 The Nelson Motorhome Caravan & Outdoor show takes place at Tahuna Beach Holiday Park early November and we are proud to be attending again. You can find more information on the show by clicking the picture above. We hope to see you there.
Saturday 8th 10am-4pm Sunday 9th 10am-3pm Public Entry is $10 per person at the gate. Under 15's are free entry.  Opening Hours over Christmas and New Year
The summer holiday break period is incoming which gives our team some well needed rest and recovery time to spend with their families. Our sales team and workshop team dates for the Christmas and New Year period are as below. If you have any sales enquiries over this time please email us here and we will respond as soon as we can. 22nd to 24th December 2025 – Open 9am to 4pm Reduced Hours Sales Team Only 25th December 2025 – 4th January 2026 Christmas Holidays - Deluxe RV Group Sales Office Closed 20th December 2025 – 4th January 2026 Christmas Holidays - Deluxe RV Group Workshop Closed  Taranaki region, best known for Mount Taranaki, New Zealand's most perfectly formed volcano. "From world-class surf breaks to a picture-perfect ancestral mountain, Taranaki has so much on offer all year round." Taranaki, particularly the city of New Plymouth is a region in New Zealand that I personally spend quite a bit of time in due to my sport. So I am quite familiar with the area and its surroundings. It has a beautiful coastline and much to explore.  "Located halfway between Auckland and Wellington on New Zealand’s west coast, the Taranaki region is a mecca for outdoor enthusiasts, families, foodies, and those wanting to indulge in arts and culture. With a beautifully pristine coastline that is home to more than 12 world-class surf breaks (four of them are nationally significant), the symmetrical volcanic cone of ancestral Taranaki Maunga, bloomingly beautiful gardens, endless tracks and trails, rich culture and arts, vibrant events, and decadent dining, Taranaki has something for everyone. Visit historic sites, discover contemporary art, explore world-recognised parks and gardens, and take a hike through native forest, sample a sumptuous local restaurant dish, or surf and snowboard in the same day. Walk the 12.7 km New Plymouth Coastal Walkway and stop off at pioneering artistic Len Lye's Wind Wand, treat yourself to an art trail, or one of the many festivals throughout the year (including the annual TSB Festival of Lights extravaganza), immerse yourself at an award-winning museum or gallery, or pay a visit to one of the last working lighthouses in New Zealand - the Cape Egmont lighthouse." Click on the link below and check out the full page... https://www.newzealand.com/int/taranaki/ "Visit the Taranaki region for the full mountain-to-sea experience. Catch surf-breaks and visit art studios while catching a glimpse of Taranaki maunga." The Mountain & National Park Mt Taranaki with its symmetrical cone shape is the centrepiece of Egmont National Park, New Zealand's second-oldest national park. There are three main entrances to the park with sealed roads that lead to altitudes, making it one of the country's most accessible parks. Visitor centres are located at Dawson Falls, North Egmont (plus a cafe) and there's a small family-friendly ski area, Manganui, at Stratford Plateau. Whether you’re an avid hiker, photographer, or nature enthusiast, Mount Taranaki offers an array of activities. The rugged and scenic weathered trails, such as the popular Pouakai Crossing, provide stunning panoramic views of the mountain, volcanic landscapes, and surrounding valleys. For the more ambitious, the summit climb offers an exhilarating challenge and breathtaking vistas. The park around Mount Taranaki is home to a variety of native forest, bird species, and unique plant life. Visitors can explore peaceful walking tracks, waterfalls, and volcanic craters that tell the story of the mountain’s fiery past. The Coastline Taranaki boasts beautiful beaches along its coastline. Surfing culture is extremely popular in New Plymouth. Alternatively these pristine shores are perfect for swimming, picnicking, or simply soaking in the scenery. The coastal walkway in New Plymouth is a must-do, offering a scenic 13 km trail along the waterfront. Explore the Saturday farmers' market, check out the modern Puke Ariki Museum, or relax at the Foreshore Park with panoramic views of the Tasman Sea. Experience Local Art & Culture Taranaki is renowned for its vibrant arts scene. Visit the fantasticly architectural Govett-Brewster Art Gallery, home to the famous Len Lye Collection, or attend local festivals celebrating local culture, music, and contemporary arts. New Plymouth also hosts the annual Americarna car show. This show brings the best of American cars to New Plymouth for a weekend that is free for the public to attend and explore the cars. I have been lucky enough to be in New Plymouth twice while this is on and it is certainly a very cool spectacle. The next one is 24th-28th February 2026. Visit the Taranaki Gardens Taranaki is fierce in colour and vibrancy, so it’s no wonder the region dazzles with spectacular world-recognised gardens. The annual Taranaki Garden Festival showcases more than 50 of the region's best every spring. Discover highlights such as Te Kainga Marire, Tūpare homestead, Hollard Garden, family-fun King Edward Park in Hāwera, and Pukeiti - the rainforest garden nestled in the foothills of Taranaki Maunga. The TSB Festival of Lights is a free event held every summer, showcasing magnificently colourful light installations in the natural backdrop of the sprawling inner-city sanctuary of Pukekura Park. Play a Round of Golf "Breathtaking scenery, tree-lined fairways, a long coastline and the gaze of Taranaki Maunga make this region a stunningly scenic and thriving golf destination. See panoramic views of the North Taranaki coastline, New Plymouth city, and Taranaki Maunga at Fitzroy, or tackle Strathmore in rural Eastern Taranaki. Whatever the skills, or ambition - Taranaki has the course for you." Where to stay in Taranaki
The Taranaki region has an impressive amount of freedom camping spots, paid campgrounds and PoP's available. Simply too many for us to list in this newsletter article. Most of the small towns have some form of campground, PoP or Freedom camp option. We suggest a quick browse on the NZMCA app to figure out what might suit you best. NZMCA Parks There are two NZMCA parks in the New Plymouth city area and one located in Hawera. So if you are an NZMCA member you can utilise these parks.  Deluxe RV Group are proud to be a a class sponsor for this years Kartsport New Zealand South Island Sprint Champs on the 25th and 26th of October. This event is being run at the Liquidaction Marlborough track this year and will feature the best of South Island racers battling it out to become their class champion and take away the right to wear the SI plates for a year. If you have any interest in motorsports this will be a great event to watch, especially on Marlborough's technical track. Entry for spectators is free of charge and Kartsport Marlborough have a cafe onsite.
 Steve from DCB touched base last week to let us know the first DCB Lincoln 4x4 is almost yard ready. Currently they are working through ticking off the last of the pre-delivery and compliance requirements before it heads up to Blenheim. These images are a sneak peek of the exterior. We will photograph in full once it arrives. If you are in the market for a luxury 4x4 off grid capable two berth motorhome, then please reach out for more details and specifications. You can view the details and images of the last DCB Lincoln we had on our website by clicking here. This last one we sold was a rear wheel drive. Going forward we will have both rear wheel drive and four wheel drive available. Locking in a forward build slot also gives you the ability to customise.   Often when customers visit Blenheim to have their annual habitation service or to just peruse the stock we have on hand, we get asked where they should eat out that night.
Our first recommendation is always Gramado's Restaurant, which is actually just down the road from us. Highly praised as an exceptional South American style restaurant known for its outstanding service and unique, high quality food and attentive service. The owner Saulo and his team create delicious food and warm welcoming atmosphere. The Deluxe team had had a good handful of team dinners there over the years and always had a great time. The restaurant is well known locally and is rated highly through reviews so often can be booked out for nights on end. We suggest booking early to secure your table. https://www.gramadosrestaurant.com/ https://www.facebook.com/p/Gramados-Restaurant-And-Bar-100049615848472/  Some amazing news we have been waiting quite frankly for years now. The Transport Minister has announced private use motorhome Certificate of Fitness (CoF) inspection intervals are changing to 12 months from 1st September 2025. The six monthly burden of a CoF was often a frustration for many motorhome owners who would typically undertake quite low kilometers between inspections.
The new rule was introduced to reduce the compliance burden on motorhome owners, who tend to drive significantly less than those with modern cars. Evidence also indicates that motorhomes and vintage vehicles are less likely to have a vehicle fault contribute to a serious crash. Public support during the consultation period was overwhelmingly in favour of making the change to 12 month intervals, with 89% supporting the change, which affects 39,000 motorhomes. You can read more on the announcement by clicking the link below. https://www.beehive.govt.nz/release/victory-vintage-vehicles-and-private-motorhomes A massive thank you from all within the industry to the team at NZMCA who has worked hard behind the scenes for years now to lobby for this sensible change. For new RV Owners or people that have purchased a late model RV, hand over day can be a little overwhelming in learning how to operate the new systems. One common thing we tend to see is people having issues with the hot water heater or fridge faulting on gas. When your Truma Combi hot water heater faults on gas you will most likely see a code “E517H” on the control panel. When the later model Dometic fridges fault the fridge will display a blue LED light under the ! mark on the front panel. Most of the time we see this happen due to the gas bottle being turned off before the appliances have been turned off. If you wish to turn your gas bottle off, it is important to make sure you have turned your hot water and heating off, then make sure your fridge has switched to the desired mode 12V, 230V or completely off. This will prevent the above faults from occurring. If you have a Dometic 10 series fridge, to reset the fault you simply need to hold down the power button for 3 seconds until you hear a beep, this will reset the fault code. If the fridge turns off, you have held the button too long, turn the fridge back on and try the same process again. Here is a simple video below to help.
For the Truma heater system, if you look at the Truma control panel and scroll down to the flashing ! icon on the bottom of the screen and select it you will see a message, 15-minute timeout, this time out will count down to 0 and you will then be able to restart your Truma system once again. If this error persists you will need to undertake a hard reset on the heater unit itself. Congratulations 🎉 to Andrew and Ali on the delivery of their new LeVoyageur 8.7CF Heritage. These very patient customers have waited two years to get this custom built van that was ordered specifically for them and their requirements. The Boss and Dodgie are great repeat customers and really part of the family here at Deluxe. Often just dropping by to say hello with a few packs of biscuits for the team. This new LeVoyageur is their seventh Deluxe RV supplied motorhome. They have even had a magazine article written about them by NZMCD. Click the link below to have a read. https://nzmcd.co.nz/stories/the-boss-and-dodgie/ All the best and we hope you guys have a blast!   When you purchase your RV, it is most likely a dream come true and you can’t wait to get away and make use of it. An important and easily overlooked part of an RV is the roof. It does require regular maintenance, but in most cases is difficult to access. We suggest washing the roof at least once every six months, every three months if possible is better.
By doing this it keeps any moss, mold, or lichen away from the surface and gives you the chance to clean the solar panels to help with efficient charging. You can use a regular car wash to do this. We don’t suggest any form of Wet and Forget or simple spray on solution, we have seen this damage decals on prior customer RV’s. A coat or two of typical good quality car polish applied to the roof can also help prohibit build up. The polish will assist with water run off during periods of rain. If you keep on top of this, it makes it a lot easier to do each time. If you leave the roof for 12 months of longer the job becomes a lot harder as the deposits and grime attach much harder to the roof surface. We understand that accessing the roof can be difficult, so if you are having your water ingress check done with us here in Blenheim, we are more than happy to do a roof wash for you. Please just advise us on the day of booking that you would like it done, this would just be charged at our hourly workshop rate. Most winters during the school holiday break, Daryl and his family make a trip around down one side of the South Island to Queenstown and then return up the opposite coast. This year they had to carefully plan their trip due to the wild weather that had hit the top of the South Island around the same time. Luckily they caught a break heading down the West Coast through Reefton and Greymouth to Rainforest retreat at Franz, which is one of their favourite spots to stay and we mention again below in our Great Destinations segment. A few days later this route they had travelled was closed off again with various slips and washouts. From Franz it was on to Wanaka, then Cromwell and Arrowtown to check out the Winter Wonderland set up at Ayrburn. As always Ayrburn never disappoints with its range of activities and dining. There is plenty of room for motorhome parking at the end of the main road in to Ayrburn. They visited again for brunch a few days later on their way back out of Queenstown. From there it was towards Tekapo to go ice skating and rest in the hot pools. This was not to be unfortunately as the rain set in again ending any hope of venturing outside for an evening under the stars. Leaving Tekapo it is always ideal to head to Farlie for breakfast, particularly the Farlie Bakehouse. Next stop was Christchurch to catch up with some relatives and then finally onward home to Blenheim. At this point many roads on the west coast were still closed off, so luckily this way around the South Island worked for them this time. Daryl recommends checking the NZTA journey planner before travelling on longer trips https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/journey-planner this system is really up to date and includes all road closures and road works that will likely cause a delay to your journey.
 Every now and then on service checks we find customers water tank probes not reading correctly or showing 100% when the tank is actually empty.
As you will see in the image above the Pilote water tank probes consists of 5 stainless steel probes. If a probe gets covered in film, grease or dirt from dirty grey waste, they will not work like they should as the film covers the complete stainless-steel probe and prohibits it from reading correctly. What we recommend is to put some blue toilet chemical in your grey waste tank every few trips to help keep the tank clean and prohibit the build within your grey waste tank. To clean the probes yourself you can simply remove the screw cap off the top of the tank, this is accessed via the floor hatch area in the front of the van And give it a really good hose out. If you reach into the tank, you can also use a clean cloth to wipe the probes clean.
This is George - Daryl's families Mini Schnauzer who has been motor-homing since a young pup For some of us, dogs or other pets are a major reason to why we choose RV travel as our getaway of choice. For some taking an overseas holiday and leaving the dogs at home is just not an option. RV travel is an easy way to travel with your canine companions, and many of them enjoy the getaway as much as we do!
There are many things to consider and remember when taking your furry friends with you. We have outlined these in as much detail below as possible. The Essentials When packing your motorhome for touring you’ll need to think about your dog’s needs as well as your own, but some of these essential items can be left permanently in the motorhome.
Planning Travel It is important to pre-plan your travel when travelling with Pets. While many places are now dog friendly, not all are. It is important not to turn up expecting animals on any site or park over property are ok. We recommend checking the NZMCA app. The app outlines which places are pet friendly or not, and you can filter results so that only pet friendly places appear. Your RV should also be a home away from home for your dog. They are routine based animals and like to maintain habits. Try and stick to the same eating and toileting routine that you would have at home. Ensure they have their blanket or bed to give them comfort while resting and some toys from home will also help. Plan stops suitable for your dog including suitable areas to run and explore and include a dog park or two if you can. It also pays to plan for the worst and ensure you are aware of local vet locations and ensure you have an action plan should an emergency happen or your dog falls ill. Securing During Travel Much like we restrain ourselves with seatbelts, Dogs require securing to the vehicle also, we should give our beloved pets the same care and protection we give ourselves. Each RV situation is different and may require some thought for restraint options. In our Pilote we ensure our Dog is wearing his harness and then anchored to the seat using a shortened lead. Some RV's also have ISOFIX child seat restraints. These can be a great option for restraint connection. Dogs should not be left to freely roam the vehicle during travel. Unrestrained pets can be a distraction and in the case of even a small accident could give rise for a "dangerous driving" charge. Travelling With a Dog in an RV Each dog is different, some are straight into travelling with absolutely no worries. Some may present with a bit of travel anxiety. If this is the case we recommend creating a plan that eases them into it. You need to start slowly and ensure you are creating positive association with the RV along the way for them. This may mean a few nights camping in the driveway before taking to the road. Getting them used to staying in the RV over a period of time without going anywhere helps reduce the larger change of driving days and being away from home. You may then step this up to a trip to the shops in the RV and leaving them for a short period. Extending these trips over time. Essentially the more time and work you put into coaching an anxious dog into RV travel, the more you will relax and enjoy your trips away yourself. Drive carefully and smoothly and keep calm. Dogs pick up on distress and can think something is wrong if you are heightened yourself. Ensure you have adequate ventilation while parked if you have to leave them in the RV. This can be as simple as cracking a roof vent while parked. Leave them a bowl of water out while parked. The familiarity of the environment and routine will help your dog settle and build confidence. For most dogs, over time they become seasoned travelers and the sight of the RV becomes a cue that they’re about to spend quality time with you and explore exciting new environments.  Something we come across quite regularly during trade in assessments, is a lack of understanding around the requirement by Fiat for the cambelt replacement intervals on the Ducato chassis.
This is something we have to factor into our trade in assessments and many are surprised by the requirement to change the belt so soon given the low kilometers most motorhomes have traveled. Many kiwis have in their mind 100,000 kilometers as replacement interval. This comes from many years of import Japanese cars having that as their average benchmark for replacement timing. For the Ducato however Fiat advise the interval for a cambelt change as 5 years or 100,000 kilometers, whichever comes first. Motorhomes in most cases won't travel over 100,000 kilometers in 5 years, so the 5 year interval is typically the requirement. It is important to have this preventative maintenance done on time, as even if the mileage is low the belt can oxidise and degrade over time. It is wise to replace the belt tensioner at the same time and at minimum check the water pump condition. If you are looking to buy a used motorhome from a dealer or privately around that 5 year old mark, we recommend you obtain proof that this preventative maintenance has been completed. We regularly provide our prospective customers a copy of the service invoice to show that this work has been completed. It is also worth noting that most if not all Mechanical Breakdown Insurance policies will not cover any repair cost if the manufacturer required maintenance has not been completed on time. During these colder months of the year, condensation can build up inside of the single glazed glass windows of your motorhome and can be problematic. These windows are typically the cab or front side windows of your motorhome. It can delay your early morning get away by taking time and effort to dry and clean up the front and side windows. Pilote have a great thermal cover which we have been importing into New Zealand. We have options to fit low profile Fiat cabs and both Pilote and LeVoyageur A-Class motorhomes. We can courier these out NZ wide. Please contact Matt for further information and pricing at [email protected]
As many people will know there has been a change of Optus Satellites which has affected Freeview and SKY TV throughout the country, and many brands of automatic dishes are no longer receiving signal.
The Kiwi Sat dish is fully updatable and can be done by any RV shop or if you are savvy enough you can download it via this link and follow the instructions. Software: https://www.apollo12v.co.nz/ Video: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=kiwi+sat+update Alternatively if you have a Kiwi Sat and and are in the Marlborough area you can contact Jesse on 027 674 4688 and arrange it directly with him. Regarding the SamY Vision dishes we have seen some issues, as many will know RSE Ltd went into liquidation last year so getting support for this dish is a little tricky. Luckily the team at Digital RV in Christchurch are working with SamY to get an update for the SamY 60, we hope to see this soon. Unfortunately, the SamY 54 (the predecessor) is no longer able to be updated due to the tuner in the dish. The only option on the SamY 54 is a replacement dish. If you have a Southern Cross 52 or one of our more modern OptiSat dishes, then no updates are required, and they should be working as per normal.  Whilst motorhomes drive on our roads along with cars and other smaller vehicles, in reality the maintenance requirements of a motorhome are much more complex and more akin to boat ownership. They contain a combination of domestic home type systems, RV specific appliances, and automotive and safety components, all housed within a vehicle that will be driven at relatively high speeds over many years. With that in mind, it's well worth staying on top of maintaining your motorhome at regular intervals.
With a brand new motorhome purchase, most European RV brands require the owners to undertake habitation inspections on an annual basis for a limited number of years to maintain the warranty cover period. However we would encourage owners to undertake these inspections every year regardless of any warranty cover requirements. We believe these habitation inspections are crucial for ensuring the safety and longevity of your motorhome, they can also affect its future resale value by preventing small problems from becoming big problems requiring serious repair. This applies to all brands and builds, not just the brands we import here at Deluxe. If you require a habitation inspection we have a network of agents throughout New Zealand who can do this somewhere close by to where you are located. Customers who have purchased new RV's from us will receive an annual inspection reminder from our automated system that contains this list. However if you don't receive these annual reminders and wish to receive a copy of the list please just email us to request a copy. Last year our good friend Jean-Marie made the below winterisation advice video for the wider Pilote community. The video is in French but you can watch with English subtitles. Because Pilote offers class 3 insulation and sells into Scandinavian countries. The video gives detailed advice for long term winterisation advice for these cold European countries. However much of it still applies to general winterisation techniques and requirements. Even if you don't have a Pilote Motorhome. You can also check out our previous winterisation blog article at the link below. https://www.deluxegroup.co.nz/deluxe-rv-blog/winterizing-your-rv  As the sunlight hours drop this is typically when we start to see people struggle with their 12V house batteries and field phone calls with confusion on why they might be flat. Its not so much an issue with battery capacity but an issue with the recharge rate during the day.
Most of our new customers are opting for around 400W of solar now. 200W of solar during winter is a very light set up, this in turn means you may need to plug in to 230V power every few days to recharge your batteries. It is very important if you have an AGM/ Lead Acid or Gel battery you do not let the voltage drop below 12V. To assist with keeping on top of your winter travels you can always add an additional solar panel or two. Something I highly recommend is a Enerdrive E-pro Plus battery monitor, these are a very helpful device and keeps you well informed of your battery condition. A couple of tips to help. Make sure you do not run your 3-way fridge on 12V unless you're traveling. 3-way fridges are designed to be on gas as priority, 230V when plugged in to mains power and 12V when the engine is running only. Most fridges are designed to automatically determine what source is most efficient and correct to run on and shouldn't require overriding. When on the ferry, you are best to turn your fridge off completely, they work as a insulated chilly box and will be fine left like this for a 4 or 5 hour ferry journey. Once you are off the ferry, switch it back on to automatic 3-way. Another good thing to check is if you have an inverter fitted, make sure this is off when not in use. An invertor will use 12V power while switched on even if nothing is connected to it. I hope this helps and happy camping! Brett Smith |
Location45 Main Street, Blenheim,
New Zealand Opening HoursMonday - Friday: 8.00am - 5.00pm
Saturday: 9.00am - 2.00pm Other times by Appointment only Ph: 03 578 3310 |
Telephone03 578 3310
|
|
Dedicated Property Website |
Copyright ©
DELUXE RV Group. All Rights Reserved