Lite Weight Love: Our Home Away From Home!

These happy campers love their vintage Daisy Mae

- Fleur Guthrie

When Marilyn Jessen first started dating her future husband Don, it didn’t take long for her to realise that “love this man” also meant “love these caravans”.

Born into a New Zealand caravan dynasty, Don came as a package deal, she laughs. His father Tek Jessen had founded Liteweight Caravans from a home factory in 1946, and by 1968 was NZ’s largest caravan manufacturer, which Don eventually became director of.

“Not long after we met, he very bravely invited my mother, younger brother and me on a trip to the Coromandel for Easter, staying in a 1959 14-foot caravan,” recalls Marilyn.

He laughs, “Let’s just say that was one way to get to know the future in-laws real fast, living in a small space.”

But after 43 years of marriage, it’s safe to say Marilyn (62) became a convert and the Coromandel couple have co-authored several best-selling books with a special interest in restored vintage caravans, of which they own two.

Parked at a beachside holiday park, the couple’s dinky teal caravan – christened Daisy Mae – stands out amongst a sea of white motorhomes.

With its original Formica table and retro furnishings (collected by Marilyn), the 1958 Liteweight creates a sense of nostalgia, when family holidays were as much about the journey as the destination.

During our Weekly interview, passers-by stop to have a sticky beak before realising the owners are inside, smiling right back!