The Hagglund BV206 is an all-terrain tracked Swedish military vehicle, so the last thing you would expect would be to see one driving up the main street of Hamner Springs as these days you mostly see them in photos and news items from Antarctica. 
A double take and yes, it was a Hagglund and yes, it had full NZ registration to be on the road; in fact it is fully licensed to carry paying passengers.
Hot Tracks is the brainchild of Nicholas and Belinda Cowie and came about because they wanted a better lifestyle for themselves and their son Maximilian (3). 
They had a couple of successful businesses in Oamaru but they wanted a business that was also fun. 
They quickly got onto the idea of the Hagglund and while there was one operating at the Christchurch Antarctica Centre they wanted to go further and not be confined to the set course. 
They researched various areas around NZ before finally settling on Hamner Springs as the base for their new business; the minor point that Nick actually was raised in Hamner Springs may have helped, although the family had moved away sometime ago.
To purchase the Hagglunds, (Hot Tracks currently has two in operation) Nick and Belinda visited UK ex military disposal companies and looked at various vehicles available before signing up as the NZ importer of these fascinating machines.
So exactly what is a Hagglund BV206?  It is a snow and all-terrain vehicle built by Hagglunds Vehicle AB (formerly Hagglunds and Soner) for the Sweden Defence Force. 
It proved so capable that more than 10,000 were built and put into military service with 16 countries.  The British Military ordered 600 during the late 1980s and early 1990s, and while approximately 200 have been refurbished and fitted with diesel engines to give a further 10 years of service, the rest have slowly been sold off over recent years.
The BV 206 consists of two tracked units linked together, with a steering unit with each unit consisting of a chassis with the body mounted on four rubber tracks.  Both units are driven by a 2.8-litre Ford V6 petrol engine through a Daimler-Benz W4A-040 fully automatic gearbox and a Hagglunds two-speed transfer box.
The alloy chassis of the front and rear units are identical and all four track assemblies of the vehicle are also identical and interchangeable, and with steel reinforced rubber tracks. 
Steering is accomplished by changing the direction between the front and rear unit by two hydraulic cylinders, servo-controlled from a conventional steering wheel. The hydraulic system is built up of commercially available components and the steering unit is designed to permit a large freedom of movement between the two bodies.
The bodies are made of fibreglass with PVC foam insulation which is fire resistant. Each body is built like a closed box with integrated roll-over protection and has heating units (by heat exchangers) that have de-icing capacity in the front unit sufficient to keep the windscreen clear down to a temperature of -40°C.
They are also amphibious and will operate on virtually any type of terrain (mud, grass, sand, ice, snow) and gradient in complete safety with around 2PSi ground pressure. 
The front unit can take five passengers plus the driver while the rear unit can either be a fully closed unit capable of seating up to 11 people or fit full sized pallets of cargo.  Alternatively it can be a flat deck like a truck for cartage.
Prior to shipping out to NZ the Hagglunds were given a full service with all seals and bearings etc replaced and they were painted in the purchaser’s own colour choice. 
For Hot Tracks a sort of hot orange colour was chosen and this has worked very well with the Hot Tracks logo. 
Once the vehicles arrived in NZ Nick wanted to dress them up a bit more but didn’t want the usual “camouflage” image so instead opted for Hot Tracks’ own unique form of New Zealand “camo” in the form of images of the North and South Islands to give it a distinctly NZ identity.
Once the vehicles were in NZ it was relatively easy to get them registered for road use.  Nick says both the LTSA and VTNZ were very helpful during the process.  Although left-hand drive they were given an exemption and did not have to be converted to right drive.
Hot Tracks operates daily from downtown Hamner Springs and takes people for 30 minute rides into the forest bush directly behind the township.  Hot Tracks is promoted as the most exciting off-road adventure ride for the whole family, and it is easy to see why.
Matt Cowie, Nick’s brother, is also working for the business as a driver and I joined Matt for a little fun in the Hagglunds. 
First off I rode in the rear unit which has communications with the front unit and also a screen which allows you to see the view from the front unit.  In minutes we were off-road onto steep muddy trails and tracks putting the Hagglund through its paces. 
From riding in the unit you just don’t realise the capabilities of these vehicles as the ride is so good, but look out the windows and you see how steep you are by the angle of the trees. 
As part of the Hot Tracks package you can book one-on-one personal driving experiences so after a couple of circuits of the track it was my turn to take the wheel for a drive off-road. 
Once settled into the driver’s seat and a brief instruction from Matt we did a small loop to get used to the handling of the wheel - and it does take a few minutes to get used to it.  The combined length is 6.86 metres; with both sets of tracks driving you use a steering wheel to turn as opposed to the usual skid steer on most other tracked vehicles, so turning took some practice. 
You actually turn a little earlier than you would expect for a long vehicle and the rear unit follows the path of the lead unit.  A steering knob or spinner is fitted and after a little practice it is second nature manoeuvring the beast.
I was very impressed with the climbing ability of this vehicle and the way it effortlessly negotiated all we could throw at it.  Afterwards I walked the hills to get photos and then truly realised the steepness and slipperiness of the terrain I had just driven. 
This was an experience of a lifetime. Hot Tracks has worked very closely with the forest managers and the Department of Conservation in the area and has good access to a large area for its activities. 
So much so that DoC and the forestry companies relish the idea of having the vehicle available for emergencies due to its ability to carry pumps and water to inaccessible areas for fire fighting, and also its ability to carry injured people. 
Apart from its awesome abilities in all terrain it doesn’t leave ruts or much of a footprint at all.
The Hagglund has a ground pressure of under 2 PSI which means you probably wouldn’t feel it if it ran over your foot, but I wasn’t game to put it to the test. 
To put this into perspective we estimate the ground pressure of a standard mid to late ‘90s Land Rover Discovery would have a ground pressure of around 70-75 PSI. 
Next time you are in Hamner Springs ensure you visit Hot Tracks at the Heritage Hotel in the main street of Hamner  and go for one of their half hour rides, or book in for you own driving experience.  Prices are very reasonable and the Hagglunds have proven very popular in their first 10 months of business.
For more information you can contact Hot Tracks via their site on  www.hottracks.co.nz.     *