What: Maui six-berth camper
Where: Auckland region's west coast bush and beaches
On sale: Rental or sale now
Price: $71,995 second-hand (rental depends on size and season).
About: You see them driving through our scenic spots, or as ponderous white islands awash in traffic, but what are they like to drive and live in? This Maui six-berth unit now for sale second-hand uses a Mercedes Sprinter base, with a gutsy 2.2-litre turbo diesel engine that's grunty enough to pull strongly from rest, or maintain the open road speed limit.
It'll even keep the pace up on hills if the road's open enough, but tight country routes are its Achilles heel. Note to following traffic: get too close and the driver may not see you - make sure you're visible if you want a camper to pull over.
This unit has an auto transmission with a hold function to ease hill starts, and despite its size proved easy to drive - though harder to park, given it's longer and wider than a standard car.
Pull up for the night ($20 for two on a powered site at Muriwai), unlock an outside locker and plug in to the power and you've got hot water, heat and air con from a rather noisy roof-mounted unit, a fridge, sockets for your laptop and even a microwave. Only the sockets and microwave actually need you to be plugged in; you can free-camp in this Maui. A handy light-board tells you the capacity of your batteries, fresh and grey-water tanks.
Six would be very tight in this van - I suspect most would use a tent as overflow for kids except at night. Otherwise everything worked well, even the shower and fold-down sink, though the latter needed jiggling to empty. I wasn't game to use the chemical loo - it needs to be used 'properly' for the chemicals to work, and the camp site's conveniences were under-used and close by.
For: Wake up anywhere you want - including places you couldn't, or wouldn't, build a house. Camp anywhere in most-of-the-mod-cons comfort. Off-season rates like this sunny autumn trip make for cheap family holiday. Good coffee, hot food and cold drinks whenever you want them.
Against: Unlike a hotel, you have to pack up before a day trip or everything flies around; you need to be organised as space is very tight for six; high-season rates are a tad eye-watering for basic accommodation; too big to double as your everyday car.