Grafittied vans capture the imagination
With a bit of sandpaper and a splash of paint, three Wellington surfers have created an eye-catching tourism business.
Escape Rentals began in October 2003, when surfing friends Pete Barrett and Mike Boddy bought 10 vans, installed beds, sinks and tables in them, and got graffiti artists to decorate them.
Another friend, Andrew McGregor, bought into the business a year later, and is now managing director.
McGregor says the Auckland based company has grown to have 120 vans and has better summer occupancy than any other campervan company in New Zealand.
The vans are individually painted by leading street artists, including hip-hop tattooist Otis Frizzell (son of acclaimed artist Dick Frizzell), cartoonist Misery, and world champion graffiti artist Little Elliot.
"The idea was to offer tourists something different than the white box campervans that were on offer. It was to capture the spirit and culture of New Zealand," McGregor says.
With Maori motifs, Rasta slogans and farming scenes among the themed vans, each one is a billboard on wheels for Escape, but the tourists get the most out of the deal, he says. "At the end of their trip, people are freaking out about how much fun they have had. They meet a lot more people and they interact more. When people drive them they are taken as locals, not tourists."
Escape has taken some customers from the big campervan companies, but has almost created a market for itself. Write-ups in Lonely Planet guidebooks and coverage in BBC travel programmes have also boosted bookings. Future plans for the company include expanding the fleet to 160 vans.
Further information:
Escape Rentals
Phone +800 21 61 71
Cell + 64 21 420 568
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