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!

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Day 3-New Zealand-CHRISTCHURCH-LAKE TEKAPO

Di celah celah banjaran Mount Potts itulah mungkin terletaknya Mount Sunday...

Christchurch---Rakaia Gorge--Mt Somers---Mount Sunday---Lake Tekapo

Assalamualaikum.....Bertemu kita kembali....Alhamdulillah

Inilah hari yang di tunggu tunggu....Pagi pagi lagi I dah keluar lepas Suboh ...jalan jalan with cold but very refreshing breeze....Snap a few photos...

Depan Lodge...lepas Suboh

Wife preparing breakfast dan berkemas kemas, bcoz I dah promised dengan Christy to be at Airport by 7.30am...So that I will be aamong  the first  to be registerred at RV Super Centre site. Anak anak ada yg ambil peluang main kat playground ...On time Mr Lloyd dah muncul with 2 other tourists...mereka sama sama nak ke airport untuk catch flight....Kami bersepuluh divided into 2 trips...Anyway sekejap je...less tha 10min dah sampai....airport...

Straight pergi ke phone booth semalam dial 31 dan terus bercakap dengan mereka that we already arrived....By 8.00am sharp...a big van from the RV SuperCampervan...sampai....there we go...

Universal Charger dengan Extension wire camni penting

Sikit paperwork verifiction including licence

Meeting the Officer Incahrge

lagi paperwork

At Last -My dream Machine for the next 9 days.HPZ 337

Meet Regan...She explained everything but was not allowed to demonstrate the driving. While she explaining to me , my wife and kids started emptying our suitcases and stored it in the storage areas...The whole process took us about 1 hour plus....

Motorhome ni adalah yang paling besar...Muat utk 6 orang...2 queen bed dah ready,kat belakang satu dan atas driver satu...dan satu lagi apabila diarrange tempat duduk tengah....Kenderaan kami guna Diesel....Harga 1 litre lebih kurang 1.14NZD/L...berbanding Petrol dalam 1.89/L...Price berubah ubah ikut tempat...Advantage of Diesel...Murah...dan warmer guna Diesel...Jadi bila pergi campsite takda power...Diesel akan provide energy untuk warmer....Yang lain akan update nanti esp pasal masuk air...buang waste water dan toilet catridge....Mudah sangat.

Please document all the scratches mark on the vehicle because it will be very important evidences when you return the vehicle later. My Motorhome is called Riverside Platinium..Muat for 6 peoples..Since I signed for premiun insurance...dapatlah few compliment items...like pre Refill LPG gas...6  chairs and camping tables...levy on certain diesel rules.

By 10am  tayar start bergolek.....fuyyyooooo......boleh ke bawak ni....Initially the reverse side camera tak function....after a while ok.....We mulakan perjalanan slowly with Amir and the family follow behind patiently....Our next stop ialah Pak N Save Hornby (4km away)...senang aje semua ada dalam GPS....Berdebar debar bawa Transformer ni....Tapi cara panduan macam je drive Estima...cuma bila belok ambil side lebih sikit....Sampai je kat Pak n Save...Parking semua penuh...I asked my wife and kids turun dulu and do a shopping.....Park saja sebelah kereta orang dulu while waiting for the empty parking side...Selang 5 minute dapat......

Dapat tempat ni hujung sekali...

Shopping pun selesai.

Parking di Pak N Sav atau Countdown ni...hanya free for the 1st 90 mimutes...lepas tu kena keluar...kalau tak kena saman 45NZ....Kali pertama shopping..kami cari ayam halal di sini...brand Brink dan Tegel mudah didapati dan memang ada sijil halal....diikuti dengan beras dan bahan asas memasak...Anak-anak memang seronok ikut pergi tempat macam ni....reason sebenar ialah dapat free wifi yang laju......hehe

Next GPS set ke Rakaia Gorge lalu Inland Scenic Route.....dan our 1st stop ialah look out point

Aylesbury

Then here

Next stop

RAKAIA GORGE

Kami sampai Rakaia Gorge dalam pukul 13.45pm...bawa dalam speed 80km/hr saja...Rehat dan ambil gambar...Langit agak mendung sikit jdan hujan renyai renyai...so Sungai Rakaia tak berapa biru...Selalunya ada power boat kat sini.....

Perut masih belum lapar lagi...jadi kami meneruskan perjalanan ke Mount Somers

The Summary of Journey…                                                                                                          

CHRISTCHURCH---82.6km   Rakaia Gorge   --37km-(25m)-Mount Somers  51km(1hr5m).  

Mount Somers -------------Mt sunday...47km (1 hour+)   

Mount Sunday--------------Mt Somers---47km

Mt Somers ke Geraldine.........50km ..(34min)

Geraldine......Lake tekapo.....105km(11/2 hour)

MOUNT HUTT STATION (before Mt Somers)

THE ADVENTURE BEGINS

Selepas Mt Somers...kami menuju ke Mt Sunday melalui jalan Hakatere-Potts Road.....Selepas 22km,,,,jalan sudah mula bertukar menjadi jalan Gravel...Tapi smooth lagi...bolehlah bawa dalam 6okm per hour.. As we continue our drive jalan progressively menjadi kasar dan bumpy...habis bergegar satu Caravan....At one stage tv pun jatuh....This area is now completely out of coverage...No phone line...No phone booth...No Wifi....Dan perjalanan dah menjadi macam tongkang yang nak pecah...dengan speed hardly can exceed 20km/hr...

I dah start risau...Surely Amir kat belakang pun kecut perut....tapi tak boleh call...My only worry is tyre puncture...Sapa nak tolong...Oh sebelum terlupa before this trip I dah buat survey on how to go to this place....Of course Mount Sunday is the Location of Rohan Capital ..."EDORAS' dalam film LOTR 2002.....Most of the blog except Kembara Berpoket Nipis.tak pernah pergi tempat ni....Tapi mereka naik Smaller Campervan...The others suggested that this place can only be reach by 4 Wheelers.....Even MAUI staffs didnt no much about this place.....

Cakap pasal LOTR ni...I knew nothing about this movie until 6 months ago when the tickets was bought ....Masa tu nak cari DVD ni kat kedai memang dah taada....mujurlah my friend pinjamkan 3 DVD LOTR (tqvm Soffee)....and lepas tu sambung tengok 3 series Hobbit pulak.....Since then we become the fan of Mr Frodo Baggin....(kami jumpa dia di Queenstown).

Dan Lokasi film LOTR ni memang banyak di South Island...di antaranya ialah Glenorchy and Paradise for the famous trees....The Remarkables at Queenstown untuk scene Perang...Lindis Pass , Milford Sound.. ..dan banyak lagi including the famous Edoras....

I decided to stop at Lake Clear Water...which is about another 9km to Edoras. The sight of Mt Sunday nowhwere to be seen but the beautiful Mt Potts surrounding it can be seen clearly.

LAKE CLEAR WATER

Break for prayer and Lunch.......15.15pm-16.00pm.....

While mereka prepare food....I snapped a few photos....Sebelum tu kena turn on LPG Gas dan jangan lupa tutup sebelum gerak nanti....Mem nak masak ni....

Kami ambil wudu' di sini ...very clean and so clear the water....In between ada orang main jet ski...

Very simple and quick....Roti dan Sandwich (yang paling sedap sekali pernah makan).....

To proceed to Mt Sunday with current road condition...It will take another 1 hour to and fro...dan lagi excess of one hour to walk to the summit....(2km off road)....memandangkan...by the time.we done its already 6pm..and we have another 200km to go to reach Lake tekapo....is a risky bussiness...or I will say Mad....kami pun slowly meninggalkan Hakater-Potts Road ....but not before sone stunning photos like these......

Jam menunjukkan pukul 4 petang...Slowly we tinggalkan Lake Clear Water....We have 200km to go (surely akan sampai dekat pukul 8 lebih)..About 2 km on the way back we were stopped by 2 group of tourists...driving a car...asking about what to expect ahead....I bagi tau..about the Lake Clear water...and they were very pleased....mereka saja nak cari tempat untuk picnic....look panic semacam je....

Then come the most unexpected thing.....strong wind...and this was the scene....everything turned white....

Luckily we on our way back...Thanks a lot to Allah....another 15km....we found the normal bitumen road....Hujan renyai..and after 70 km we stopped for a while at Geraldine.

Jam pun dah pukul 6.50pm....We have another 105km to go.....Slowly but surely we will reach lake Tekapo.....

The sight of Turquoise colour Tekapo suddenly pop up

Jam dah tunjuk pukul 8 malam....but we decided untuk singgah kat Church of Good Sheppard dulu sebab cuaca tengah cantik dan maghrib pukul m9.30pm...Anyway the lake Tekapo staffs already assured me by email in case we arrived after 8pm...they will put my site under one envelope and hang in over the counter....

Then bila dah muntah dek cantik sangat bunga Lupin ni...kami pun beredar menuju ke Lake Tekapo Holiday park which is snext to this church....Church of Good Sheppard ni memang popular untuk sesapa yang minat untuk ambil gambar Milky Way.....Cuba tengok malam ni hehehehh

Yes ...seperti yang dijangka...dah pukul 8.50pm...staff semua dah balik...and there is an envelope with my name on it (bangga pula rasanya).with details of our power site and maps included. Thanks alot...

Sampai sahaja...kami bersihkan diri....mandi air panas untuk 10 minit kena masuk coin NZD 2...purgh..Cuaca sejuk bangat...sampai ke tulang rasanya....Tak tahulah siapa yang tak mandi....yang confirm duit syilling tak sempat tukar..NZ ni bawah 5 dollar semua coin...Jadi preparelah siang-siang.Sebelum tu kita kena plug in cable ke power outlet 240v yang ada kat tiang tu...Like my site No 26.....barulah boleh charge battery 12V....additional heater....charge all the gadjets dan sebagainya...Lepas solat..wife and Che Ny prepare food...Kita makan kat luar walaupun sejuk....

Dinner outside van-freezing cold-ayam masak lemak ,telur dadar & kentang sweet n sour

1st class..makan sampai licin....

Sedar tak sedar dah pukul11 lebih...Suboh 3.30am...Syuruk kol 5.30am...tak larat den nak berMilky Way...tak kan nak drive lagi pergi kat Church tu....Syukurlah dengan apa yang dapat...

Alhamdulillah rasa lega sangat sebab semuanya berjalan dengan baik tanpa apa apa kejadian yang tak diingini...Consider succesful mission Stage 1...walaupu ada sedikit 2%(sebenarnya tinggi lagi) terkilan tak dapat pergi Edoras.....Bye bye.......tunggu apa berlaku esok pula....

total Km covered 376Km.....Minyak di tangki tunjuk just kurang dari separuh....

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