Cooking in your Campervan | Camper Hire New Zealand
When it comes to cooking in your campervan an open mind and creativity are essential for success. The range of food and meals you are able to cook often depends on the size of your campervan kitchen.
Compact campervans usually only feature a small fridge and one gas cooktop. As compact Toyota Hiace or Mazda campervans don’t have much interior space, most travelers keep cooking to a minimum. With limited resources you are best to stick to the bare basics, like boiling water for a cup of tea, cooking canned soup, baked beans, pasta or canned camping food.
New Zealand supermarkets offer a good selection of canned food and some tasty and easy camping-specialized meals which can be cooked by simply placing the food packet into boiling water. The quality of these meals is surprisingly good - So go and explore the supermarkets for quick and easy instant camping meals!
Tip: Don’t always shop at the main supermarkets (e.g. Countdown, New World). Keep an eye out for signs on the side of the road for fresh, local produce like farm eggs, honey, berries, macadamia nuts, apples, fruit, etc.
Medium to large campervans, also called motorhomes, offer more options for cooking fresh and delicious food.
With three to four gas cooktops, an oven and sometimes a separate grill, you have more possibilities to cook with a variety of fresh New Zealand produce. Motorhomes also provide more bench space for preparing your food. It’s easy to fry-up some delicious lamb steaks, fresh ocean fish, accompanied by a tasty vegetable stir-fry, while you are cooking rice, potatoes, couscous or polenta to go with it.
Some hire motorhomes include a barbecue or portable outside grill. As long as the weather allows it, cooking outside is very practical as you have more space and keep all the cooking smells out of your vehicle.
Salads are also a welcome meal and are easy to prepare. During summer a healthy salad with some bread, cheese and wine may be all you need to for a happy meal.
There is something special about enjoying a beautiful but simple meal, while watching the changing lights over the breath taking New Zealand scenery.
Tip: Don’t toss away the hot water after cooking your pasta or hard-boiled eggs! Warm water is always a shortage when camping and you can make good use of the boiled water for rinsing and washing your dishes.
An important campervan and motorhome travel rule is to keep an eye on the fresh and waste water indicators. Make sure you empty the waste water regularly to avoid unpleasant smells. Most dump stations (waste water stations) also provide fresh water facilities.
Another important point to mention is that visitors to New Zealand are not allowed to bring food into the country. Customs control at the airport will check your luggage for food. Especially fruit, vegetables, meat and perishable foods are not allowed. Hefty fines apply should the customs officer find any prohibited items in your luggage.
Therefore you are best to buy all your camping supplies and food in New Zealand.
We are lucky to have an abundance of beautiful fruit, vegetables and fresh and healthy meat and fish here in NZ.
An Eldorado for food lovers! - Bon appetit!
Please feel free to share your favorite camping recipes in the comments area below.
We would love to hear from you!
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ProCamper Limited has been operating since 2010 and specializes in Campervan Hire for clients visiting New Zealand and Australia. Regular campervan inspections and valuable industry knowledge enables ProCamper to provide ideal solutions for campervan holidays, combined with excellent customer service and competitive rates.
Posted by Gigi - 12 December, 2016 at 1:02 pm, Posted in Campervan Hire New Zealand | Motorhome Rental New Zealand
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