Welcome to our Big Lap Trip. To us, the Big Lap Trip isn’t a holiday—it’s a slow, beautiful journey, with long roads, crosswinds, tight servo entries, a lot of free camping areas, off-grid living, farm stays, as well as time booked into a caravan park cabin or in an Airbnb to mix things up a bit.

There will be caravan parks (and that one bloke watching us reverse with folded arms, as if it’s the Olympics).

We can and will fly back to Perth for important occasions from anywhere across Australia.

Having an ABUNDANCE MINDSET will help us master the way we would do things to make our trip memorable while enriching our marriage. We will grow in confidence, competence and strength and enjoy our daily disciplines and activities as we enjoy the freedom to enjoy Australia.

Working as a Team: We have decided that sharing the responsibilities of driving from one campsite to another, stopping to go shopping, calling in for a coffee somewhere, finding a place for a meal, travelling to our campsite, then the placement of the caravan at the new site, unhitching when ready, setting up camp, and enjoying our stay, going for a hike, perhaps fishing and exploring local sites and cusines would be a team effort.

Once we have enjoyed our stay and are ready to move to our next location, we activate our fine-tuned procedure of packing down, hitching up, completing our safety checks, and leaving the campsite in a clean, tidy condition for the next setup. We plan to master the steps to ensure smooth systems.

What we are doing is more than just survival; it's our way of living on our own terms. We control the narrative.

Rowena and I are excited about sharing the driving duties of the 200 Series Land Cruiser and towing the Jawa Retreat Escape Bunk, because it does five things immediately:

1. Cuts fatigue in half – tired drivers make dumb decisions. There's no romance in that.

2. Builds real confidence – not theory, not vibes, but competence in each other and what we are developing.

3. Creates partnership – this becomes our lap, not “Chris driving while Rowena spectates.”

4. Makes our marriage special - while Rowena is a high introvert and Chris is a high extrovert, we thrive on the idea of creating something special.

5. We become a better team, where the Australian pioneering spirit and the Maori warrior spirit join forces to develop our Big Lap Trip mindset.

Action speaks louder than words - We have had to invest time, energy and money for the following:

1. Formal towing & 4WD courses → learn the rules before breaking them.

2. Practical reps in the wild → quiet roads first, then wind, hills, reversing, night runs.

3. Risk mitigation mindset → slower speeds, better planning, ego parked at the gate.

Wisdom says, "Train before battle, walk before you run, measure twice before you cut it."

Here’s how we are going to train ourselves.

• We will start with an empty 200 Series Land Cruiser + no Jawa Caravan, then car + van on quiet highways, then tight manoeuvres.

• Practice reversing every chance we get—muscle memory beats confidence speeches.

• We will make windy days a teacher, not an enemy.

• We will use simple rules: If it feels rushed, it is. Pull over. Breathe. Pray. Proceed.

A GVM Upgraded 200 Series Land Cruiser is a weapon. Built for exactly our kind of trip. We have our hearts set on The Jawa Retreat Escape Bunk

There’s something quietly powerful about both of us being capable behind the wheel. It says, “We’re not just travelling Australia. We’re stewarding the journey.”

We’re mitigating risk. We’re building resilience. We’re honouring each other. We respect Australia.

That’s not just smart driving. That’s a covenant on wheels. 🚙✨

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