They even raised two children in the motor-home lifestyle.
The pair were part of the 53rd annual New Zealand Motor Caravans Association rally in Cromwell, which attracted a record 953 vehicles, rally convener Jack Sheehan said yesterday.
The couple said they stayed in one place while their children were at school and only travelled at weekends.
For the past 11 years, the couple have been building motor homes for other people, although Ms Tainui said she still thinks of each one as her baby.
Their latest motor home, Goldfinger II - estimated to be worth more than $500,000 - is a 12m-long B10 Volvo.
The gold and black motor home has a large remote-controlled awning along one side, a barbecue and an outside hand basin ‘‘for washing your hands when you're barbecuing fish'', Ms Tainui said.
Also, on the outside it boasts a spirits rack, a stereo and karaoke as well as a 27in LCD television screen.
A large storage cupboard completes the outside setup.
Inside are two large plush leather armchair swivel seats plus a leather three-seater sofa.
The coffee table with its seats hidden underneath can be converted into a dining table so four people can eat under the light of a built-in chandelier.
The interior is almost all black, with highly lacquered surfaces and gold trim. It includes a black fridge-freezer unit, a dishwasher, a clothes washer/drier and large bathroom with toilet, shower and hand basin. The master bedroom completes the upstairs. Downstairs there is a second bedroom done in black and silver with two single beds and a large-screen TV.
There are three heating systems and a multitude of electronic devices that tell the owners how everything is working including the water level, heating temperatures and anything else that it is important to ensure the motor home is operating efficiently. In fact, the motor home has five televisions, three DVDs and 22 remotes.
‘‘I can only operate about four of them,'' Ms Tainui said, laughing.
Ms Tainui said the motor home was very large, but that meant they could have all the mod cons.
‘‘It's a trade-off really, as if you have a smaller home you can go to many more places. It is more difficult to find parking places for larger vehicles.''
It is their second motor home and probably won't be the last.
Mr Sheehan said about 60 motor homes were parked at the Cromwell convention area last night. He understood there had been little road congestion because the departure of the other almost 900 vehicles had been staggered.
About 730 motor homes attended a rally in Tauranga last year, with Northland the venue next year, he said.
