Rolling into another New Zealand backblocks small town in the mid-’60s, a solo woman driver emerges from her nearly new Mk 3 Zephyr. She’s highway weary, having been on the road for several weeks. Lining up the night’s hotel or motel accommodation is a priority.
This iconic woman road warrior is deeply familiar with the auto culture rituals of the day. At the wheel of her potent for the time Zephyr Six, she has covered almost every stretch of asphalt and metal road from the top to the bottom of these isles, many times over.
She is met by curious stares from the parochial locals, looking out from the more regimented social framework operating in these small centres. An independent woman in her late 50s travelling alone, in a desirable new car, and bunking down for the night in their patch, is surely fuel for gossip.
Gladys Goodall was on a mission to all points of this island nation. A hint is provided to the observer, as she retrieves her photographic gear from the car, including an elite German Rolleiflex 2.8F camera, which
