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Holidaymakers from Ōtāne, James “Cooky” Kent, Dyana Blackwell and Laila Kent, haven’t had to travel too far to have fun in the sun with their green machine. Photo / James Pocock
Holidaymakers at Te Awanga campsite have noticed an odd trend this year – a lot of the people alongside them are only a few kilometres from their own homes.
When Hawke’s Bay Today visited this
week, among the campers was a retired Napier couple who said they simply wanted to escape home for a little while.
The couple, who definitely didn’t want their friends and family to know how close they actually were to them, did not want to be named as a result.
Retired holidaymakers from Ashhurst John and Robbie Parsons said they had been surprised by the number of people from Napier staying at the camp.
“I’ve been seeing lots of couples and families coming and going.”
The Parsons travelled to Te Awanga in their 12.5m converted motorhome, with amenities that run entirely off solar power.
“We built it so that we could be off-grid, so we don’t need any facilities. We did it all ourselves,” John said.
They said they had arrived in Hawke’s Bay on December 30 and had spent some time enjoying e-bike and scooter rides in the sunny weather.
“It’s good – that’s why we keep coming back,” Robbie said.
The couple recently converted to a permanent mobile lifestyle.
“I really enjoy the life of it. I wish I had done it a lot earlier,” John said.
John “Cooky” Kent and his partner Dyana Blackwell from Ōtāne brought his children from Rotorua for a holiday while he is on a break from work.
Dyana said they got their distinctive green camper right after the first lockdown, and have been enjoying taking it to camper meetups.
She said they had enjoyed swimming at Haumoana when the water had been less rough and were “loving” the stay at Te Awanga.
They planned to travel for two more weeks until Cooky had to return to work.
Holidaymakers Terry and Pat Karatau from Taihape came to Hawke’s Bay to “chill out” and catch up with friends and family.
“I’ve got some brothers and sisters around here,” Terry said.
They’ve had their current caravan for about four years, and had a bus before that.
He said he enjoyed fishing in the sun like many others holidaying in Hawke’s Bay.
“Hawke’s Bay is one of our favourites,” he said.
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