New Zealand is littered with trucks that have long since had their glory day. Some lay hidden in dusty back lots on the outskirts of town. Some stand in the middle of the nation’s paddocks, covered in moss, almost blending into the scenery. But each has a story to tell; each was once a valued partner on the road, someone’s first truck, someone’s million-miler. In this new series of pictorials, we’ll give these forgotten heroes one more moment in the limelight. And, where we can, share their stories.

The Waikato village of Glen Massey seems to offer little excitement as you drive through it unless you’re into New Zealand’s early mining history. (It, and its neighbouring settlements southwest of Huntly, were mining areas in the early half of the past century.)

But on the main road, through the village, is a well-maintained section, home to four old workhorses. These are a 1985 Mitsubishi Canter motorhome, a nondescript ute that seems to be an old Mitsi too (let us know if you know), and two Bedfords – an eight-tonne KHMC75 from 1979, and a 1975 KM originally fitted with Detroit Diesel’s famous 6V71 two-stroke diesel.

The open-deck six-wheeler KM has to be the star of the show, and like its mate, the KH, it’s bearing the hallmarks of retirement in the open; nature is taking its toll, paint and liveries are fading, and in their place the lichen and rust have set in.