Strong and stylish

RV decorating competition, from MCD and Resene - Issue winner

Lloyd and Laura Jerome set out to create a camper to suit their specific needs and vision. He’s called Coddiwomple, and he’s a Resene dream.

Lloyd and Laura Jerome first fell in love with life on the road during a trip to the US in 2018. So on April 1st 2019 they bought their own: an ex-Toll delivery van, with the aim of converting it into a camper. “From the start we were very specific about what we wanted, so our option was to build it ourselves,” says Laura. “We had never done anything like it before, so we went into it rather naïvely!”

Having redecorated many houses, Laura knew she wanted to use Resene paint on both the interior and exterior of the camper, which they named Coddiwomple – Coddi for short. “Using Resene was a no-brainer. The paint is very high quality, and I like that they can mix any colour you can think of.”

Right from the start, the pair knew what they wanted Coddi to look like. “We were always aiming for a white interior as it would help the van look more spacious; we’d make it a bit quirky with accessories. So the interior is all in Resene Alabaster, except for the kickboards, under the overhead cabinets and two of the cupboard doors. They are Resene Coastal Blue, a Karen Walker Paints colour I fell in love with when we arrived in New Zealand 20 years ago. We’ve had it somewhere in all our houses, so it had to be in the van; the Resene team made it for me,” says Laura.

While painting the interior of Coddi was relatively straightforward, getting the outside right was a bit trickier. “When we bought the van it was bright turquoise – that didn’t fit with our colour ideas at all! We had a very set idea of what we wanted Coddi’s exterior to look like, which was a sort of grey/blue.”

Lloyd, Laura and Bean the spoodle use Coddi for all types of trips, from quick overnight stays to longer expeditions. From their home in the Bay of Islands, Coddi has adventured across the country, including a four-week loop around the central North Island, and a four-month South Island expedition, including Hokitika, Westport, Invercargill, Slope Point, the Catlins, MacKenzie District, and Franz Josef.

Knowing they would be taking Coddi through all kinds of conditions, getting the right paint type for the exterior was vital. After much research, they hadn’t found a solution. “In all my research, I hadn’t found anyone else that used Resene Uracryl to paint a van with rollers,” says Laura. “I learned so much about paint – I even chatted to the technical guys over the phone.” After discussing the options with the team at Resene Kerikeri, the pair chose Resene Uracryl 403, a high-performance, two-component finish coat. It has excellent resistance to abrasion, moisture, oils, alkalis and acids – perfect for life on the open road. “The outside is bomb-proof,” says Laura. “It’s been driven through bushes, been freezing cold and boiling hot, and it copes beautifully.”

After four years’ adventuring, both the interior and exterior paints are still looking fabulous. “Considering it’s a van and there’s a lot of movement, it’s amazing that the paint hasn’t cracked or peeled at all,” says Laura. “We’ve really put Coddi through the wringer, but he is still wonderful. The Resene team were so helpful while we were deciding on how he should look. We still love how many people comment on how he looks.”

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