A FAMILY AFFAIR
Converting a home on wheels is no easy task – but with two sisters, one partner, one step dad and an a mazing mum on board, MCD’s Shannon Williams was able to hit the road in Potato.
I had a late appreciation of the outdoors. As a kid I hated hikes, I never went camping…in fact I still needed to ask for help to set up a tent in my mid 20s. But then something weird happened… I started to look forward to bushwalks, researching day hikes, ignoring easy trails and trying ones I knew I would simultaneously hate and love. I started looking up overnight hikes, and even did my first Great Walk over the New Year this year. This all from a girl who was put at the front of the pack on school camps because I walked so slowly and complained the whole time, according to my mum.
Along with my new appreciation of the outdoors, the last 10 years has also seen my love of camping grow. There’s nothing better than sleeping in a forest, or next to a beach, or on the lake’s edge, with your dogs by your side. And of course, enjoying cups of tea and delicious, basic dinners made over a tiny stove.
One year, my sister Karina and I took the plunge and bought a pretty decent tent that gave us each a room, along with a shared living space, with plenty of room for the dogs. We camped in the forest in the Coromandel, next to the beach in the Far North, opposite a lake in Rotorua. Camping was definitely our holiday of choice now.
My partner, Ryan is also a keen camper; he had also bought a van and converted it into a campervan. We named it Chicken. We were only away for a couple of weeks, but by the time we got back, I was hooked. The tent was no more.
After Chicken died a slow and sad death, I convinced my sister that it was time we say goodbye to our tent days and invest in our own van. Let’s face it – tents are great, but air beds are not, and tents and dogs, or tents and rain, are not a good combo.
SEEKING POTATO
After getting Karina on board, it was time to find the perfect van. Ryan’s old van was quite small, and I knew I wanted something a bit larger. I checked out tons of YouTube videos and scoured online listings. We went with our stepdad, Gordon, to check out a few, including some awful ones – think cigarettes and dirt – but finally came across the perfect match, a Mitsubishi L300. We bought it off a French tourist who was about to leave the country, and it was in great condition. She had all the van’s paperwork, copies of any work that had been done, and it wasn’t gross – check.
STARTING FROM SCRATCH
While the van we bought was already converted, the layout wasn’t what we wanted. It had an old sink, a built-in stove that didn’t work, and a fixed bed that had a full-size mattress that you would find on a normal bed.
So our first task was to completely gut the interior. Ryan and Karina worked on pulling out all the framing and dismantling the bed, while I got my hands dirty and cleaned, cleaned, cleaned.
After a lot of back and forth, we finally agreed on a layout. We wanted the kitchen to be in the front of the van, not at the back, as I didn’t like the idea of having to cook under the back door if it was raining. We didn’t want a fixed bed as I would be working from the van most of the time, and we wanted decent storage under the bench seats.
Ryan is a furniture maker by trade, so it was his job to kit out the interior of the van. He designed and built all the framing and shelving, created the living area that would convert into a full size bed, and made the beautiful cupboard and bench doors. For the doors, we used pine plywood, and Ryan used a table saw to create the score lines. We used a marine- grade varnish to finish. Ryan also hooked up a second 12 volt battery, connected to an inverter, so we could charge laptops, phones and have the fan going on those really hot nights.
Because it’s a small space, easy access was super important. In the kitchen, we created a handy cupboard for the chilly bin, where it can be accessed two ways – from the top in the inside of the van, and from the side from the outside of the van by the sliding door. The storage area under the bench seats can also be accessed two ways – from the top and from the sides. The cupboard and bench doors are fastened by velcro.
While functionality is obviously the most important part of vanlife, aesthetics are important to both me and Karina. We had seen so many boring vans with monotone seats and unoriginal furnishings. Basically, we didn’t want a sitting area that looked cheap and nasty. So, with Mum in tow, we headed to the material store to see what was on offer, and found this really bright, refreshing leaf patterned fabric. Mum was an absolute superstar and sewed all the cushion covers, and made custom curtains out of some linen tablecloths.
After just a short couple of weeks, our new van, Potato, was ready to hit the road. However, not long after Potato was ready, Covid hit. For us, it was perfect timing being stranded in New Zealand because we really got the chance to explore all round our beautiful country.
FAVOURITE SPOTS
For me, nothing beats Northland in the summer. There are dozens of beautiful beaches and hidden bays, and fewer people if you avoid the main hot spots (always a bonus if you ask me). Doubtless Bay is definitely mine and Karina’s favourite area – Tokerau Beach, Matai Bay and Whatuwhiwhi on the Karikari Peninsula are in my book the best camping spots around.
The Coromandel also has some fantastic camping spots, and it’s generally super dog friendly. Booms Flat in the Kauaeranga Valley is nestled right in the forest and there’s some amazing swimming holes. Wentworth Valley just out of Whangamata is also in my Top 10.
THINKING OF CONVERTING YOUR OWN VAN?
Here are some top tips:
• Think long and hard about layout. Once you’ve settled on the structure, it’s hard to change.
• Think about the type of trips you’re doing. If you want to spend ages on the road, storage will be important.
• Spend the money to get your van fully self contained; it will open up lots of fantastic camping spots.
• Get a good mattress – if you go cheap, you’ll regret it.
• Just go for it.
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