The Great New Zealand Road Trip. 1978 Mack CF685RFC Thibault 30 metre Aerial Ladder
In late August 2010 our company purchased an ex-NZ Fire Service aerial access ladder truck from Steve Knowles of Tapanui, South Otago.
-
Invercargill Fire Museum
-
1978 Mack CF685RFC
-
1978 Mack CF685RFC Below
-
Re-fuelling the Mack
-
Heading North
-
Exit Dunedin
-
Waitaki River
-
Christchurch
-
Christchurch
-
Ferrymead, Christchurch
-
Ferrymead
-
Ferrymead
-
Kaikoura Coast
-
-
-
-
-
-
Te Horo, Kapiti Coast
-
Wanganui
-
New Plymouth
-
-
Oakura, Taranaki
-
Taranaki
-
Uriti
-
Mokau, King Country
-
Mokau, King Country
-
Awakino, King Country
-
Otorohanga, King Country
-
Kihikihi, Waikato
-
Waikato
On Day 1 we flew to Invercargill with Steve meeting us off the plane and taking us to the Invercargill Fire Museum to view our sister truck.
Appliance History.
As far as we can ascertain, the Mack and her 2 sister trucks were imported from the U.S.A. in about 1978. Separately, the Thibault ladders were imported from Canada and all was sent to Mills Tui in Rotorua for assembly and fabrication.
Upon finishing and testing our particular Mack was sent to Hamilton, but lo and behold it was a foot too high to fit in their fire station. Hamilton’s loss was Palmerston North’s gain where it was in service most of its operational life before latterly being stationed at Parnell.
We would like to thank the Invercargill Fire Museum, the Ferrymead Museum, the NZ Fire Service staff and former staff, the late Graeme Venmore & Fulton Hogan Timaru, and especially retired chief fireman Mr Maurice Robertson (Scott’s dad), who was instrumental in acquiring historical data about the apparatus enabling us to complete annual operational surveys.