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In 2021 the Ebbett Volkswagen team ran a 12 days of Christmas competition, where you could win a weekend away in the Grand Kiwi-fornia. Our winner was Nicole Foster and she took the opportunity to take her long awaited trip away in March 2022. Here is her story;
2021 was the year of going absolutely nowhere for us, so winning the weekend away in VW's Grand Kiwi-fornia was the perfect Christmas surprise. We booked in for the long hot days in March and headed to Taupo for the weekend.
The camper van was super easy to drive and sits nicely at the speed limit so you don't have to be one of those snails holding up everyone's weekend! As a small car driver I was impressed by the way it handled - even around some of the windier roads we encountered looking around Taupo. My daughter loved the connectivity and we enjoyed some great tunes while we drove, taking full advantage of the navigation to find our holiday park.
We stayed at the Lake Taupo Holiday Resort and I can't recommend it highly enough - the heated lagoon-style pool is divine, even before you consider the swim-up bar (although cocktails do make a swim perfect!). All of the facilities at this camp were so clean and well-managed and there is loads for the kids to do. A great thing about Lake Taupo Holiday Resort is that you can choose your site off their map. So you can stay almost close enough to the pool to get splashed like we did, or choose somewhere quiet and shady to really disconnect.
Not that you have to with the Grand Kiwi-fornia, it was my pre-teen daughter's dream with charging points absolutely everywhere, including a wireless charging spot! The whole cabin was really well set out and we very quickly got into a setup, evening and morning routine. Things that we really loved: storage all over the place so that keeping tidy and organised was easy, insect screens on all the windows and door and a fridge that was both bigger and better than you'd expect - great for summer trips! Beds were comfy and cosy and it was great that you could leave them set up rather than having to remake every night.
We spent most of Saturday just lounging around camp and swimming, retreating to the shade under the Kiwi-fornia, taking advantage of the included chairs and table to fuel up for another swim. Nights were cosy and safe, setting us up to make the most of the day. Leaving the camp on Sunday, we played tourist in our own backyard. We visited thermal areas, scenic lookouts and the Taupo Honey Hive before spending a bit more time at Huka Falls, walking several of the surrounding tracks to get some great photos of this amazing place. Then we headed back into town for lunch and the most ridiculous (and delicious freakshake) and the obligatory poses at the #lovetaupo sign. The Kiwi-fornia was great here - parking was surprisingly easy.
Later in the day the wind really kicked up so we decided to head home - and I honestly was a bit worried about the drive given the height of the van. To my surprise, the Kiwi-fornia continued to impress with easy driveability. With just one stop at the prettiest loos in NZ (Tokoroa), all too soon we were home safe and sound. Thanks VW, we loved our weekend in the VW Grand Kiwi-fornia!
Find out about how the team have been supporting our community.
Have you got a community event which needs affordable food? You bring the food and we'll give you the fire. Or maybe you've got a fundraising mission which could be helped with a good old Kiwi sausage sizzle.
We know that people who do amazing things in our community sacrifice a lot, that's why we make sure those who are driven to do good have something good to drive.
