Table of contents for Volume 006 in 4XJOURNAL

ROAMING LOST

John Kingston is a US-based content creator we stumbled upon through his Our Landers podcast on Spotify. We then connected on Instagram, and have kept in touch ever since. A true four-wheel drive and adventure inspiration,we thought it best to showcase the man behind the lens and the mic. Words: René Vermeer Photos: John Kingston I first came across John Kingston through audio rather than imagery. While searching Spotify for automotive and camping inspiration, I stumbled across Our Landers, a podcast hosted by Jamie Lazoya and Kingston that focuses on overlanding, four wheel drives, and camping culture in the United States. The conversations were long, unpolished, and grounded in real experience. It didn’t take long before I had worked through every episode available at the time. That podcast led me…

8 min

STEAK TACOS ON A LONG WEEKEND

A simple camp meal, a last-minute escape, and dinner cooked as the sun dropped over the Central Plateau. Words: Isaac Chamberlain Photos: René Vermeer When René flicked me a message on the Friday right at the start of Labour Weekend, suggesting a quick getaway up to the Central North Island, I admittedly said no at first. It had been a long week, and the list of jobs at home wasn’t getting any shorter. But driving home from work as the sun set on an epic Wairarapa summer’s day, I remembered how important it is to make the most of our weekends. So I flicked him a message back. We were on. I had to grab a few supplies before hitting the road the next morning and decided at the supermarket…

3 min

IT’S SHOW TIME!

Get ready folks — the 2026 4x4 Outdoor Expo Kumeu coverage is here! Words: 4XJournal Photos: Nikki Armada, Alexandre Bon Guerra This year’s expo seemed to arrive quicker than usual. The date change played its part, and it felt like we had only just wrapped up the South Island 4x4 Outdoor Expo. Still, the Kumeu event carries its own momentum. It’s one of those weekends circled on the calendar, and when it rolls around, you’re reminded why. If you thought last year was strong, this one stepped it up again. Carissa and Chris Ballantyne made it clear they wanted to level things up in 2026. Beyond the usual stalls, displays, and vehicles on show, there was a noticeable push toward live entertainment and added value for enthusiasts walking through…

5 min

THE EGT ENIGMA

WHY THERE’S NO MAGIC NUMBER FOR SAFE EXHAUST GAS TEMPERATURES If you’ve spent any time around modified diesel 4x4s, you’ll have heard the question endlessly debated: “What’s a safe EGT?” It’s one of the most common topics on forums, at campsites, and in workshops. Everyone wants a single red-line number they can watch on a gauge and feel safe below. The problem is that no such universal number exists. At Trundles Automotive, we regularly see the consequences of this misconception. Engine failure isn’t driven solely by peak temperature; sustained high exhaust gas temperature (EGT) over time (duty cycle) is just as much of a concern. Temperature vs time: what actually causes damage EGT is an important indicator, but it’s only part of the story. Time at temperature matters just as…

7 min

WHEELING NEW ZEALAND

Ryan Hunt’s LN65 Hilux is a Kiwi icon. Built, bashed and driven hard around New Zealand’s alpine landscape. Words: René Vermeer Photos: Bri Woolnough I think most four-wheel drive enthusiasts in New Zealand have owned or have dreamed of owning a classic Toyota of some description. They’re simply iconic in our landscape, and their durability and suitability to our terrain are unmatched by most others. The older models especially, like the LN106 and the mighty LN65, solid-axle Hilux models are what Kiwi dreams are made of. With non-turbo diesel engines and carburetted petrol engines, they were never built for speed, but they were built with a certain engineering prowess that ensured they’d outlive their occupants. A crazy thought. Ryan Hunt is one of those enthusiasts who understood that long before…

7 min

DEFENDER VS SF70

Putting the 2026 Defender to work on SF70. Yep, SF70! Words: Aimee Upson Photos: Aimee Upson, Defender, Matthew Hansen Press launches in New Zealand rarely venture far beyond well-graded gravel. That’s why Defender’s decision to base its 2026 update drive programme at SF70, just out of Taupō, raised eyebrows. For those unfamiliar, SF70 isn’t a scenic farm loop. It’s a genuinely technical 4WD track, with steep clay climbs, axle-twisting ruts, deep articulation holes, and sections that will quickly expose poor wheel travel or lazy traction systems. AIR SUSPENSION REMAINS CENTRALTO THE PLATFORM’S CAPABILITY,ALLOWING ADJUSTABLE RIDE HEIGHTAND IMPROVED APPROACH ANDDEPARTURE ANGLES WHEN RAISEDINTO OFF-ROAD MODE It’s the sort of terrain most owners would normally approach with at least mild modifications and decent allterrains. Instead, we were handed the keys to completely…

SOUTH BY DUST & FIRE

Our regular contributor, Jade Maloyd, went to Africa for a Suzuki Jimny road trip through Namibia and South Africa’s bush country. Words and photos: Jade Maloyd I’m used to travelling close to home, exploring familiar tracks and wild places not far from my own backyard. This time the map stretched much further. I spent five weeks in the Southern African summer, starting in Cape Town to adjust to the time difference and heat before flying to Windhoek, Namibia. There, I spent two weeks volunteering at N/a’an ku sê Wildlife Sanctuary, which was my first solo travel experience, and an unforgettable one. At N/a’an ku sê, I worked closely with rescued wildlife, bottle-feeding baby baboons, feeding lions and leopards, tracking protected rhinos, and walking cheetahs. Each day involved travelling by 4WD…

MO’ POWER BABY!

Last issue, we got the Cruiser ready with a transmission upgrade. With that out of the way, it was time to get the performance upgrades fitted, ready for its final form. Let’s get stuck in. Words and photos: René Vermeer Before I begin, I want to start by giving a huge thanks to Daniel, Dylan, and the team at McLeod Motors Offroad Garage. They have backed our crazy build ideas from the outset of 4XJournal, and the work they put into our projects is massive. Thanks, guys. With the Land Cruiser’s transmission upgraded with a heavy-duty valve body, and the pile of upgrades from KRAE stacking up at home, it was finally time to get everything fitted and upgraded to make some power. I never wanted the power to be…

KING OF THE HAMMERS

Where desert racing, rock crawling, and organised chaos collide in the Mojave. Words and photos: Tiana Walton How do you explain King of the Hammers to someone who hasn’t been? It is an intricate event and certainly not easy to articulate. The closest comparison I can give is this: imagine taking the concept of Burning Man, blending it with flavours of Mad Max, then layering in some of the most technically advanced off-road racing in the world. Finally, add 80,000 people on a dry lakebed in the California desert in an entirely pop-up town called Hammertown. That is King of the Hammers. This was my third time attending and I know it will not be my last. The racing is world-class and the cars border on ridiculous, but it is…

EVERY MILE MATTERS

Snow, rising water, and a one-way crossing in the Havelock headwaters Words and photos: Billy Nunweek The Godley had tested us, humbled us, and ultimately rewarded us. But as we rolled out of the valley with the memory of Maud Glacier fresh in our minds, the adventure was far from over. Ahead lay the Havelock and Rakaia rivers. I had only ever heard stories about them, both renowned for riverbeds that shift with every season. With one image finally secured and a renewed sense of purpose, we pointed our trucks towards Mesopotamia Station, unaware that the next chapter would challenge us in ways the Godley never had.The journey south had already reshaped my understanding of what it meant to chase a photograph. Now it was time to see what the…

5 min

LOAD RATED

Caden Bari’s 1998 Hilux Surf, built gradually through travel, refinement, and real touring load. Words: 4XJournal Photos: Jade Maloyd Caden Bari never intended to build a feature car. The Hilux Surf began as a simple idea rather than a defined plan. He wanted something he could lift, put tyres on, and use for camping. There was no clear end goal or broader vision for what the vehicle should become beyond being capable enough to get him away for weekends and trips. “The original vision I had for the build was to install a lift kit, get a set of muddies, and be able to go camping,” Bari says. That vision didn’t come from indecision. It came from how he had always experienced vehicles. Growing up, cars were a constant part…

7 min

OEM+++

Why a humble Hilux earned the same care as a hypercar Words and photos: Bejon Haswell You may look at tech entrepreneur David Dicker and his business, Rodin Cars, and see someone who enjoys driving and building fast cars. But among his stable of more than thirty vehicles (including several multi-million-dollar Ferraris and a McLaren Senna GTR), there is one that stands apart from the rest. That’s his 2000 Toyota Hilux, purchased with just 14 kilometres on the clock from Ashburton Toyota. On paper, the Hilux doesn’t belong in the same conversation as carbon-tubbed hypercars or purpose-built track weapons that share its garage. It doesn’t chase lap times, demand constant attention, or try to impress. Yet, sitting among some of the most focused, intense, and exotic machines imaginable, this humble…

DUAL-TEK:

ONE WHEEL, TWO JOBS, ZERO COMPROMISE For most four-wheel drivers, wheels are a set-and-forget decision. Pick a style you like, make sure the load rating stacks up, bolt them on, and move on to tyres. But once you start pushing further off the beaten track, wheels stop being background hardware and start becoming part of the system. That’s where Dynamic Wheel Co.’s DUAL-TEK range comes in. Part of the globally recognised Dirty Life brand, DUAL-TEK isn’t just a styling exercise. It’s a practical solution to a problem many New Zealand 4WD owners face: wanting the security of beadlocks off-road without the downsides of running them full-time on the road. DUAL-TEK is exactly what the name suggests. A wheel designed to operate in two distinct configurations, depending on how and where…

HILUX PROVING GROUNDS:

JERVIS BAY, AUSTRALIA Two days of hard trails, highways, and a wild amount of testing of the new Toyota Hilux platform. So, is it worth your hard-earned coin? Words and photos: René Vermeer The drive programme around Jervis Bay was not designed to impress — that was obvious. There were no hero climbs, no staged recoveries, and no theatrics. Instead, Toyota put us onto the kinds of roads and tracks that tell the truth over time: long, sealed runs, broken chipseal, fast gravel, tight forest sections, rocky creek beds, and loose climbs where momentum is limited and throttle control matters. It felt deliberate. If you want to understand what has actually changed in the latest Hilux, this is exactly the kind of terrain you want to drive. The first day…

REAL-WORLD TYRE TESTING

HANKOOK’S OFF-ROAD RANGE Words and photos: 4xJournal Choosing the right tyre is one of the most important decisions a four-wheel driver makes. It influences how a vehicle behaves on the road, how confidently it performs off it, and how well it copes with the long distances and varied terrain that define four-wheel driving in New Zealand. This year, 4XJournal is taking a closer look at that decision through a dedicated tyre testing series, produced in partnership with Hankook. Across the series, we’ll be running Hankook tyres in real-world conditions, on real trips, and over extended periods of use. These reviews are commercially supported, and we’re transparent about that from the outset. What remains central to the project is experience-based testing that reflects how tyres are actually used, from daily driving…