<![CDATA[Jalopnik: New Zealand]]> http://cache.jalopnik.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/jalopnik.com.png <![CDATA[Jalopnik: New Zealand]]> http://jalopnik.com/tag/new zealand http://jalopnik.com/tag/new zealand <![CDATA[Fiery Death Awaits The Junkers Of New Zealand]]> Burning cars, rusty cars, cars teetering on the edge of destruction gloriously pushed over the edge: these are the participants in New Zealand backyard derby racing. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5881675&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Watch Waves Rip A Stranded Cargo Ship Apart]]> Three months ago we called the Liberian-flagged cargo ship Rena and its perilously-tilted containers a "disaster frozen in time." Over the weekend the worst maritime disaster in New Zealand's history unfroze when a storm split the ship in two. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5874066&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Watch a Nissan GT-R race a helicopter in Middle Earth]]> Steve Millen is crazy and, in case you didn't already know that, here's more proof. It's Millen and his Stillen R35 GT-R racing acrobatic chopper pilot Leigh Hopper's Eurocopter "Squirrel" at the Targa New Zealand. Who will win? More importantly, has Top Gear already taken all the really good car stunts? More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5853954&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Drunk Driving PSA proves everyone in New Zealand is funnier than you]]> Have you ever seen a drunk-driving PSA aimed at teens that doesn't condescend to its audience and absolutely nails the humor? Now you have. Apparently they watch Flight of the Conchords in New Zealand, too. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5853536&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[What it's like on board the stranded New Zealand cargo ship]]> A salvage crew from Maritime New Zealand's helicoptered on to the abandoned cargo ship Rena, hoping to determine whether or not oil can be pumped from the ship before it breaks apart. The massive crack in the hull is clearly visible. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5849443&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[This crashed cargo ship is like a disaster frozen in time]]> If you've ever wondered how strong moving water can be, just look at how the steel cargo containers of the Liberian-flagged Rena are getting bent, torn, and crushed. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5849071&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[New Zealand’s national car is a DIY Škoda]]> This is the Trekka, the only car ever designed and manufactured in New Zealand. It looks like the facsimile of a Land Rover Series I, it had a 1.2-liter Škoda engine, and it was built in 1966 to give overtaxed Kiwis wheels. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5845985&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Man decapitated by hovercraft he'd just built]]> Alastair Senior had just finished assembling his hovercraft when he took it to a beach near his home in West Auckland, New Zealand. Unfortunately, a bracket holding the propeller failed and the blade sliced his head open. He died instantly. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5827433&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[This is the world's greatest driveway]]> Kiwi racing champion Rod Millen does everything better than you. Your old Toyota has 130 horsepower. His old Toyota has 800. Your driveway's a cracked asphalt mess. His driveway's a mile-long, race-paved dream that mimics the best race tracks in the world. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5788736&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Couple flees New Zealand earthquake in totaled Lexus]]> A New Zealand couple in the midst of last week's earthquake that killed 127 people managed to find their 2004 Lexus RX300 under the rubble of a department store and drive it home — 370 miles. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5772573&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[12,000 Miles Away, Police Officer Tickets Same Man]]> Police Officer Andy Flitton pulled over a New Zealand motorist only to discover he had ticketed the motorist before — 12,000 miles away in England. Both men recently moved to New Zealand. (Hat tip to goatrope!) [Daily Mail] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5741959&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[MINI Encourages Speeding While Traffic Cops Get Lap Dances]]> MINI's New Zealand office wants potential buyers to test drive its models at night, when speed enforcement professionals are otherwise test-driving something else. How many will come back with their new-car smell overrun by strip-club funk? [Copyranter] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5686414&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Barry Crump Helps Sell Toyota Hiluxes To Fellow New Zealand Hoons]]> Since New Zealand is the home of the Original Hoon, it made sense for Toyota to show New Zealanders how they could pound the living crap out of the Hilux. That's why they turned to New Zealand legend Barry Crump. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5424503&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[TheEastBayKid Finds Us Some Cool Machinery In The Southern Hemisphere]]> This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. Not only is TheEastBayKid a DOTS honoree, he shoots DOTSBE photos while on vacation. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5413286&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Kiwi Invents Human-Powered Monorail Racing]]> It's called Schweeb, "to float" in German, and it's a human-powered monorail on 656 feet of track in Rotorua, New Zealand. Not only can you go 45MPH, but you can race your friend in another one. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5321372&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Kiwis Remind Us To Drive Safely With Bleeding Billboard]]> A billboard erected in New Zealand to remind motorists to change their driving to match weather conditions has a child's face that bleeds when it rains. Better yet, it ran during Easter and the Jewish holiday of Passover. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5307849&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Buy Mitsubishi, Get Goat For Free]]> Proving that "Flight of the Conchords" is completely accurate, Mitsubishi New Zealand is giving away free goats with every Triton truck. But what about goat flu? One of the best press releases ever below. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5271893&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pregnant 14-Year-Old Ticketed For DUI, Registers Six Times Legal Limit]]> A New Zealand girl pulled over under suspicion of DUI returned a reading six times the legal limit were she actually the legal driving age of 15. Oh, and she was also four months pregnant. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5143157&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Kiwi Hoons Perform Triple Burnout With El Camino, Nomination For Jalopnik Sainthood Considered]]> These Kiwi hoons pulled out a flatbed truck, topped it with a Ute, which itself is topped with a motorcycle in its bed. All three are doing burnouts. Epic win. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5131172&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Christchurch Chevette Gears Up To Conquer Antarctica]]> This is Down On The Street Bonus Edition, where we check out interesting street-parked cars located in places other than the Island That Rust Forgot. We Americans often forget that The General's Chevette was sold all over the world (as an Opel Kadett, Isuzu Gemini, or Pontiac Acadian), and the version built in New Zealand was badged as a Vauxhall Chevette. Fine car, to be sure, but the decades have not been easy on the Chevette and few survive. However, Wheels Of Satan has found this pretty straight example on the street in Christchurch and photographed it for us. Is it just me, or do those wheels look like they came from a 70s MGB? Make the jump to read Wheels Of Satan's observations.
More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5090107&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Runaway Car Knocks New Zealand Man Off Toilet, Ruins Reader's Digest]]> A man in Christchurch, New Zealand was enjoying his evening porcelain meditation when all of a sudden he had an unexpected visitor in the form of a four-wheel-drive truck (not pictured). Let this be an important lesson that, when parking on a hill, you need to engage that handbrake properly. Also, don't put your bathroom on the bottom of thirty-foot-long hill. Police said the vehicle belonged to a contractor next door who was a little displeased to find out that said truck was suddenly parked in someone else's house. Our favorite part below the jump. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=373245&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Man Dies In Accident While Wearing Fake Seatbelt]]> It seems that fate is indeed not without a sense of irony. A New Zealand man with a history of fines for 32 seatbelt violations died in a car accident last week. Death came as a result of injuries incurred when he struck the steering wheel after crossing the center line and colliding head on with an oncoming vehicle. The coroners report makes note of... More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=361494&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Get That Damn Car Off Of The Hill!]]> Remember the still photos we saw of Ken Block hooning his WRX on a New Zealand mountain in the company of a bunch of snowboarders? Well, courtesy of Connor (who also gave us some great LeMons in-car video, now we get to see some video of the hoonage, all set to a Primus soundtrack. Sure, the feel of the video is on the ragin'-dude snowboard-meathead side, but remember: New Zealand is where hoonage began! More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=348672&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[New Zealanders Know Detroit Auto Show is the BIG One]]> Despite recently aggressive posturing from the LA and New York Auto Shows, everybody knows the Detroit Auto Show is still the big kahuna in the North America, even Kiwis. New Zealand based Motoring.co.nz lays out some of the statistics of on of the Motor City's greatest assets in a recent article. Statistics like "enough carpet is laid in the Cobo convention centre to blanket 750 football fields and the exhibits alone will be worth $200-million". That's right! When it comes to carpet, we can lay it down like the best of em. We can't wait to trample all over that perpetually bumpy and treacherous statistic starting on Sunday and you can follow along easily with the RSS feed. If we trip, you'll know about it. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=343818&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Boeing 777 Races Johnny Reid in A1 Black Beauty]]> More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=343961&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Two Dead As Horse And Car Collide On Highway, No Mustang Jokes Please]]> A sad story from New Zealand as an odd horse v. car accident resulted in the death of two (three if you include the horse, which was mercifully put down by the police). The accident happened along State Highway 35 near Opotiki on the North Island of New Zealand after a horse, being ridden by a teenager, bolted from the sand dunes and onto the highway, where it was crushed by an east-bound car. It was the 15th car-related fatality in New Zealand over the holiday. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=339661&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Woman Keeps Test Driver to Avoid Heat]]> In New Zealand, stealing a Mitsubishi Mirage carries only a penalty of 100 hours of community service if you've got a good excuse. A mother from Tauranga decided to test drive the Mirage after looking at a few cars and just decided to not come back because it was "too hot to walk." Having lived in Texas for most of our lives, there were times we'd have test driven an Aztec just to avoid the heat. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=327032&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Kiwi Driver Wins Five-Year Battle With Police]]> As if getting thwacked by a speeding police van wasn't bad enough, Steve Brown of Auckland, New Zealand was charged with careless driving despite making a legal maneuver. The police investigated and initially offered to just forget the whole thing, admitting there was no blame, but he was eventually fined for poor driving. Not content to let his clear driving record get besmirched, Brown spent half a decade and thousands of dollars defending himself in court. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=321018&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[It Had To Happen: Customized Thames Freighter]]> Once we saw the mighty Thames Freighter van at Laguna Seca, we knew: someone, somewhere, had turned a Freighter into a full-on 70s-style custom van. Sure enough, crazy New Zealander Colin Cowie has created The Sorcerer from his Thames Freighter. We can practically hear the strains of Frampton Comes Alive from here! [Van Association of New Zealand] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=295935&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nelson's Balkan Campaign: Athens to Tirana]]> For once on the Gumball, I woke up in a bed. After a long day's journey into night and Athens, Herr Roy decided he wanted to be as close as possible to the M5 and booked a block of rooms at the Sofitel in Athens, rather than taking his room at the Hilton. A French cameraman was booked into the M5 for the day, riding rear-seat shotgun next to a spare wheel and Ross and Roy's excess baggage. Alex texted me to invite me down for breakfast with Fly and Jarod DeAnda. The morning was quiet and jovial, highlighted by Alex and I engaging in an impromptu game of Star Wars trivia one-upmanship that left Fly and Jarod gobsmacked at the sheer geekery. Then the text came in: the cars were ready to go. More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=260049&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Pukekohe Raceway Mashup]]> The third round of Australian V8 Supercar wrapped up long enough ago for this mashup to surface from the New Zealand leg of the circuit. V8 Supercar returns. Now with more lawn mowing and flame throwing than ever. – Mike Bumbeck More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=259814&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Happy Boss's Day, Walt: The Post-It Note Jaguar]]> We know from tipster Sean's e-mail that this was the boss's car, and other sources tell us it was a car parked at the wireless company InPhonic. Other than that we've no idea what "Walt" did to deserve the post-it treatment, but he's probably glad the office got an extra box from 3M rather than a few more shipments of white-out. Just sayin'... – Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=253495&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Drunk Dad Passes Out While Pumping Gas]]> I can only guess what issues Wes Anderson has with his father, but I'm fairly sure the senior Anderson has nothing on this delinquent dad from Auckland, New Zealand. With his two year-old girl in the car, he drove into a local gas station and attempted to pump gas. Nothing strange there. But, allegedly, he was so drunk (four times the legal limit) that he fell asleep midstream next to the car. When he woke up 40 minutes later, the bad dad was in police custody and his car was being hooked up to a tow truck. Let's all just be thankful that this story ended with incarceration and not immolation. – Matt Hardigree More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=247410&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Kiwis And Steak Sauce: Germany's Nico Hulkenberg Takes Double Win In New Zealand A1GP]]>
Although you're probably more interested in the "grid girls" — Team Germany's Nico Hulkenberg took the double win in Taupo, New Zealand, running in first place from start to finish in both the morning Sprint race as well as the afternoon Feature race. The win times two puts Hulkenberg's highly precise team firmly in the top spot in the "World Cup of Motorsport" standings. The nation of Bruce now has 65 points going into the next race in Sydney, Australia on February 4th, firming up the lead over new-to-second-place France with 46 points and the new-to-third-place hometown boys from New Zealand with 43 points. Coincidentally, that's also how the three nations finished the Feature race, allowing the 80,000 and some-odd crowd to bear witness to the first A1 Team — New Zealand's Jonny Reid, obvs — to place a driver on the podium in front of their home crowd. Still, the comment of the day's got to go to Germany's Hulkenberg, who told us everything we could ever want to know about the steak sauce man-love as he described the race:
"I got into my rhythm, I was able to find my pace and I could make a little gap between us. My manager was a little bit sick this week and I think I have caught something off him but I am all right."
Next time maybe Nico should use some protection, because the rhythm method's not going to protect him from nasty bugs — or even unintended pregnancy for that matter. Full gallery of the race — including the always awesome "grid girls" — below, courtesy of A1GP. – Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=230273&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Ad Watch: "Happy Together" with Toyota's RAV4]]> For my money, there's nothing like domestic violence for sheer comedic value. Saab covered this ground a few years back with a TV spot that pitted a blatantly bougie couple against one another, in a valiant effort to wrest first dibs on a 9-5. Now, it's Toyota's turn. While you might find fault in this New Zealand spot's me-too status, you simply must have to admire its comic virtuosity and level of destruction. Even the achingly obvious use of the Turtles' "Happy Together" adds to the injurious gestalt. Points off for bowling-ball abuse. – Mike Spinelli More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=224211&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Schadenfriday British Edition: Tover]]> Look, we here at Jalopnik love Top Gear. By proxy that means we love Jeremy Clarkson. Which means that we take his weirdo "global warming is bollocks" opines and Britannica Over All Others nonsense in stride. Sometimes he's even right (about the latter). Like the time he said Alan Shepard was the first American to ever do anything the Brits hadn't done first (full disclosure — we're British on both sides of the family). But what Jezzo always fails to own up to is that when England goes wrong, they go so fucking far a field it's nauseating. The above Tover is blood pudding proof. Yeah, it's got a 3.5-Liter Rover V8 like 92% of all British cars do, and that's it. The builder claims to have, "Surprised many would be boy races at various traffic light controlled intersections." Um, old chap, in the Tover, even if you win, you don't win. All the Fieros rebodied to look like Countaches in the world do not equal this unforgivable sin. Oh crap, it's from New Zealand? Somehow, that makes sense. A thousand apologies, Mr. Clarkson. – Jonny Lieberman More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=223973&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[In The Grip Of Steak Sauce Grand Prix Man-Love: Kiwi Reid Wins From Pole To Second Checker Flag At Sentul]]> That's the hero of the day, New Zealand's sweat-soaked Jonny Reid, being grasped by a man we can only assume is his pit chief in what we can only assume is a hetero cele-brah-tion after Reid picked up the pole on his way to a victory for the boys and girls from Aotearoa during this morning's 15-lap sprint race. The win was the first ever for New Zealand in the "World Cup of Motorsport," but the celebration didn't end with the pole party above. Because in the steak sauce Grand Prix, they give you a second race, a "two-fer" if you will. Reid's sprint win gave him the pole for the Feature race — which he went on to dominate as well, giving New Zealand it's second win in A1GP racing. Sounds like a reason for the man-love to us. As for Team USA — driver Phil Giebler, after an inspiring fourth place finish in the morning's 15-lap, continued the American team's quest for slowness, coming in a man-love-less 9th place — but only after the disqualification of Team Netherlands allowed USA to move up one spot in the final results. Full race-day gallery below, if only because it gives us the chance to show you a picture of two Canadian men wearing shorts in a rickshaw. – Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=220706&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Nevermind The Neutrality In Sepang: Swiss Steal Pole Position From New Zealand And Germany]]> A1GP qualifying results are in from Sepang, and A1 Team Switzerland's Neel Jani's sealed his second straight pole position in the Malaysian Grand Prix, beating out Kiwi Jonny Reid and the highly-precise German racer Nico H lkenberg by only two tenths of a second. Team USA's Philip Giebler came in at the middle of the pack, placing 11th in this week's race of the "World Cup of Motorsport." The results determine the starting positions for a 20-minute sprint race starting around 11:00 AM local time tomorrow. If anyone's left who hasn't crashed on the oft-soaked Sepang track — then the results of that sprint race will determine the grid for the 70-minuite feature race set to commence at 3:00 PM local time tomorrow. Wonder if NASCAR should maybe switch to that format — It would certainly be a way to add some excitement, eh? We'll have more coverage pending any spectacular crashes and/or death-defying (or non-defying as it were) racing, as it occurs. UPDATE: Now with updated and correct picture!– Ray Wert More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=217137&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[We Don't Need No Stinkin' Windshield: Hooning on an STi-ATV]]> Imagine blasting around New Zealand on an ATV powered by a rally-tuned Subaru STi engine. We got hip to this face-warping toy last year, but this is the first video we've seen of it in action. Apparently, Kiwis have this Race to the Sky thing, where all manner of radical four-wheelers blast up some middle-earth mountain or other — and this is likely born from such craziness. And ok, Subieheads, that really is one sweet-sounding engine. [Thanks to Jose for the tip.] More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=200853&view=rss&microfeed=true <![CDATA[Ad Watch: Kim Cattrall's Too Sexy For New Zealand, Nissan Pulls Tilda Ad Campaign]]> Though the ad above isn't the truly offensive commercial, it's one of four featuring the former "Sex and the City" siren and sex-pot that've been pulled from the New Zealand market by Nissan over complaints they're overly sexual. In the double-entendre laced ad we unfortunately don't have, Cattrall gushes to a car salesman: More »
]]> http://jalopnik.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=189335&view=rss&microfeed=true