New Zealand 1st overnight trip

[Debra Lumsden]

What 97% don’t you understand?

Which vehicle have you got and which engine size?

Also, what size wheels does the vehicle have? If you don’t know then just measure the diameter, ideally in inches.

I have the 18 inch Disc alloys. We only get one choice of vehicle in the NZ market which is the 2 ltr TDI 7-Speed DSG Automatic Transmission 4MOTION.

 

[Debra Lumsden]

Hi Debra, We are just in the process of buying a 2nd hand Cali and want to get it Cert'd for SC. I have a Landrover which I've kitted out for camping and I have had successfully cert'd by the NZCC. I had a very portable sink etc so this 3m hose thing is a new one to me. - Can you advise more detail please? Why is 3m important and (I'm not familiar with the plumbing yet) whats involved with fitting it.
The bin is no problem of course. The 1m toilet to bed is a bit of a weird rule though! - The whole cert thing is cooked up by the NZCC to stop people cert'ing cheap cars and vans and getting the 'bona-fide' CC'ers a bad name
cheers
James

Hi

The bed needs to be able to be made up with space to do your ablutions and Vanco said it was about a metre from the foot of the bed which isn’t possible in the Cali. The 3m evacuation hose is to use at dumping stations for grey waste. Plus the water tanks are not big enough for 4 people for 3 days as defined by some self containment standard. You need 48ltrs capacity and the Cali only has 30.

It’s just me and the dog so it doesn’t impact me us - We can do a week on those standards!

SUMMARY OF THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR CERTIFIED SELF-CONTAINMENT
The Standard requires sanitary, safe installations:

1. Fresh water tanks: 4 L per person per day (12 L per person minimum); eg. 24 litres is required for 2 people for 3 days & 48 litres is required for 4 people for 3 days;
2. A sink: (via a smell trap/water trap connected to a water tight sealed waste water tank;
3. Grey/black waste water tank: 4 L per person per day (12 L per person minimum, vented and monitored if capacity is less than the fresh water tank);
4. Evacuation hose: (3 m for fitted tanks) or long enough to connect to a sealed portable tank;
5. Sealable refuse container (rubbish bin with a lid).
6. Toilet (portable or fixed): Minimum capacity 1 L per person per day (3 L net holding tank capacity per person minimum);

A portable toilet must be adequately restrained or secured when travelling. The portable toilet shall be usable within the motor caravan or caravan, including sufficient head and elbow room whenever required, even with the bed made up. Where permanent toilets are installed, this shall be in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions and comply with the sanitary requirements in section 3 of the Standard (plumbing requirements).

When these conditions are met, a portable toilet may be used externally e.g. within a toilet tent or awning, where it is appropriate and convenient to do so

 

[Kiwi]

Hi thanks for that post

I had an inspection for self containment and they said the grey water tank needs adjusting as the vent pipe was same as outflow pipe and suggested modification

Were Vanco happy with your grey water tank as it was but with the attachment for 3m hose on the outflow pipe?

Our latest accessory was a sun protector for the awning imported from UK....great

Now planning a tow bar for bike rack and /or towing the tinny..... VW fitted about $1600

Thanks

 

[Debra Lumsden]

Hi thanks for that post

I had an inspection for self containment and they said the grey water tank needs adjusting as the vent pipe was same as outflow pipe and suggested modification

Were Vanco happy with your grey water tank as it was but with the attachment for 3m hose on the outflow pipe?

Our latest accessory was a sun protector for the awning imported from UK....great

Now planning a tow bar for bike rack and /or towing the tinny..... VW fitted about $1600

Thanks

Hi

This is what the pipe now looks like on mine for the grey water. I have a 3m hose attachment then that connects for draining.

I also bought a storage box for the porta potti that doubles as a footstool when I am drinking my wine and reading my book!

 

[HugoFar]

I have the 18 inch Disc alloys. We only get one choice of vehicle in the NZ market which is the 2 ltr TDI 7-Speed DSG Automatic Transmission 4MOTION.

Within the one choice of van Kiwis get there is some variation from dealer to dealer. If you look through Trademe ads, some have the 18 inch wheels,(and no spare wheel) and some the far more practical for NZ, 17 inch wheels. (with a standard 17inch spare and same tyre as others) The dealer should have informed you of this. You can get as a spare a 17inch wheel/tyre and associated cradle bits and fit to your 18 inch wheeled Cali. You'd have to get the closest tyre match to match the other 4. It's 4Motion so you want to keep the tyre circumferences as close as possible.
BTW, Continental Tyres,behind Continental VW in Newmarket used to have stacks of 16 +17 steel wheels, (without tyres) taken off T5 or T6 VW Transporters that you can buy cheap. Then after your research fit the appropriate tyre and fit to your Cali. I bought 5 genuine 17 steel T5 wheels (no tyres) for a total of NZD$62.50. $12.50 each. As someone else mentions, 16inch wont fit due to front wheel brakes in your Cali. Or just buy a more costly 18inch spare wheel/tyre,but I don't think they come in steel, only Aluminium. I would def follow it up with the dealer. In NZ, on our roads you do want a real spare wheel, and know how how to fit it.

 

[Kiwi]

Good points, the dealer Debra purchased her cali from should have given the heads up

Interested if any other NZ Cali owners have had self containment issues.... we have given up as couldn't be bothered with vent modifications to grey tank

Anyway, those cassette toilets aren't too pleasant to empty....plenty of non self contained DOC camps with bogs and of course other full camp sites

happy Cali camping!

 

[HugoFar]

Good points, the dealer Debra purchased her cali from should have given the heads up

Interested if any other NZ Cali owners have had self containment issues.... we have given up as couldn't be bothered with vent modifications to grey tank

Anyway, those cassette toilets aren't too pleasant to empty....plenty of non self contained DOC camps with bogs and of course other full camp sites

happy Cali camping!

When we bought our Cali it came with the Self Containment Certification, and sticker on the rear window. After seeing where we camp we haven't bothered renewing it. We haven't yet stayed on a commercial site. Lot's of DoC sites and Local Council Approved sites out there. There are so many good camping areas around that we decided to save the money and hassle.

 

[Kiwi]

Agree
Self containment for Cali overrated, porta potti also takes up a lot of space

Off season DOC parks with toilets are great

We are looking forward to getting our tow bat fitted to put bikes on the back

 

[KiwiCali]

Good points, the dealer Debra purchased her cali from should have given the heads up

Interested if any other NZ Cali owners have had self containment issues.... we have given up as couldn't be bothered with vent modifications to grey tank

Anyway, those cassette toilets aren't too pleasant to empty....plenty of non self contained DOC camps with bogs and of course other full camp sites

happy Cali camping!

Hi ... I had no problem with my self containment.. maybe I was just lucky. I just needed to add a cap/connector onto the existing waste pipe ... an Adapter and a 3metre exit pipe to remove waste. I have copied Debra's great idea re the loo ... and have it nicely tucked away in an ottoman. With the two of us, we could just put it in the cupboard under sink if required. We do want the ability to free camp in some out of the way spots... so will see how we go!

 

[Kiwi]

Hi ... I had no problem with my self containment.. maybe I was just lucky. The guy had done a Cali before and he said I just needed to add a cap/connector onto the existing waste pipe ... an Adapter and a 3metre exit pipe to remove waste. $75 DIY and all sorted. I have copied Debra's great idea re the loo ... and have it nicely tucked away in an ottoman. With the two of us, we could just put it in the cupboard under sink if required. We do want the ability to free camp in some out of the way spots... so will see how we go!

Not sure I fancy storing a toilet under the sink!
We put our food in there!

 

[KiwiCali]

Not sure I fancy storing a toilet under the sink!
We put our food in there!

Agree - that was a silly idea! Having just received the Cali - we have yet to go on an over-nighter ... so I had not thought about where things will go food wise!

 

[WelshGas]

Agree - that was a silly idea! Having just received the Cali - we have yet to go on an over-nighter ... so I had not thought about where things will go food wise!

Lots of owners do keep it there. But I agree, not somewhere I would even contemplate.

 

[Bellcrew]

Lots of owners do keep it there. But I agree, not somewhere I would even contemplate.

Everyone has different ideas about what is and is not acceptable. Brandrup makes a tray that fits in the cupboard to retain the cube, presumably they sell 100s at the usual fabulous price they charge for their kit. Some people actually take up to four dogs with them in the van, whilst they are obviously great company their lavatorial habits are not exactly up to Debretts standards, but acceptable to many regardless.
I have memories of a toilet tent being blown horizontal at the Highlands meet in the spring by a freezing easterly force 6, wild horses would not have dragged my wife into such a place, again whatever floats your boat.

 

[WelshGas]

Everyone has different ideas about what is and is not acceptable. Brandrup makes a tray that fits in the cupboard to retain the cube, presumably they sell 100s at the usual fabulous price they charge for their kit. Some people actually take up to four dogs with them in the van, whilst they are obviously great company their lavatorial habits are not exactly up to Debretts standards, but acceptable to many regardless.
I have memories of a toilet tent being blown horizontal at the Highlands meet in the spring by a freezing easterly force 6, wild horses would not have dragged my wife into such a place, again whatever floats your boat.

Having studied Bacteriology in my former life including a study of toilet contamination post cleaning no way would I store a toilet in a kitchen cupboard unless it had never been used. Brandrup might sell a tray for it but then they don't have to suffer the consequences.

 

[jcshnz]

I understood about 3% of that! And I thought I was a van nerd too!

I think what he's saying is that an 18" wheel and tyre will not fit into the allocated space underneath. (probably too fat for the wheel carry cage, if my previous experience of this kind of thing rings true here). So the alternative is a 17" but the tyre size will need to be calculated to give the same circumference as the 18". This isn't that hard to do and I would do it if I knew your 18" tyre size. Having said that, its probably best to ask the exact question to the forum as somebody will no doubt have already done it.

Somebody else was talking about steel wheels available somewhere in AKL cheaply. This would be worth investigating. I'm picking my T5 Cali up from Whangarei on Wednesday and not sure whether I have a spare of not so will be potentially going down the same 'route' as you
Hope this helps
cheers
james

 

[jcshnz]

Hi ... I had no problem with my self containment.. maybe I was just lucky. The guy had done a Cali before and he said I just needed to add a cap/connector onto the existing waste pipe ... an Adapter and a 3metre exit pipe to remove waste. $75 DIY and all sorted. I have copied Debra's great idea re the loo ... and have it nicely tucked away in an ottoman. With the two of us, we could just put it in the cupboard under sink if required. We do want the ability to free camp in some out of the way spots... so will see how we go!

Hi, would you mind sharing the name of the person who certified your Cali please? I might need a heads up.
Cheers
James

 

[jcshnz]

Within the one choice of van Kiwis get there is some variation from dealer to dealer. If you look through Trademe ads, some have the 18 inch wheels,(and no spare wheel) and some the far more practical for NZ, 17 inch wheels. (with a standard 17inch spare and same tyre as others) The dealer should have informed you of this. You can get as a spare a 17inch wheel/tyre and associated cradle bits and fit to your 18 inch wheeled Cali. You'd have to get the closest tyre match to match the other 4. It's 4Motion so you want to keep the tyre circumferences as close as possible.
BTW, Continental Tyres,behind Continental VW in Newmarket used to have stacks of 16 +17 steel wheels, (without tyres) taken off T5 or T6 VW Transporters that you can buy cheap. Then after your research fit the appropriate tyre and fit to your Cali. I bought 5 genuine 17 steel T5 wheels (no tyres) for a total of NZD$62.50. $12.50 each. As someone else mentions, 16inch wont fit due to front wheel brakes in your Cali. Or just buy a more costly 18inch spare wheel/tyre,but I don't think they come in steel, only Aluminium. I would def follow it up with the dealer. In NZ, on our roads you do want a real spare wheel, and know how how to fit it.

Hi, I tried ringing these guys but didn't get anywhere. One person I spoke to said he'd seen a set a long time ago but not since. Any clues please?

 

[Kiwi]

Hi, would you mind sharing the name of the person who certified your Cali please? I might need a heads up.
Cheers
James

Hi kiwicali

Would love to know who you used also
I have the adapter and 3 m hose too, but an inspector wasn’t happy with the grey tank vent being the outlet as well
I was bit annoyed especially when you see these old people mover rubbish fake campers with the self contained sticker.... how on earth did they get them yet The Cali isn’t good enough.... ridiculous

 

[KiwiCali]

Hi ... contact Vanco .....http://vanco.nz/contact.

 

[Kiwi]

Hello no VW California owners
Check out VW California NZ on Facebook
Trying to start a group of NZ VW Cali owners

 

[KiwiCali]

Hello no VW California owners
Check out VW California NZ on Facebook
Trying to start a group of NZ VW Cali owners

Hi ... can't see it come up ... Is this the exact name? "VW California NZ"
Also seen a local general VW one : https://www.facebook.com/VolkswagenOwnersClubNZ/
Plus I've joined this offshore one as well: "VW California Club"

 

[Kiwi]

Hello no VW California owners
Check out VW California NZ on Facebook
Trying to start a group of NZ VW Cali owners

NZ VW California owners even!

 

[Kiwi]

Hi ... can't see it come up ... Is this the exact name? "VW California NZ"
Also seen a local general VW one : https://www.facebook.com/VolkswagenOwnersClubNZ/
Plus I've joined this offshore one as well: "VW California Club"

VW California NZ group

 

[KiwiCali]

Hi kiwicali

Would love to know who you used also
I have the adapter and 3 m hose too, but an inspector wasn’t happy with the grey tank vent being the outlet as well
I was bit annoyed especially when you see these old people mover rubbish fake campers with the self contained sticker.... how on earth did they get them yet The Cali isn’t good enough.... ridiculous

Hi

I thought this thread was worth linking to this conversation as well. https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/grey-water-tank-drain-issue.747/page-2. The technical manual is worth a look, and good to see that if we have to put in a waste breather mechanism, it is fairly straight forward. (will log this for the future)

 

[Kiwi]

Hi

I thought this thread was worth linking to this conversation as well. https://vwcaliforniaclub.com/threads/grey-water-tank-drain-issue.747/page-2. The technical manual is worth a look, and good to see that if we have to put in a waste breather mechanism, it is fairly straight forward. (will log this for the future)

Hi
Agree
We hope to find a sensible self containment person

After so much rain, looks like this week end is going to be fine so heading out in our Hotel California to the Mount. Can’t wait!