Caravan WoF & Life in an Apple Orchard

In this video, I talk about getting the caravan’s first warrant of fitness, emptying the toilet, and show what it’s like living in an apple orchard.

Caravan’s Warrant of Fitness

As I’ve had the caravan for a year, it’s time to get the warrant of fitness.

In New Zealand, you need to get a warrant of fitness for an vehicle or trailer to show it’s safe to drive on the road and then pay for it’s registration separately.

I asked a local motorhomer where it was best to go and booked a visit. I’m glad I asked, as the place I had thought to go has a bad reputation in this area. Asking a local definitely seems the way to go!

Facts & Cost

A caravan is classed as a trailer, and only needs to get it’s WoF once a year, where-as a car needs a WoF every 6 months.
Another advantage is the price. The WoF cost $35 and the registration for the caravan for a whole year is only $35.57!

Luckily there were no problems with my WoF and I now have a new sticker in the window.

I’d been a little nervous beforehand, as this was the first time with this caravan and I was wondering if there would be an expensive item to fix.

Spraying in Apple Orchard

I love my new spot in the orchard, but the down-side is that once a week, this crazy looking machine (which looks like something from a Star Wars movie) goes around completely coating the apple trees in a fungicide spray which is used to protect the trees but my caravan gets coated too!

This will carry on until the apples have grown to a set size.

I’m going to move soon, because altho I love being surrounded by the apple trees, it’s a hassle cleaning the exterior of the caravan once a week.

Emptying the Cassette Toilet

In this video – I also show how I empty the toilet.

The toilet cassette is accessed from the exterior and easily pulled out. Everything is automatically sealed.

There is a handle for easy moving on it’s side, but my seals are starting to fail, so I am currently carrying it flat, to avoid leakage! Yum!

Some campgrounds have Dumping Stations, but this place doesn’t. I put the cassette in my boot and drive to the closest Dumping Station which I find on the Campermate or NZMCA App.

I just unscrew the cap, point at the hole, put a button on the cassette for air flow and away it goes. I use blue chemicals in the cassette and pink chemicals in the flushing system which neutralises all smells and breaks down the toilet paper. I buy the chemicals from Burnsco.

To avoid angering the next people, I clean the drain and wash my hands. Done. Easy.

Sunsets & Quiet Times

It’s such a peaceful place and I love the golden hour and the sunsets. Just being able to sit and watch out the windows from my comfortable caravan lounge while listening to the birds. This is one of the reason why I decided to buy the caravan.