Once again my enthusiasm for old machinery brings me back to the blog. We're just back from a short break in the resort town of Rotorua, New Zealand, where serendipity placed us on a rather unusual 1944 vehicle.
At first glance, this is a rather ugly tour boat. But it has a party trick up its sleeve!
The signwriting gives it away a little, but never mind.........
up...........
out......
and away!
If you've never seen one before, its a DUKW amphibious landing vehicle,
21,000 were built by GM during the Second World War.
This is Phil [also known as Daffy], our driver/skipper/ standup comedian. A top
bloke, kept up a running commentary for the full 90 minute tour.The old girl
is not known for its speed on the hills, but Phil kept us entertained with a polished
stream of information about the vehicle, the geothermal history of the area, the
town landmarks and the lakefront properties.His good-hearted ribbing of the
passengers, and light-hearted approach to safety information was a standout
example of Kiwi hospitality.
We took two DUKW's out to Lake Tikitapu and Lake Okareka.
It defies all commonsense to drive a six ton truck straight down
a boat ramp,but amazingly, it floats!
Broken down? No chance! After driving out of each lake, Phil slipped under the truck on a crawler
and carefully removed all traces of lake weed. It's vital to the local ecosystem that there is no
cross-contamination between the lakes, and to further protect the environment, both vehicles
now run on bio-diesel.
After the tour, we're delivered safely back to the town centre.
We all had a great trip, and recommend you 'give it a go' if you're ever in Rotorua.
YouTube clip of launch
DUKW facts, pictures and history
Rotorua tourist information
