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Vagabond Life
New Zealand
Приєднався 7 лип 2013
Want to retire early? Want adventure in your life?
We decided on a lifestyle change, we gave up our jobs and travel in our Caravan/travel trailer so we can go on adventures around our home country, New Zealand and at a later stage some more overseas travel.
If you are sick of the rat race and wake up every day feeling like it's groundhog day, subscribe and come along with us, as we take you on some adventures.
#vagabond #travel #adventure #wanderlust #roadtrip #scenicroutes #budgettravel #boondocking #caravancamping #retireearly #exploration #offthebeatenpath #localexperience
Timaru & first time to the snow
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers and a big welcome for those new to the channel.
If you have just found our channel but have not yet subscribed, please consider hitting the subscribe button. We are reaching for the moon and need your help to do that.
After leaving Ashburton we moved to Timaru, we have been here before, in fact, we were here for 4 weeks on lockdown in 2021 so we are very familiar with the place, however, we can look at it with different eyes this time around.
After a cold night, we woke up the next morning to find out that it had snowed overnight at Lake Tekapo, a place we were due to move to in the next week. However, we wanted to be there when it snowed, and we just might miss it, so we decided to do a day trip to see the snow while it was still around.
So come along with us as we take you for a tour around Timaru and take Rewa up to the snow for the day.
If you have just found our channel but have not yet subscribed, please consider hitting the subscribe button. We are reaching for the moon and need your help to do that.
After leaving Ashburton we moved to Timaru, we have been here before, in fact, we were here for 4 weeks on lockdown in 2021 so we are very familiar with the place, however, we can look at it with different eyes this time around.
After a cold night, we woke up the next morning to find out that it had snowed overnight at Lake Tekapo, a place we were due to move to in the next week. However, we wanted to be there when it snowed, and we just might miss it, so we decided to do a day trip to see the snow while it was still around.
So come along with us as we take you for a tour around Timaru and take Rewa up to the snow for the day.
Переглядів: 85
Відео
Freedom camp & farmers market
Переглядів 32716 годин тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers. If you have just found this channel and like our videos, please consider hitting the subscribe button so we can bring more videos to you. After leaving Kaiapoi we stayed at the Weedons Christchurch NZMCA Park for a couple of nights as Shelly was waiting for her fishing license to arrive in the post. We then headed off and stayed at the Ashburto...
Kaiapoi, Christchurch & guided tour
Переглядів 34714 днів тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers. If you are not yet a subscriber but love watching our videos, please consider hitting the subscribe button so we can make more of these videos for you. After leaving Hanmer Springs and enjoying the relaxing thermal hot pools, it was time to head further south. We thought we might look at Kaiapoi, an outer suburb of Christchurch. This beautiful ...
A bit of fun at Hanmer Springs
Переглядів 36621 день тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers and thank you for tuning in for another adventure with Vagabond life. If you haven't yet subscribed to our channel but enjoy watching our videos, we ask that you hit the subscribe button once you are signed into your UA-cam profile, as this helps promote our channel and we are aiming for the moon so we need your help to do this. After having a g...
Kaikoura Fishing, fails, but beautiful views
Переглядів 24328 днів тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers, and if you have just found our channel please consider hitting the subscribe button and help us grow our channel. After leaving Ward Beach we venture onto Kaikoura. A beautiful little town on the East coast of the South Island of New Zealand. Kaikoura is known for a few things, such as Crayfish, Whale watching, and a massive earthquake in 2016 ...
Catching dinner with a view at Ward Beach
Переглядів 3,5 тис.Місяць тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers and if you are new to our channel welcome. After leaving Blenheim we travel further down the East Coast to a POP (Park Over Property) out at Ward Beach. This is a small portion of Land fenced off by a couple who own a substantial chunk of Land primarily used as a sheep farm. Everyday, (and sometimes 3 times a day) you can watch the crayfishermen...
Burleigh pies, bikes, and Blenheim - Whoopsie
Переглядів 178Місяць тому
Good evening to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers The last video posted of this same title was incorrectly posted as it was the highlights video (snippets of the full video) Shelly was having a blond moment (whoopsie lol), so here is the full video without further a due. Today we take you along for a day in Blenheim township, as we take in the sights along the stream for a bike ride with...
Crossing the Cook Strait with a dog
Переглядів 369Місяць тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers. After leaving the beautiful Kairakau beach, we move on to Palmerston North for a couple of days and stay at a great little farm block. We then head south onto Plimmerton NZMCA (New Zealand Motorhome & Caravan Association) park. It's a great little spot if you want to explore Wellington city (as the Plimmerton train station is only a 3-minute wa...
Another hidden gem
Переглядів 226Місяць тому
Welcome to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers. If you are new to the channel please give it a thumbs up, like, and subscribe which will help grow our channel. After leaving Haumoana we head further south to a beautiful bay called Kairakau Beach. This is a cheap camp to stop over for a max of 3 nights @ $3 per person. There are no rubbish bins, so it's a pack-in and pack-out, but it has a ...
The journey begins
Переглядів 2482 місяці тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers we hope you are all well and happy. The journey begins.... as we leave our house for the last time and head off on the road. We spent a few nights in Rotorua as we needed to sell our Suzuki Jimny (which we did) then onto Taupo for a night and caught up with some friends Grant and Cindy for some 4 O'clock drinkies & nibbles. We then headed off to...
Vagabond new life begins
Переглядів 3042 місяці тому
And so it begins........ Welcome and hello to all of our UA-cam subscribers, also, if you have just come across this video and like it please give it a thumbs up and consider subscribing to our channel, we are reaching for the moon and we want/need your help to do this. So, the decision was to put the house up for sale, go on the road, and get back to having some adventures, this time full-time...
Future plans for Vagabond Life
Переглядів 2303 місяці тому
So it's been waaaaaaaaay too long since we last posted a video, so thank you for sticking around. The first half of this year has been taken up with Darren working the Kiwifruit season, after which we sat down and said enough is enough. This is not why we gave up our full-time jobs! We did it so we could travel, but as we all know the last couple of years have been horrible and then the cost of...
Life after Thailand
Переглядів 747 місяців тому
Hello to all of our @vagabondlife2018 subscribers. Yes we know..., we know..... its been a while that you have heard from us since we put out our last video in Thailand, so what happened.....? Well life happened I guess. After we came back from our Thailand trip, it was Christmas, then we were away in the Caravan and catching up with family, and after that we were painting our Rental units. And...
Sticky Waterfall Chiang Mai Thailand
Переглядів 11910 місяців тому
Sticky Waterfall Chiang Mai Thailand
Chiang Mai to Pai & walking street market
Переглядів 25711 місяців тому
Chiang Mai to Pai & walking street market
Loy Krathong Festival Chiang Mai 2023
Переглядів 38211 місяців тому
Loy Krathong Festival Chiang Mai 2023
Chiang Rai's hidden gems - Exploring the White and Blue Temples
Переглядів 10711 місяців тому
Chiang Rai's hidden gems - Exploring the White and Blue Temples
Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai on Scooters
Переглядів 38811 місяців тому
Chiang Mai to Chiang Rai on Scooters
Exploring the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok via Longtail Boat
Переглядів 187Рік тому
Exploring the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok via Longtail Boat
The day in the life of a Kiwifruit forklift driver
Переглядів 1,1 тис.Рік тому
The day in the life of a Kiwifruit forklift driver
Hi guys so great to see Rewa playing in the snow hope she is all well now we unfortunately lost our little dog on the 3rd Nov from Bladder cancer we had to cut our South Island trip short to try and get him him but we didn’t make we had to get him put down in Picton the night before the ferry crossing but at least he is out of pain now enjoy your travels
OMG Gavin we're so sorry to hear that news 😥. It must have been an unpleasant crossing for you both with that still fresh on your minds and hearts. Glad to hear though, that your little dog is no longer in pain. We still hope to meet you both on the road sometime. Take care and safe travels.
haha, told ya! Fairlie good arent they (see what I did there!)
🤣😂😆 love it! I'm fairly sure you're correct 😂🤣😆 (see what I did there)
@@vagabondlife2018 🤣
What did you buy at the markets? Farmers and artisan markets?
Hi Sharri we bought a pumpkin, some free range eggs and a couple of apple strudel scrolls for lunch 😋. It was only a very small market, but great to support local producers.
Thanks for sharing. It’s a good farmers market in Ashburton a. A nice place to stay at Geraldine is Woodbury Domain, it’s a POP and on the NZMCA app has toilets and water, $10.00 per night per vehicle. Safe travels. I’m at the NZMCA park in Kaiapoi for 10 nights.
Thanks Allan we didn't know about Woodbury domain, we're trying to stay at a few new POP's or freedom camps. Enjoy Kaiapoi (we certainly did 😉) Safe travels.
My favourite place to stay. Been there a few times. Lovely owners. Told him how grateful I was to him and his wife for their generosity.
Yes I agree, we are so lucky to have such wonderful land owners who open up their beautiful properties to us.
Great content in the video👍. I’m Ch Ch born and raised but on the road now as you are. Was living in Pegasus for 5 year before deciding to sell up and travel around NZ. Kaiapoi is a great wee town with plenty to do and see. I’m heading back to Ch Ch next week to catch up with family plus have a few thing to do while there and will probably stay at the NZMCA park in Kaiapoi as a base while I’m there so this video was great timing😊👍. The Lupins along the main road to Tekapo were sprayed off a few years ago because they were causing a hazard with tourists where tourists were stopping to take photos but there’s plenty around the lake.
Thanks Allan. Yeah we really loved Kaiapoi and having our friend giving us a tour of Christchurch was awesome as it always helps when you have someone with a bit of knowledge of the areas to take you while there was great. No doubt our paths will cross at sometime, always happy to catch up 😉
@@vagabondlife2018 yes that would be great to see you on my travels 😊
Well, I learnt something about Kaiapoi! I never knew about that mailbox sculpture and have driven past it so many times! Also, I should have said, that Chinese beside the laundromat (Kaikanui) is the best one. So now you know for next time! I used to go there from Rangiora. I had a great day as well, catch up again soon I hope :-)
Ah okay well the little girl that came in the laundry, her parents possibly own that restaurant next door. Yeah the mailboxes are a sad reminder of what used to be. We loved our catch up and tour around Christchurch ❤️
Hi Darren. This is the first video that actually explains the cause of the problem. What brand of sealant did you use on the repair?
Hi Mark, I can't quite remember the actual brand, but a general exterior sealant is perfectly fine to use.
Any time for a brew watched the hamner video first happy travels
😁👍
Hi guys great to catch up with you both in kaikoura love your choice of pies where you at the moment cheers
Hey Mike & Julie we are currently in Ashburton and heading towards Geraldine, looking forward to catching up again with you both soon.
Darren seeing as I can't race you on the ebike, after watching this video I definitely want to challenge you at mini golf.😅😅
Hey Robert, to be fair it wouldn't be much of a challenge 🤣😂, but it sounds like a lot of fun and I'm sure much laughter 😉
Great Video Guys we have made it to Cromwell for a few days
Hi Gavin yep we are still heading that way, but just having to learn to slow down 🤷
Doesn’t pay to laugh when your second up, you never know how one will fare😃
Hi Allan, yes that is a true statement and it always looks easier than it is when you're watching someone else 🤣😂
@@vagabondlife2018 totally 😊👍
Haha, the golf!! It's never easy is it. Well done Shelly! 🎉
😂🤣 thanks Liz I only just got a head by a point or 2 😂🤣
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂 you guys need to have a rematch - I've never laughed so hard watching you play mini golf - fun times 😍
🤣😂 no way I won, so Darren now has to clean the toilet for the next month, I don't want a rematch 🤣😂
is there good diving there?
Hi Jonathon I would say there is because while we were there a couple of local lads turned up and got all kitted up and went out around the rocks, unfortunately we then left the beach so we never got to see what they had in their dive bags when they came out. (I was too busy filleting the fish we caught for dinner) Funnily enough we caught that one over by the rocks, so there must be food to eat there 🤔
We love Ward Beach but decided on Kekerengu for a few days.
Hey Wendy & Mike yeah it certainly was a great spot, but we have never tried Kekerengu so we may have to give it a go on the way back up if we go back that way ☺️
Nice spot passed through ward today now at Donegal House for couple nights
Yeah definitely a great place to relax, very quiet, might need to try Donegal house on the way back.
Which end did you park up at? Very exposed to the easterly long the coast there, we had a night at Marfells Beach north of there on our way up to the top of the south in March and it wasn’t pleasant, died down after dinner though
To the left of the Ward Beach reserve in the NZMCA POP. Wind did get up on the odd night but it wasn't that bad (we've been in worse 🫣)
We have used the pet friendly cabins a couple of times now. The peace of mind is well worth the extra $$$. The racecourse in Blenheim is a great stop over as well.
Hey David yes we are very lucky that one of our ferry services offer pet friendly cabins and if you have an early morning sailing it's great to catch a couple of hours of sleep on the crossing. Blenheim racecourse is a perfect stop over having everything you need with water, a dump station and a laundry. What more could you ask for ☺️
Well set up👍. You can spend a day looking around Omaka Aviation Museum and Car museum(maybe not the ladies)
Thanks for the comment, yes you need to be well set up when heading out full time ☺️
Fat bastard pies on Tay St in Invercargill is another one to put on the list to compare. It's right next door to my old work. So was dangerous come lunch break time! It's nice the Weather Lea racecourse isn't it. We have stayed many times.
Hey Andrew thanks for that we will definitely put that on our list of comparison pies (maybe Darren should be one if the judges for the next Bakels pie awards 🤣😂) Hope you and the family are well and still enjoying travelling.
Nice electric bikes! How do they perform? Are they comfy on your bum e.g. suspension/seat and do you have to peddle or can you coast at times? 🤩
Thanks for the comment Sharri. So you can either pedal without assistance (just like a normal bike) however it is also heavier than a normal bike at 30 kgs so it's hard cycling without power assist. Our bikes have 6 power levels and about 9 gears. They go up to about 35 - 38 km/hr and can travel about 150 kms on one charged battery. We usually ride in a lower gear in power assist one and if into a headwind then power assist 2. They have been great, they have nice wide saddles so are very comfy to sit on (and suspension under the seat) they also fold up so are perfect to take away in the boot of a campervan or SUV/station wagon.
Hi guys good to hear your visiting the mainland again. 😊 We are parked up Christchurch at the moment. We are planning on getting back to travelling around this summer. How did you find Bluebridge getting on and off with your caravan? We gave our grey water tank a good scrape driving off the Interislander.
Hey Andrew, yeah it was a steep ramp getting off the bluebridge at Picton, but I think we are up higher (chassis) than your caravan so we were okay but we wouldn't have wanted to be on a low caravan or we would have scrapped. Might catch up with you guys somewhere on the road 👍
Glad to know they have pet friendly cabins
Hey there thanks for the comment. Some pets are happy to stay in the camper while crossing, unfortunately our girl gets very anxious and I'd rather pay $65 for a dog friendly cabin than give her sedatives.
Thank you very much for the ferry info as our dog is a little reactive to other dogs. Would it be ok for a german shepherd?
Hi Robert, yes it would, in fact there was a English sheepdog in another cabin. She was only young but as big as a German shepherd.
Thanks for the video awesome info on the ferry we have booked on the 2nd October didn’t know about the Dog cabins but unfortunately our ferry does not have them our dogs have travelled in the caravan before on the ferry so fingers crossed safe travels might see you guys down there
Yeah our old girl doesn't like the loud sounds of the chains dropping and so it freaks her out being on her own so is better than drugging her 🤷. If you see us on the road come over and say Hi, would love to catch up with you guys ☺️. Safe travels
What a top spot! 🤩
Thanks Sharri yes it was a great spot and $3 per person is a great deal.
Thank you for making this video. I aspire to do the same. Only 18 months of the mortgage to go. Loove to see more content as you journey around nz
Thank you Kristie and welcome to the channel. Good on you for choosing "living life now" if you're anything like us, we like to collect memories not things.
So cool to see you guys on the road again and now it's permanent. Love your vids, keep 'em coming 🤩
Hi Sharri thank you for your comment and your kind words of encouragement. Happy to bring you many more over the next coming months 😊
Well done and safe travels. Hopefully my wife and I can do that in a couple of years too. I see you have a drone. Are there many usage rules around it as I am contemplating getting one. Take care 😎
Hi thanks for the comment 👍. Yes you can't fly a drone within 5 kms of an Airport and you shouldn't fly it over people's houses (respecting people's privacy). I would definitely recommend buying a DJI mini pro 3, it's easy to control and comes with a screen/monitor. Good luck 😉
Well done guys on getting your affairs sorted so as you can enjoy the adventures ahead. One day we will meet on the road.
Thanks Robert & Nicola, I am sure we will meet up at some stage 😉
Hi mate i had same issue i used white pvc corner strip and pushed it in between the wall and the caravan skin with the lip of it facing in i then placed another peice in between the pvc and floor the length of each side Imagine the L shape and turn it a quarter anti clockwise this up i between the floor the L turned quarter turn clockwise I glued them together so even if the sealant failed on the rail again it could never get to floor ever
Hope this makes sense I had made the same diagram as yours hope I explained it so you get it
The pvc corner piece idea and T. rex clear tape were my best friend for my Bailey 😂 the previous owner had even ripped the toilet and shower out and half th wall board and it never occurred it was from under the floor
That's awesome that you found a solution that works for you, best thing is, it won't screw up/rot your floor. Nice one 👍
@AD-qe7jv oh dear, bet that made a mess 🤦
@@vagabondlife2018 yes the floor all dried eventually 🤣
Well done we head south 24th Sept Napier for 5 days then wairapa then on the Ferry 2nd Oct down there for 5 weeks might catch you on the road 😊
Thanks for that guys, yep, it was finally time for us to break the bonds of house living and get back on the road fulltime. Would be awesome to catch up, Darren wants to see the Lupins at Tekapo and Shelly wants to catch a Salmon, so south it is.
It’s not that bad I drove a b train over it twice a day to load butter from the dairy factory
Yes we agree, but we have heard many people (especially older people) who had heard that it was a bad (scary) hill to go up and down, so the purpose of our video was to let others know that it's not so bad or scary 👍
@@vagabondlife2018 hope you enjoyed golden bay my late wife was born and raised in ligar bay
@@GeorgeMcphillips-i6twe loved Golden Bay, so beautiful, the community from the Tasman district are so lucky.
All the best for you and your wife future endeavors bro it's been pleasure working alongside you take care brother
Cheers Teia it's been a pleasure brother, we will catch up again one day.
awesome Daz … excited for you and Michelle. What a cool way in the next season of your lives… safe travels always
Thanks Kim yeah sure am looking forward to a slower pace of life now.
The new "Ruahine Saddle" is 10 degrees climb up from Ashhurst and 8 degrees up from Woodville. Another NZTA Project !......
Yes we have been over the saddle too - check our video around December/January last/this year.
Hi great video on dealing with the water ingress on your bailey. My bailey unicorn vigo seems to have the same water ingress. So I'll be tackling it the same way you did.
Hi Peter thanks for the comment, it's sad we have to do this work on our caravans but at least we would know the job has been done properly. Best of luck with the job resealing it.
Awesome, soundsblike a great plan! Catch ya at some stage. Life is too short to wonder what if
Yes that is true life is too short, tomorrow is never promised. Looking forward to a catch up ❤️
Nice to see you again and hear what you are up to. Kevin and I have just bought another caravan so may well see you on the road somewhere at some time.
Hey Heather and Kevin, yeah time to get back on the road permanently. Would be awesome to bump into you guys again. Do you guys still have your house down south?
@@vagabondlife2018 Yes we do....Sione, Lauren and the family have a house and we built a tiny home on one on the sections adjoining it. Kevin and I went to Clyde last summer and I worked in a fruit packhouse - cherries, peaches, apricots, and nectarines. Just 10 weeks of work and then free to roam again. We love it down here
where was the video shot looked like a great location
It's a lovely walking park in our home town in the Bay of Plenty New Zealand.
Good to get an update on you we are doing a 6 week tour south end sept through to early Nov might catch up
That sounds like a mighty fine plan 😃
Thanks for the update. Wondered where you two have been.
Thanks for the comment Peter, yeah been too long, but you can't get rid of us that easily 🤣
To be honest it’s piss poor quality , all of these companies need more stringent monitoring from authorities , there is absolutely no need for this to happen these days . Great video 👍
Thanks Dave yeah I won't disagree with you there, when you think how much money we all spend on our rigs and for some to then have to pay thousands more to fix rot or leaking issues makes you angry and don't get me started with trying to get the companies to pay for the repairs 🤦.
Love the continued up dates.
Will be continuing our channel in the next month or so, so keep an eye out 👍
Most of the time not enough sealant was used
You can see clearly from my video that there were areas where sealant was either needle thin or completely missed. I have spoken to many others who advised their caravans are the same. Such a shame that poor workmanship let the company down.
@vagabondlife2018 yes we have Elddis motorhome here in uk 🇬🇧 I pray to my God for no leaks
The best piece of advice I can give you Karl is to purchase a moisture meter. Ours is not an intrusive one, it does not make holes in the walls to work. It cost us $50 NZD to purchase and was the best $50 we spent. Be proactive by checking regularly and that way you can catch any leaks before they become a write-off for your caravan.
Yes I'd don't allow engineer's to ues damp meters that stab the walls, great video. I check my van regularly and outside seems. I did notice you didn't show any damp damage on floor inside van .if you catch it fast enough it can dry out
We are lucky we had NO moisture/damp damage inside the caravan, but we can see how easily it can happen.
I’ve enjoyed watching your travels so much, glad you arrived safe back in Nz, both looking well and youthful, you’ve got the travelers glow, things are still busy as ever at TT Michelle, Dan and I are always thinking of you, hope you enjoy being back in NZ ❤
Oh wow Leila hello, so you are still at TT, I thought the project was finishing in Jan- Feb this year. Say hi to Dan for me.
Whippie looking forward to more videos !!❤
Like Rachel Hunter said, it might not happen overnight, but it will happen 🤣😆
Hi Darren, Great video, have you had any problem with the underfloor plywood getting very wet in the corners?
Hi Brandy welcome to the channel. No, our caravan is fiberglass underneath, so don't have that issue. I have seen alot of English caravans with this problem though. I think alot of it is attributed to the same issue though with the moulding along the bottom of caravan. The water gets in there and runs along that moulding to the back corners. I just gave a friend a hand to repair his English van with this very problem.