Roadscapes by Derek Smith

Start a conversation about cars, and chances are everyone has a great story to share, whether about first cars, road trips, breakdowns, or even stowaway wētā. In Roadscapes, Kakanui author and photographer Derek Smith shares photos of the cars and other vehicles that he photographed over the past 45 years. Every photo reflects his enduring fascination with all things automotive.

I love cars. And motorcycles. Anything on wheels really … many are rolling works of art, and they secure a place in time in our memories.

Smith was intrigued not only by the character of the vehicles, but also by the way they sit within the wider landscape and the environment. His photos draw attention to colour, shape and form, as well as to people and places that will be familiar to anyone who has lived in Aotearoa | New Zealand.

Most photos have a brief caption identifying the model and when and where the photo was taken, such as VW, Motueka, 2012, Wolseley, Rawene, 1989, and Ford Zephyr, Dunedin, 2001. The occasional photo has a cluster of various unidentified cars. Smith includes an ‘alternative transport’ chapter, where you’ll find vehicles such as the Ngāwī bulldozers, a row of Bedford buses in Tapawera, and a Ducati 900 parked on a Wellington beach.

Other than the short introductory chapter written by Smith, the book consists entirely of photos. Smith lets each photograph speak for itself, leaving the stories behind the images to our imagination. Why, for instance, were there two Jaguars parked vertically – front wheels and bonnets pointing skywards, boots buried deep in the ground – somewhere on the West Coast in 2013? Why was a Nelson Mitsubishi sedan painted from nose to tail in a zebra pattern, including all the windows? And how did an Austin ute end up on top of a huge tree stump in Taieri in 2020? I wonder if the rusty Studebaker sitting on a Naseby lawn in 2004 was ever restored to its former glory, or where Fred and the personalised plate on his faded green Holden Kingswood HQ ended up.

At first glance, the vehicles take centre stage; look again and many of Smith’s photographs reveal much more.

My favourite photos are those that offer a glimpse into a moment in time –  such as the elderly woman with a perm, handknitted jersey, and handbag who is squeezing between a Toyota and a Honda in Remuera in 1982. There’s surely a good story behind Smith’s 1986 shot of a smiling trio of men – two in uniform, one in camo gear – standing next to a Ministry of Transport-branded Ford Falcon. The Suzuki motorbike parked nearby may hold a clue.

Smith describes Roadscapes as an automotive retrospective. Some of the manufacturers represented in the book are still around today, including Volkswagen, Toyota and Honda, although current models have little in common with the older models Smith captured. Other makes and models may have faded from memory until you rediscover them in Smith’s book. (Is there a Hillman Minx, Mark II Zephyr, or Ford Escort in your past? Everyone of a certain age had a friend with a Morris Minor!)

Smith reflects on the influx of Japanese imports that relegated much of our ageing car fleet (what we used to call ‘old bombs’) to the scrapyard.

Most pragmatic motorists welcomed the change for many practical reasons, but some of us nostalgically lamented the loss of the familiar, friendly and stylish shapes and colours of the fifties and sixties cars that chugged around our suburbs.

This hardcover book stars a 1945 V8 pickup truck on the cover. It’s 176 pages long (not all pages are numbered), and all the photos are in colour. There’s no index, so if you’re interested in a particular make or model, you’ll need to flip through each of the seven chapters.

Roadscapes will appeal not only to vehicle enthusiasts, but also to anyone curious about people, places, and everyday moments from different eras in our country’s history.

Reviewer: Anne Kerslake Hendricks

Bateman Books