Originally captured on black & white 16mm film, this home movie is from the George Gilltrap collection. George Edward Gilltrap (born Giltrap, 1911-1966) was a vintage car enthusiast who established Gilltrap’s Motor Museum in Rotorua before relocating with his family from New Zealand to Australia in 1959 where he established Gilltrap’s Gold Coast Auto Museum.
This footage is notable for the convoy of US military jeeps in the streets of Rotorua. There are also scenes of a jeep being used to drive a tablesaw and a building being moved using the winch of a tractor. It is believed this was filmed in the Rotorua area and the vehicles may have been military surplus.
United States Army jeeps being towed in convoy through the streets of Rotorua.
Man driving small truck past G. Gilltrap Garage while towing fuselage of damaged plane. This plane may be the wreckage of the NAC Lockheed Model 10 Electra ZK-AGJ “Kahu” which crashed in 1948.
Men using felling saws and axes to chop down macrocarpa trees.
Dodge ambulance and jeep moving up driveway of house. Men disembark, shake hands and wave to the camera.
Man using front wheels of stationery jeep to drive table saw – proceeds to cut wood and firewood using tablesaw.
Tractor pulling and dragging small building along road. The building is mounted on small sled and tractor is using winch mechanism to pull building.