The versatile vehicles insinuated
themselves in all facets of New Zealand
industry.
“We had about eight ambulances
scattered around Ohakea and
Whenuapai,” Richard says.
“I think they did rescues if there was
somewhere a 4WD was needed. I have a
Skippy, in Picton, that was involved in the
Wahine disaster rescue.”
A Skippy were Land Rover specifically
used in the New Zealand Military.
“These are quite interesting because
they were obviously used by the military
but originally, they were purchased
from Australia. They stripped them
down, rebuilt them and put a New
Zealand badge on them. The cut guards
and increased height are for Australia
conditions.”
His collection has been built up over
decades, with Richard keeping an ear
close to the ground for deals on the
iconic vehicle.
For parts, he turns to the internet but with
the explosion of interest in the collectible
4WD vehicles less and less Land Rovers
are coming through the auction sites.
“The odd thing is now coming from
eBay,” Richard says.
“I’ve branched out a wee bit.
“If I can’t get something from here, I’ve
actually had to go off-shore.
“A lot of my purchases tend to be small
stuff - lights, the odd bits and pieces
and little things that you need.”
While he’s handy with a spanner,
Richard is no mechanic he says, nor
does he have the time to keep Land
Rovers in running condition.
“I do a limited amount; I’ve got a top
mechanic in the district that does all
that sort of stuff.”
“I do a lot of maintenance but anything
too major I pass on.”
“With 60 Land Rovers you don’t have
enough time to do everything yourself.”
Nonetheless, Richard says all of the
Land Rovers in his collection do run –
and in conjunction with his museum, he
hopes to start running tours using some
of the classic SUVs.
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Past Lives, Pendulums, Psychic
SATURDAY 14 TH SEPTEMBER - 7PM
MARLBOROUGH SCENIC HOTEL
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“They’re still all scattered around
because there’s only 27 around here
and there’s 60 all together.”
“There’s usually a Land Rover or two
on transit from somewhere and there’s
usually one or two being stored.”
Richard is currently in the consent
process for his museum with the
Marlborough District Council but
hopes to share the passion he has had
since day one with the Marlborough
community.
One of the two Land Rover fire engines
in Richard’s extensive collection.
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It’s not just vehicles in Richard’s museum. Manuals, magazines, photographs
and original ownership papers document the history of the iconic vehicles.
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