Barbara

Location: Barbara lives in Papakura, about 20km (25 mins drive) from Auckland Airport and about 35km (40 mins drive) from Auckland CBD. If you’re driving your own car, it can be safely parked at the property (off-road) while you’re away.

In The Cab: 2 seats in cab up front (with 3-point seat belts); reversing camera and USB ports for charging phones.

Kitchen Area: The interior height is 1.82m so most people can stand up comfortably. Barbara has a two-burner gas camping stove which can be swung out on an arm for outdoor cooking too. She has a fridge drawer (30L capacity) as well as a wine rack and slide out pantry. Cutlery, crockery, glasses and mugs for two; knife set (sharp!), wide range of utensils, 3 pans and a fry pan all with lids, mixing/serving bowls, stovetop kettle and coffee pot; a variety of spices; coffee, tea, herbal tea, sugar, oil, salt and pepper. Barbara also comes with placements, coasters and food storage containers, foil/eco-friendly food wrap.

Dining/Living/Sleeping Area: Barbara has two comfy bench seats facing each other with a pull-out table for working or dining. She also has two options for sleeping; the main one being a fixed bed (153cm x 173cm) across the back of the van which is queen size width but shorter than standard. However, you can opt to sleep the other way and extend the bed to create a king size bed (173cm x 200cm). Either way, you’ll sleep on a deep memory foam mattress which is wonderfully comfortable. Note: we list bedding and towels as Extras at the booking stage in case guests prefer to bring their own. There are black-out curtains (as well as tinted windows) for complete privacy and storage areas overhead. Barbara also comes with books and games to keep you entertained whatever the weather! And let’s not forget your furry friend! Under the bed there’s a perfect cubby for a dog which also opens out through the back of the van.

Water Facilities: Like all Quirky Campers in NZ, Barbara is certified self-contained. There is a 62 litre fresh water tank and 67 litre grey water tank (with tank level gauges). She has an electric pump tap and large sink in the kitchen area. The portable toilet is stored under one of the bench seats and can be used in situ. Barbara also has the option of adding a gas-heated outdoor shower and ensuite shower tent for the ultimate glamping experience.

Electrical/Lighting and Audio Equipment: Barbara has a solar panel on her roof which feeds the leisure battery inside to power the lights, fridge drawer, diesel heater, water pump and USB sockets so you can be entirely self-sufficient. Or, if you want to pitch up on a camp site, she has electric hook-up so you can use the multiple 240v sockets. Barbara also has a projector and pull-down screen for the ultimate movie night!

Type of Heating: Diesel heater

Outside: Barbara has a 3m x 2m awning and outdoor carpet; outside chairs and table are also available as an optional extra.

Conversion Story: Barbara is our second conversion (the first was Ivan) and is also converted from an ex-ambulance which we bought in late 2019. We wanted to create something different with Barbara – the main features being the fixed bed with really comfy mattress, a special place for our dog Colin to call his own and a projector and pull-down screen. The design seemed to happen very quickly and even with the impact of Covid giving us more time at home to build Barbara she still took more than a year to finish! But we love her gorgeous, happy exterior colour and bold colour scheme inside. It’s fun to climb into the sleeping pod and while van conversions seem to be full of trade-offs we think Barbara has very little compromise. We hope you enjoy her as much as we do. – Leanne & Dan