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 Bedford J6 in the dairy farm paddock on Broadlands Road, Reporoa, featured in the April issue, was not alone in its sorry state.

Just behind the dairy farm barn, sat a few used and abused farm implements, a broken-down tractor and this red Nissan Diesel CK10G.

Not on display like the Bedford, which almost looked like a piece of art, the Nissan Diesel sat covered in lichen, its windows murky, the odd- part missing here and there.

“Its batteries and brakes are gone,” said owner Calvin Thomas. A 1976 model, this CK10G was powered by a 6.8-litre diesel engine and had a 15,000kg GVM.