Report a problem

What is the problem?

Could not attach a screenshot — send without it

Filters

Flood-hit couple living in campervan months after forever home was swamped

14.07.2026 07:11 1 min 1 source РУС
RNZ ENG
Flood-hit couple living in campervan months after forever home was swamped
© RNZ / Nate McKinnon

Tricia Hewlett and her partner, who bought a home in Little River, Canterbury last year, are living in Hewlett's mother's campervan after devastating flooding in February. Their house is being raised half a metre to prevent future floods, but repairs are months away. Hewlett lost her part-time job and savings, and insurers did not cover the cost of lifting the house.

Aggregated by OpenVan.camp from the public sources listed below, with AI-assisted translation and summary. We always link to the original source. Machine translation may differ from the original -- check the source for important details. Images and content remain the property of their respective owners. Copyright information

Story sources

Flood-hit couple living in campervan months after forever home was swamped

14.07.2026 RNZ ENG Original source

NZ New Zealand — fuel prices

Updated: 01.08.2026

Regular 91

$1.74 /l

NZD2.95 · €1.51/l

15 of 17

pricier than 82% of countries

Premium 95

$1.85 /l

NZD3.15 · €1.60/l

103 of 140

pricier than 73% of countries

Premium 98

$1.93 /l

NZD3.28 · €1.67/l

63 of 94

pricier than 66% of countries

100

$1.99 /l

NZD3.37 · €1.72/l

14 of 23

pricier than 57% of countries

Diesel

$1.51 /l

NZD2.57 · €1.31/l

73 of 141

pricier than 51% of countries

LPG

$1.14 /l

NZD1.93 · €0.99/l

44 of 54

pricier than 80% of countries

Popular route

Distance

Fuel cost

~

Est. time

~

Quiz: test yourself
Guess the vanlife lingo — 3 quick questions
1 / 3
Q1 Why should grey and black water not be dumped anywhere?
VanSky - weather index · New Zealand

Best regions in the coming days

Auckland Region +15°·9 km/h
72
Taranaki Region +14°·23 km/h
70
Marlborough District +14°·29 km/h
68
Wellington Region +14°·28 km/h
67
Avoid now
Southland Region +12°·16 km/h
53
Tasman District +12°·11 km/h
55

You May Be Interested

All News

Couple forced to live in caravan after £100k renovation disaster

A British couple who invested ten years of savings into a home renovation have been living in a caravan for over a year. The building firm RPM Group, hired for £126,000 of work, ceased trading, leaving the project incomplete. Surveyors estimate less than 50% of contracted work was done, while the couple paid 90% of the bill. Police declined to prosecute due to high burden of proof.

News from New Zealand

All News

New Zealand holiday park Athenree Hot Springs named 2026 supreme award winner

Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park won the 2026 Holiday Park Supreme Industry Award and Medium Park of the Year at the Holiday Parks New Zealand Awards Dinner in Hamilton on July 30. Owners Peter Church and Belinda Rixon-Church, geologists with no prior park experience, bought the business in 2020 just before the Covid-19 lockdown. The park now has five self-contained units, seven cabins and about 100 campsites, including 35 semi-permanent caravan sites. Visitor numbers have grown from 18,000 to nearly 30,000 per year.

Student nurse lives in caravan during two-month placement

Nursing graduate Ella Hofman from Foxton had to live in a caravan for nine weeks because her final clinical placement was in Whanganui, a two-hour drive away. She fell ill due to the cold and was still unwell while sitting her state nursing exam. Hofman is one of 964 nurses graduating this month competing for 428 new graduate roles at Te Whatu Ora. NZNO student co-leader Poihaere Whare said clinical placements are a huge logistical and financial challenge, forcing students to stay in camper vans or sleep in cars.

TrailLite takes on European rivals with first NZ-made motorhome

New Zealand motorhome retailer and manufacturer TrailLite has launched its first fully New Zealand-built motorhome, directly challenging the European brands that dominate the market. Founded 72 years ago, TrailLite also offers motorhomes and campervans from brands such as Benimar, Mobilvetta and McLouis. The company's revenue has nearly doubled over the past decade following a post-Covid boom.

Holiday Parks New Zealand Crowns 2026 Industry Champions

Holiday Parks New Zealand announced the winners of its 2026 awards at a ceremony in Hamilton on July 30. Awards were presented in categories including Park of the Year, Sustainability, and Community Engagement. Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park won Medium Park of the Year and the Supreme Industry Award. A new Trade Member of the Year award was introduced, with LinkWorks as the inaugural winner.

Bay holiday park wins supreme industry award

Athenree Hot Springs and Holiday Park, located near Katikati north of Tauranga, won the Holiday Park Supreme Industry Award at the Holiday Parks New Zealand Awards in Hamilton. The park was also named Medium Park of the Year. Judges highlighted its manaakitanga (hospitality), community contribution, continuous improvement environmental programme, and status as the largest local employer.

Install OpenVan.camp

Get quick access and offline reading.

Install on iOS

  1. 1 Tap Share in Safari.
  2. 2 Choose "Add to Home Screen".
  3. 3 Confirm by tapping Add.

Already installed

The app is already installed on this device.

Install from browser menu

Use your browser menu to install or add to home screen.

→ Glossary