.
“We’ve met so many like-minded people, that are out there doing the same thing as us. Brilliant people,” she says.
The couple – Stella is 55 and Paul has just turned 60 – initially planned to pick up work enroute. However, a case of Covid on their first day on the road resulted in the development of long-Covid for Paul.
“Unfortunately, Paul got the long Covid, so now we’re on a medical benefit.”
Home is an 8-metre Jayco Stirling Outback which allows them to live comfortably off-grid.
“It’s like a small apartment. We’ve got the full bathroom at the end. We’re fully off grid. We’ve got 550 watts of solar on the roof of the van with two 120-amp batteries.”
They even have a washing machine hooked up to additional solar on the ute they tow the rig with, she says.
“It sits in the back seat of our ute. So, if we’re somewhere where there’s a tap for water, I’ll hook it up and I’ll do our washing.”
Finances can be a little tight, she says.
“We tend to have to dig into our savings to pay insurance and that. But yeah, we do a lot of fishing, which helps with the grocery bill and we’ve just got ourselves a planter box that we can grow veggies and we’ve got lettuce, tomato and carrots in at the moment to help out.”
They have no problems living in such close confines, she says.
“We’ve never even had an argument in the nine years together,” she says.
And it’s not just the two of them, Maggie the rescue cat is along for the ride.
Life on the road with Stella and Paul Richards Summer Times
“We got her from the SPCA in New Plymouth around about eight years ago. And she was around about three years old at the time. She’d been dumped with kittens. And we went in and she chose us.
“She landed on her feet, of course, with us. And she seems to love each location, likes to explore. She’s always on a lead when she’s outside,” Stella says.
Maggie has no interest in birds, Paul says.
“She’ll just sit there, and they can come right up to her chair.”
Stella and Paul Richards’ caravan and tow rig.
Stella and Paul Richards
Maggie has her own special camping throne, Stella says.
“It’s just an adult camping chair. She does like a towel over top to make a little hut and gives her a bit of sense of security.”
They keep themselves entertained on the road with various hobbies, Paul is a model maker and has taken up knitting toys and Stella loves to fish. In the evenings they have plenty of power and data to watch television.
Stella says they intend to keep travelling the country.
“We can’t imagine seeing ourselves back in a house. I mean, with his [Paul’s] illness we’d be bored just sitting in a house all day, and this way, at least we’re out seeing our beautiful country and enjoying life as best we can.”
Life on the road with Stella and Paul Richards Summer Times
