Over New Year, Nifty Camper headed off on its very first real adventure - a 7-day trip from December 27th to January 3rd - and we honestly couldn’t have picked better people to share it with.

Our best friends from back when we lived in South Africa were the first ever family to properly use the camper. They moved to New Zealand four years ago and have joined us on a few camping trips since then, even buying our old tent - which, if you know camping, you’ll know could be quite a mission to set up.

So this time, we offered them Nifty Camper to test out for us instead.

With boys aged 9 and 12, the setup worked perfectly. Mum and Dad slept in the rooftop tent while the boys happily set up their own tent nearby.

The trip took us to Alpine Adventure Holiday Park - a place that already holds a lot of memories for our family.

We first camped there back in 2011, just one year after moving to New Zealand from South Africa, and seven years before we had kids. Back then it was simply us, a tent, and a love for getting outdoors. Now we’re returning with our own children aged 4 and 7, sharing the same camping lifestyle we fell in love with all those years ago.

The holiday park is right alongside the Hanmer Springs golf course and only a short walk from the village and famous hot pools. With spacious campsites, playgrounds, bike tracks nearby, and plenty of room for kids to explore, it’s the kind of place where families naturally settle into holiday mode pretty quickly.

We’d love to say we had seven days of sunshine.

We did not.

It rained at least a little bit every single day.

But honestly, it turned out to be a fantastic test for Nifty Camper. Despite the constant drizzle, damp shoes, and muddy ground, the camper stayed completely bone dry inside the entire trip.

Safe to say we were pretty happy with that result - especially knowing it handled real New Zealand camping weather without any issues.

As always, the moments we remember most weren’t the fancy ones.

They were the simple ones.

The kids spending hours playing on a homemade swing Dad built.
Bike rides around camp.
The fairy door walk.
The rope walk.
Pedal go-karts.
Games and charades around the table.
Ice creams whenever the sun briefly appeared, closely followed by hot chocolates with marshmallows once the rain rolled back in.

Partway through the trip, another family joined us too, adding even more fun to the campsite. More kids running around, more shared meals, and more late-night chats around camp chairs once everyone had finally gone to sleep.

Those slower evenings together were probably one of the best parts of the whole trip.

This trip reminded us exactly why we started Nifty Camper in the first place.

We wanted camping to feel easier, simpler, and more accessible for families who love the outdoors but don’t want the stress of complicated setups and hours of packing.

Because once you actually get away, slow down, and spend quality time together - that’s the part that matters most.

And for a first-ever trip, rain and all, Nifty Camper passed the test beautifully.