Our First Motorhome Adventure – A Lesson in Power & Freedom

Back in May 2024, my wife Nicky and I set off on our very first trip in our newly purchased 2021 Fiat Ducato Frontier Delaware. The excitement was real—we had considered buying a bach in Whangamata but ultimately decided that a motorhome would offer more adventure and flexibility. 

Like many other Kiwis, we embraced the freedom of life on the road.

Living in Drury, Auckland, we chose Paihia as our first destination. After settling into a beautiful waterfront Park Over Property (POP), we wandered next door to JFC Fish & Chips, enjoying a classic Kiwi feed. With full bellies, we returned to our motorhome, ready to relax.

That’s when the trouble started.

Just 30 minutes after turning on the lights and TV, the inverter display panel started beeping like crazy. Confused, I grabbed the service manuals and dived into YouTube tutorials, trying to figure out the problem. But after an hour of head-scratching, I had to admit defeat. We went to bed in the dark—with a very unimpressed wife.

 

Power Struggles & The Search for a Solution

As we continued our travels, we quickly realised we couldn’t go off-grid without that dreaded beeping. Our batteries kept dropping below 12 volts, forcing us to stay at powered campsites—far from ideal when you’re an NZMCA member wanting to take advantage of remote freedom camping spots.

Determined to fix the issue, I had our three-year-old deep-cycle acid batteries tested by Brendon from Battery Bill’s—a company our family has trusted for years. Sure enough, the batteries were the problem. Brendon not only replaced them but also filmed the entire process, explaining everything as he worked. You can check out the video here. 

With our new Bluetooth-enabled Predator Lithium batteries installed, we were finally ready for our next big adventure—eight weeks on the road, including 10 days in the North Island and the rest exploring the stunning South Island.

 

Putting Lithium to the Test

I’m writing this from Tahuna Beach Holiday Park in Nelson, near the end of our journey. Over these eight weeks, we’ve stayed at 30 incredible locations, a lot of them off-grid, including NZMCA sites, POP sites, and even a DOC site at Rarangi north of Blenheim.

At first, I was nervous about switching from three deep-cycle acid batteries to just two lithium Predator batteries. Would only having two batteries hold up? The answer was a resounding yes!

Even on cloudy days, we had enough power to last three days off-grid. We did try pushing it to four days, but our De’Longhi coffee machine finally drained the battery below 12 volts, triggering that dreaded beeping again. When I called Brendon, he advised that if we wanted to go off-grid for longer, we should consider adding a third 100Ah lithium battery.

 

Real-World Power Consumption

While off-grid, we used:

• Electric kettle (900–1100W) – to boil up the water for a cuppa, but actually using gas while off-grid is a better idea.
• Toaster (750W) – Essential for morning toast.
• De’Longhi espresso machine (1150–1260W) – The biggest power drain, but non-negotiable for us!
• Milk frother (380–450W) – A small but necessary luxury.
• Hair straightener (35W) – Because some things can’t be sacrificed!

Brendon explains the technical side of the setup in his video, but the Bluetooth feature was a game-changer. With just a quick check on my phone, I could monitor battery life—something Nicky asked me to do constantly.

 

Final Verdict: Lithium Wins

After eight weeks on the road, we’re completely convinced: Lithium is the way to go. The batteries have been reliable, efficient, and made off-grid camping a breeze. We can now truly enjoy the freedom we dreamed of when we first bought our motorhome.

Would we do it all again? Absolutely!