Frequently Asked Questions
We’re a Kiwi family of 4 who left behind the 9-5 to hit the road and adventure together.
We get many questions about what we did.
Here are answers to the most popular ones:
What Type & Size Bus Do You Have?
We bought an automatic 1990 Dennis Dart bus with a rear 6BT Cummins diesel engine.
It’s 8.5m long and 2.4m wide externally, giving us about 20sqm inside.
We bought it through Trademe (like eBay or CraigsList) and went on a sudden wild Friday night road trip to fetch it.
It involved a 2am arrival time at our destination and a hard night’s sleep in the bus – no mattress!
How Did You Decide To Live In A House Bus?
We’ve decided twice actually.
The first time was a budgeting choice. We had bought some land and then finally decided to buy a bus to convert and live in while we built our new house. It saved us thousands in rent and left us with an asset.
The plan was to live in the bus while we built then sell it to pay for the new house’s driveway.
At the time of buying the bus, we had two weeks to move from our sold house into the bus, which was an empty shell at the time. Yay for a hardworking husband who whipped up beds for us to get started with!
On moving day, we stuffed everything into the bus and moved two houses down the road where we camped for two weeks, running extensions for power to a neighbour.
After that, we moved on to the land we’d bought. We camped there for two more weeks without water and power as the connections were still ‘underway’.
Following that, for 3 months we had no on-board shower, hot water or washing machine. We swam and showered the family at the local leisure centre, washed dishes outside, even in the windy, wet winter, and moved things constantly to sit down. The laundromat took care of the clothing.
It was hard but slowly things were added, like lights, gas and water piping, solar, tanks etc. and life became easier.
After 13 months we moved out of the bus and into our newly built house.
The second time we decided to live in the bus, we’d been living in our new house for two and a half years.
We had everything by worldly standards – all the goods and space you could want, yet no time to enjoy it fully or clean it!
By now the bus had sat virtually unused for 2 years so we were deciding whether to sell it or keep and use it.
For 2 years it had more or less been sitting around and costing licencing and 6 monthly COFs (certificate of fitness) etc.
To help with the decision making we went away in it again and re-fell in love with the lifestyle and decided to keep it.
Next that moved to spending a year travelling New Zealand in it! Which became, ‘Let’s completely refit the bus to better suit our current needs and then travel full-time for a year around New Zealand in it while homeschooling our kids.’
We allowed 6 months to complete the refit while still both working and then hit the road, world schooling our kids and living a more intentional life together.
Do You Have A Car?
Yes.
We sold one and kept the electric as a commuting vehicle for short, easier access trips.
How Do You Fund The Move?
Work.
We’re both teachers so our plan was to travel around NZ relief teaching as needed.
We’re building a website too that we hope will come to generate income as well.
Work is everywhere you want and are willing to get it.
We think these sites are helpful: Education Personnel, Backpackerboard and Staffsync.
Is Your Bus Off-Grid?
Yes.
My husband taught himself through the internet and networking with others how to wire batteries, rig solar and plumb.
We had enough power for everything we need and can also recharge the batteries while driving.
We have about 370L of water plus grey and black tanks so can be off-grid for days until those need emptying.
Do You Both Drive The Bus?
We can.
In NZ you need a Class 2 licence to drive a medium rigid vehicle that weighs up to 18 000 kgs.
All drivers of heavy vehicles must take and pass a heavy vehicle theory test to change their valid overseas heavy vehicle licence to a New Zealand heavy vehicle licence.
If your licence is from Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK or USA then you don’t need to take a practical test as long as you have held your licence for more than two years.
Where Do You Stay?
In the bus – it‘s fully converted and is essentially a tiny house on wheels.
Anywhere it can get to you can overnight; provided camping is permitted there.
Where overnight parking is free and permitted we freedom camp. Most of these designated spots allow 2 or 3 nights stay each in a calendar month.
In NZ, most towns are camper-friendly if you’re self-contained (A certified self-contained vehicle meets the ablution and sanitary needs of the occupants for a minimum of three days, without requiring any external services or discharging waste.)
There is an amazing association in New Zealand called The NZ Motor Caravan Association (NZMCA). It has memberships that give you cheap overnight stays at any of the NZMCA parks around the country, discounts at some shops and fuel stations plus a host of other benefits like cheaper ferry crossings.
To find facilities, use these great apps: CamperMate, WikiCamps, Rankers (the best overall in our opinion) and NZMCA, a close rival. They list freedom and paid camping spots, laundries and a host of other useful amenities around NZ. Kiwi House Sitters is another good pace to look for house sitting opportunities around New Zealand.
