Sometimes in life – the planets really do align – but for it to happen twice is a bit weird.

Two years ago, I was contacted by ol’ mate Cameron Craigie and asked if I wanted to go on a Land Rover Series 1 run in  North Canterbury up the Virginia Valley in Hurunui. While I was trying to work out how I was going to wangle a trip to the  South Island from Auckland a few weeks before Christmas, I received ‘Works- Orders’ to inspect three Comms ‘high-sites’  near Palmerston North, which is south – well close enough for me anyhow. I also required a medical ‘procedure’ due to  prolonged periods on a surfboard when I was younger.

Two years later, Cameron got in-touch with a ‘Works-Order’ for three high sites and yep, I had more surgery – so armed  (again) with test gear, flash gear, old gear and camping gear I was on the road to Palmy.

High above Palmerston North is a huge array of wind generators. First site was on the eastern side of the Tararua Ranges overlooking Eketāhuna. We boarded a SideXSide (SXS) dressed like ‘road cones’ and roared up this thin rock-based track.  Some of these ‘high-site’ access tracks had been hacked out of mountain sides in recent times. Older tracks were for horses,  then widened for the ‘Land Rover era’, but these newer units were hacked out for SXS vehicles, so are much  steeper and really narrow.

We hooned around the mountain side and popped up on the ridge next to the tiny wireless site and were smacked with a  wind gust that rocked the SXS and blew the windscreen out of the roll cage. As we picked up the crushed windscreen that  could have landed in the main street of Eketāhuna far below, we were walking against the wind and my hardhat was buzzing  up and down on my head like a  ‘venetian blind’ straining against the chin strap while we endured the sting of rain impacting  our faces.

Back down at the ute, the skin on my face felt like it had been hit by a water blaster, which became painful in the warmth of  the vehicle.

Friday dawned crisp and blustery as I headed south and over the ridge to Leon Zwetsloot’s house in the ‘Hutt’. Leon had a  few jobs on of-late and neglected to source a WoF for his 1957 88” Series 1 – so we were heading south in his classic 200Tdi  Range Rover. No objections from me, as we had a solid four hour, 300km drive in front of us after getting off the  Cook Strait ferry after 5pm. Not many drives in the world would come close to the Kaikoura coast road on a clear calm  evening – and this one was exceptional next to a sleepy blue ocean. I convinced Leon to stop for a fresh fish burger from  ‘Coopers Catch’ in Kaikoura but it was packed, so we decided to push on into the fading light and took the inland route from  Kaikoura to Culverden arriving at the Mount Whitnow shearers’ quarters just after 10pm in total darkness. Fortunately, the  kitchen light was still on with Neville about to head off to bed. The rattle of the diesel brought Ian, Steve, Lesley and Kathy out to say ‘hello’ and ‘goodnight’ as I tucked into a potato-chip sandwich for tea, the cornerstone of every 4WDers ‘stand-by food  supply’.

Next morning the weather was a bit indifferent and had not made up its mind what to do. A small amount of cloud cover was  good – but not so sure about the dark patches to the north. Riley Taylor and Wayne pulled up out front in an old Land Rover  Series 1 recovery vehicle they had rescued off the West Coast, along with our host – Donald Williamson in his immaculately  restored 1952 Series 1. We stood around for a few minutes kicking tyres before heading back down Virginia Road to a rendezvous at the turn-off to Mount Noble Station, as the southern crew were meeting a few kilometres out at Double Tops  Station. It is always a bit of a gamble when you organise a vintage car run, on how many turn up. In 2022 we anticipated  about 8, and had 16 turn up to battle the hill country. This time we had a list – but still no guarantees.

We arrived at the junction of two dusty roads at a place marked on the map as ‘Gola Peaks’ – a flat, deserted area of pasture  and tussock at the bottom of a valley – surrounded by 700m peaks and waited in silence. Well, apart  from talking  about Land Rovers of course. After a short time, away up the head of the valley came a lone Series 1 – green… (in case you  were wondering) followed by another – and another, forming a convoy of 14 pre-1958 Land Rovers all looking like they were  on an important mission from the days when this country only knew of horses and Land Rovers. It was a mighty sight.

We were running a tad late, so saddled up and headed up the true right of the Waitohi River, heading north to Mount Noble  station. The list showed only a couple of spare seats, and I was very lucky to score a front seat with Dick Nurse in his 1957  88” – as recording the trip is difficult from the load-tray in the back. Leon had jumped in with Ian Butcher along with our packed lunch and snacks.

Got some great photos of all 19 Land Rovers lined up across the front of the Mount Noble homestead. Station manager  James Frame gave us a presentation on the history of the area and shared some old photos of the homestead. This area is  high country farming at its best – surrounded by steep hills often covered in snow in winter, living and working in isolation  managing a superb pasture cover to hold the hills and feed the stock. I’m very proud to play a small part in bringing high  speed broadband to these isolated families.

We eventually moved off following Andrew Rutherford from Double Tops in his 1954 86” with its roo top garden. Andrew  found his Land Rover in quite good condition and nursed it back to health. When he took it to get its first WoF in many years,  the Inspector offered to water blast the bright yellow Lichen growing on the roof, but Andrew refused any alteration to the  ‘patina’ – but is still torn between parking undercover and drying out the lichen – or leaving it outside. Not sure if a 2K clear coat would work, like a spider set in resin.

We wound our way down the Waitohi past the site of the original Mount Noble homestead near the Waitohi Ford, pinched  between two 650m high peaks. The site would be lucky to get any sun in winter with the valley pointing true north. You could imagine the hoar frost covering every surface.

We climbed a 680m saddle leaving the Waitohi on the eastern flanks of Mount Noble to follow Māori Gully which I understand  was part of the ancient Pounamu (New Zealand nephrite jade) route south – to pop out on the Lake Sumner Road.

We had a slight delay due to a mix up with keys, but in true Land Rover style, we overcame adversity (popped the hinge on  the gate) and headed down the true right of the Hurunui River. My host and driver for the day started out with the Ministry of  Works and had spent most of his life running graders and heavy machinery through most of the valley’s roads and farm  tracks in the Horonui district Dick  informed us that the track we were following was the original Lake Sumner Road – and was in need of a serious ‘grade’.

We stopped for lunch next to a scary rocky narrow on the Hurunui which clams a few jetboats each year due to the high flow and cross currents between boulders the size of houses.

After lunch we headed south up Spring Stream to meet the property owner Bede Crean at a set of yards, who gave us some  of his time to explain the joys and sorrows of high- country farming with the tragic loss of his brother in 2019.

We continued up the valley below the western side of Mount Selfe cresting the saddle at 640m and descending back to the  Waitohi River next to Mount Selfe Homestead on the Lake Sumner Road to continue west to Jacks Saddle.

We turned off the road and onto the back of Mount Mason Station to again climb the 600m hills in deteriorating weather. By  this time I was flat out trying to keep Video camera lenses clear, as in rue Series 1 fashion, the wiper on my side had stopped  working. We stopped for a brief afternoon tea on a cropped flat on a terrace above the Waitohi River before again  ascending the highest point of the day in heavy cloud and rain at just shy of 800m on the Cavendish Hills before following the Kashmir Stream out to Mount Mason homestead.

We were not far from Andrew Rutherford’s Double Tops Station where the southern contingent met, so we helped load some  of the trailered vehicles, said our goodbyes and headed off into the rain back to Mount Whitnow.

It did not take long to get the fire cracking in the shearers’ quarters – a bit too wet for a BBQ, so we fried up some sausages  and boiled some spuds for tea and shared some beers with old and new mates as the rain thundered down outside.

I think the order had been mixed up as the next day was the one we thought we had organised with not a hint of cloud in a  blue-dome world. There was a rumour of a Land Rover graveyard on our route home, but we mucked up our timing and so  had to push hard to get the ferry at 2pm on Sunday. On Cook Strait we watched a weird tidal surge on the Wellington  southern coast which high-lighted the ‘Devils-Gate’ on Sinclair Head – but that could be a story for next time.

I wish to acknowledge the help and generosity of Cameron Craigie our (absent) organiser, Donald Williamson – Mount  Whitnow Station organiser, Andrew Rutherford our tour-guide (Double Tops Station), James Frame of Mount Noble Station,  Bede Crean of Mount Selfe Station, the Jamison family of Mount Mason Station, Leon Zwetsloot and Dick Nurse my drivers  for the weekend.

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