« All the rest of the... | Main | Tramping in the Bush »

New Zealand 'Steema

by Adam & Lara on 02/26/10

First off, we now live in the future. We're 21 hours ahead of Pacific Time, 19 hours ahead of Central and 18 hours ahead of Eastern. If you're in another time zone then you're probably not our friend or family member so do the math, a-hole.

Secondly, the first 3 days in Auckland have been big. But we can tell you about those later. What we really want to show you is the van we just bought:

It's a 1992 Toyota Estima, known in the US as the Previa. It has about 350,000km on it, which works out to 217,000 miles. Longevity - that's how you know it's good.

We bought it from Craig, a badass dude from Australia who buys old vans, guts them out and turns them into campers. He also plays blues guitar in his spare time. He told me that he'll be needing help next season and gave me his card. I was sure to mention the handyman work I had done through BroBuilders.

Craig's Shop

The van has a bed...

That folds up to allow space for sitting and looking awesome...

Also, it came with some goodies: 1 cooler (or "chilly bin"), 1 bag of pots, pans and kitchenware, 1 butane stove and 2 canisters of butane. We also picked up some jumpers to make Lara feel better about things.

Not to mention this little hidden gem...

And that's that. This is our last night in the Ponsonby Backpackers hostel - tomorrow we're driving south to Lake Waikaremoana to do a 4-day backpacking trip. In the meantime, we'd love to hear your ideas on a name for the van. Right now "New Zealand 'Steema" is at the top of our list.

Comments (9)

1. Little Sassareno said on 2/26/10 - 09:43PM

THAT IS AMAZING! What about the Kiwi Kamping Kruiser? No? Also, you should review this: http://www.chemistry.co.nz/kiwi.htm

2. Ice "T"(pot) said on 2/26/10 - 10:36PM

Looks like you well on your way. I was going to say "Bluebelle II" but I can't tell from the picture if it is blue or green. You could also go with "Further" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Further_(bus) (Ooops, Jim just used Wikipedia!)

3. Molly said on 2/27/10 - 03:48AM

I LOVE THIS BLOG! seriously. and i love your van. YAY! hmmmm. names. i don't know. i like steema. do it.

4. Brad said on 2/27/10 - 06:39AM

Dude ripped you off... steering wheel's on the wrong side. And that's a LOT of windows in your bedroom. Dawn and I were so inspired by you guys, we have decided to follow in your footsteps! Well, just as far as Hawaii actually. Baby steps.

5. Meredith said on 3/1/10 - 02:07AM

Obviously the "Steema"! "Full Steema Ahead!!!" Also, really liking "chilly bin". Ive started calling the fridge that. Keep the different and interesting cultural facts coming.

6. Bonny said on 3/1/10 - 08:46AM

After looking at photos of the lake you are hiking around, I've decided Jimbo and I really need to visit you there...Maybe November/December?

7. PETE! said on 3/2/10 - 06:04AM

Ok, well, this blog IS fantastic and all, and I'm totally jazzed about the previa retrofit and your first tramp coming up. But more importantly, I need to ask two questions about the BroBuilder's website: 1. What do the t-shirts look like? 2. Why the devil did you choose the Great Britain pound as the unit of currency? Also, I would have expected a lot more blog entries from Bro John Stanley.

8. Adam said on 3/3/10 - 07:44PM

Great questions PETE! Unfortunately, the answer is that I used the BRO Builders website to demo all of the amazing capabilities of the product built by the company that I used to work for in a long ago, far away life. Stanley and J-Bro had zero input. If there WERE shirts, they would be black and have a yellow BRO Builders logo that was in the style of a Harley Davidson logo.

9. brian said on 3/12/10 - 10:48AM

these pics are filled with win

Leave a comment

« All the rest of the... | Main | Tramping in the Bush »

1.	Little Sassareno said on 2/26/10 - 09:43PM
	THAT IS AMAZING! What about the Kiwi Kamping Kruiser? No? Also, you should review this: http://www.chemistry.co.nz/kiwi.htm
2.	Ice "T"(pot) said on 2/26/10 - 10:36PM
	Looks like you well on your way. I was going to say "Bluebelle II" but I can't tell from the picture if it is blue or green. You could also go with "Further" - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Further_(bus) (Ooops, Jim just used Wikipedia!)
3.	Molly said on 2/27/10 - 03:48AM
	I LOVE THIS BLOG! seriously. and i love your van. YAY! hmmmm. names. i don't know. i like steema. do it.
4.	Brad said on 2/27/10 - 06:39AM
	Dude ripped you off... steering wheel's on the wrong side. And that's a LOT of windows in your bedroom. Dawn and I were so inspired by you guys, we have decided to follow in your footsteps! Well, just as far as Hawaii actually. Baby steps.
5.	Meredith said on 3/1/10 - 02:07AM
	Obviously the "Steema"! "Full Steema Ahead!!!" Also, really liking "chilly bin". Ive started calling the fridge that. Keep the different and interesting cultural facts coming.
6.	Bonny said on 3/1/10 - 08:46AM
	After looking at photos of the lake you are hiking around, I've decided Jimbo and I really need to visit you there...Maybe November/December?
7.	PETE! said on 3/2/10 - 06:04AM
	Ok, well, this blog IS fantastic and all, and I'm totally jazzed about the previa retrofit and your first tramp coming up. But more importantly, I need to ask two questions about the BroBuilder's website: 1. What do the t-shirts look like? 2. Why the devil did you choose the Great Britain pound as the unit of currency? Also, I would have expected a lot more blog entries from Bro John Stanley.
8.	Adam said on 3/3/10 - 07:44PM
	Great questions PETE! Unfortunately, the answer is that I used the BRO Builders website to demo all of the amazing capabilities of the product built by the company that I used to work for in a long ago, far away life. Stanley and J-Bro had zero input. If there WERE shirts, they would be black and have a yellow BRO Builders logo that was in the style of a Harley Davidson logo.
9.	brian said on 3/12/10 - 10:48AM
	these pics are filled with win