Getting away from it all in a mighty ‘Mog camper

1987 Mercedes Unimog U1700L
Ex-New Zealand Defence Force

Nekobasu. An unusual name for such an unusual vehicle. It’s Japanese for ‘cat bus’, and thus the presence of Matt King and Chanel Turner’s jet-black adventure cat Leeloo makes total sense.

Matt and Chanel wanted to get off grid and see the real New Zealand. They wanted to get away from it all – a classic Kiwi aim. They also wanted to take ‘it all’ with them. Also a Kiwi thing.

To do it, they reckoned, would require more than just the campervan or caravan most people would choose. Ground clearance, off-road capability, self-sufficiency, cooking facilities, living area, a bed, a view, windows, a deck …and somewhere to rig a hammock.

In other words, Nekobasu, a Mercedes Unimog camper. Matt says he has always loved the boxy Unimogs, partly for their service with our defence forces, partly for their immense capability and also because “I have always had a love for anything mechanical and to me the Unimog is one of the peaks of mechanical engineering within reach of the public.”

The couple’s motivation was simple. “To make something we could truly live off-grid in and not get stuck when we move around the place. It needed to carry all necessary equipment for [off-grid] life. The goal was to move out of Auckland, find some land and have a fully set up home wherever we park.”

Matt and Chanel sought out, found and built their Mercedes Unimog for touring and overlanding to satisfy their passion for seeing the less travelled places of New Zealand – and Matt says the conversion to ‘home on the road’ is ongoing. In fact, in the way of all such projects, the work may never end, though the initial completion was mid-2021. They moved into a commercial unit to complete the build. It’s been a real Kiwi build, starting with a ‘surveillance’ truck box body ex-Japanese police. This fixes securely to the back of the Mog and is classed as a load for CoF purposes.

Matt, an electrician, was working full time so the project went ahead slowly after hours.
“Luckily as an electrician I had the majority of tools required for the project. I taught myself how to do all the plumbing and other installations I had no experience with.”

Most of the things used have been collected: offcuts from jobs, offcuts from friends’ building jobs and such, so it’s been done to a tight budget, although the couple have spent on some larger items like a Honda generator, solar system parts (bought on TradeMe and Facebook marketplace).

“One large shout out to Steve McMechan of Hitek systems, who has spent countless hours helping me through faults with our lithium battery system which was not even his product.”

Nekobasu runs an Airhead composting toilet setup with a separate liquids tank, which has been by far one of the most important parts of the build to get the couple truly off grid for long periods of time.

Off-grid doesn’t mean unconnected though.

“We run a 4G wireless internet system with a Celfi Go repeater which has managed to get us reception enough to watch Netflix in 95 per cent of places we have travelled in the North Island.”

Road lights: outshining the Mog’s 1987-era halogen headlamps are a set of Kings spot lights.

In total the ‘box’ part of the project took around a year to build. In the meantime, the couple were casting around for a suitable vehicle.

“Trucks pop up regularly but with these you really don’t want to be left with a dud that requires extensive rebuilding work, so when we had the opportunity to buy the Unimog truck we have we jumped on it very quickly as they don’t often come up, especially not in the condition this one was in.”

Nekobasu had already had some transmission work done, which had some gearbox and other work done: new synchromesh rings, rebuilt portal axles and a fresh paint job.

“So we were very lucky. It meant I could focus time and resources on the habitat side of the project.”

The Unimog has been a perfect base for the build. Of course, the test of any such build is whether the builder finds that it performs as required.

There were many things about the project they hadn’t anticipated. The legalities of what can and can’t be put on the back, other requirements like transport service licenses, all the fees associated.

Potential objections from officialdom about the box as part of the truck were solved by treating the box as a removable element – a load. This bypasses any requirements for it to be mechanically certified.

“Let’s never mention road user charges – what it costs to drive a Unimog on NZ roads. Fuel is by far the cheapest part of the journey.

“We’ve lived in the truck now for over a year and love it. Small upgrades here and there have set us up for a much more comfortable lifestyle, for example the addition of a full-size-slide-out deck and awning on the side, effectively doubling our living space.”

Matt says there are of course evolving wants and needs with projects like this “but at this stage we don’t need anything more to live comfortably. We tow our Suzuki Jimny behind the Mog as a work vehicle.

“We have no problems parking up in a supermarket carpark. Despite the sheer size, the Mog is very nimble and has a great turning circle.”

Matt says the project could not have been completed without the support of family who have supported them along the way – notably Chanel’s parents who have let the pair stay on their property.

“All in all, we were going to do it and have done it. Facing each new challenge as they appear.”

Right now though, he says he is feeling the need to get back out there.

“We intend to cross over to the South Island in February 2023 to travel around for as long as we feel. Hopefully we will find a great place far from the hustle and bustle of Auckland that helps us forget traffic jams and tail lights.”