The 4x4 Outdoor Expo in Christchurch kicked off on a warm spring Saturday. The two day event at the Wolfbrook Arena was full of eye popping 4WDs and all the cool gear you could ever want. So with shorts and sunnies on, our family jumped in the 4WD and headed down.
Upon arrival it was impossible not to go straight to the show and shine lot. The place was absolutely packed with amazing rigs. There were so many trucks that it was almost hard to take them all in, though each one separately would have turned my head on any other day.
We all picked out our favourites with mine being an older white SAS Hilux Surf with some retro Toyota yellow, orange and red stripes down the side, it even had a model truck sitting on the dash with the same decals. Kristen and my son Jack both got a kick out of a dented matte black Surf with a sky-high lift, but for different reasons. My son Jack enjoyed being able to stand straight upright beneath it and Kristen was entertained by the licence plate “4 YMAK.” The Waimakariri River is known for its truck-swallowing mud holes, so the funny custom plate seemed appropriate for such a huge rig!
Once inside the arena we grabbed our 4x4 Expo tote bag hoping that was an indication of things to come. Covering the arena floor there were a multitude of vendors with every 4WD accessory or accoutrement you could dream of. Many booths also had a jaw-dropping 4WD decked out with their latest gear. There were a number of perfect GQ Safaris scattered around that had come from the North Island and the most extreme Ranger I’ve seen was sitting in the Maxxis booth.
In addition to all of the amazing trucks there were all sorts of amazing deals. It seemed like every booth had a special on something from t-shirts to rooftents. The vendors also had small freebies in the form of stickers, air fresheners, candy and the like. Jack treated the venue like Halloween, filling his tote bag further at each stop. Everyone was happy to get the little guy fired up.
The one thing that seemed to permeate through the event was the sense that everyone was enjoying themselves. There were smiling faces across the event. It was hard not to get excited with so many like minded people all in one spot. For those who missed it this year, I’d highly recommend shining up that old 4WD and getting down to the event next year.
