Catherine and Graham Beaven are living the off-road caravan lifestyle from their base in Whanganui.
The couple prefer less-travelled roads and freedom camping in New Zealand’s wild places.
When their British-built caravan ‘rattled itself to pieces’ under the assault of long kms on New Zealand’s gravel roads, they went looking for a more robust locally made replacement. A single-axle off-road caravan was the target, one with good bathroom and kitchen and a standalone bed.
A phone call to GLI Caravans in Christchurch narrowed down the search. Prospects improved further when they focused in on GLI’s 16 series campers and GLI offered to fly them down for a look.
“We wanted a smaller van and the 16C met all our needs. Even better, it came in under $100,000. GLI’s one of the few brands offering off-road caravans under that price point.”
The couple bought their caravan in October 2023 and they’ve been travelling solidly ever since.
“These guys were great to work with and have gone out of their way to accommodate our wishes and help make the purchase an excellent experience. They have a lot of knowledge and experience, and we highly recommend them.”
The caravan is built on a hot dip galvanised chassis, and its superstructure is fibreglass over an aluminium frame with durable ‘checkerplate’ aluminium panels wrapping around the lower body to keep stone chips at bay. There are ‘nudge’ bars to protect the body from parking bumps.
“We keep mostly to gravel roads, but it’s good to know a caravan is robust enough to tackle rougher stuff off-road.”
They added a reversing camera and electric brake set-up, all fitted by GLI.
The caravan’s solar panels give them up to four weeks off-grid without issue; the water tank is good for three days at a time, and they bought a spare cassette for the toilet which significantly improves stay time between dump stations.
With an all-up weight of around 1,975 kg, Graham says towing duties are well within the capabilities of their Ford Ranger 3.2.
The caravan has done countless short trips around the region, up to Waverley Beach or for weekends visiting family, clocking up 1,300km over these shorter runs.
It’s also done a set of epic longer trips: Northland, the Coromandel and the upper South Island, each over a period of four weeks.
The Northland trip was 2,500km, from Whanganui through the central North Island all the way to Kaitaia and back. The couple travelled in mid-November, avoiding Northland’s peak season.
“We prefer to freedom camp and use back roads, and off-peak is the best time to see New Zealand.”
The Coromandel trip involved slightly less km at 1,300 but took in the very remote tip of the peninsula and the sketchy narrow gravel roads that give access to the area.
“Standouts there were Port Jackson and Stony Bay. We were there in March and in most spots, we were the only ones camping.”
The big South Island trip was the longest so far, 2,700km. The caravan performed flawlessly.
“We went down the West Coast then inland to Twizel and Mount Cook, catching Hanmer Springs as we came through to the East Coast. Absolute highlight was Lake Heron, complete solitude.”
Again, travelling in November meant no crowds. The couple’s next trip will be to the Tasman Region, a true outdoor haven for independent camping.
“We’re very happy with the caravan. GLI have been fantastic, and it’s a real plus to work with a company that has 30 years of experience in the motor home industry. Nothing’s ever a problem.”
For more information on starting your own off-road caravan adventure go to www.glioffroad.co.nz.
