Truckin' to the Hills

Machine-read text (unproofread)

Read from the scans by software, so it contains mistakes. Typing it up properly would help blind readers: use Suggest an edit.

Truckin' to the Hills Murray Worsop A chance meeting between members of the club and North Shore Tramping Club resulted in a proposal; the Auckland club was about to replace their truck with a new one. They gave our club the option on purchase of the "old" truck for $15,000. A proposal from the Committee was presented to the Special General Meeting of the Club, held on 21 July 1988. The proposal to purchase the truck was accepted by the Special General Meeting. This proposal showed that savings of around $10 per person trip could be made on most trips to the Tararuas, and often greater savings on longer trips, and long weekends. We were able to pay cash for the truck, thanks to healthy club finances. The truck was driven down from Auckland by Kevin Griffiths on 28 Truckin' 1988 style Rex Benbrook September. The truck is not really old, it was originally The cycle is completed, we have returned to the purchased by North Shore Tramping Club in transport of our founders. The club, this year, November 1979. It comfortably carries 26 purchased a truck for transporting trampers. persons including the driver, on weekend trips and 40 persons on day trips. Seating for day But this diesel powered Ford truck with a canopy trips is on two bench seats along the length of the designed for carrying trampers, is pure luxury canopy and another bench seat down the middle. compared to the trucks of days gone by. In "Journeys", the 40th Anniversary Journal of the For weekend trips, the middle bench seat is Club last year, it was recalled that: folded down so that packs can be stored underneath, leaving a flat deck with squabs for "There are trucks and trucks; just as sitting or sleeping on. there are trips and trips. There is the modern-type horse-float sO huge that an Rex Benbrook is the new Transport Officer and is unusual event such as signs on Mt responsible for the day to day operation and Egmont's road can make it a battleship - maintenance of the truck. He has ensured that rain drenched top-deck and all They at the original proposal was carried through, least offer comfort. The usual truck is a attending to such details as registration, draughty affair with or without seats. A insurance, negotiating delivery dates, etc. variation is the hop-step type where one half on the truck recline on a higher The first batch of prospective drivers has been platform than their comrades, and packs screened and approved by Committee, and and equipment are stowed under the training under Murray Taylor's experience has raisedfloor. begun. Betty Brewster, September 1949 Lower fares, more sociable trips, a sense of pride Cruising along the highways and back country the club truck has much to offer in the years roads to the hills, todays breed of club tramper ahead. Take a ride in it and find out for yourself reclines in comfort, warm and dry. Freed from the constraints of the seats and aisles of busses and vans, all types of activities are possible. Stories and jokes can be freely exchanged, tramping experiences shared and expanded, it is a return to sociable travel. And dust off the covers of those old song books, loosen the vocal cords, throw away your inhibitions, I predict a return to the singing of days of old! There were financial losses incurred on club transport during 1987, and there was a feeling within club that high fares were restricting tramping activities. So the Committee was spurred into investigating alternative means of transport earlier this year.