Stuart Winterbourn and Matt Wilke run an architecture and engineering business, designing buildings and homes on a day-to-day basis. One day, the idea to design a caravan came up. A sketch was quickly drawn, and the two men went on to co-found Romotow NZ, where that vision has been realised.
Winterbourn and Wilke, who are both Founding Directors of the business, wanted to focus on the fundamental principles and experiences of camping in their design.
The invention has many features, including a raised platform for flooding and better views, a build quality that matches those found on yachts, and the intentional design element of having three independent zones within the caravans to give people some alone time on holiday.
The product has received a lot of positive feedback, something which both Winterbourn and Wilke take a lot of pride in.
“I’m just proud of the way it’s received. Every single person loves the look of it, the style of it, they get what it is, they call it futuristic… It’s a timeless design and I think it just makes sense, and people love it.”
A finished page to a finished product
When the idea first came to fruition, both Founding Directors thought that surely someone in the world has already made something like this. However, after conducting research, they realised that what they had was completely new.
The process the two went through was to make the best caravan possible, before turning their attention to cost-cutting, and how they could lower the costs of production and get the invention into its production version without downgrading its quality and essence.
The Founding Directors say it’s not until you have that process completed that people can understand what you’re trying to offer to the market, and that in order to properly experience what they’ve made, you need to be in the caravan.
Born and bred in NZ
Both Winterbourn and Wilke love that their invention is made locally, adding that it’s an economically-sensible decision that has become a real part of the brand. Winterbourn says people are normally surprised when they find out the caravan is NZ made, and upon finding that out, consumers enjoy that aspect of the product as well.
When looking into the company’s future, Winterbourn and Wilke say their main goal now is to get more people thinking of their caravan as a viable option for camping, and that although it comes with a higher price tag, the experience it offers is both unique and fantastic.
“The challenge for us is just getting into people’s headspaces that this is another option to consider that is more expensive, but offers something totally different.
“It is a unique product. We haven’t compromised, and we have what I truly believe is the best camping experience on the market.”
