Vauxhall

Last weekend was a holiday weekend in NZ. Monday was Labour Day. During this weekend Masterton hosted the national Vauxhall/Bedford Owners Rally. Unfortunately the turnout wasn't huge as there were many other events happening around the country, including the final of the Rugby world Cup which New Zealand won.
Here are some photos from the rally.

1937 DX

1948 PC2 Bedford

1957 EBP Ute which I think was an Australian only model, with a 1954 EIP Velox behind.

1958 F Victor.

This 1958 PAD Cresta came from the West Coast of the South Island and was superb. It even had original type cross-ply tyres.

The rear view of the same PAD.

The modernisation of the later models in the PA range didn't quite come off. Although the one-piece rear screen looks more modern, I feel the rear lamp treatment looks too much of an "add-on".
This is a 1962 PAX.

Standard model 1964 HA Viva, with a 1966 HA SL90 behind. SL90s were not a common model in NZ, but the standard HAs sold in quite significant numbers.

FD Victors were a popular model in this country, particularly in 3300, 6 cylinder form. This one is a 2 litre 1972 model.

Firenzas are very rare here and this 1972 version is believed to be the only 2.3 automatic transmission model in the country.

This is a 1993 Calibra. Although a few of these were imported they were mostly Opel badged versions.

Just to remind you that the All Blacks won the Rugby World Cup I have include this photo of some round hay bales arranged by a farmer in a field abou 20 minutes from here.

A Mixed Bag

Last weekend I decided to take Friday and Monday off work and have a 4day weekend. My wife and I haven't been away for a while so we hit the road in the trusty Caldina. Here are some of the photos I snapped.

We decided to make Mahia our stop for Friday night. That's the Mahia Peninsula in the distance. The flag on the car is supporting the "All Blacks". For those who don't know, the Rugby World Cup is happening in NZ at the moment.

Sunset over the sea from Mahia Beach. Unfortunately a bank of cloud on the horizon prevented me from getting a photo of the sun sinking into the sea.

Saturday night was Gisborne, where I snapped this Victory. The first time I've seen one close up.

A PC Vauxhall Cresta, from the late 60s or early 70s, still in daily use in Gisborne.

Sunday night was in Napier. This Freightliner double-cab was part of a circus fleet which was in town.

I tried taking photos from our motel balcony in Napier, but photos of moving objects with a non SLR digital are tricky.
A smart Western Star.

On the way home we stopped at a cafe north of Waipawa where I snapped this buckeridge Kenworth and trailer...

...and also this International of Olzsewskis pulling a B-train. Looks like the coupling height on the Inter is a little lower than the unit the trailers were originally designed for.

Whilst at the cafe this Z 1300 Kawasaki, of 1979, rode in. The rider told me he also owns a Kawa triple and a Honda 500 Four.

By the truck-stop at Matamau was this Mammoth Major, with restorable Dodge on its back. Cummins stickers on the AEC suggest that it doesn't have its original power plant.

The large kiwi that resides in Eketahunas main street wears an All-Blacks jersey for the Rugby World Cup. 

More Kiwi Classics

Orewa shopping centre. north of Auckland, is where this Nissan CWA300 is being unloaded.

Day cabs on US trucks can be fairly shallow, as seen on Robert Robinson's Mack Ultra-Liner.

This International Transtar cab is even "skinnier".

Trucks travelling between the North and South islands by roll-on roll-off ferries are charged by length, so companies which travel regularly can save considerable money by using these "tugs" for the crossing and then transferring the trailers back to normal road-going tractors at each terminal.

Hidden under that unusual nose is a regular Freightliner Argosy. This one is used for towing a mobile surgical theatre for performing small operations in rural towns which lack the appropriate facilities.
Note the personalised rego plate.

South Wairarapa Tow and Salvage in Carterton, use this Nissan with crane for recovering damaged or immobile vehicles. The Nissan, imported as a used truck from Japan, has larger diameter wheels on the front axle than on the remaining three.

Long-run roofing iron for a new Supermarket is the load for this trombone trailer and light-weight Isuzu.

"Midnight Express" was a 1984 ERF C57 withh 370HP Cummins operated by Tony de Latour for Child Freighters Ltd. Here it is inside a warehouse at Petone. This truck later became a tipper, hauling grain for K.Hayward. See my post of August 25th 2011.

A Bedford TM of Philpott Carriers, with neatly sheeted load, is outside the Masterton County Council offices.

When Japanese trucks first started arriving in NZ in significant numbers, GM dealers sold Isuzus with Bedford badging.This is a 1977 YPR of McGowan and Magee, using a side-lifter to load an open container with a mobile crane inside.

An F series Mack, with paint which almost makes it look like an R series, turns from Akura Road on to Paierau Road, with Kibblewhite Road to his left, west of Masterton. Nowadays there would be no need to "give way" as this intersection has been modified to a sweeping curve, with the traffic on Kibblewhite facing the give way sign. 

This rather battered looking 1981 Dodge Commando has as an extra axle added and a sleeper cab. I would not have thought one would need a sleeper, when carrying a load of mattresses !

A 4x4 Mack airport crash tender on duty at an air show at Masterton's Hood Aerodrome.

Heading north on Paierau Road, is this R series Mack tipper. Paierau Road is part of Masterton's heavy traffic by-pass.

Another R series Mack, this time from Freightways, hauls a load of rolls of paper through central Hamilton.

Back On The Road Again

After being made redundant in February 2010, it was difficult to find full time work so I put the BMs registration on hold as a money saving exercise. So the Summer of 2010/11 was the first time I haven't ridden a bike in the Summer for over 30 years.
Since May I have been in full-time employment again and over the Winter I put a new timing chain in the BM and today I gave it a full tune-up including cleaning out the carburettors and setting them up again.

I have just been for a short ride (100kms) and she is running really sweet. So hopefully I can get out for plenty of rides this Summer and grace this blog with plenty of current photos as well as the old ones I have in my collection.