Have you ever lusted after a vintage caravan but wondered what it would be like to own one? Viv Haldane spoke to Florrie Kerr about her 1961 Explorer.
When Florrie parks her Explorer caravan alongside modern motorhomes, she’s most certainly the odd one out. “My 8-footer is so small; it could fit in the living room of these big, high-tech campers. However, it’s a bonus when nighttime comes. I feel protected, surrounded by them.” Being the odd one out has other advantages, though. “It provides a talking point; people want to know where it came from, how old it is and that I tow it with my Mini Cooper.”
And being part of a group of motorhomes means help is at hand when things go wrong. “One day, I pulled away with the legs on my caravan down, and someone yelled out, ‘You’ve left your legs down!’ Fortunately, they had noticed before I got out on the road.”
Long-held dream
Florrie had long wanted to buy a vintage caravan, and when her son, Andrew, bought her a book on them one Christmas, it fuelled her desire. “I used to sit drooling over the pictures, imagining the day I could buy my own.”
Then her father, Alvis (named after the Alvis Car Company in the UK), died and left her an inheritance, and she decided buying a vintage caravan would be the perfect use for her windfall and a fitting tribute to him. The next step was to find a caravan that her Mini could tow. Was it even possible, and how about getting a tow bar fitted? “I researched and found it was, so I began looking specifically for a lightweight caravan that a Mini could tow.”
In March 2021, Florrie found what she was looking for on Trade Me. Luckily it was only a 40-minute drive from where she lives in Waipawa. When she saw it, she knew it was hers.
The 1961 Explorer Caravan
The 8-foot Explorer was built in Feilding by Explorer Caravans. Its previous owners, Derek and Margaret, had enjoyed making short trips in it until Margaret’s health declined and sadly, they could no longer use it. Derek had spotted the ‘scruffy caravan’ parked in the suburb of Flaxmere, where they live. It had been off the road for 20 years and was heading for the wrecker’s yard. Its owners just wanted to get rid of it. Derek towed it home and set to work restoring it.
Luckily, he was a dab hand at carpentry and was able to renovate it thoroughly. Having stripped it out, he repaired and built cabinetry and windows, added squabs and curtains, created a new exterior door, fitted new tyres, rewired exterior lights and repainted inside and out. When they handed the caravan over to Florrie, Derek and Margaret gave her Don and Marilyn Jessen’s book, My Mini Could Tow That. As Florrie drove away in her Mini with her new mobile home, it was as if the stars were perfectly aligned.
Short trips
Florrie says she mainly uses her Explorer at weekends and as a home away from home for work or pleasure. Her work in Napier as a community compliance officer for Inland Revenue sometimes means long hours, and if she needs to, she parks overnight in a freedom camping area. “I’ll park it on Marine Parade or at Perfume Point in Ahuriri. It’s close to the Globe Theatre, where I like to see shows, or shops and wineries. I wake up to a beautiful sunset, then go for breakfast at one of the cafes.”
On weekends, Florrie often heads to remote areas to go tramping, which is one of her favourite things to do. She and a friend will spend the day walking before returning to their home on wheels for the night. Then it’s time to rest their weary legs, have a few glasses of wine, enjoy the food they’ve prepared, and relax as the sun goes down.
The caravan is electrically wired but Florrie prefers not to use it. “I take a lantern with batteries, and because it’s such a small space, it creates enough light. It’s a summer caravan, and although it’s waterproof (Derek sealed the roofline), I haven’t used it much during the winter months.”
Florrie’s favourite feature is the beds. “Although they are narrow, they are super comfortable. I love laying in bed in the caravan reading my book. “The sound of the sea and my comfy bed makes me sleep so soundly. Once I parked on Marine Parade in Napier and was supposed to go for an early morning run, but instead, I slept in!” She also enjoys making a cup of tea on the stove and listening to a vintage radio that belonged to her mother.
Inside Layout
The inside layout comprises two bench seats (for sitting and sleeping) that run the width of the caravan, with cupboards underneath. The bench top slides to each side to reveal the stove and sink. There is storage (drawers and cupboards) above and below. When Florrie goes on a journey, she packs her clothes in a carry-on flight bag and finds this is ample, and it fits easily in the cupboard under the bed. Derek built a cupboard with a portable toilet inside, which, along with wastewater storage, means the caravan qualifies as being self-contained. The only feature that Florrie has added is a lockable tool kit.
An international career
Florrie is originally from Edinburgh in Scotland. Her work for the British Foreign Service as a diplomat for more than 20 years left her with many incredible memories. In Africa, she was British Vice-Consul – “It sounds very grand, but it was just another name for office manager/immigration officer.” In America, she met then-President Bill Clinton and his wife Hilary, and rubbed shoulders with British actor and actress Hugh Grant and Liz Hurley at an embassy cocktail party. Another highlight was having tea at Clarence House in London when she worked for a senior diplomat, who later became Deputy Private Secretary to the then- Prince of Wales.
Interestingly, Florrie’s first posting as a young diplomat was to Wellington, which she says left a lasting impression. “I loved the New Zealand lifestyle, so after I got married and my son Andrew was born, we decided to live somewhere smaller. I took voluntary redundancy, and we returned to live in Otane in central Hawke’s Bay.”
Florrie is a keen bagpiper. She and her brother, also Alvis, learned to play the pipes as children. She hadn’t played for many years, but on a trip back to Scotland after her father died, she discovered a chanter while clearing out his house and began playing ‘Scotland the Brave.’ Since then, she’s taken it up again and plays in the Napier and Hawke’s Bay Caledonia Pipe Bands. This summer, Florrie plans to travel to Waipu in Northland for the 150th Anniversary of the Highland Games.
“This trip will be my biggest challenge as I haven’t taken the Explorer this far before. The Napier-Taupō Road will be a test, but I will make frequent stops along the way.” The bubbly, outgoing Scotswoman thinks it’s fitting that her caravan is the same age as her. “We’re a good vintage,” she laughs as she enjoys a glass of wine in a friend’s garden, where she’s parked for our photo shoot. Looking around at her pretty surroundings, she says, “I think I might stay here for the night.”
