Disaster averted! how to not tip over your campervan

After a week or so of perfect campervan touring we were bo0th pretty much in the routine and feeling confident with the camper, sleeping at remote roadside spots and generally handling the van etc. we had a good routine of filling petrol regularly, making sure the water was always topped up and we were having showers from the camper and everything. So you can image the scene when we pulled into the beautiful Lake Gunn camping site enroute to the enchanting Milford Sound. This part of New Zealand is spectacular. The drive takes you through winding roads passed awesome mountains and through forests. When you get to Milford sound (actually a fjord) you take a cruise onto the water to sample the magical scenes and check out the wildlife.

Back to the story. We arrived into Lake Gunn camp site in the evening after a great days driving and enjoying the amazing scenery etc. This spot is a really popular site as it is cheap (only $10NZ), right on a beautiful lake and also close to Milford sound. The entrance to the site is through a forest road which is not really wide enough for 2 cars, let alone 2 campers. As my luck would have it there was a car wanting to get out and despite me clearly driving in he try to come the other way. I stopped and ‘reversed’ to give way, cursing at the rudeness of the driver while I did so.

Suddenly the camper seemed to lurch to one side and slowly sank a bit more. Urvi looked at me and I looked at her “its ok, we just turned a bit to much and got a bit stuck, I’ll just drive it out now that dumbo has passed”…. Oh dear, no movement the camper is stuck and worse still is tilting at an angle that is worrying me and scaring Urvi. We can’t get out and if I move it any more we WILL topple over.

I will be honest this is the tensest I have been in a car ever. I tried to see how we were placed but there was nothing I could do. I jumped out of the car telling Urvi to lean towards the driver side (like that was going to help!) I ran into the site to find help, fully expecting the camper to be on its side and Urvi screaming when I returned. I found some guys who looked like they would know what to do and we got back, ‘luckily’ the camper was not on its side.

The plan we made was simple, try and yank the camper somehow to get some grip and then drive it out. Simply put it didn’t work; we were stuck in the mud and not moving. By this time we had collected the whole campsite around us and people were all collectively scratching their heads. Towing the camper was our only hope. Obviously no one had a rope, but just as things were looking lost, out of the mist came our knight in shining armour – a guy in his 4x4.

Now I am the first to complain about the Chelsea tractors that clog up the urban streets (posh families, who have never ventured into the country but still have 4x4s and SUVs), but this was a case when one was actually useful. The guy stopped and he soon had us roped up. About 7 other guys then climbed ONTO the camper and lent on it, pulling it the right way, so that when we got towed the car would not topple, still a real possibility. Finally with all our fingers crossed the jeep got us moving and the camper was freed of the jungle it was caught in.

There was spontaneous applause and everyone felt great. Later I mentioned to Urvi that we should have taken photos, but I said this with hindsight, as we were cooking dinner in a perfectly straight camper! If we have toppled we would have been taking pics anyway... for the insurance company!

Hitting the road in our campervan

Like backpacking itself, taking a major road trip is a classical and fun alternative to the conventional options for travelling through a country by coach, flights or trains etc. Having your own wheels and getting out and about gives you a real sense of freedom as you can literally go wherever the roads will take you (and off these if you are really ambitious!) Of course the problem of making sure you arrive at somewhere to stay for the night takes something away from the total sense of freedom. The only way to be totally free is to carry your house with you! So this is where the idea of the campervan (camper) came from. It is really fun and hugely popular way of travelling the car friendly country that is NZ. We picked up a camper for 2 weeks and tramped around the whole of the south island, just the 3 of us!!!



Campers come in many shapes and sizes, but in essence (to avoid this getting boring!) there are 3 main types. The real budget campers, are based around a large estate or MPV (people carrier) type car, that has had the back converted so that at night you can lay a mattress out. There is a camping stove and some way of carrying water, all of which you have to take out of the car to use. It is basic but real cosy and cheap. The second option is what people call high top vans. These are vans that have had the roof cut off and an extension put on. They have better sleeping and better cooking facilities, and the main thing is that you can stand up and cook inside(hurray!!). The final option is the full blown campervans. These are mostly dedicated vehicles, fully equipped and often pretty luxurious. They will have a toilet and shower inside and also loads of seating, fancy kitchens and all the gadgets I could dream of. The problem with the last option is cost of rental and cost of fuel. It is good for families but was too much for us. Also we wanted that slightly more rustic and uncomfortable feel, I mean what’s the point of being able to lounge in your camper, and watch TV while Urvi cooks a slap up meal on her mega kitchen???!!!




In the end we went for the middle option of a high-top camper. We went with cruzycampers.co.nz basically on price and reputation of service. Cruzy is a real small company in the world of campers in NZ. When we were driving around there were hundreds of campers from Kea, Jucy, Britz and Maui, but only a few Cruzy. It’s a husband and wife combo and they offer a really nice service. Sure the camper was an older car, but we grew to love it… read on for some funny anecdotes.



The layout of our camper was just right for what we wanted:

Converted seating into a double bed
Table for eating
Full size fridge
Gas rings x2
Sink with hot and cold water
Toilet inside
Shower to be used outside the camper
Loads of storage space.

What more could you need! The photos don’t really help you see it but it was lovely to drive up somewhere and simply jump in the back for a snack or dinner etc! We spent the first 2 days looking enviously at the other campers with air-conditioning and showers etc etc, but honestly by the end of the trip we really grew attached to TOADII (the campers name) and were sad to see her go…