I had a project come in to check some Wireless Internet sites in the Manawatu around Kimbolton and Whanganui. About the same time, I also received a flyer from a great mate Cameron Craigie from Christchurch, inviting me to attend a gathering of the (Land Rover Series 1) Clan at a north Canterbury ‘High Country’ sheep station up the Waitohi River in the Hurunui district south of Hanmer Springs – well, it would be just rude not to.
I contacted the Network Operators and asked if the inspection could be pushed out by a week and suddenly the planets aligned and I set off on an eight-day adventure loaded with test gear, flash gear, old gear and camping gear. Based in Palmy, the testing went well. One of the sites we visited was the Bastia Hill water tower. This stately monument had taken a beating following the Kaikoura earthquake and with over 100kph gusts and bits of crumbling concrete everywhere the towering view over the surrounding countryside was not one to relish for too long.
Thursday, I loaded the Land Rover Discovery and headed to Raumati just north of Wellington to meet up with my old mate Steve Stant and his impeccably restored 1952 Series 1, when disaster struck. I was just enjoying the new motorway section south of Otaki when the phone goes – it's Steve. “How do you feel about playing sardines in Leon's
