What a prize
Our mate Jacob is a member of Team Quality Supertruck Racing. He recently attended the race meetings at Invercargill in the South Island and Pukekohe in the North Island. Jacob takes people on trips in his own little truck – and donates the money he receives to help animals at the SPCA.
We travelled all the way to the bottom of the South Island to race at Teretonga Park Raceway in Invercargill. Peter and I played corn hole together, he made it for me. Lots of kids played with me, and we played footy and cricket. Then all the kids went for a ride on my truck.
After all the racing was finished, the team went on a ride in William the bus down to the Bluff sign.
The following week, we travelled all the way to the Pukekohe round, which was called The Final Farewell as the track has been sold. My mum and some other helpers cooked the biggest BBQ for all the teams on Friday night and my truck got used as a BBQ table. I like doing some night rides with all my lights on. Man, the guys raced hard at the end of the meet at Pukekohe.
We all went to prize giving, and my dad won the 3nz trophy and best presented for the whole team.
Hayden also received the trophy for the work he does on the race truck, The Punisher. He works hard keeping The Punisher looking good because Dad gets a bit rough on the truck sometimes. Then all of a sudden the man presenting the awards at prize giving called out my name! I was surprised and got up straight away – I received a trophy! Junior Trucker Service to the Sport award for all the work I have been doing for the SPCA. I felt emotional and didn’t know what to say besides thank you.
I went to Wellington SPCA to give the last of the money we raised from rides in my truck. I wanted the SPCA to meet my dog Carly. In total, we raised $1076 over four rounds of truck racing. Pretty amazing. I would like to thank everyone that helped me. And remember, people can help themselves but animals can’t!
Hope to see you at the track next time!
Across the Alps
Hey guys. Come join me on a ride with Steve Richards, a contractor for food producer Goodman Fielder. We went on a trip from Christchurch, over the Southern Alps, to Greymouth.
We met Steve and his Scania R650, paint- ed in the blue and white Molenberg bread colours, in the Christchurch suburb of Harewood.
Steve explained the refrigerated bodies on both the truck and trailer were loaded with a variety of bread, milk and other food products destined for Greymouth, and a few other destinations on the way.
If the truck and trailer were fully loaded with just crates of bread, it would hold around 16200 loaves, that’s a lot of sandwiches!
I climbed into the leather, air-suspended, very comfortable passenger’s seat and checked out the inside of the Scania’s cab, which has a TV, microwave, neat overhead storage cupboards at the back of the cab and a very cool Scania sign on the back wall that lights up.
We rolled out of the city and up Old West Coast Road before joining State Highway 73 (the main road to the West Coast) at the small settlement of Waddington.
Porter’s Pass is the first major hill on the road through the Southern Alps, Steve explained that the weather through the Alps can change in condition from sunny and warm to snowing and cold very quickly.
A set of special chains, which can be fitted to the Scania’s rear tyres are carried in one of the toolboxes, if the truck encounters snow or ice, these can be fitted, to allow the truck to travel safely.
He said I could have a go at putting one of the tyre chains on once we arrived in Greymouth.
Our first delivery was at the Wilderness Lodge between Cass and the Arthur’s Pass Village, where we were met by Mike and his daughters Jean and Olive, who come down to see Steve with their Dad each time he delivers there.
We took some photographs and I gave the girls a copy of the latest issue of Little Trucker Down Under before saying our farewells.
A little further along State Highway 73 is the Bealey Hotel; we had a brief stop here and I was able to admire the large ornamental moa sculpture in the carpark.
Arthur’s Pass Village was our next delivery stop. We unhooked the trailer opposite the railway station and headed down to the café, where Steve drove the truck around the building and reversed towards the delivery entrance.
Some crates of bread were unloaded here and while we were doing this, a few of the noisy ‘locals’ came to see what was happening – and not the humankind.
Arthur’s Pass is famous for the beautiful – but very mischievous – keas, the native parrot of Aotearoa.
The birds are notorious for their knack of stealing things; car keys, wallets, food drinks and sunglasses are common items of interest to the light-beaked, New Zealand native birds.
With the trailer re-connected it was back on the road, we climbed to the top of Arthur’s Pass, the highest point on State Highway 73, and I saw the remains of some snow that had fallen earlier in the week.
It’s all downhill from there. We went down what is known as ‘Peg Leg’, a very steep piece of road that leads onto the well-known Otira Viaduct, a massive concrete bridge that towers 40 metres above the Otira River.
We drove under a spectacular concrete chute that towers above the road and stops the water from Reid Falls washing the road away, then through the Rock Shelter, another concrete tunnel-like structure that protects passing vehicles from falling rocks.
After spending about 45 minutes cruising west with the Taramakau River at our side, we reached Kumara Junction and turned right towards Greymouth.
Upon arrival at the depot, Steve reversed the Scania into the unloading bay and adjusted a large steel ramp, ensuring a nice fit between the building and the rear of the truck.
Now the real work began. Stacks of bread and pallets with milk and other food products were moved from the truck into the building using a pair of special hand trolleys that looked like very hard work.
A team of people would arrive soon after we left to sort and package the various products into orders, which would then be delivered to the supermarkets, stores and cafés by a fleet of smaller trucks.
Outside the depot Steve got a set of snow chains out of the toolbox and explained how they are fitted to the truck wheels. He handed me a pair of gloves and I had a go at fitting them to the tyres. This was quite awkward, but with a little bit of help from Steve, I got them on. It was great to have a go at something a little different.
We put the chains away and I said goodbye to Steve and his very cool Scania. Dad picked me up and we travelled back across the Southern Alps towards Christchurch, and I was able to take some video of the Scania among the West Coast scenery. I will share this to the New Zealand Trucking Media YouTube page so you can all enjoy it.
This will be my last issue before Christmas and the end of the year, so I wish everybody a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year with your family and friends!
Chocolate Crinkles
Crinkle cookies have a rich, fudgy centre and sugar-dusted crispy edge. Will be loved by kids and adults!
Ingredients
- 60g cocoa powder, sieved
- 200g caster sugar
- 60ml vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs
- 180g plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 70g icing sugar
Method
Mix the cocoa, caster sugar and oil together. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking until fully combined.
Stir the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt together in a separate bowl, then add to the cocoa mixture and mix until a soft dough forms.
Heat the oven to 180C.
Pour the icing sugar into a shallow dish.
Form a heaped teaspoon of the dough into a ball, then roll in the sugar to coat.
Repeat with the remaining dough, then put, evenly spaced, on a baking tray lined with baking parchment.
Bake in the centre of the oven for around 10 minutes.
Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool – the cookies will firm up as they cool.
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Sugar cookies are easy to make and these can be decorated however you like – think candy cane stripes, snowmen, or reindeer!
Ingredients
- 225g / 1 cup unsalted butter, softened (or use salted, skip salt)
- 1 cup caster/superfine sugar (granulated/ordinary white sugar ok too)
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg (55-60g / 1.9-2oz)
- 3 cups flour, plain/all-purpose
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp salt
Method
- Preheat Oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl until creamy (1 minute on speed 5)
- Add egg and vanilla, beat until completely combined.
- Add flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Start mixing slowly, then beat until the flour is incorporated – it will be clumpy.
- Dust your work surface with flour, scrape dough out of the bowl. Pat together then cut in half, then shape into 2 discs.
- Roll out to 0.3cm / 1/8” (for thinner, crispier cookies) or 0.6cm / 1/4” (for thicker, softer cookies), sprinkling with flour under and over the dough so it doesn’t stick.
- Use cookie cutters to press out shapes and use a knife or spatula to transfer shapes to prepared baking sheets. (Keep dough that doesn’t fit in the oven in the fridge).
- Bake for around 10 minutes until the surface is pale golden and the edges are just beginning to turn light golden.
- Allow cookies to cool completely on trays (they will finish cooking on the trays).
- Decorate your cookies with icing (add green or red food colouring to make it Christmasey!), melted chocolate, or dust with icing sugar.