world. It would be nice to find a 3 month contract somewhere. I'd be willing to buy hand tools and would already have the van for ladders. I'll most likely just find some Helpx or Wwoof though, less stress and more fun.

From what I've read, it seems like 2 berth campervans are always in demand, both cheap and expensive. I like the Toyota Hiace because of it's size and reliability. I love my freedom, I'm not cheap by any means so not concerned about initial costs, I just want something that will hold it's value the best. So when I'm ready, I'll probably just buy a nicer one like this that's ready to go, http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/cara...-502004878.htm

There's a good chance I won't even buy the van right away as long as I can get insured. The inner big kid has me wanting to buy a Skyline or Supra for a month or 2 and road trip around the country first, staying in hostels. Then sell it and buy the campervan and see the country through a different perspective. I sold all my toys over a year ago and I've been dying to get back behind the wheel of something sexy and fast. Nothing like touring one of the most beautiful countries in the world in one of Japan's finest sports cars. Anyone know off hand what the annual full coverage policy is like for a Skyline or can recommend some companies to get quotes from? Late 20's male, clean driving record.

Roadkill- Thanks for the offer, when I'm in town I'd love to meet up for any type of fishing.

Thanks again, some of you have been very helpful!

[unstuck]

What you need is security, and what better security could you ask for than an angry punk rocker with a big stick. I would be available to travel with you and sit in the van while you are out enjoying our beautiful country, for a smallish fee of course. I am van trained and eat very little. When do we leave?

[Paul in NZ]

Well I'm glad you are not put off... I just figure you are better off knowing the bad before you get all dewy eyed...

We live on the Kapiti coast (50km north of wellington) and if you are here and the weather is decent I still think you should come out with us on a kayak - we are talking 800m paddle here, not hours ;-) Either that or you can take your boat out and scare the fish . However - this whole place is a small island and our weather is dominated by wind. Yes we get stunning days but we get some shockers too... Its pretty well open ocean so you might rock up and the ocean is dangerous for a week - or like a mill pond....

Anyway - the offers there. You can even park the van in our driveway for a night..... Just as long as you don't poop on the lawn.....

[cheshirecat]

Don't bring a dog. We tried a MC tour round the South Island and found it difficult finding camping ground/motels which liked dogs let alone DOC who refused to let us travel on the Milford road or just about anywhere they had control over. Apparently there were "thousands" of Kiwis aound franz Joseph glacier just waiting to be disturbed. Only saw "hundreds" of tourists being disturbed by the local parrots ourselves.

On another note I tried a motorcyle/camping/walking tour on the central plateaux and gave up on the walking part since everyone I met told me I'd be mad to leave my bike unattended in any of the car parks near the walking routes and indeed the campsites. Did actually see a nondiscript van turn up at the odd car park and just 'wait'on more than one occaison.

[unstuck]

Yeah, there are a few scumbags that make a living out of ripping off cars and vans parked in out of the way places. There is one white toyota liteace getting around the south island with a male with curly dark hair in it pretending to be a camper(the van looks the part), but he is just a thieving scumbag that is due a bit of a learn. Last seen at naseby and heading south.

[Voltaire]

I took my Kombi van around Europe in 2003/4, took in most of Northern Europe, down to Turkey and up as far as the former Eastern Block, Got broken into twice, once in Bilbao in Spain and once in Lisbon.....both is downtown open space car parks.
Most annoying was having damaged door locks and window catches.....and my bottles of Port I got in Porto....grrrrr.
I had a large ammo box bolted to the floor with locks on it covered in carpet for the goodies like Gameboys and the like. Passports and money I kept on me.
We stayed in campgrounds, outside cafes, behind castles, in the carpark at Pizza, truck depots down forest trails.....totally self contained with 50 litres water and 50 litres grey tanks, back up battery with lights, cooker and fridge.
Toilet was a portapottie and these are cheap to buy here. There are lots of 'dump stations' around NZ to empty waste at.
I'm a member of this for when I get my Kombi running again...been a while
www.nzmca.org.nz/
cheap to join an lots of info.

[jasonu]

While hikeing or canoeing don't leave your van unattended in Otara or Porrirua. Also watch out for a gang of thugs called the Keas. They will steal your valve stems and generally fuck your shit up.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Twg4Yg4gFoo

[cave weta]

I would seek your information elsewhere mate. Unfortunately this post has been picked up by some real dickheads (one in particular takes this role very seriously). You are about to get a bunch of claptrap about thieving darkies. Reality is that there are minorities that will ruin your holiday very quickly however it's no worse than most other countries. Lock it and be sensible about leaving tempting items out of harms way and you will limit risk considerably. Have a great time when you come, it truly is a special place.

Oh come on !- wakey wakey!

Im 50 years old and in that time Ive been ripped off more times than I should have been. I can think of the times when Ive had stuff pinched and it has been discovered who stole it- it was the Tanga Te Whenua.
Outboards- Motorbikes- Bicycles-Mag Wheels-Cars-Lawnmower-wheelbarrow-fishing gear-Trailer-scrap steel-Beer fridge-stereo-cash all of these things have been pinched and then either recovered or the perpetrator uncovered. and each time it was by a Maori.
Nobody taught me to be racist- I had a good upbringing and schooling. Life experiences and lots of travel have formed my outlook.