Have moved the HTNZ site off the old server and is now on a nice shiny new one. Let me know if you have any problems with loading time because I have to admit, I am not sure if it is my ISP or not, but sometimes the site can take a little while to load. Would be interested to hear if it is just me and should consider moving ISP, or if it is a server related problem issue I need to get looked at.

Thanks

A short article on Stuff about the Ogilvies decision to quit the mainstream and set out on the road with the Gypsy Fair. Not a lot of meat to the article, but good to see it out there. Good on them.

I just found out that the gubbmint is pushing through a bill that is going to increase road user charges which will adversely affect a large number of motorhome owners. Thanks Fran for highlighting the issue.

In the past, your RUC’s were based on a per tonne classification. Now they are proposing to make it 5 tonne increments, meaning your 5.5 tonne housebus is going to be charged for 10 tonnes making it grossly unfair for a lot of people.

NZMCA have a pre-written letter that you can send to the PM, your  MoP (Member of Parliament) and Mr Brownlee, the Minister of Transport to express your opposition to this money grab.

I’m popping mine in the mail on Monday because all I see this bill being is just another way to strangle more life out of an already over regulated pastime and way of life.

Have mobilised the HTNZ site. The next time you visit the site on your mobile, you will get a crisp clean, easy to use interface. Still playing around with it and if you find yourself looking at a mobile view when not actually on a mobile, use the link at the foot of the page to switch to the normal desktop view.

Also added a few new pictures to the housetruck and housebuses gallery.

Do me a favour? If you know about any of the trucks or buses displayed on this site, send me some history on it will ya? Not necessarily its COF history, but more along human story perspective, about an experience with said vehicle. It’s all good looking at the pics, but it would be way cooler to have a little bit of a story behind them as well.

A while back, I posted a pic of a gypsy caravan that Pete built. He sold it before I could get some photos and so had to track the buyer down and ask nicely if I could grab some pics.

He was very obliging and here is the result. I had a mate take the photo of the caravan on the guys lawn and photoshop it to a background. I then had it framed and presented to Pete for Christmas.

He was verily impressed.

Site got a bit stagnant there for a while and I let the domain registration lapse as well for a short period meaning the site was offline temporarily before I was shaken to my senses by a few people. What with work, work and other social committments, finding time to do anything fun is like finding the pot at the end of the rainbow. But hey, who isn’t busy right? I’ll stop moaning now

Going to give the registrations process another go as I didn’t really look hard enough for a solution for stopping the spammers from registering even with captcha. Lets see how it goes. Of course, current members are more than welcome to write articles, posts, comment in the forums etc.

Got a shite load more pics to upload as well…

Drive safe

All Blacks, All Blacks, All Blacks

Whos a precious then?

Hi there folks

so i am trying to track down a particular housetruck my dad built in the mid to late 80′s

probably around 86-87

i dont have much info about it right now but i do have some pictures-

the reason im trying to find this truck is because it was my home for the first 2 years of my life. i realise this truck has probably gone through a lot of changes in its 25 year history, and will look quite different, or may not even exist at all.

wanting to trace the history of this truck for a university project. so i am wanting to try find out who has owned it over the years and have some chats with them. and maybe if it is still around i would really like to buy it back one day, even if i have it as a park up somewhere.

any hoo thats probably enough for now- i will be back again with more info  about type of truck, engine etc..

oh, and my dads name is Phil ( who built it ) he has long blonde hair and beard.- still does. the truck was first built in Hawkes bay, where my dad is from, and then  we lived in the bush up north some where for a while before my dad sold it.

cheers folks any help on this would be great!

oh and how do i add an image to this post????

The latest knee-jerk reaction from the gubbmint about freedom camping just goes to prove that those that deign to know whats best, know jackshit about what goes on with the real people. All of them are far too focused on ways to continue rorting the taxpayer so they can keep their snouts in the trough for the next three years. From Stuff:

Minister for the Environment and Nelson MP Nick Smith announced at the weekend a new Freedom Camping Bill to be introduced to Parliament this month that will provide for a $200 instant fine for illegal camping that may be imposed on the camper or the vehicle.

Campervan hire companies will be obliged to record and disclose hireage details so fines can be enforced on offenders. Dr Smith said fines up to $10,000 may be imposed by courts on a successful prosecution for illegally discharging a campervan’s sewage.

The bill does not aim to ban freedom camping but give local authorities and the Department of Conservation the power to carry out enforcement, Dr Smith said.

“The existing system where districts have their own bylaws is not working for the responsible freedom camper wanting to do the right thing, or for councils wanting to protect their local environment,” Dr Smith said.

Lets read between the lines. Rugby World Cup.

It must simply be too hard to try and catch the few percent of filthy sods causing the problem, so much easier to throw a blanket over everyone in the hope that it will actually stop the problem. The councils will be hiring security guards now specifically to cruise around looking for freedom campers. It is going to be an issue during the RWC, guaranteed.

I agree that the few spoil it for the many, but the awforities should be looking to nab those few and make examples of them. Let the tourists know that if they leave their waste on the side of the road, they will be heavily fined and sent home (kiwis should expect a real hefty fine if caught too) sending a strong message that we won’t take any shit from anyone.

Here’s a solution! We have facilities here in NZ to test faeces. Get their DNA when they enter the country. When the councils go around cleaning up after these maroons, send the crap off to the lab and voila! Oi <enter name here>! This is your poo! You can take it with you when we kick your sorry ass out of the country right now, and dont even think about coming back for at least 5 years.

As soon as word gets around that thats how NZ deals with people who dont give a shit (pardon the pun) about our country, the less poo in the wayside there will be, the happier the councils will be. Nothing like parking the ambo at the top of the cliff for a change eh?

Alas, already I can hear the bleeding hearts banging on about privacy. In the same way we can hear them now regarding privacy over the idea that the gubbmint can get all info about you from the camper van co’s so they can enforce the fines. <cue cicada chirping in the still of night>

I guess though, because we are far too pc to actually punish anyone caught doing the deed to a level that others might reconsider the consequences of dropping a log in the bush, we’ll keep rocking up to these muppets and telling them “its ok to poo on our roads. You just mosey along and we’ll clean it up for you. Enjoy our beautiful country”

Well, we won’t be able to call it “freedom camping” anymore. We can now call it “look-over-your-shoulder-every-five-minutes-for-the-no-camping-here-police-that’ll-be-$200-thank-you-very-much-for-your-kind-donation-move-along camping”.

An upside of this I suppose is possibly a rise in the use of camouflage paint (instead of those weird messages) on rental vans that seem to be the crux of the problem. If the plod can’t see ya, they can’t ping ya.