Episode 058

Converting a Bus to Explore New Zealand with Warrick and Chené

12 October 2023 37 min

Episode 058

0:00 / 37:56

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I'm really excited about this one, because Warrick and Chené are right in the middle of building out a bus to travel around New Zealand. And they bought it without ever seeing it, which is so so brave.

Warrick is South African and had recently moved over. Chené was born in South Africa, moved to Christchurch when she was 10, moved back, and is now back in New Zealand again (she's been all over the show). They both worked in the safari world, and when we recorded they were busy turning a Toyota Coaster called Zulu into their home on wheels.

So we talk about growing up outdoors in Christchurch and South Africa, the eerily quiet South Island trip that made them want to live here, and buying the bus blind from the other side of the world. Then how they're doing the build themselves with zero experience, their favourite places so far (Milford Sound gets the best description I've ever heard), and how they plan to travel slowly once they're on the road.

In this episode

Growing up outdoors in Christchurch and South Africa
A quiet South Island road trip in 2022
Buying a Toyota Coaster bus blind
Converting the bus with no experience
Wānaka, the West Coast and Milford Sound
Safari work and slow travel on the road

Growing up outdoors in Christchurch and South Africa

Chené grew up in Christchurch after her family moved over from South Africa, and they were keen to get out and explore. Weekends meant little trips to the gorge, down to the Waimakariri or over to Akaroa. They lived in Sumner, and with summer daylight saving you could head up to Mount Hutt in the morning to ski, then have fish and chips on the beach in the evening.

Warrick grew up in South Africa, which is well known as a safari destination. A lot of his childhood was spent on big trips into different game reserves, including Kruger National Park. He didn't travel much outside South Africa, but he thinks all that time in nature formed an important foundation for his move into the safari world later on, which they both ended up doing.

A quiet South Island road trip in 2022

In May and June 2022, they came to New Zealand together. It was Chené's first time back since 2018, and Warrick's first time ever. They spent time in the South Island, and as soon as they hit it, they both fell in love with the country.

It felt a little surreal, especially for Warrick. It was so quiet that they pretty much had the South Island to themselves, and often felt like the only vehicle on the road. Back at the game lodge in South Africa, when the tourists started coming back, hearing different accents again was a thrill.

I absolutely resonate with that. My first South Island trip was in 2020, while the borders were closed, and it was a blessing in disguise because we could finally explore our backyard. Later, during the border closures, Milford Sound was completely empty, with only one cruise boat going that day. The month before we recorded, there were different accents on the trail again. The tourists are back.

Buying a Toyota Coaster bus blind

That 2022 trip is where the plan formed: move over, buy a bus and convert it. They both love being out in nature, and travelling around they noticed how well set up New Zealand is for campervanning, with all the campsites and DOC sites.

Their original plan was a campervan. Then they started seeing converted Toyota Coasters and fell in love with them. They love the slightly more vintage feel, it's a bit more quirky, and it gave them the canvas to create the little home on wheels they'd envisioned.

While they were still in South Africa, months away from moving, they spotted a bus they liked on Trade Me. When it came up again with a price drop and a last deadline from the owner, they bought it blind. Months later, they flew down to the South Island, collected the bus, now known as Zulu, and drove it back up north.

Buying a vehicle blind is the most terrifying thing. We did it with our van during an Auckland lockdown. Isaac found our Toyota HiAce on Trade Me at a really good price, and we made it work. We did ten thousand kilometres in it with no issues except a flat tyre.

Converting the bus with no experience

When they started, they planned to do as much as they could themselves and get help with the things they felt they lacked the skills for. As they've gone along, their confidence has grown. Apart from having the bus painted and a new door fitted (someone built the frame and put the door on for them), they're doing everything themselves.

They had no experience before this. Warrick spends hours and hours researching and watching videos, and by the end, Chené jokes, he'll be an electrician and everything else you can imagine. The electrical setup went from totally overwhelming, with them telling themselves there was no way they could do it, to running wires and knowing they had this. As they put it:

"anyone can do it … got to get your head around it and put your mind to it."

When we recorded, the plan was to have the tanks fitted on 1 November, with a list of jobs to finish before then, and to be on the road by the end of November. The absolute last date was 1 December.

Wānaka, the West Coast and Milford Sound

Picking one favourite from that first trip is really hard, but the South Island is at the top, especially the drive down the West Coast, past Punakaiki and all the way towards Queenstown and Wānaka.

They both fell in love with Wānaka the minute they arrived. They pulled into a fuel station and felt the energy straight away:

"we got out of the car and were like Wow The space is amazing"

They want Wānaka, or somewhere around Queenstown, to be home one day. For anyone who's watched Lord of the Rings, they say, New Zealand is better in real life than on the screen.

Milford Sound

If they had to choose one destination, it would be Milford Sound. The sheer, dramatic cliffs, the water and the moodiness of it all make it, as they describe it, a:

"mix of somewhere between Jurassic Park and avatar"

It's one of the few places in the world where the harder it rains, the more beautiful it is.

That's the best description of Milford Sound I've ever heard.

Their tips for Milford:

Take a cruise. Whether you're there for the day or a few days, it's the number one way to see right through the sound.
Book the underwater observatory. It was one of the most unexpected additions to their trip. They didn't know what to expect, and it was really impressive, with talks about the conservation work there and the different layers of water.
Stay longer. They'd love to walk the Milford Track one day and stay at Milford Sound Lodge, to walk along the edge of the water and take it all in.

On the cruise, the guide told them that the height of the mountains above you is the same as the depth of the water below.

I've done the cruise, the Milford Track and Milford Sound Lodge, and I highly recommend all three. Milford Sound Lodge has campsites as well as its beautiful cabins. The observatory was a highlight for me too.

Safari work and slow travel on the road

Warrick and Chené have joined a travel agency that runs fully online, so they can work wherever they have internet. They've also started a separate branch specialising in luxury African travel, where their passion and knowledge lie. They both worked as safari guides in a reserve called the Sabi Sand, in the Kruger area. Bringing Africa to New Zealand and the rest of the world lets them stay connected to it from here.

Warrick hasn't been in New Zealand all that long, but he really loves it, and he's sure he'll fall even more in love once the bus is on the road. Living between his two loves is the dream.

I gave Warrick fair warning: the more of New Zealand you see, the more there is still to see.

Once the bus is ready, crossing the ferry to the South Island is their north star. Their first stop will be Abel Tasman, where they haven't been yet, then the West Coast and down. After that, apart from working out where to be for Christmas, they'll wing it.

What they're most excited about is slowing down and finding the hidden gems: stopping in one place, going to the little coffee shops, doing the local walks, heading down to the beach. Their bucket list experience is rolling up in the bus to camp somewhere beautiful, with a cup of coffee in hand, a view and crisp air.

Abel Tasman, Mount Cook and Milford Sound are my top three, and I highly recommend kayaking Abel Tasman, because it's best experienced from the ocean.

That morning coffee is the dream. On a South Island trip the month before we recorded, we had a hot drink with the van door open to Lake Pukaki, the mountains as the backdrop and not a whisper of wind. These are the moments that make life worth living. I like to travel slowly too, and when I rock up somewhere I love, I stay until it starts raining.