October 7, 2024. A Tinker's Cuss – My Life in the Bush of Volkswagens.

I passed my driver's license in April 1968, the day after the Wahine disaster.

There were cracks in the road up on Murray Aynsley Hill in Christchurch and that's where the traffic cop started screaming and yanked on the hand brake. He drove the rest of the way back to town and gave me a pass because he never wanted to see me again.

My first car was a Vauxhall J and it never went at all. The second was a 1939 Ford V8 Sedan which was a beautiful car. I sold it, then I bought it back. I put it off Dyers Pass Road because I was spooning and kissing my girlfriend at the same time as driving.

I remember running down the bank to the car (I had jumped out) and past my girlfriend to get to the vehicle. That's young love for you. She was some kind of lover lady let me tell you.

But, it is best not to spoon and drive.

Two years after this I bought my first Volkswagen, a 1960 Beetle in a beautiful turquoise colour. It had arrived in a CKD (Complete Knocked Down) state and was assembled somewhere up near Auckland. It had only semaphores for indicating turns on the road. It was 6-volt and so the headlights were dull and starting it was sometimes a dubious proposition. But to hear it sputtering up was pure heaven.

I have owned Volkswagens where the rust has been fixed up using cardboard, newspaper, silver paper, gaffa tape and old tin cans ironed out flat and then affixed to the car using pop rivets. This is all part of the adventure.

The other common issue with Volkswagens is their vulnerability to catching fire in the engine compartment. There is a fuel line that goes to the carburettor that often becomes corroded and leaks gas on to the hot motor. Check it often and always travel with a fire extinguisher.

Currently, I own four vintage VWs and I'm on the lookout for a nice VW Notchback from the mid 1980s. In my lifetime I have owned probably thirty Volkswagens and I loved every single one of them whether or not one could see the road through the floorboards.

My 1952 Bug won Best in Show and Best in Class at the 2024 VW Nationals held in Kaikoura. This one I found in California and had it converted to right hand drive in NZ by my masterful VW restorer Mr Dave Hermans at Revive'm near New Plymouth.

I have a 1958 Volkswagen Transporter which is being converted to a Samba by Dave Hermans. It's been eight years now. The rego plate was Furtha. It has never failed to start.

Then I have a 1963 21-window VW Samba that I bought in Australia. It was a prize winning car and has a 2.3 litre motor. It had been owned by Michael Ryan who was Hugh Jackman's personal trainer. Apparently, the Wolverine himself was often seen driving around Bondi Beach in it. It goes like a cut cat and you could easily cruise around all day at 80mph in it. It is a thing of Beauty, a work of art.

My 1956 Beetle I have owned for about six or seven years. A woman owned it and restored it in Australia before that. A local mechanic whilst servicing it had it on a hoist and proclaimed that the underside was perfect. You could turn this car upside down and eat your dinner off it.

I have had a mighty good life with lots of spooning in it. I'm here for the enjoyment of it all.

Spoon on Brothers and Sisters!