This intriguing collection of over 30,000 items, is the result of one man’s dream and 40 years of dedication.
Owner Gerald Rhodes was employed by International harvester before going into his own car and truck wrecking business. Naturally enough he found himself in the right places to pick up “bargains”.
But it also required many years at auctions, flea markets and garage sales, as well as responding to newspaper adverts and word-of-mouth tip-offs to bring together a fascinating range of items.
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While Mr Rhodes lives in Christchurch, Wanaka’ dry climate and beautiful location made it an ideal place to house such a collection.
The first building went up in 1994 and the first hangar – built to look like a 1940s aircraft hangar – went up in 1995. Since then they have added a 1440 m2 “fire Station” and a second 40m-long, 2,000 m2 hangar to house military vehicles, planes and motorbikes. |
