CHEWING THE FAT by James 'JD' Dominion
Home is where you park it
In the traditions of great magazine columnists each month in Channel Mag we bring you James Dominion – apparently known as ‘JD’ by his mates. James tells us that he is a Takapuna local – although nobody can actually verify this – or that this is actually his real name. But hey, he has put up his hand to be a monthly contributor at very little cost to the magazine. An offer that is very hard to refuse due to the tiny editorial budget we exist on.
If the camper is the king of road tripping automobiles, the VW Kombi surely is the king of campers. And just like the king of pop and the king of rock and roll, the Kombi is a popular culture icon. Some keep their vintage good looks whilst others are in need of a bit of aesthetic reconstruction but ALL the above are equipped with gyrating axles and a certain coolness about them.
The VeeDub camper or Kombi was a pioneer of motor caravans and is single handedly responsible for the synergy of the words ‘shaggin’ and ‘wagon’ (not unlike its predecessor the VW Beatle or ‘love bug’) It offers the private joys of camping without the damp rigors of a typical Kiwi Christmas and New Year – constant rain!
Every New Zealand male loves a road trip and to do so in a classic car is every Kiwi boys dream. This past New Year break, I was lucky enough to tick this one off my bucket list. An aptly coloured retro beige and bohemian blue, ’79, 16 bay, VW Kombinationskraftwagen (or Kombi), named ‘Katie’ was the vehicle of choice.. The mission – to get down to the Coromandel for the Coro-Gold Festival whilst stopping, sleeping and sampling the local brews, when and where we pleased.
‘Katie’ was equipped with two rows of rear seats that folded into a double bed, a cooking unit that would rival any camp site’s and a sound system that was just loud enough to drown out its roaring rotary sounding engine. And whilst her steering mechanism seemed slightly confused, the Hula hoop sized steering wheel made her antagonistic ways easily manageable. She was lowered with polished chrome rims, had a pop top roof, and sustained no boundaries. She was a home away from home and one just felt cool sitting in her front seat.
Katie the Kombi had a top speed of 100kph – however this was traveling down hill and she tended to cough splutter and fart her way up hill – but it was comforting to know that if she ran out of puff we could just pull over for the night.
Night one was spent at a friends bach at Tairua. Nights two and three we spent parked outside a friendly Whitianga backpackers, that under the cover of darkness, were more than accommodating with their toilet and shower faclites. Night four was back at the friends bach and night five we were stationed on the Hahei beach front, with the comforting sound of the Pacific’s rolling waves putting us to sleep.
I did sympathise for a moment with the quasi-amphibious ‘swamp people’ who braved tenting at the Coro-gold camp site (or more appropriately ‘’the bog’’). We did even sacrifice the Kombi’s front seat to an unfortunate English traveller who had lost his mates on New Year’s Eve. But once I was tucked up warm and dry in the Kombi, I got over it and sympathy quickly turned into a sound dry guiltless sleep.
The best thing about the whole roady was the only night’s accommodation we had to pay for was the $200 fine we got for illegally camping on Hahei beach. The ticket did say we could send a letter to plead our case, however if this column is anything to go by I may only have a slim hope of writing my way out of that one...??
These retro risque rides offer so much more than an overpriced bed-bug-ridden seedy motel room and a water sensitive soggy tent, (not to mention they are a chick magnet). But by far the best attribute that VW Kombi’s/campers/shaggin wagons is the fact that no matter where you go, you travel with style and home really is... where you park it.
PS: I’ve made a great start to 2012. After being left out of the December issue – because the issue was printed by the time I got my copy organised – I have made a New Year resolution to get my sh_t together this year. Don’t miss my riveting monthly column and also make sure you follow me on Twitter (@JamesDominion) – I could do with a few more followers! Happy New Year – JD.
Dedicated dentists
