Ode to The Van

Now that our time in New Zealand is quickly coming to an end, it's time to pay tribute to our trusty stead, THE VAN.  Anyone who reads this blog may remember my post about 10 months ago that suggested the stead was less than trusty.

It turned out that all of our troubles were related to moisture in the connection between the control module and the injector pump. Moisture in New Zealand?!  Once we got that fixed (and everything that it damaged), all was good.  We assumed that our streak of bad luck would continue, but it didn't.  We've come to trust and even like our van.

What follows will probably be quite boring for most people.  It documents how we manage to live quite comfortably in a 17 x 6 x 5 foot box.

Increased size alone was a big deal.  The box in Australia was 15 x 5 x 4.5 feet. Also, our van in Oz was a cargo van--no windows. This van had a massive number of windows, enabling us to enjoy the New Zealand views while eating and hanging out.

One of the unique and surprisingly useful features were the custom mini-awnings.  We call them "Sylvias", after the previous owner who invented them.  They are absolutely ESSENTIAL for ventilation while it is raining.

Next, is the little gem of a water heater that runs off propane and heats water on demand.  This type of water heater is typical for motorhomes.  It provided HOT showers for us even while the temperature outside was near freezing on the mountain.  I'll never have another van/motorhome without one.

Other van-living luxuries I won't be able to live without are a fridge and a little sink.  Previously, we used a cooler for our food.  Hunting down ice was a never-ending battle in Australia.  We never thought a sink would be worth it, but it sure was nice to be able to clean dishes inside while the mosquitoes buzzed around outside.

Things we could live without are the microwave (never used), toilet (never used), and the king-sized bed.  Funny enough, we've never owned a king-sized bed except for in this van!

Link to February Pictures