Marlborough 4WD Club
Wye Hills, South Marlborough, 2010 © David V Selby
Welcome
Welcome to the Marlborough 4WD Club website. On these pages we will try to show you what we do, how we do it and where we do it. If you like what you see and want more information about our club and how to join it then contact any of the Club Officials listed here or complete our Contact Form. But do have a look first at our Membership pages which contain a lot of useful information including a membership application form..
Some pages such as our Calendar and Newsletter are accessible only to members to maintain their privacy. If you would like to view any of these pages e-mail the Webmaster.
The site has only been going since May 2011 and undergoes regular updates and improvements. If you have any comments or suggestions we would love to hear them. Just e-mail the Webmaster
Some pages such as our Calendar and Newsletter are accessible only to members to maintain their privacy. If you would like to view any of these pages e-mail the Webmaster.
The site has only been going since May 2011 and undergoes regular updates and improvements. If you have any comments or suggestions we would love to hear them. Just e-mail the Webmaster
What is our Club for?
Quite simply the purpose of our Club is to promote the safe enjoyment of offroad activities by our members. We run a number of activities including
- Training days.
- Scenic trips suitable for "shiny" trucks with little or no modification.
- Challenging trips for "tuff trucks" which range from modified factory vehicles to purpose-built competion trucks.
- Snow trips.
- "Fun" and "Hard Yakka" days.
- Weekend camping trips.
- Winch challenges.
- Interclub competitions of a not too serious nature.
- Social events such as the annual midwinter dinner and prizegiving.
Where are we?
Our club is located in the province of Marlborough at the top of the South Island of New Zealand. This is a sparsely populated region of diverse scenery - braided gravel rivers, spectacular sounds, dense bush-clad hills, and rugged mountains ranging up to 2,800m. It is also New Zealand's largest wine producing region. For more information about Marlborough visit http://lovemarlborough.co.nz/about/ or look at some of our own photos here.
The Club is based in Blenheim but we have members from as far afield as Christchurch, Kaikoura, Nelson, Collingwood and Reefton.
The Club is based in Blenheim but we have members from as far afield as Christchurch, Kaikoura, Nelson, Collingwood and Reefton.
Who can join?
Anyone may apply to join our club. If you have an offroad truck so much the better, but if you don't have your own vehicle don't be put off, as we can generally find a seat for you on trips. Members are often looking for regular co-pilots whether for winch challenges where the "navvy" is as important as the driver or just someone to share the driving and navigating on shiny trips. Details of membership and how to join are on the Membership pages - here
Why join our club?
Apart from the fact that we are all nice guys and gals there are many advantages in joining our club! First we run regular training days where we teach the basics of offroading - how to pick a line, stall recovery on hills, river crossings, recovery etc. Then we have access to many areas where you might not get permission by yourself. We are affiliated to the New Zealand Four Wheel Drive Association and all financial members are covered by NZFWDA's public liability insurance when taking part in a club activity. You still need to insure your own vehicle but the NZFWDA covers liability to landowners etc. Such cover is usually a requirement for access to forests and other properties.
We give advice on tyres and other gear such as snorkels, hi-lift jacks, tow hooks, snatch ropes and the like. Many of our members are experienced (or like to think they are) at modifying their trucks to improve off-road performance. Like most offroad enthusiasts they are only too willing to give advice on what works and what doesn't - body lifts, spring lifts, diff-locks, turbos, winches, efi conversions - the list of possibilities is endless. Just ask. We have found our local businesses very supportive when we have asked them to sponsor events such as the 2010 National Winch Challenge and some of them give club members discounts on tyres and auto parts. Some of our supporters are listed here.
If you are into winch challenges then membership of a club affiliated to the NZFWDA is usually a condition of entry.
And if you get bored with our company or want to explore further afield, we have reciprocal rights with the Nelson 4WD Club which allows any Marlborough Club member to go on their trips and any of their members to join ours. They are a great bunch of guys even if they did win the Inaugural Nelson v Marlborough Fun Day Competition last year, but we managed to retrieve the trophy this year. Visit their website here.
Finally, if you happen to be brave or foolish enough to go playing in the Wairau River on a summer evening and fall victim to the Wairau's notorious pea gravel you can always call up a fellow member to come and pull you out - that's if you have cell phone coverage of course!
We give advice on tyres and other gear such as snorkels, hi-lift jacks, tow hooks, snatch ropes and the like. Many of our members are experienced (or like to think they are) at modifying their trucks to improve off-road performance. Like most offroad enthusiasts they are only too willing to give advice on what works and what doesn't - body lifts, spring lifts, diff-locks, turbos, winches, efi conversions - the list of possibilities is endless. Just ask. We have found our local businesses very supportive when we have asked them to sponsor events such as the 2010 National Winch Challenge and some of them give club members discounts on tyres and auto parts. Some of our supporters are listed here.
If you are into winch challenges then membership of a club affiliated to the NZFWDA is usually a condition of entry.
And if you get bored with our company or want to explore further afield, we have reciprocal rights with the Nelson 4WD Club which allows any Marlborough Club member to go on their trips and any of their members to join ours. They are a great bunch of guys even if they did win the Inaugural Nelson v Marlborough Fun Day Competition last year, but we managed to retrieve the trophy this year. Visit their website here.
Finally, if you happen to be brave or foolish enough to go playing in the Wairau River on a summer evening and fall victim to the Wairau's notorious pea gravel you can always call up a fellow member to come and pull you out - that's if you have cell phone coverage of course!
