Pengalaman Bermotorhome di New Zealand dan West Australia-PRO & KONTRA

Mount Hutt,New Zealand

Gorgeous Collections of Western Australia

Memacu rumah bergerak a.k.a motorhome

Selalu berangan-angan masa kecik-kecik dulu..macam mana rasanya tinggal dalam van  merangkap rumah yg bergerak.Selalu tengok cerita omputeh dulu…. macam best je..macam best jer?.

Peluang mengenderai motorhome semasa trip ke New Zealand last year adalah satu pengalaman yang tak dapat dilupakan.Tak terlintas kat fikiran ni,akan repeat bermotorhome tahun ni…tapi kat Oz pulak!

So,best sangat ke naik motorhome ni?

Pada kami,plan bercuti ke Perth came first.Then,baru datang idea…motorhome as mode of transportation.Kami memang dah lama berangan-angan untuk ‘menjelajah’ / road trip ke West Australia bersama anak-anak.Bukan sekadar round-round sekitar Bandar Perth. Anak-anak dah besar remaja…so kena pikirkan percutian dan activities yang quite ‘happening’ (from their perspectives la).Masa anak kecik-kecik dulu,asal bercuti ..gi dok hotel…campak dalam swimming pool…dah kira gempak dah tu!

Motorhome vs kereta….mana lebih berbaloi?

Kalau korang gi bercuti dengan kengkawan…rasanya lebih kurang je sewa kereta plus accommodation…dengan sewa motorhome.Sebab,semua perbelanjaan korang akan tong tong sama-sama kan?

Tapi bagi kami..where parents pay for all the kids..lebih murah la sewa motorhome + sewa camping site…berbanding sewa kereta (err..MPV la for 6 of us) + hotel.Lagi pun,kalau sewa hotel,kami kena cari apartment / dormitory for 6 atau  sewa 2 bilik.Mahal aihh..

Our  interconnected rooms di City Water Lodge,Perth

1 queen & 4 singles

Motorhome-pros and cons

Pros

1.Convenient

Sebab ada 2-in-1 home and transport!The convenience of having beds to sleep,bathroom ..and all your gear and food with you was a huge plus..

Interior of Britz Frontier

Ruang tidur di bumbung atas bahagian driver seat

Toilet comel & bersih

2.Mudah nak bergerak ke mana-mana.

Sukati nak gi mana..dan bila..

Nak masuk hutan?

...ke pelabuhan?(Fremantle Harbour)

Atau singgah ke pantai?(Cottlestoe)

3.No hassle of packing and unpacking

We don’t have to haul all of our luggage stuff in and out of a hotel each night 

Banyak drawers...untuk simpan baju & makanan kering

4.Tak yah bawak towel dari Msia

Semua siap…bantal,sarung bantal, duvets,cadar & towels (sorang satu!)

5.Tak payah nak samak peralatan memasak kat kitchenette setiap hotel/hostel yang kita dok.

Hanya perlu samak sekali je peralatan memasak dalam motorhome tu..sebab peralatan tu je yang kita akan guna sepanjang tempoh penyewaan.

Serba lengkap.

Our life saver..

6.Food and drinks on the go

Boleh stock up snacks and bahan-bahan mentah untuk dimasak dalam fridge yang ada.Tak yah nak menyinggah mana-mana kalau lapar dahaga.

7.Complete mobile kitchen.

Your  motorhome will come with china plates, bowls, cups, cutlery, wine glasses, drinking glasses, coffee plunger, bottle/can opener, mixing bowls, colander, saucepans, frying pans, chopping board, electric jug, gas kettle, tea towel, toaster.Phew..Lengkap untuk berumahtangga dalam motorhome nih..Perfecto!

Microwave

Sinki

Dapus gas (+hot plate+oven) di sebelah sinki

8.Macam-macam adaaa..

Ni pun ada?pegs, clothes hangers, dustpan & brush, biodegradable toilet chemicals, fire extinguisher, dishwashing detergent, bucket & hose, disposable gloves, broom, matches, toilet roll and bin liner.

9. Jimat ..sebab masak sendiri.

Also,it saves time at the end of a long day when you don’t feel up to sitting and waiting on restaurant service.Dan di kala susah mencari restaurant yang halalan thayyiban.

10.Pengalaman menginap di campervan parks…

Menyeronokkan dan berbeza dari menginap di hotel.

Caravan parks give you access to showers, laundry, cooking facilities  and a variety of amenities that vary from park to park. 

Natural swimming pool kat Fonty's Pool Campsite

Modern pool at Perth Vineyard

Giant Jumping Pillow at Rest Point Holiday Park

Playground dengan tema Pirates of The Caribean di Yallingup Holiday Park

Beach at Emu Albany Campsite

11.Family time

Back home… anak-anak remaja biasanya berhibernasi di bilik masing-masing.Sharing a common space in a motorhome during vacation…merupakan valuable family time for us.

Rajin pulak !

Sama-sama mengemas

12.Superior panoramic view from motorhome

The windshield is large, allowing scenic surroundings to be much more visible as you drive. You're also higher up from the road surface.

Cons

1.Susah nak handle motorhome…mula-mula

It’s not easy to maneuver a vehicle that’s practically as big as a house,..especially for the first timer.

The brainchild of our motorhome tour,,

First & last time behind the wheel....Timaru to Ashburton,NZ

Lagi satu kena sentiasa 'sedar diri'...maksudnya?Sentiasa well oriented dengan keadaan kenderaan yang kita pandu ni.Always remember that your motorhome ada 'jambul'/ remos.(tempat tidur atas seat driver)/So..always be cautious kalau nak masuk kat petrol station untuk isi diesel.Some petrol station,memang tak lepas..

Begitu jugak kalau pegi mall / supermarket...janganlah berangan nak parking kat basement atau yang ada bumbung tu.To be safe,park kat kawasan lapang.Hati-hati juga bila mendekati pokok-pokok...takut terlanggar dahan or ranting-ranting..tak pasal-pasal calar-balar!

2.Susah nak parking

Especially kat bandar yang agak crowded.

Tapi berjaya jugak parking di tengah-tengah Albany

Anak bujang kami memang dah di assigned ...everytime abah nak reverse motorhome,dia kena turun and jaga kat belakang.Walau pun ada reverse camera,please don't rely on it semata-mata.

3. Parking motorhome bukan percuma!

Don’t ever think that with a motorhome,you can get free accommodation at your fingertips... you will often have to pay to park your wheels for the night.Ya!tak boleh park motorhome sesuka hati..kat mana-mana…kalau tak  kena saman.

Camping sites kena bayar parking dia..Terpulang samada powered atau non-powered campsites. 

Lake Tekapo Campsite,NZ (powered)

Non powered campsite at Moke Lake,NZ

2.Living in the motorhome can be cramped

Oleh  kerana anak-anak semua dah besar-besar,jadi ruang untuk bergerak agak terbatas…apa lagi untuk memasak,berkemas,solat dsb..Kiranya,motorhome ni sesuai untuk tidur saja lah.Bukan untuk bersantai-santai macam kat rumah tu.Emmm…I NEED A SPACE!

So,day time…when you stop over,just get out of the car…and explore!

3.Housekeeping….housekeeping…housekeeping!

Living in a smaller home (in comparison to the ‘real’ house..)is all about discipline..Hanya yang pernah stay together in this boxed house ..tau keadaannya bila malam tiba..langsir dilabuhkan.Your motorhome instantly becomes messy and cluttered..

Senario biasa..

Never ending chore..

Our kids were constantly be reminded to put their belongings in place…always.Memang kejap-kejap hilang stokin sebelah,wayar USB ntah ke mana,earphones dalam selimut …macam-macam!

But,we as parents tried (very hard,indeed) to refrain ourselves from nagging…Kalau tak,tak enjoy lah holiday,kan?

Baiknyerrr..lipat baju

4.Masak manja-manja

Bila gunakan gas hub untuk memasak…sebaik-baiknya kami sarankan merebus,steam atau stir fry sahaja Sebab,kalau dah deep fry ,dapur jadi messy,berkecah dengan minyak masak …rumit nak mengemas.Silap hari bulan,fire alarm akan berbunyi.Pernah alarm berbunyi..kemain nyaring,,,masa goreng telur mata kerbau kat NZ dulu.Tetiba power shut off pulak.

Makan kat open air campsite..

..atau dalam motorhome...

Tapi,dah travel dengan anak-anak..yang tekak memang tak boleh tinggal nasi dan sambal…nak-nak lagi ada mama,as portable and mobile chef..kena lah juga sediakan home cooked food.Cuma,alternatively..pergi lah masak kat kitchenette camping parks.Bawa peralatan memasak sendiri.

Home-cooked food... away from home..

5.Mandi kerbau dalam bathroom

Kami tak galakkan anak-anak mandi dalam bilik air motorhome.Satu sebab,ruangnya yang sempit.Dah kedua,bekalan air yang limited,memang tak puas mandi.The solution,mandi lah kat shower camping sites…boleh puas berkubang!

Bilik air on our own at Emu Albany Campsite

Shower Room at Fonty's Pool Campsite

Jadi,tu lah serba sedikit kupasan untuk isu hari ini.Semoga dapat mencetuskan inspirasi dan motivasi bagi sesiapa yang nak cuba bermotorhome.

Akhir kata,pesanan dari penaja....

Take good care of your motorhome...

And lurve it!

Ok...adios...babai!

Generate money with your photo collection-click here