The Deerhunter

This truck was purchased by Ryal Bush Transport – the company’s maroon trucks have long been regular sights throughout Southland, and in later years across the country as the rural transport firm continued to expand – in September 1981. The truck traversed the length and breadth of New Zealand – sometimes being away from its home depot for several weeks at a time – all the way through until its retirement in 2007.

Arguably the most-recognisable and well-known ERF in New Zealand, this particular vehicle has the distinction of being the very first truck-and-trailer unit set up to specifically cart live deer throughout the country.

This truck travelled a whopping 380,000 kilometres in its first year of operation alone. It eventually clocked up an eye-watering 4.3 million kilometres in its career, before finding a place to rest here at Bill Richardson Transport World.