Fred

Location: Fred lives in Dunedin City which is approx. 30km (30 mins drive) from Dunedin airport and about 3km (5 mins drive) from the city centre. If you’re driving your own car, it can be safely parked at the property (off-road) while you’re away. Fred may also be able to be brought to a convenient location for pick-up/drop-off by arrangement.

In The Cab: 3 seats up front (all with 3-point seat belts); stereo/CD player with bluetooth pairing and a tablet device with offline maps and music.

Kitchen Area: The interior height is 1.85m so most people can comfortably stand up and in terms of cooking and dining, Fred has a 2-burner gas stove with Omnia stove-top oven as well as large in-built sink (with swivel tap and hose for use inside and out!) and a generous 108L fridge with freezer compartment. Cutlery, crockery, glasses and mugs; knife set, wide range of utensils, pans, mixing/serving bowls, sieve, kettle and coffee pot; and a pull-out pantry with all the basics… spices; coffee, tea, sugar, oil, salt and pepper. There are also reusable shopping and cooler bags for grocery shopping.

Living/Dining/Sleeping Area: Fred has two comfy bench seats and a removable table for enjoying meals with a view. And once assembled, Fred has an almost queen-size width bed measuring 1.41m x 1.75m across the rear of the camper – so a little shorter than a standard bed… however if there’s a taller person travelling, the bed can be extended so you sleep the other way in a bed measuring 1.75m x 1.9m! There isn't a separate bed for a child but because there are 3 belted seats up front and the van has self-containment for 3 people, many are happy to share the extended bed with their little one. With the insulated blackout curtains and skylight and roof fan for ventilation you can be sure of a great night’s sleep! Note: we list bedding and towels as Extras at the booking stage in case guests prefer to bring their own. If travelling with a little one, a mattress can be provided that fits in the entranceway (or all three can cosy up in the big bed). There are storage areas overhead and under the bed as well as a shoe rack and hanging space under the fire! And you can also enjoy books, games and create a beautiful ambience with the dimmable lights and bluetooth speaker.

Water Facilities: Like all Quirky Campers in NZ, Fred is certified self-contained – in this case for 3 people. There are 40 litre fresh and grey water tanks and electric pump tap (with hose and swivel mechanism for rinsing off outside) and sink in the kitchen area. The portable toilet is stored in a drawer under the sink.

Electrical/Lighting and Audio Equipment: Fred has a leisure battery setup with USB charging ports for charging phones etc. For the warmer months, Fred has a 12v roof fan to circulate air and a fabulous skylight for stargazing, and for those times you want to hunker down pop up the projector (optional extra) and settle in for movie night!

Type of Heating: Logburner (with fire blanket, fire extinguisher and carbon monoxide monitoring for safety and chains to ensure it's totally secured while driving)

Outside: Fred has optional extras including an inflatable stand-up paddleboard with life jackets and camping chairs.

Conversion Story: We decided to embark on bringing Fred the Fiat to life during our weekends while completing doctoral degrees. Having both grown up overseas and travelling extensively internationally and within New Zealand over the past ~20 years, we thought a campervan would be a great way to continue pursuing our passion for travel and exploring more of New Zealand's sights, while having the ability to be off-grid and in nature more often.
After tossing up whether or buy or build, we opted to take on the exciting challenge of building, and after many months, Fred came to fruition. With us both being in health research, building Fred was a way to use our brains in a very different and creative way. Fred was designed initially for long-term vanlife, so has multiple large storage areas as well as plenty of cupboard space and is perfect for those shorter weekend excursions or longer, more-extensive travel around Aotearoa New Zealand.
We decided to add Fred's crowning jewel - a Roaring Meg fireplace - as a nod to our Kiwi homebase of Otago and for a beautiful and practical centrepiece that truly adds to Fred's ambience and the vanlife/quirky camping experience. The elevated lounge area provides plenty of storage underneath in the garage, and the benches-to-bed design makes it feel like you have a distinctly separate seating space to enjoy meals, games or a book, or simply stare out the backdoors at NZ's great views by yourselves or with friends.
The large skylight above the lounge area gives beautiful natural light with privacy and adds to feelings of spaciousness and being in nature and can open partly or fully for stargazing in bed and fresh airflow on warm summer evenings, with a bug screen and window shade to block out those bites or lights. Alternatively, you or friends can hang out in hammocks out the back door and watch the world go by.
With vanlife in mind, Fred's design combines the pragmatic with the aesthetic, with a functional kitchen and plenty of space on the counter and in the large fridge/freezer, a sink-to-outdoor shower setup for a refreshing rinse-off after a day in the outdoors, lovely blue tiling that transitions across the kitchen into living area, more storage than you know what to do with, and a simple no-frills layout that keeps him feeling bright, clean, open, and inviting. We are looking forward to many journeys in Fred and are delighted to share him with you with the hope that you have wonderful adventures in him during your travels. - Jess and Kaj