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A 1930 Model A Ford towing my Grandad’s caravan
A honeymoon, in a caravan, in winter, in 1960
Graham Leslie
In July 65 years ago my parents headed off on their honeymoon with a 1930 Model A Ford towing my Grandad’s caravan. I was not there, obviously, and can only tell you what was passed down in family stories, some of which are true.
A favourite story that is not true was that my dad borrowed the Model A for the honeymoon and never took it back. He had apparently been given it earlier when my grandfather got a new Citroën. The Model A was our family car until 1969. I remember trips away in the Model A as cold, wet and tediously slow with a cruising speed of 35mph (about 56km/hr). (The car is still in Mum’s garage!)
Anyway, back to The Honeymoon. They got married in Christchurch and headed off in the early afternoon in their best honeymoon outfits for Akaroa. First they got a flat tyre and a group of bikies helped change the wheel to keep their nice clothes clean.
Then a bit further on they got stuck in the mud where the road had been washed out. After being rescued by a farmer and his tractor they then stopped on the foreshore to wash the mud off and finally make it, rather late, to the hotel in Akaroa. My dad was six foot two and turning up in a suit after six o’clock closing time caused a stir as they thought he was part of a police raid for illicit drinkers.
A couple of days later they picked up the caravan and headed up into the McKenzie Country. The road was so muddy that they travelled parts of it with chains on, doing 5mph. I think I heard that it was easier to come off the road and drive on the tussock at times.
They went ice skating at Tekapo.
By the time they got to Lindis Pass they had snow to deal with.
Although the photo (above) shows the grader following behind, I believe it was the other way around and they followed the grader through the snow over the pass (above).
I know they went to Queenstown and took a trip to Glenorchy and Kinloch at the head of Lake Whakatipu. They went by boat as the road to the top of the lake did not open until 1962.
The other place they went to was Haast.
The road to Haast had also not been completed and didn’t open until November that year. As my dad said “We followed the road and when the road ran out we drove down the river beds”. Model A Fords may not have been 4WD but they had great clearance. They didn’t take the caravan on this bit.
They expected boarding house accommodation at Haast, but it was closed for the winter and they slept in the back of car on freshly-cut fern to make a bed. They hadn’t bought any food except some wedding cake and chocolate, but managed to get a tin of spaghetti from the general store which they ate cold.
I guess that’s why I grew up having great, but somewhat chaotic camping holidays. 🏕️
Images ©2025 Graham Leslie
12 Winter 2025
, p
26
