Alexia Santamaria meets with a young family who have swapped the 9-5 grind for life on the road – and they couldn’t be happier.
While many people in their late 20s and early 30s are leading stressful, busy lives, juggling work with young kids, paying off enormous mortgages and trying to have some semblance of family life – Bryce and Brydie McKenzie have chosen a slightly different path. Rather than spending their weeks staring at a computer screen or tools from 8.30 in the morning to six at night dreaming of the weekend, they have taken their life, and one-year-old daughter, on the road in their Canyon Caravan, building a day-to-day existence with much more choice than the one they had before.
It all started in September 2021. “We had our new baby and Bryce was working days as an electrician, as he’s done for 13 years. I was working evenings when Maeve had gone to sleep, just part-time 15 hours a week,” says Brydie. “We both had a desire to do something different and had been thinking of out-of-the-box ideas for some time. One day we got round to talking about selling up and living in a caravan for this stage of our lives, and after some big decision making, here we are, just six months later.”
The couple looked at many ways to make their idea a reality. They toyed with renting their house out, but decided in the end that selling would ultimately be the best move. “We wanted to create freedom and space and time to not have to worry about those kinds of needs – like the necessity of working – in order to be able to actually realise what we wanted to create, or bring, into this world. It was a difficult decision with a lot of fear around it. There was one day where I actually felt physically ill because my brain was in overdrive, thinking about all the little things that could go wrong – right down to whether our baby would be warm enough!” laughs Brydie.
After deliberating all the pros and cons, the couple decided to take the leap and it was full speed ahead from there. Research began into the best vehicle for their needs and they prepared their home so it was ready to go on the market. They looked at motorhomes and house buses, but in the end realised a caravan was best for their young family. “We love our own personal time so to be able to just detach and take off in the ute was important. It meant we could do our own thing if we felt like it, and we can take a drive without packing down the whole setup each time,” says Brydie. In the end they decided on a Canyon Classic, built by Australian brand Canyon Caravans, and imported by Off Road Caravans New Zealand in Papamoa.
“We got on so well with the people from Off Road and have become friends. They’re a young couple with kids like us so totally understood what we needed,” says Brydie. “We love what we’ve ended up with – especially all the storage space,” says Bryce.
“We refer to the storage compartments outside as ‘the tool shed’ and ‘the garden shed’; I can even carry a mini chainsaw and some other toys in there too. It’s also built really well, for Australian conditions I guess, which means it’s really durable and not at all flimsy, really solid. This was very useful when we got caught in flooding on the West Coast recently.”
“Every inch is utilised so well,” adds Brydie. “The awning we got is amazing too – really strong and solid. It was already great but we got walls made by Bay Canvas and it’s created a whole other room that’s the same size as the whole caravan. If it’s raining, it just gives us that extra space to still be able to do things separately. It’s nice and light to tow too. We also got a few extra things installed so we can do more freedom camping, like an inverter and a diesel heater and fans and things. We chose to invest in things like this because we thought, ‘If we’re going to live in this, it had better be comfortable!’”
While the couple realise they are very much in the honeymoon phase of this adventure, they really are loving every day of their new life. “Once we made the decision everything seemed to just fall into place and it’s been amazing so far,” says Brydie. They started their journey in Whanganui and travelled to Mangaweka, Taupō and surrounding areas (with Bryce’s mum Stephanie and her husband Neil, who also have a motorhome).
In January they headed south and drove off the ferry straight to Blenheim, then Nelson, then followed the coastline around, stopping off in places like Māpua and Marahau. Next it was over the Tākaka Hill to Golden Bay, then back over the hill and down to Westport, on to Punakaiki, through Arthur’s Pass, with stops at Lake Brunner and Lake Pearson – before settling in Christchurch for a couple of weeks. The couple has stopped in various areas to stay with friends – parking up and really enjoying being able to connect with people all over the country. While they do miss being able to pop out and see local friends like when they have a single home base, they appreciate these times with others they know around Aotearoa, many they haven’t seen in a long time.
“Selling the house has definitely made it much easier financially, and Bryce’s interest in cryptocurrency over the last 18 months has helped too. It means we actually have a passive income and it pays for the majority of our weekly expenses, which is very handy,” says Brydie. “Part of doing this was also to work out what we wanted to do, so we’re now in the process of creating a business – but it’s totally on our terms and we’re not restricted by hours. This way, we can stop when we want to and go for a walk in a beautiful place. We can choose how to spend our days.”
The pair say they knew in their gut that this was a big move, but it was the right one. “We knew it was the next step to take in order to create the kind of life we wanted,” says Brydie. “A lot of people thought we were crazy and now a lot of those people think we are just amazing. And seeing our daughter… she loves the outdoors. If she’s ever grizzly, the solution is always fresh air or water, so this life is perfect for her. Even when it’s really windy, she still has a ball outside.”
Bryce says he would encourage anyone who is tossing up this kind of decision to bite the bullet and just do it. “If you get inspired or keep getting that calling to do something like this, I’d advise just going with it, and then just really back that decision,” he says. “Really, just back yourself and accept whatever happens. Things will come up, but every event is always a learning and a growth. You just have to know everything will work out.” Brydie agrees. “Making the decision is the pivoting point then everything begins to fall into place.”
Brydie and Bryce have no fixed plans for how long they plan to be on the road, or where they will go next, except that they may head further north for the colder months ahead. They’re just taking it all one day at a time. “We’re living our dream, but we’re living our current dream for this phase of our life. It’s what we want to do now, not a forever decision but for now, we are thoroughly enjoying it.”
One of this young couple’s biggest focuses is encouraging more presence in the everyday, something we should all be thinking about as modern life takes an increasing toll on our brains and stress levels. Maybe there’s something to learn in this for all of us.
Find Brydie and Bryce on Instagram at @movingmckenzies
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