Fun Family Affair

Taranaki family Bryan, Raechel, Isabel and Hamish go camping almost every weekend in summer. Sometimes they travel far afield – Marlborough Sounds, Wellington, Coromandel, the east coast and central plateau of the North Island are popular haunts – and the regular Taranaki Volkswagen Club camps have become part of their annual schedule. Often, the Goodhue family check out the beaches of Taranaki, and occasionally they roll down the road to camp at their home beach in Oakura.

The Kombi, with its old-fashioned split windscreen, camping gear lashed to the roof rack and its cheery, hand painted finish makes people smile, Bryan says.

“We drove through Te Aroha last year and all the local kids were out waving at us. Often people come up to us and say they remember when they had a van just like her. Life is so busy these days and a lot of people see us on

Bellie’s Bus and I guess they think about past moments in their lives. It all looks relaxed and fun.”

The Goodhue family bought the Kombi as “a rusty wreck” 10 years ago. The plan was to finish her properly.

“I’ve always wanted to have a show-winning vehicle, but when you have children and sunny weekends, all that goes on the back burner,” Bryan says. “Our whole object now is to go out and have fun and share it with others.

“When she needs rust repairs, we just paint another flower,” he laughs.