In which Kevin Isemonger joins a convoy of hardy Land Rover enthusiasts on a tour through history on the North Island’s East Coast.

During the four-month lockdown in Auckland I caught up on a lot of outstanding jobs around the farm and the workshop – including finally fixing the oil leak in the Series 1 that has plagued me since the engine was rebuilt just prior to our Carterton trip way back in 2019.

Turned out not to be the crank seal, but a poorly installed copper seal on an oil gallery. It took four engine removals and four new crank seals to finally stumble on the root cause.

For last year’s Land Rover Series 1 enthusiasts’ trip to the ‘Oxford’ Whanganui meet, I had replaced the flogged-out distributor with a flash new electronic unit which burned out on day two. I bought another modern equivalent (Lucas 25D) – which materialised the day before I was due to drive from Auckland to Gisborne. I ended up cleaning up the original distributor, pinched another old one off a donor vehicle and hoped for the best.

Auckland to Gisborne.
The bulk of the crew attending the meet in Gisborne had already left Wellington on the Saturday and stayed at Jess Kyle’s place just north of Napier. Because I travel a lot with work, driving non-stop Auckland to Gisborne was not that daunting – but no matter which way you slice it, there are no shortcuts to Gisborne.

I deliberately chose to ignore Google and travel via the Waihi Gorge to Tauranga due to the new 80 km/h speed limits. I knew I was going to be able to keep up with the traffic. The Te Puke bypass was interesting with the 110kph speed limit – which is when you notice other drivers’ fascination with vintage vehicles. A two-lane super-highway and I have cars sitting behind me at 80kph! Quite happy to just enjoy the spectacle of a soft top Series 1 loaded with gear and off for an adventure. The convoy even followed me halfway to Matata before I stopped for a coffee break. Filled up at Opotiki and stopped for another coffee –parking down by the old Tauranga bridge, well off the road.

Bad weather was predicted in Gisborne, but I was enjoying the Waioeka (pronounced ‘why-oak-a’) Gorge with the canvas sides rolled up until near the head of the gorge where I could see a wall of misty weather building ahead. I quickly pulled off the road, rolled the sides down and strapped them up when the heavens just opened up. The little individual LUCAS wipers were shuddering their way reluctantly across the screen as I rolled into a grey Gisborne town. The team were all assembled and ready for a great meal – but we were stuck for choice by that time, so a Chinese take-out filled the gap as we caught up for the first time since departing the Cook Strait Ferry on our way back from Wanaka last April.
Distance travelled: 445km, duration: 8:11.

Gisborne to Tiniroto
Last year the Hereworth 4WD Safari was postponed due to COVID restrictions, but Mark Warren and Nick Stuart organised a run for ‘Oxford’ through Andrew Thomas’ property west of Tutira where I met Darcey Hamilton and his restored Series 1 LWB Flatdeck (refer NZ4WD Aug-2021). Turned out that Darcey was good mates with Leon Zwetsloot, the organiser for this year’s event, and today Darcey was to show us around his back yard.

After a driver safety briefing, we saddled up and headed south towards Napier, but only got as far as Riverpoint Road before the first casualty. The flash new electronic SU fuel pump on Trevor Collins’ 1953 Series 1 just stopped – but fortunately he had packed a spare and we were soon on our way. We left SH2 and headed straight into the interior along Tiniroto Road before turning east up Parikanapa Road which follows the ridge lines, gaining the highest point of around 600m with many lefts and rights and tight corrugation splattered corners to deposit us back on Tiniroto Road. Here we turned right then left into Ruakaka Road, descending down into Doneraille Park to continue on to a very sumptuous morning tea at the Hamilton residence. The pies, savouries, port, cakes and pasties were gratefully consumed by a parched and starving crew. Tummies filled and ‘comfort stops’ completed we pressed on through the rain-soaked, clay-based Ruakaka Road to come out by the now closed Tiniroto Pub. The original plan was to do the zig-zag route over the range east of Pouti (which I did several years ago on the Mahia 4WD Safari) but due to bad weather, we stuck to the roads. Due to heavy use by logging trucks, 4WD was needed to maintain forward momentum. Following a brief stop to admire the swollen Te Reinga Falls, we headed up the Ruakituri Valley where Brent Tasker had a ‘flame-out’ and ground to a halt just past the Ruakituri School. First diagnosis was a failed condenser, but was more likely a worn points cam follower and slipped timing, but with the points reset and a tweak on the distributor we were off to catch the team up along Papuni Road.

I have travelled the narrow Papuni Road up the Ruakituri River a few times to visit the military graves of Capt. Carr and Constables Canning, Coates, Condon, Byrne and Rihara who were killed in action on 8 August 1868 during the pursuit of Te Kooti following his escape from the Chatham Islands.

This time, we were able to continue up the road as far as Puketapu –the citadel pa of Te Kooti where he planned the horrific attack on settlers at Matawhero on 10 November 1868.

After a late lunch (3:30pm!) we headed back to Gisborne on the wet sealed roads in fading light. Clumps of clay falling from the vehicles left the road looking as though a dairy herd had passed through.

Back at camp – it was one of those days when can actually feel a cold beer absorb into every pore.
Distance travelled: 234km, duration: 10:06.

Railway museum
Museum Day dawned wet and cold – not a typical Gisborne day. The itinerary for today was to have a look around the old Railway Museum just behind the camp, as well as the East Coast Museum of Technology at Makaraka and then to tour up to Rere Falls. After the eight-hour drive to Gisborne on Sunday and the 10-hour drive on Monday around Tiniroto, I think everyone was grateful to blame the deteriorating weather, retreat to the camp cookhouse (via the supermarket to stock up for Wednesday) and sit around catching up with a sneaky early quiet ale.

As we were turning into the Tech Museum at Makaraka, Mark Peters from the Gisborne Herald had seen the convoy and tagged in behind to grab a story. Mark was treated to the full and extensive Land Rover story and every variation through the years thanks to Land Rover historian Leon Zwetsloot. Poor Mark struggled to keep up his shorthand as his note pad became soaked in the heavy rain that was falling, but he sent me through the copy that night – which I returned with some captioned photos to appear in the front page of the Gisborne Herald.

On our way back to camp, I dragged the crew into the Makaraka Cemetery to pay our respects to the fallen of the battle at Waerenga-a-hika and the victims of Te Kooti’s attack on the residences of Matawhero.

The big ‘Cape’ trip
Back in 2019 I attended the Motu School Safari, and due to the high fire risk, the convoy was locked out of the forest high up on the Raukumara Range. The organisers scrambled to come up with a quick alternative to get the convoy up to Ruatoria and came up with the Waimata Valley Road, Hokoroa Road, Tauwhareparae Road and finally Fernside and Mata Road to drop us back down off the ridge line to SH35 just south of Tokomaru Bay. These inland roads follow a high ridge line about halfway between the coastal SH35 and the high Raukumara Range to the west. The dominant users of these roads are (massive) logging trucks. When we drove the same route back in 2019 the soft sedimentary clay had turned to extremely fine dust that would choke a camel. Great news: recent heavy rain fall meant no dust – instead we encountered truck and trailer units loaded with road gravel attempting to lay a grippy surface on the soft pumice and sedimentary mud to prevent the logging trucks from becoming bogged. In places the road would have been impassable in two-wheel drive vehicles, making a mockery of the Townie- focused ‘ute-tax’ now imposed on anyone who needs hard working transport. No place for an electric Nissan LEAF out here! The roads were a shocker. The weight of the logging trucks had punched the gravel down through the clay and the slop was Diff deep in many places. The Series 1s looked like they had done some work as we slithered our way through the bush cloaked roads heading North. Paul Furkert suffered a snapped gearbox mount –such was the roughness of the road bouncing the gearbox out of place. Eventually we popped out at Tokomaru Bay for a medicinal pie around 1:30pm and a quick top-up of our tiny fuel tanks – before exploring the coastline up to the abandoned Tokomaru Bay freezing works and wharf. We then pressed on northward as the weather cleared with a quick detour to Waipiro Bay and Ruatoria reaching Te Araroa just before 6.00pm –followed by a slap-up meal at the Hicks Bay Motel.
Distance travelled: 225km, duration: 11:37.

East Coast lighthouse – Waikura Valley
Unfortunately, the 300+ steps up to the lighthouse were closed due to the slippery conditions so we headed back around to Te Araroa to some calmer weather and to find we had made the front page of the Gisborne Herald.

Darcey wanted to take us up the Waikura Valley for a quick look. I had been up the valley a few times on the Motu School Trips.

It was lucky we stocked up on fossil fuels, as the ‘quick-look’ took 6.5 hours off the day, but it was well worth it! We travelled up the Waikura Road, in past our usual overnight stop at Waikura – up past Pakira Station and on through Te Kumi to visit a Hunting cabin perched high on a ridge above the Raukokore River where we had a brew and a good country slice of Jan’s fruit cake lunch. Back out to SH35 and heading west around the stunning Bay of Plenty coastline to Opotiki for the night in warm calm conditions. Distance travelled: 282km, duration:11:42.

Motu Road and Rere
The day I have been waiting for, the chance to take the Series 1 up the fabled Motu Road. I have driven right through the Motu Road three times over the years. First time was in our 1979 LWB Series 3 Land Rover, next was in the Discovery and again only a couple of years ago in the Defender, but I’d always wanted to do it in the Series 1. We went as far as the Waiaua River before turning inland on the Motu Road to follow the true right of the Waiaua across reclaimed swamp land and into the Waiaua River Gorge. I chose to drive with the back of the canvas hood open to enjoy the atmosphere. It acts like a giant vacuum, sucking up dust along the way. We gained altitude quite quickly, passing a few cyclists on the way before the Meremere saddle at 460m, 17km inland. We stopped for a cuppa at the intersection with the Takaputahi Road before crossing the Whitikau saddle at 650m and dropping into the Whitikau valley. Here the road widens to accommodate the logging trucks transporting pine from further east up the Whitikau to the port of Gisborne. It’s a good steady climb to the ornate entry point of the Pakihi Track, and old stock route and walking track that emerges at the head of the Otara Valley near Barry Crump’s old place. From here the hillside benched road follows the densely forested ridge at around 600m with sheer drops off the side to the wooded valleys below and the blue haze off north with no sign of an open valley or track. I was tail-end again today, so when I caught up with John Hickey hunting for a ‘comfort stop’, I pulled over and switched off the engine. John pulled off up the road as I reached for the starter button – when the lights went out. Turned out to be the battery terminal had rattled loose with the rough corrugations. Over the Onukuroa saddle the road burst out of the bush into open farmland and winds down to the Motu valley below. We regrouped to pull in at the Motu school to say gidday to school teachers Paul and Shelly Cornwall, organisers of the Motu Safari and keen 4WDers. From there we went over to Motu Falls for lunch. The original plan was to head down the Whakarau Road towards Te Karaka, but Darcey had a better idea, so we headed first into Matawai on SH2 where Darcey had a generator issue, which was quickly sorted before we headed south.We turned down Te Wera Road, Tahora Road and Wharekopae Road to the Rere rockslide where a couple of chaps had a go on the slide before moving on to Rere Falls. Here we parted company, with some of the fellowship heading back to Opotiki for the night. The bulk of the team headed north to Gisborne for our last meal together and to take part in the decision-making for the direction of next year’s expedition.
Distance travelled: 184km, duration: 9:27.

Gisborne – home
Over the past 12 years we have all become very close friends and enjoy each other’s company – but with most of the troops being Wellington-based, we generally have little contact through the year. I headed to Pauanui for a family meeting, and travelled as far as Ohope with Peter and Pauline Prosee who were Auckland-bound. Struck heavy rain just outside Matata, but its was clear for the fabulous coastal drive from Waihi up to Pauanui. The Series 1 team can be contacted for parts and advice on Facebook: ‘Land Rover Series 1 Enthusiasts, New Zealand’
Distance travelled: 526km, duration: 9:07.

Total Distance travelled: 1,926km Duration: 66:10.