Bill Richardson Transport World- Awesome!

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Whenever anyone hears that we've just visited or about to visit Southland again, the person usually asks if we've visited Bill Richardson's truck museum. The answer has always been no, originally because an appointment had to made to visit, on other visits, we ran out of time and then lately, because we've seen so many different museums on our travels, what was one more? It wasn't a priority.

Bill's Shed

We nearly didn't visit this time either but Rachel kept insisting we would enjoy it. So when our original 2-3 week visit turned into 5-6 weeks, we set aside an afternoon when we knew we were going to be in Invercargill for the day. And I'm so pleased we did. 

This is one amazing transport museum and well worth visiting. Bill Richardson Transport World has one of the world's largest private vehicle collections, holding in excess of 300 trucks and classic cars which are spread over 15,000 square metres, in a purpose built building covering a whole city block.

There are also more than 150 vintage petrol bowsers, along with other motoring memorabilia. 

But first things first, we had a superb lunch in the busy cafe, the very aptly named and themed 'The Grille'. Meals and/or coffee can be had at the usual seating in the main body of the cafe or in either of the 1960/70s 'blast from the past' kitchen or lounge. It's scary when so many of the items are so darn familiar! And so retro now. I loved the TV, it was playing ads from the era.

'The Grille' Cafe

The first part of the building is known as 'Bill's Shed', it's a huge sparkling space with a mezzanine floor and offices around the outside. Sadly Bill died suddenly in 2005 aged just 64. Another shed is named after Bill's only son Harold who was just 29 and a senior figure in the family's trucking company, when he was tragically killed in a car crash in 1995. (Click the photo to read)

Bill's wife Shona & daughter Jocelyn along with her husband Scott now run NZ's largest privately owned transport company, HW Richardson Group. 

Bill's Shed

They have also continued to grow the wonderful legacy Bill left behind; his vintage collection of vehicles has been added to, the new building has been built and it's now open to the public. No more appointments needed to view this amazing collection.

The only working 1940 Dodge RX70 Airflow in the world- a star attraction

These vehicles sit in front of a large city mural from their period and are in a showroom that can be seen from the main road outside, a main road that happens to be State Highway 1 straight into the city. Perfect positioning for tourists on the Southern Scenic Route.

Most of the vehicles have a small sign with their details and many have a note from Bill. I love this personal touch and wanted to read every note. Unfortunately I'd have had to be there all day and more to read every one. 

The note above belongs to this Oldsmobile.

I'm back in the main showroom; Bill's Shed and there are some wonderfully old and colourful trucks...

...and a beautiful collection of pedal cars.

The next shed holds the 'big boys'...

...and a few 'odd boys' too.

Oh. My. Goodness. This shed holds some real beauties!

Imagine the work involved in polishing this lot. 

We were encouraged to check out the various toilets, both male & female, that were located around the complex. Aren't these just awesome? Although I missed the urinals where men can go about their business while watching people walk past outside through a one way mirror. That's a bit creepy.

Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything about this truck (I forgot to take a photo of the card) but it must be a rarity, it has a prime position.
ETA- In fact I have since found out that it is Mack AC ‘Bulldog’ truck and it was the truck that inspired Mack’s famous Bulldog logo.

Very old trucks...

...and another 'blast from the past', a collection of VW Kombis and their Kombi caravans. I started my working life in a Volkswagen/Audi dealership as a spare parts assistant. 

More vehicles outside storefronts including the model Anglia I wanted Mum to buy for her and me to use when I passed my license. Instead we got an earlier Ford Prefect 100E named Myrtle! Which wasn't quite the cool car I wanted to be seen driving.

There's still quite a few vehicles waiting to be restored and a number stored in sheds not on view. I couldn't get over how many vehicles there were, and how much money would have been involved in restoring and preparing them for display. Along with the ongoing maintenance. 

The curation of such a collection would be massive and I take my hat off to the person/people responsible.  

They have done a magnificent job, everything is well displayed with plenty of information and it' all kept in pristine condition. And there's just so much to see.

In another shed is a collection of tractors and small 'dozers.

And back in Bill's Shed, these very early examples of the motorcar...

Alongside these beauties...

And upstairs, mannequins model wearable art from Southland's previous FibreOctave shows.

Bill Richardson Transport World is a stunning jewel in Southland's Crown and a must visit if you're in Invercargill. But give yourself most of the day if not a couple if you're a petrol head. 

Transport World now has another feather in their cap; Motorcycle Mecca is a new attraction housed elsewhere in the city. In keeping with Invercargill's close ties and obsession with motorcycles it's a collection of over 300 motorcycles that date from 1902 and represent over 60 manufacturers. Tickets can be purchased at Transport World to cover both attractions.

If only he could see it now...

I took so many photos (surprise, surprise), it was hard to choose them for the blog. If you'd like to see more, I've uploaded them to a Flickr Album, click this link to view. 

Classic Boat Show- Lake Rotoiti

While we were at Lake Rotoiti, the NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show was held at Kerr Bay over the weekend. Sadly for the organisers the weekend was a disaster weather wise; there was torrential rain overnight on Friday which flooded much of the large grassed area when the displays were. For a brief hour or so on Saturday morning the rain stopped only to return mid morning and rain solidly until late afternoon. Sunday dawned fine but it didn’t last long with passing showers and the odd heavy fall for most of the day, it was also rather cold. The sun (and humidity) finally made an appearance mid-afternoon just as the last of the hardy competitors & stalwarts were packing up to leave.

I managed to take quite a number of photos in between the showers and have uploaded them to a Flickr album which you’ll find here if you’d like to see them all.

Below is a small selection if you don’t manage (or want) to check the album out.

The only ones pleased with the rain were the ducks!

Considering the weather & the distance people had to travel there was still a reasonable turn out from the public, although most sat in their cars or took shelter under the marquees whenever a squall came through. A sharp contrast to the previous weekend when jetboat racing was held and the weather was extremely hot and sunny.

This chap had the right idea.

There were a number of lovely old steamboats plying the waters, giving rides to paying guests.

The ‘old’ and the ‘new’-

The most popular boats of all were the ‘monsters’, classic motorboats over 18’.

While some of the racing was cancelled because of the weather, the monsters (named that by the organisers) managed to fit in a few races but they were off in the distance and hard to see because of the drizzle and haze.

Once launched or after a race, the boats pulled up on the beach in front of the crowd.

As we were walking over to the show a guy sitting on a chilly bin (esky) went roaring past us up the road, I found him later with his unusual mode of transport beside another little beauty. A Morris Minor truck towing the tiniest little caravan you ever did see. With the kitchen at the rear, water & ablutions on one side and a sleeping compartment  on the other this guy was set up for travel on the road. Given his age, I’m not so sure he’d manage to get himself through his bedroom door though. And he certainly wouldn't want to invite a lady back for the night!

These small hydroplanes were fascinating to watch, they travel at quite a speed. Although the bottom guy was having a few issues.

The model boats attracted some attention from the local ducks. Perhaps because I saw a few nearly get a boat up the rear when they swam across the race course.

This lovely boat belonged to one of our neighbours at the camp site.

The sailing boats raced back and forth across the bay, their colourful sails adding a bright spot to the overcast days.

A number of canoes, kayaks and whalers were paddled and rowed along the water front.

Although the weather put a dampener on the weekend it was still great to see all the old boats and to also see the joy they brought to their owners & especially once they had them in the water. The prize for the most dedicated would have to go to this guy who steamed his way up and down the bay for most of the day, towing a cute little dinghy behind him all the way….I really wanted to hitch a ride in that dinghy.

And just in case you missed the link above to the photo album, here it is again- NZ Antique & Classic Boat Show, Lake Rotoiti

WOW- Literally

Most New Zealanders will know that WOW stands for World of WearableArt & that the WOW Museum is in Nelson where the original wearable art fashion show started 26 years ago (Correction-it started in Wakefield. Thanks Jimu). It’s since shifted to Wellington where it has become one of Wellington’s (& New Zealand’s) major events of the year, attracting hundreds of local & international entries and thousands of visitors to the spectacular show. Coincidentally we visited the museum on the eve of this year's show.

Below is a selection of some of the garments on display, many of these are past winners in their various categories and some supreme winners.

You might notice that some of the photos are a little “noisy”, noise is the digital equivalent of film grain and is caused by a high ISO number (one of the 3 elements that make up the exposure triangle in photography, the others being shutter speed and aperture). ISO is the level of sensitivity of a camera to available light. Higher ISO = more light on the sensor = more noise. I dialled in far too much ISO for these photos; the display rooms were very dark and I didn’t want to use flash as it’s too harsh but I went a little over board I’m afraid. David says in other words, I cocked up!

I loved this one, “Ms Qwerty & her friend K9”, the whole dress and dog were made up totally from computer keyboard keys.

This trio were a little bit creepy.

A “conveyor belt” rotated through the room under the beam of a fabulous light display with about 20 different garments on show (along with an intrepid photographer). The displays are changed twice a year.

We also enjoyed watching the costumes come alive in the theatre where the actual footage of the WOW show was shown & featured each of the garments on display. Some people have an incredible imagination and are amazingly talented.

The light display in the ultra violet & fluro rooms reminded me of the nightclubs of my youth!

There are also two classic car displays that are part of WOW; the Classic Car Gallery and the Classic Collection.

Some of the WearableArt costumes are on display beside the vehicles.

We both thought the layout, lighting & props in the Classic Car Gallery were extremely well done. And talk about shiny cars & perfect paint jobs. Everything was immaculate, not a speck of dust anywhere.

David spent a few minutes reminiscing over this Messerschmitt, a cute little 3 wheel bubble car. He was once a back seat passenger in one of these (there are only two seats), on a trip from his home town of Orpington, Kent to Hastings in East Sussex, UK.

Next was a huge building housing the Classic Collection of cars and what a impressive collection it was. So many familiar models for both of us this time.

The car I most desired when I got my license at 15 was a Ford Anglia 105E with the slanted back window. It was the height of cool! But I had to make do with a bright blue Ford Anglia 100E (looks like a Ford Prefect, no slanted back window) and even then I had to share it with Mum & my sister. Well of course I did, Mum & Dad bought it. Mum named it Myrtle after a cantankerous aunt of Dad's.

It would seem that we always had the poor brother of the better spec-ed models available, here's me with our black Ford Consul at the cowshed on the farm.

When I finally could afford to buy my own car I really wanted a MKlll Zephyr but I ended up with a MkI Cortina instead- champagne tastes with a beer pocket even then! But it did have a racing stripe. I was sad that they didn’t have one on display though, I’m sure they’re a classic.

If he could have David would have driven the MKIX Jaguar out the door. This was very nostalgic for him, he had already pointed out at least half a dozen cars he’d owned in the UK and the Jag was the very last one he owned before he moved to NZ. He opened the door (ignoring the Do Not Touch signs) to show me the splendid walnut interior complete with matching fold down picnic tables for the back seat passengers. Along with all his UK vehicles there were plenty of others that he’d had dealings with in NZ while he was in the motor trade here.

Mum soon made up for the Anglia mistake, the next car we shared was a racy Mini Cooper S.

Love the head scarf. Not!

Some of these looked very familiar; Dad’s sister & family had plenty of chunky Vauxhalls & Holdens. My cousins used to collect my sister and I and we’d go swimming at the Tukituki River near Havelock North in Hawkes Bay. Those were the carefree days of endless summers.

I added the Morris 8 (centre) for Dad, I’m sure it was a Morris 8 that he spent some of his misguided youth in.

What an awesome collection of cars, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip down memory lane.

Then it was back through the Classic Gallery with one last display, a very classic & iconic NZ scene. An EJ Holden parked outside the bach/crib (NZ holiday home) with a crate of DB (beer) under the veranda, a tasselled sun umbrella and pukekos on the roof. And a good kiwi “no.8 wire” coathanger aerial.

Reminiscent of our summer holidays at a Mahia bach (Northern Hawkes Bay) with our Holden HQ wagon- there's even a fishing rod on the roof. That's me in the fetching green toweling hat and zinc nose!