OFFICIAL BULLETIN OF THE
Club NightClub Night 18th February 201318th February 2013
The club meets on the third Monday of the month at the Vintage Car Club Rooms. 39 Fairfax Ave. Penrose
Starting at 8pm with tea and coffee to follow.
Postal Address Auckland Four Wheel Drive Club Inc.
P O Box 6712 Wellesley Street, AUCKLAND
www.auckland4wd.org.nz
· Heed all instructions given to you by the Trip Leader. If seatbelt are fitted, they must be worn at all times. · No alcohol to be consumed on club trips. · Convoy procedure - always keep the vehicle behind you in sight, always stop at intersections to ensure the vehicle behind can see you. · Do not leave the trip early without notifying the trip leader. · Leave all gates as found. · Always hold safety in mind – especially during recovery procedures, all spectators are to keep clear. · Never, under any circumstances slip a towrope over a tow ball. · Do not join 2 towropes with a shackle – loop one through the other in a secure knot, then slip a strong piece of wood between the two to ensure that they can be separated after the recovery. · Fire extinguishers are compulsory – minimum of 2kg for forest trips – your extinguisher must be operable with current certification & check the weight. · You must have tow hooks front and back that are securely mounted to the chassis with high tensile bolts. · All vehicles must carry a nylon towrope or strop. · All vehicles must carry a spade. · All vehicles must carry a first aid kit.
What’s On is now being published on the internet, so to keep up to date with those trips, go to www.auckland4wd.org.nz and view the trips as they come to hand.
What’s On?What’s On?
Title Name Phone Cell Phone Email
President Jack Talbot 528 6220 027 2244 215 [email protected]
Vice President Jeremy Walker 533 7385 027 684 1814 [email protected]
Treasurer Dave Broome 0274 924 707 [email protected]
Secretary Peter Vahry 524 0474 0274 310 923 [email protected]
Membership Eileen Austin (09) 420 5066 0274 826 406 [email protected]
Trip Coordinator Stephen Reed 836 7244 021 02703322 [email protected]
Committee Murray Hickson 622 0226 027 622 0116 [email protected]
Committee Linton Ivicevich 420 8334 0274300623 [email protected]
Committee / Editor Calvin Tyler 833 6262 021 147 3614 [email protected]
Committee Tariq Wasim 624 0071 021 2782747 [email protected]
Disclaimer : The views and opinions expressed in this publication may not necessarily be those of the executive or members of the Auckland Four Wheel Drive Club Inc.
A Proud Member of
Auckland 4WD Club President’s Report
Hi All,
Hi all, well not too much from me this month as I’ve been out of the country for a few weeks. I am definitely looking forward to getting out on a few 4WD trips in the coming weeks though – there have been a few changes to the calendar, so check the website for the latest trip dates to National Park, Waiuku, Maratoto, Woodhill and a planned gymkhana at a venue yet to be confirmed. …of course with the recent spell of hot/dry weather, vehicle travel to some of these locations has been restricted by the local authori-ties due to the risk of fires, so be sure to check before you venture out on your own. …and while I’m thinking about places to go, be sure to get involved in the feedback process for the various CMS’s that are currently underway – specifically, the closing date for submissions for the Northland, Auckland and Waikato CMS are all due by Friday 15th March, and some of them in-clude some quite dire prospects for our future access, so be sure to add to the number of individual objections and hope that our interests will be heard. Also, if you have some time to spare over the next 2 weeks, Ces Horan and Steve Morley will be continuing their work from last summer on the Waitawheta Track and are looking for club members to help with clearing the sides of the track to allow them to get into the heavy track work more effectively. Any time you can give over this period would be greatly appre-ciated - contact Ces directly on 07 862 4805 in the evenings to find out what's needed and to offer you help. See you in the bush, Jack.
IMPORTANT: To participate in a club trip, please contact the trip leader no later than the Thursday night before.
Take Note If you don’t want to or can’t take your vehicle on a particular
trip and wish to be a passenger, contact the trip leader and register your interest.
What’s On?What’s On? Date Trip
Details Trip Contact Grade
18 Feb Club meeting 8.00pm Vintage Car Club rooms, Fairfax Ave, Penrose.
2 / 3 March 4x4 National Park
A weekend in National Park, with a new property added www.4x4nationalpark.co.nz
Peter Vahry [email protected] Medium
2 / 3 March Woodhill Safety Patrol
We need volunteers once again. Let Steve know if you can make one of these days.
Steve Reed [email protected] 836 7244 021 02703322
Medium
2 March Woodhill Jeep Park night run
Organised by Norwest 4WD with a 'no rain, postponement' date of the 16th of March 2013 and starts at 6pm
Murray Atkinson [email protected] 027 316 5036
Medium
10 March Waiuku Reccy
We're going looking for new tracks in Waiuku Forest. Anyone willing to help in the search is welcome to come along.
Jeremy Walker [email protected]
Medium
17 March Waiuku Forest Club trip in a sand forest. Suitable for all 4WD vehicles.
Jeremy Walker [email protected]
Medium
18 March Club meeting 8.00pm Vintage Car Club rooms, Fairfax Ave, Penrose.
7 April Maratoto A trip up Maratoto, plus a loop trip for the brave and adventurous
Jeremy Walker [email protected]
Medium, Ex-treme in the loop
15 April AGM followed by club nite
Well its that time of year again. Elections to be held. So start thinking about those nominations and also the club trophy recipients
Future trips: There is a gymkhana being organized please keep an eye out on the “What’s On” page to get the confirmed date… Book it in as it will be a fun day out for all and truck types.
Trip Rating system from the club guidelines publication. Trip Rating – Leaders...rate the trip to the highest expected standard and be prepared en-route to make changes to suit weather or track conditions. It should be noted that four wheel driv ing is unpredictable by its very nature and variation from the expected de-gree of difficulty is very possible. On most four wheel drive trips, participants can expect that a variety of tracks will be traversed, each with an appropriate rating. Trip Leaders should advise participants of the range of track ratings expected to be encountered on the planned route. Contact other members as to degree of difficulty of intended route. The following ratings should be used as a guide: Scenic/Social – Sealed roads and some good unsealed roads or tracks. No four wheel driving experience required. Road tyres are acceptable. Easy – Little or no four wheel driv ing experience required. All terrain tyres, front and rear recovery points at Trip Leader’s discre-tion. Medium – Low range may be needed with a snatch strap recovery possible. All terrain tyres or better. Front and rear recovery points (rated), basic recovery gear (snatch strap, 2 rated shackles and gloves), and appropriate driver knowledge. Hard – Steep terrain or rutted tracks. Snatch strap and / or winching recovery may be required. All terrain tyres acceptable, mud terrain tyres preferred, road tires are not acceptable. Front and rear recovery points (rated), bas ic recovery gear (snatch strap, 2 rated shackles and gloves), and appropriate driver knowledge. W inch and full recovery gear is preferred Extreme – Very steep, deeply rutted tracks or rock hopping will be encountered. Front and rear recovery points (rated), full recov-ery gear (snatch strap, rated shackles, tree t runk protector, winch extension and gloves), and appropriate driver knowledge. W inch-ing will be expected and an electric or motorised winch is compulsory on all vehicles. Mud terrain or Simex style tyres essential. Warning: Vehicle damage may occur.
By Sarah Ivicevich Saturday the 5th of January was a beauti-ful, sunny day down at National Park. Our plan for the trip was to meet outside The Park Travellers Lodge at 10 am, then drive over to the 42nd Traverse and enter at the Kapoors Road end. We would then drive the 42nd Trav-erse through to Owhango. Brian & Brenda, Barry & Linda and Linton & I had stayed the night before at the lodge, so we were all ready to go at 10 am. While we were waiting Peter and Mike Stopforth arrived, who had driven down from Auckland that morning. And so it was just Peter and Kinzsa Vahry who were missing. While the group waited for them to arrive, we all admired the great view of Mt Ruapehu. We were also entertained by BMW motorbike club members who were completing their ‘obstacle course’ on their motorbikes around the car park and over the grassed area that sur-rounded the car park. We waited and waited and you guessed it, we waited some more. By about 10.30 am and after making a few phone calls to Peter (without any luck), we decided to drive over to the 42nd to see if Peter and Kinzsa were waiting for us over there.
We set off in convoy, with Linton leading the way. On the way we had great views of Mt Ruapehu, The Chateau and Mt Ngauruhoe. We soon arrived at the turn off to the 42nd Traverse, drove down the metal road leaving a trail of dust behind us, and hoped to find Peter and Kinzsa at the end. As we
were driving down, Linton and I were discussing what we were going to do if Peter and Kinzsa were not at the bottom of the road, then nek minnit, Pe-ter and Kinzsa’s Isuzu appeared in front of us. We spoke to Peter and found out he had decided to drive back up the road to get cell phone reception, to try to call us. He also mentioned he had sent the three other 4WDs from the Hasting 4WD Club up the 42nd already, with the plan that the Auckland group would catch up with them later on. Once Pe-ter had turned around, we carried on down the road and aired down. Auckland 4WD Club members airing down at the be-
ginning of the 42nd Traverse.
After airing down we were soon on our way up the 42nd. The beginning of the track was nice and wide and the clay was quite dry, (a little too dry for Linton’s liking). We drove up the track for a couple of kilometres and found the mountain was still letting off some steam. After a few photos, we continued on down the track with the vegetation on the edges of the track narrowing, the further we drove on.
Soon we came upon a slightly downhill piece of track which had a muddy rut on the lower side of the track, and no rut on the high side of the track. Drivers had two options, (or at least I thought there were only two options. A third option was demonstrated later on by Peter SJ). Option one consisted of trying to drive above the rut, but this option would more than likely result in the 4WD sliding sideways into the bank at some point. Option two consisted of driving within the rut from the start, up close and along the bank.
So Linton edged over to see if the Nissan would drive the line above the rut, but he found it was too slippery, so backed up and chose to drive within the rut (getting up close and personal with the bank). Next it was Peter V’s turn in his Isuzu, who also chose to drive within the rut and along the bank. Then Brian in his Prado had his turn. Brian initially took the higher line above the rut, but then slid into the rut and also drove along the bank. Finally it was Peter S’s turn who demonstrated another way, ‘option three’, which involved taking a different, ‘more creative’ approach. Peter kept the Land Cruiser’s front wheels on the high side of the track, its back end slid into the rut on the lower side of the track, and the Cruiser came through using the “sideways slide approach”.
The beginning of the 42nd Traverse, with Peter V and Brian driving.
Peter and Kinzsa Vahry driving within the rut.
Peter and Kinzsa Vahry driving within the rut.
Peter S having fun while dem-onstrating ‘option three’.
After our bit of fun, we continued on down the track and stopped at a lookout where we ap-preciated the great view. Unfortunately as the track is becoming more overgrown, these lookout areas are becoming few and far be-tween. The more we drove down the 42nd, the more overgrown the track became. As a result a scratchy experience continued for some time, until we came to where the track maintenance work had been completed three months earlier. The workers had cut back ap-proximately 7 kilometres of vegetation near the Owhango end, and once we got to this point the track was free from overhanging and scratchy vegetation. Thanks everyone who helped with this maintenance. When driving through all your hard work, I certainly appreciated the wider track and so did the Nissan’s paintwork!
After the lookout stop, we continued on and managed to catch up with the other three 4WDs from the Hastings Club. They had stopped for lunch at the first and shallowest river crossing of the day. It was certainly a great place for lunch, with the kids having a swim to cool off. After lunch we continued up the track and came to our second river crossing. I walked through the river to the other side to get some photos as the 4WDs drove across the river.
We then continued on a bit further and came across another river crossing where people on motor and mountain bikes were waiting on the other side, and who kindly let us to cross the river first. This time the water was a bit deeper than I thought it was, and my boots sprung a small leak. Wet socks for the rest of the day!
The view from the lookout.
Brian & Peter V driving across our second & third river crossings of the day.
After our river crossings we made our way further along the 42nd and drove over a narrow bridge. Then we all went for a walk to inspect the new bridge ap-proach cutting that had been put in re-cently. After our short walk it was back into the 4WDs and we drove over the track edge retaining that was built three months earlier during the track mainte-nance. Some of the bags of road chip had split, but most of the work was sti ll intact. After this we drove to the end of the 42nd where we aired up, and appre-ciated the lovely views over the river. Overall the 42nd Traverse is a great easy scenic trip in summer, with 4WD only needing to be engaged in a couple of uphill and downhill sections. Also, it was nice to see and appreciate all the good work done three months earlier during the track maintenance. Thanks everyone! Thanks also to those who came on the 42nd trip from Hastings and Auckland.
Driving the narrow bridge.
Peter S testing the track retaining that was put in three months ago.
View of the river at the Owhango end of the 42nd (above).
On most trips up Stadia, we only ever have at most a few hours to get as far as we can in Neavesville before turn around time. So I came up with the idea of a night run up stadia, a camp out, and a full day to explore Neavesville. I floated the idea with Ed who thought it was a good one, so a date was set. Friday started for me with what I thought was an achievable list of things left on the todo list to get the truck ready for another week-ends excitement. As things often do, it turned into a mad rush, and I didn’t turn up until a few minutes after the set meeting time of 6.30pm. While everyone was waiting, they aired down, found a way to open the gate without the key (which I had with me), and even managed to fix Ed’s split clutch line ...ok, so I was a lot more than a few minutes late (oops, sorry). I turned up to a closed and locked gate, with some simex tyre tracks being the only sign that anyone had been there. I caught up at a clay section which is always wet, that’s dug deep into the ground, and has lots of big boulders. Some winching was required to get everyone through, but we were soon moving and making a quick trip to the top ...or so we thought, as Ed drove off the side of the track. It looked like he came scary close to a big drop to the valley below, but quick work from Steve, who had come along as his winch man, had the nissan back on hard ground. I must admit that I nearly did the same thing in that same spot on a previous trip, but my co-driver kept me out of trouble (thanks Matt, if you’re reading this). The tank trap area at the top of Stadia was the usual winch fest. Allan Roche had a new winch on his truck, the best chinese winch $400 can buy, but it was starting to have problems and struggle with the weight of his big LWB safari. Some impressive snatch towing from Ed got Allan out the last section and we were at the top a bit before 10pm. Linton had organised some lengths of timber to repair the bridge to the Neavesville camp site, so as the night was still young, we headed down and got to work. A plan quickly came together, and with a few measurements to make sure the bridge was both Nissan and Suzuki friendly, we soon had something much more sturdy (and less scary) than the assortment of branches that we braved on the last trip. It felt solid as a rock in a Hilux. Bridge built, campsite reached, tents up and we were all in bed not long after midnight. We awoke to a beautiful clear skied summers day and headed off on the loop track which was used for the winch challenge event back in ‘04. It’s a great track, deep ruts, big rocks, lots to put a smile on my face. Allan’s winch was not in a good way, so it wasn’t long before he decided to park up, seeing we would still need to make it down Stadia at the end of the day. A couple more corners and a winch or two, and I suggested the guys walk up ahead and survey a corner which in the past was not very panel friendly. It was better than it had been, but the gnarly nature of the track ahead had the guys thinking twice about continuing on. George and I are normally not eas-ily convinced to turn around, but this time we decided instead to stick together, back out and head around to the other end of the loop track.
Backtracking to the top of Stadia, we came across Peter V. who had walked up that morning, so I quickly handed over navigational duties. He took us down a different track on the way, which was pretty cool - nothing challenging but scenic and picturesque. We found the other end of the loop track, and were soon charging through familiar mud holes, although sometimes our best efforts still required a winch to keep moving forward. Ed, tried to avoid one such winch with a tricky maneuver. Unfortunately, like often happens with these tricky moves, it didn’t quite work out as he planned, clipping a tree and dented his front
passenger side guard. Eventually he was back on track, but only after damaging his fairlead and pulling a tree over. While we were working out our line through the next mud hole, Peter walked ahead and reported that we shouldn’t bother. We had reached the long hill climb (or descent going in this direction). I walked down, and it was in pretty good condition. George and I were keen to continue again, but somehow other voices of reason prevailed al-though I’m not sure how I admitted defeat so eas-ily. It was second time that day, and it wasn’t even lunch time. Steve suggested that I might as well go through the mud hole, seeing we had the line all worked out now, and I happily obliged. It turned out to be a big winch through, and the return trip didn’t work out so well either - I was hoping the rut would keep the truck going in the right direction, but with power on, and lockers in, the truck pushed straight through the soft rut, and was heading to what looked like could be quite deep muddy water. So I jumped on the brakes, and it was out with the winch yet again (thanks Steve for playing winch man).
The trip out of the track required a bit of winching as well, and by the time we got out it was lunch time, so the search for a scenic spot begun. A few of us got distracted looking at side tracks, but George was hungry and decided he’d found a good enough spot for lunch. After lunch we headed down to the site of the old Neavesville town-ship, which is also the other end of one of the side tracks we looked at. It seemed going up hill from this end was smarter than going down, so off we went. It was very overgrown, and hard to make out just where the track was at times. It was slow going, and even re-quired winching at one point. Peter said the area gets very swampy in winter, so with some track clearing it could prove to be a fun track to do on future trips. The views weren’t too bad either. We ducked into one more side track, which was blocked by logs, before deciding that it might be best we start working on getting back down Stadia, seeing we had Allan’s worsening winch and Ed with a temporary fix on his clutch hose, which might cause prob-lems. Winching through the first section all went to plan, with Steve in charge, our winch man extraordinaire for the day.
The next section got a bit interesting when driving across a rocky sidling and the bank disappeared under-neath my rear driver side wheel. A blip of the throttle got the truck down the hill safely, however it made things very tricky for the 3 nissans behind, which are wider, longer and heavier. Ed made it through with the help of Linton’s winch to keep the back end from sliding too far, and then it was out with the spades to try and make the track wider. Linton got perilously close to the edge, but with Peter standing in the wrong spot, Linton had to resist using any throttle. But it all worked out, and Peter didn’t end up looking like a Nissan made pancake (phew). Allan man handled the LWB nissan around, looking like a very cool customer, even with the back wheel so very close to the edge. And in true suzuki fashion, George
made it look like nothing. The rest of the trip down Stadia was trouble free, with a small detour across the stream to see if there was anything new up the other side by the power pylons - there wasn’t. With the sun still in the sky, and a happy truck (i.e. a clean radiator, and no shake from the wheels) a pleasant drive home was a good end to a very enjoyable weekend. It was good to get a chance to explore some more in Neavesville. There’s plenty of potential up there, but like always, requires work to find tracks, clear them, and then keep them open. By Jeremy Walker. Photo’s courtesy of Peter Vahry, Sarah and Linton Ivicevich
We have been given some Turtle Wax prod-ucts and “Top Gear” magazines so come along to club nite and you may just get one as a door prize !
The 4x4 National park event on 2/3 March is getting close, regis-trations close on 22 Feb and it looks like we could be close to reaching our maximum of 50 ve-hicles. So goto www.4x4nationalpark.co.nz to register ! Dear fellow 4x4ists, On behalf of Roger at the Woodhill Jeep Park and Norwest Club I have been asked to invite all the clubs on the night run at the forest. The date is the 2nd of March 2013 with a 'no rain, postponement' date of the 16th of March 2013 and starts at 6pm and we ask all trucks to be back at the HQ by 11.30pm. We plan to have a BBQ there as well (gold coin donation, please). A compressor will be available for you to pump up your tyres. Some house keeping: We'd like to remind everyone that the Forest has a No Alcohol policy, which we will be adhering to. This includes passengers as well as drivers and for your continued enjoyment, we ask you for your help with this. Recovery points are a must. No dogs. We will have special parking for trailers for everyone's convenience. There will be a competition with $300..00 worth of prizes available. Cost will be $45 per truck. The last two were fantastic thanks to Roger, the organisers and, mainly, to you guys. Any questions give me a call 027 316 5036 Thanks Murray
AGM is coming up in April, please return any
Trophies to a committee member and also start
thinking about nominations for committee positions
and who could be our next Trophy winners !
Also it’s the opportunity to make changes in how the
club is run… So come along and have your say.
By Sarah Ivicevich J On Sunday the 6th of January, Peter Vahry led us on a recce trip
within the National Park area. It was nice and sunny, as we drove and checked out two tracks to see if they were
suitable for the upcoming National Park 4WD trip on the 2nd and 3rd of March 2013. People who came on the trip included Peter & Kinzsa Vahry, Martin Langridge from the King Country 4WD Club, Brian & Brenda Hill with their friends Barry & Linda, Peter & Mike Stopforth and Linton & I. On the trip the landowners showed us around their property and we enjoyed lots of native bush, a walk down to a lovely waterfall and views of Mt Egmont. Below are some photos of our trip. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so here is my several thousand word article! J
The view of Mt Egmont from one of the tracks. The convoy driving into the property to access some new/potential 4WD areas.
The convoy waiting for the land owner to open the locked gates.
Here Martin, Peter S, and Linton are waiting in line in peak hour traffic.
A waterfall in summer, minus the water!
The waterfall everyone walked down to. Soon there will be a new track, below the waterfall.
Peter S coming back up the track after all 4WDs turned around under the tree on the edge of the cutting.
Peter and Kinzsa talking with the land owners and discussing track options.
A swamp we walked past on the way down to the waterfall.
This is the land owner’s old uninhabited homestead.
4WDs waiting for their ‘people’ to come back from the waterfall walk.
Martin and Peter S ‘going around the bend’ on the edge of the cutting.
Everyone admiring the view of the valley.
This photo shows Mt Egmont in the distance.
Peter S weaving his way through the bush.
Papakura Mufflers and Performance Exhaust. 27 Elliot St, Papakura Contact Peter Brown 298 6853 15% off all parts. NZ 4WD Parts and Accessories. Unit 1 46 Hobill Ave, Manukau City 0800 287 278 20% off all products. Cookes Ropes and Lifting Equipment. 6-10 Greenmount Drive, East Tamaki 274 4299 5-20% off depending on product Must show Membership Card. Chain and Rigging Supplies Ltd. 136 Captain Springs Road, Onehunga 636 4775 20% off all products. Must show Membership card. Actron Fire Services 101 Beaumont Street Ph: 64-9-357 6767 Westhaven Fax: 64-9-357 6769 Auckland email: [email protected] New Zealand Post: P O Box 15095 New Lynn Contact Brett Neilsen Autoclutch Limited 20 Morningside Drive, Kingsland 849 3737 [email protected] Offering a 20% d iscount structure on all parts and services sup-plied as standard off the shelf. Membership card required. 4x4 SUZUKI PARTS 10% to 20% d iscount on Suzuki parts.. Limited models, SJ410, SJ413 and Samurai’s Call Henry van Vugt on 833 5478 or 0274 860 400. BE Car Parts aka Brit-Euro Car parts and Braxton Car Lights. 12 Moa St, Otahuhu Contact: Jonty Cooper Tel: 276 7841 Email: [email protected] Web site: www.becarparts.co.nz 20-30% off all products Head & taillights, Bumpers, Guards, Bonnets, Boot lids, Body panels, Wheel covers, Grilles Bearing Supplies Ltd 40% discount on all bearings and oil seals. Sizes to suit all ap-plications 5A Clemway Place Henderson Ph: 09-837 5777 Fax: 09-837 3820
Japanese Diesel Parts Ltd Exclusive d iscount to club members on proof of membership. We can supply Japanese diesel engine parts , new piston kits which are Tiekin , NPR ring sets, cylinder liners and Taiho bearing sets, these are good quality and carry an ISO standard . We have a huge selection of used parts. We also carry stock of new and used cylinder heads; some are reconditioned and we also carry a range of gasket kits, short blocks new and recondi-tioned www.japanesedieselparts.co.nz 86 Falsgrave Street Waltham Christchurch New Zealand Phone NZ 03 365 6318 Fax 0800 116 111 ( NZ ONLY) Wurth NZ Ltd www.wurth.co.nz . There is an E catalogue to view the product range. Club members must show NZFW DA Membership card. Discount varies depending on product. Contact Adam or Jason. Wurth NZ Ltd 42 Hobill Ave Manukau Ph 262 3040 Nu Life Batteries Ltd Ray Greer Discount varies, Membership card to be shown. Unit 3, 254 Gt. Sth. Rd. Takanini 09 298 4994 021 958-039 www.nulifebatteries.co.nz Papamoa Beach Holiday Resort www.papamoabeach.co.nz Ph 0800 232 243
Apex Auto Center www.apexautocentre.co.nz Brake and clutch parts / manufacture, hoses and cables. 10% Discount off retail price, mention being a club member with job. Contact Evan Woods Ph 0800 102739
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