Family business Coastal Motorhomes & Caravans is celebrating a quarter-century in business.

The business began when founders Mike and Gayle Farrell took a leap of faith, leaving the comforts of home to establish Coastal Motorhomes & Caravans from a small Lockwood building on their Whakatāne property in 2001.

Twenty-five years later, the company is led by the next generation, with son and daughter Paul and Toni Farrell continuing the family legacy at their premises in Mill Road.

Today, the business specialises in motorhome and caravan sales, servicing, parts and accessories, and secure RV storage.

It is also the exclusive North Island dealership for Hilltop Caravans, an Australian manufacturer the Farrell siblings chose to partner with after extensive research.

The pair said Hilltop’s focus on quality, craftsmanship, integrity and customer care aligned closely with the values Coastal had built its reputation on over the past 25 years.

Director Paul Farrell said reaching the milestone was something the family was proud of.

“Surviving is probably the key word. We have had to weather every situation. The global economic crisis back in 2006-07 was tough. We came through that.

“We’ve seen all the changes in the industry, plus we’ve been to most of the industry shows and supported them since they started.”

Co-director Toni Farrell said the business had also overcome the challenges of Covid-19 while continuing to bring visitors into Whakatāne.

“We bring a lot of business into the town with our customers because customers will come and look at vans, then they might stay the night somewhere. They’ll go and eat out, they’ll go shopping, then they’ll stay in the area afterwards.

“Often, if they’ve brought from us, they’ll come back again.”

The business has evolved significantly over the past quarter of a century.

After purchasing the original sales yard, the Farrell family began importing 7-metre buses from Japan and converting them into motorhomes before later developing their own Coastal Motorhomes brand.

Mike Farrell said building their own motorhomes became one of the company’s proudest achievements.

Over the years, the business built about 160 Coastal Motorhomes before production ended.

Paul said one principle had remained unchanged since the business first opened.

“We treat customers fairly and look after them. When we sell something, we look after it. We’ve developed a solid reputation for doing that.”

Supporting other local businesses has also been a priority throughout the company’s 25 years.

“It’s a big milestone. We’re a local business and not only have our customers supported our town when they spend money here, we have as well, because we’ve always done all our repairs through local paint shops, the upholstery work, and sign writing. We’ve always supported local businesses,” Paul said.

The business employs seven staff and continues to attract customers from throughout New Zealand.

“We’re a destination site,” Paul said.

“When we got our newest brand, Hilltop, we had a lot of local people come and support us, which was awesome to see.

“We made a lot of sales to local people. And now the brand is getting established around the country.”

Reaching the 25-year milestone is not only a celebration of business success, but also a tribute to the loyal customers, dedicated staff, and travel community that have supported Coastal along the way.

As they look to the future, Coastal Motorhomes & Caravans remains committed to helping New Zealanders experience the joy of the open road for generations to come.

Here’s to 25 years of memories made, kilometres travelled, and adventures still waiting ahead.