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Made For New Zealand

Our Story

The Trail-lite story is one with a rich history steeped in tradition, but always at the forefront of modern technology.

Trail-lite has had a long and exciting history at the forefront of the New Zealand motorhome and caravan industry, but it hasn't always been easy.

The business started out as a humble cabinetmaker's factory, before the team saw an opportunity in the booming 1950s caravan market. Their cabinetmaking abilities were the perfect foundation for creating quality caravan interiors, and 1954 saw the first Trail-lite caravan roll out the door.

The design was an instant hit. The team's commitment to quality and service were soon recognised and Trail-lite's name became synonymous with New Zealand made luxury caravans. The queues of customers quickly grew.

Trail-lite often led the market as Kiwis continued to latch onto caravanning, with over 10,000 caravans manufactured throughout New Zealand each year in the 1970s.

A severe Government sales tax in 1979 left the entire industry in shock. "Only a few survived." says Peter Newman. "Our reputation, combined with efficient manufacturing techniques and a lot of hard work, saw us weather the storm and that sales tax era."

Overcoming that hurdle only made Trail-lite stronger. Today, the business is still in family hands—with Peter's son Shaun now sharing the helm—and has grown into New Zealand's leading manufacturer of luxury motorhomes.

"Each is individually built to the client's specifications," says Shaun. "They choose their preferred modular design, fitting and interior décor. No two Trail-lite motorhomes are the same."

Recently having built one of New Zealand's largest motorhome and caravan sales yards, Trail-lite has secured its footing as a market leader. Its Pukekohe-based factory and yard is stocked with new Trail-lite motorhomes, a range of pre-owned models, NZ's CI Munro range and the Australian A'van range of motorhomes, caravans and camper trailers.

"When you've been in the industry as long as we have, you soon learn what works in a motorhome or caravan, and what doesn't! The A'van and CI Munro ranges are a perfect fit with ours— expanding our motorhome and caravan offerings to include solutions for all lifestyles and budgets."

Rather than resting on their laurels, Trail-lite continue to press forward to offer the best motorhomes and caravans on the market, sourcing the latest innovations from overseas and building them into their tried and true formula.

"We're always moving forward with innovative design," says Shaun. However, there are two things that will never change: our attention to detail and quality. It's what brought Trail-lite from the 1950s to today."