This was published 6 years ago
What it's like to stay in a glamour-van in Cambridge, New Zealand
Caravan with Cadiz interior.Credit: Caroline Gladstone
There was a time not too long ago when you'd never use the words "glamour" and "caravan" in the same sentence. And not long before that, sophisticates dared not put the G-word in front of "camping" either.
How things have changed. I'm quite fond of a caravan and my childhood caravanning adventures were great fun. Mind you, we never hit the road in one; we stayed in on-site vans and later as an adventurous teenager I gravitated to that form of accommodation when I went off gallivanting on my own.
For a couple of summers, a friend and I would head up the Central Coast and stay in her parents' on-site van. It might have been Formica on four wheels and queuing for a shower, but it was heaven for an 18-year-old.
Villa Shakspeare.
In reality, the caravans of yore were a tight squeeze and simply a place to lay one's head after a day exploring and a night partying on cask wine.
So, with a mixture of nostalgia and curiosity, I book a purportedly glamour-van when searching for accommodation in the town of Cambridge, New Zealand.
Cambridge is 143 kilometres south of Auckland and just 40 kilometres from Matamata, which is a Mecca to Lord of the Rings' fans, being the home of Hobbiton, the movie set built by movie director Sir Peter Jackson.
Cycling past the Cambridge Town Hall. Credit: Caroline Gladstone
As I drive from Hobbiton to my Cambridge caravan, I like to imagine I'll be bedding down in my own hobbit hole but one that is considerably bigger and, truth be told, not just a pretty facade.
The glamour-van is parked on the expansive lawns of Villa Shakespeare, the rather grand name for a Victorian-era B&B owned by Jeremy and Hilary Griffiths. It transpires that the B&B is actually on Shakespeare Street, on the corner of Wordsworth Street.
A drive soon reveals that some literary enthusiast has had a field day – there are Chaucer, Byron, Raleigh, Tennyson and Browning streets, and Bronte Place, Pope Terrace and Sheridan Crescent, to name a few. My caravan, however, is called Cadiz and, despite its slight retro lines, is just two years old. Jeremy and Hilary bought it in England and towed it around the continent for six months. Enamoured by its charms, they had Cadiz shipped to New Zealand where it takes pride of place in their yard.
The Hobbiton Movie set near Matamata.Credit: Shutterstock
It's love at first sight for me and once inside I adore the way everything fits perfectly in its place and the furnishings blend effortless with the blond wood carpentry. If I were staying longer than a night, I'd add a dash of colour to the palette – a scarf here, a bright sarong there perhaps.
The little lounge has two comfy sofas, which convert to a double bed and angled for a clear view of the flat-screen TV. In a separate room, there are two extra single beds. The kitchen is a dream and I marvel at how all the necessities from crockery and cookware to fancy wine glasses are neatly stored in an array of well-crafted cupboards. There's an upright electric stove, a microwave and a cute sink – and joy, oh joy, free Wi-Fi, which is pretty fast.
Cadiz sits several metres from the main house which has guest rooms for those who want a more conventional stay. But my cosy nook – complete with bathroom with space age-looking shower, sink and loo – is perfect.
The cosy Cadiz Caravan, Villa Shakespeare, Cambridge.
After buying a takeaway from downtown Cambridge, which is far from raging on a Monday night, I am happy to relax in the van, pour a wine, stretch out on one of the lounges and watch telly.
When I arrived, Hilary said she would rustle up breakfast for $NZ18 and I was quick to take this up. Any thought it would be a slapdash affair is banished once I walk into the B&B's old-world dining room to a spread of pastries, fruit salad, yoghurt and condiments laid out on an antique dining table. That's just the starter – there's a hot meal of several choices on offer and excellent coffee, all served on her best flower-print crockery.
I would have loved to linger in cosy Cadiz but I want to see what this English namesake has to offer on a summer's day. Called the "town of trees and champions", Cambridge is renowned for its thoroughbred racing studs, which have bred 13 Melbourne Cup winners, and the main street is tree lined, while a pretty village green sits in the centre of town.
A hobbit hole at Hobbiton.Credit: Shutterstock
Cambridge is also a cycling hub, so I hire a bike and pedal along the Waikato River path to the Avantidrome, a high-tech velodrome, which just happened to be opened in 2014 by none other than the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
TRIP NOTES
MORE
FLY
Air New Zealand flies several times a day to Auckland from Sydney and Melbourne. See airnewzealand.com.au
STAY
Villa Shakespeare B&B has one guest room, a self-contained garden cottage and the Cadiz caravan (named for its interior layout) which sleeps up to four. Two more guest rooms will open in late 2017. The caravan tariff is $NZ105 a night. See villashakespeare.nz
Caroline Gladstone travelled with assistance from Princess Cruises.
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