1st time towing our big caravan over the Alps | REEFTONS free camp

[@caravanstuff2827]

I'm happy you guys enjoyed my home town...I saw your rig parked by the river and heard you guys having fun in bush by the skate park... about the power station..it was primarily built to supply the mines with power , the towns street lights were a secondary consideration.. ironically when it's rebuilt it's primary purpose will be the towns street lights... look forward to Westport , there's a lot to see their especially cape fowl wind and the old mine that's on top of the mountain overlooking the town..safe travels , look forward to your next post!!.❤️🇳🇿

[@leopardsgowild]

Cheers mate, def enjoyed reefton, seemed pretty tranquil in there... Westport area has been awesome to explore and the weather has been nice so far as well, which is a bonus.

[@caravanstuff2827]

Sorry just to clarify the old mine I mentioned is the denniston incline..well worth the trip!!.❤️🇳🇿

[@foxro48]

Another great video. See Toby was itching to be active again. Well done with towing. Stay safe 🤗🤗

[@leopardsgowild]

Toby needs his outside time alright, he gets so much built up energy.

[@scallywags12]

We towed our 5th wheel trailer over steep 15% grades this summer. My husband used 4WD low and went so slow.

[@leopardsgowild]

Yea I've contemplated 4wd low before been down one very steep hill in 1st gear but generally we have been pretty good we'll see how the west coast goes.

[@nzhillbilly6468]

1000 Thumbs up, another awesome vid, cheers.

[@leopardsgowild]

Oh thank you, glad you enjoyed the adventure.

[@bernicevannini1117]

Get a piece of either carpet off-cut or garage carpet to put on the floor of your van. It doesn’t cost a lot and It makes a huge difference to the warmth, comfort and (lack of) condensation.

[@leopardsgowild]

I reckon thats a good way to go, we actually got a few bath mates from Kmart, which work well, it means we can throw them in with the laundry, and shake them off outside, which has helpped alot... Out here on the upper West Coast it's so much warmer in the caravan, these extreme cold moments don't help with keeping warm thats for sure.

[@bernicevannini1117]

@@leopardsgowild garage carpet is good…you can take it out and water blast it or scrub with a hose and brush 😜

[@bomax1066]

When you are in Westport go and check out Middelton. Lots of old minning there and an inclide that still has the old waggons on it with coal. The warm water near the wash house is from a mine that has been on fire for a long time, got that frome a local. There is no signage, most people go to Denniston a few k up the road.

[@leopardsgowild]

That sounds like a cool spot, warm water sounds so lovely right now as well. We checked out Denniston was a cool spot

[@bomax1066]

That water has acid in it from the fire we were advised not play with it. It is just a stream by the pond next to the wash house. If you can find a local there is a lot of history there. Strange it is not promoted like Denniston

[@wendingourway]

Had my own experience while towing, many years ago now, and still haven't pulled anything since. Well, hopefully you won't find yourself in the middle of a blizzard. Indeed, ask and know for sure and you will most likely will be able to. Great adventuring! Bruce and Otis

[@leopardsgowild]

Towing down hills can be scary when your getting pushed down hill and you can't stop especially when you can smell hot brakes we should be pretty sweet now... If we're lucky we might get some snow late spring otherwise next winter

[@bryanbadger6841]

Glad you got over. In my experience as a commercial driver, now retired, the passes in general tend to start freezing from 3-4pm onwards. Sorry to say, not one of your better ideas mate, and towing a caravan too. Too be on the safe side, I would have left it until the next day. Reefton was not going anywhere. It was still there next day. The road crew at the engineers camp on the pass,do a pretty good job, keeping the road covered with ice grit. As you can see, I'm still binge watching. Slowly catching up. All the very best.

[@leopardsgowild]

I guess you had to be there, we woke up to drizzling rain, and that snow was mostly gone when we drove out, well n truly before any frost or freezing. We even drove to the summit and did the walk at lunch time to see the conditions with out the caravan. I am a very cautious and anxious tower there is no way I would endanger myself, my family or our home, I make good decisions. Thanks.

[@WayneWaring-v9f]

Great video Mike, Reefton looks like a great place to check out too

[@leopardsgowild]

It was cool, worth calling the council if your there in a period thats not so busy if you wanted to stay longer. Heaps of exploring to do.

[@RadRoadAdventures]

Piece of cake driving the Lewis, as a driver the worst part is not being able to take in all the views. I love that the old power station site is getting more work as it's a pretty cool heritage place

[@leopardsgowild]

Yea the Lewis pass was a great tow and def nothing worth worrying about at all, def helps when everything is working as it should. I can tell you heavy caravans are pretty efficent at pushing you down a hill faster than you want to go. Reefton was a great spot, did a big run up in the hills, legs felt a bit heavy afterwards which is always a good feeling.

[@RadRoadAdventures]

@leopardsgowild you and Jade could think about running to the Heaphy Hut from Kōhaihai, Scotts Beach is a good half day walk too. It's a shame this track is also closed pending a bridge rebuild.

[@nickigarcia7]

Awesome. Maybe your second year of travel should be in Australia. You can free park outside of our place 😉😀

[@leopardsgowild]

I reckon that would be an awesome idea, we would love to do that 😀

[@karenrobinson4969]

hi Guys, for a floor insulation experiment in the older campervan we use, we put down those (multicoloured, but you can get them in one colour as well), foam floor mats that jigsaw together. Turned out to work rather well, removable, easy to clean, and you can easily cut them to size. Could be a bit of fun in the van too, if you pick the brightly coloured ones that I did. :) cheers

[@leopardsgowild]

That's a good idea we had those for the outside of our old retro caravan they are super lite as well which is a bonus, we don't want to add any more weight

[@grahamthompson6507]

Beautiful spot ...

[@leopardsgowild]

Yea lots of awesome nature and history to discover in the area which is always our favourite.

[@grahamthompson6507]

@@leopardsgowild absolutely awesome reefton and surrounds so much to see and do ....

[@mikedew380]

Great to see the family enjoying the Reefton area. I look forward to your footage and I hope you can find some work so you can continue the travels in the mainland. Thank you.

[@leopardsgowild]

Thanks mate, was a cool spot for sure. I got a job for next week, so thats a good start...

[@owenpotter2459]

Hey guys. Glad your c9ndensation problem is improving. Not sure I've solved mine in the boat, but being more vigilant about it. I remember your trailer fire. Quite impressive!

[@leopardsgowild]

That fire was not fun, never seen something so hot before... condensation is so frustrating probably need carpet tiles, being in some very cold places has definitely not helped... are you still working or back to working on the boat?

[@owenpotter2459]

@@leopardsgowild still working, though not sure for how much longer. Getting damp under my bed again. Ho hum.

[@garth2876]

Such a great area and Reefton is a great friendly town with lots to see and do in the outdoors. Glad you enjoyed the drive through the pass. There's always the alternative of going around the top of the Southern Alps through Murchison. My first drone is in the Inangahua river somewhere just up from Reefton. Just about got hypothermia trying to find it in a huge pool.

[@leopardsgowild]

Do you avoid hills going from blenheim through to the coast or are they just smaller, never been that way.

[@garth2876]

@@leopardsgowild it's basically a gentle climb from Blenheim to St Arnaud at about 650m and that's the start of the Buller river, then a gentle downhill all the way to Westport

[@NZCaravanLife]

Looks like you enjoyed Reefton and a good thaw out 😜 so much history there and damn good gin.. we stayed at the pub and it was free, except they do ask for you to pop in and have a drink just to support them… there’s also the racecourse.. really good tip about ringing the local council, not one we’ve thought of doing but will definitely do that, there’s been quite a few places we’ve been to where the only option is freedom camp but restrictions have meant we’ve only been able to stay for 2 nights and there was so much more to explore than just 2 nights worth… keep up the great work team 👍

[@leopardsgowild]

Soph got a taste of the Gun from Garth Haylock which she loved lol... We don't ever go out for drinks 1 we have kids, 2 it's pricey, we will definitely make up for that in our later years though trust me... Calling the local councils have been really helpful, they are more than willing to help you out, I think they are more conerned with those without the onboard toilet, she gave me her number and name if we had any problems so we are sweet for a weee while now.

[@NZCaravanLife]

@@leopardsgowild I’m hearing and feeling you with point 1 & 2 👍 I’m sure Garth looked after you well, he’s a good guy… council sounds like it’s a good way to go

[@lifeontheroadnz6900]

After driving our old Bedford bus up and down big hills I know exactly how you feel 😳🙂

[@leopardsgowild]

Cheers mate, there's a lot of trust in the gear, no brakes leave you option b, hand brake and then option c crash as graciously as you can, when you can't stop its scary

[@jezthomas4402]

I remember stopping at Reefton to charge up my electric motorbike at the caravan park. The history is crazy there; I think they had electricity before London and a stock exchange before New York! Glad to see you guys thawing out a bit and good to hear you’re keeping the trail running going. I’m putting the last bit of training together for the Blue Lake weekend; managed 4 laps last year and am aiming for 6 this time! 😳 My electric camper trip south had to be abandoned; the weather critically reduced the range, plus a number of rapid chargers were busted. So that’s the end of that! Am hoping to continue the camping adventures in October with an electric car with a much bigger battery, and a tent!

[@caravanstuff2827]

There's a pommy RV vloger I follow who tows a small caravan with a EV around the UK...you might pick up some tips from watching his posts..his name is Andrew ditton..good luck on your adventure's!!.❤️🇳🇿

[@leopardsgowild]

Oh thats no good about your camper, hope you get it all working good for summer adventures... Reefton does have a lot of history, lots of incredible infrustructure around the mining, amazing what they were able to achieve with limited tech and machinery.

[@jezthomas4402]

@@leopardsgowild Thanks Mike, I'm selling the van; the range is too small - I can't even get between one charger and the next in the winter, and summer trips are really tough too. I just ordered an EV car and am looking at tent options; it's more important to me to be able to get to wherever I want, rather than have great accom when I'm there, so a tent will do me til NZ decide to import some of the long range eVans that the rest of the world have. Will be back in a van in a couple of years I expect.

[@jezthomas4402]

@@caravanstuff2827 Thanks for the tip. Yep, I've seen his vids of Skye; beautiful place. I'm not really a caravan kind of person, but I will give it some thought. The real freedom for a van for me is stopping wherever I want on a journey, getting in the back and making a brew and some lunch, or stopping at a watering hole for a dip then drying off and changing in the back, including doing a bit of easy off-roading. I also like the option of stealth camping sometimes, like when I go to city gigs and festivals. But thanks for the suggestion; I'll chew it over.

[@shanedavies9564]

Awesome mate go to the Denniston inclyne buy the way I'm a painter etc myself lols cheers , shaneo, Nelson, 👍

[@leopardsgowild]

Hey mate, Twizel is the place for work thats for sure, hot summers, freezing winters though... Denniston incline was great alright, what a spot.

[@gettingoutwiththekids]

Just catching up after our break in Mexico, seems really odd seeing you with snow when it was so hot there. Hope you're all doing well

[@leopardsgowild]

Mate we had a blast in the snow, it took way to long, this alpine pass has snow so often in winter who knows why it took so long for us... Your mexico trip looked awesome, so many animals

[@LittleCamperNZ]

Still have some work for you Mike when you get back to the North Island. In the meantime thanks for making me jealous lol.

[@leopardsgowild]

Oh awesome good to know, might be next Autumn we head that way, we'll be down South well into SUmmer I reckon then we have a family reunion penciled in for Feb some time, so that will bring us North.

[@LittleCamperNZ]

@@leopardsgowild We'll wait for you.

[@montyspearo]

There are some apps that show the position of sun at different times, may help picking your pitch.

[@leopardsgowild]

Oh man with the solar I think we struck out on this one lol... We do have a generator which helps a lot if power is running low.

[@newann20]

Hope you can find some work so that you can continue this lifestyle for longer. ❤

[@leopardsgowild]

Yea the otherside of vanlife, paying for it

[@Michael7477]

So you are a nervous anxious tower? You're probably the type of driver we need more of. Better than an over confident reckless tower.

[@leopardsgowild]

Definitely drive safe with our house behind us, had some idiot drivers over taking on blind corners once passing lanes have ended, be tragic to be involved in an accident.

[@jamesbrussels5776]

Hi maybe find a local builder for work because not everyone realys on the internet on the west coast Cheers

[@leopardsgowild]

Just got loaded with work now luckily, gonna be a busy month a head. A few ppl suggested going into the pubs