The Ford Ranger has been New Zealand’s number one best seller for the past 10 years, and we were invited to Kauri Bay Boomrock to help celebrate. Not only did we test out the capabilities of the Ranger and find out what made it so great, but were also treated to a digger competition, lamb on the spit (powered by the new Ranger PHEV), a peek at the new Everest Tremor, epic views, and hospitality that only Kauri Boomrock knows how.
Firstly the venue. Kauri Bay Boomrock is located to the north-east of Clevedon on land that was once swampy and wet and hosted Bush Moa, Mantell’s Moa and also the Giant Moa. It’s vastly different from that now.
Today it’s still a working farm, however, the 500-acre Clevedon property boasts expansive coastal views over the Hauraki Gulf and plays host to weddings, events and the odd automotive launch – or in our case, 10-year celebration.
Now about that. The first Ford Ranger was introduced to New Zealand in 2006 and little did Ford know just what the legend it would become. With every model they set out to make it better than the last, with the PX model they launched in 2010 being an early standout.
In 2014 the Ranger became New Zealand’s pickup/light commercial segment leader. But that was just the start. And in 2015, Ford achieved something they thought was impossible, Ranger became the new number one vehicle in New Zealand, and have retained that spot for the next decade!
2018 was a big year for the Ranger. They welcomed the now-popular bi-turbo engine, and launched a beast that we know as the Ranger Raptor, the perfect vehicle for your jobs and all the thrills that you want to have.
In 2023, the Ranger PHEV was unveiled, the world’s first plug-in hybrid pickup truck with no compromises on performance or towing capabilities. While in 2024 there was the announcement that the Ranger SuperDuty was on its way for 2026. This ‘super’ Ranger will carry more and tow more, giving unprecedented mid-sized truck capability.
In the meantime, 2025 is the year that Ford New Zealand celebrates Ranger’s 10 years straight as the number one selling vehicle for New Zealand, and what better way to recognise this milestone than punishing the ute at Boomrock.
Attendees at the event included both Ford dealership dealer principals (and later their partners for an awards dinner) and NZ’s best auto journalists. The sizable group was split into two, with one heading off into the wilderness in a Ranger, while the other got to play on a digger (and switched after lunch).
I headed to digger first, where a time-trial exercise had been created. A rugby ball was fixed via a chain to the end of the digger boom and we were expected to drop the ball into various buckets while spinning the cabin around 360-degrees. It sounds simple, but with your right hand managing the raise and lower, while your left hand manages the spin and reach, it’s a bit like rubbing your tummy and patting your head. I now have great respect for digger drivers!
On the matter of respect, the off-road course laid out for the Ranger was gruelling. In simple terms, we climbed in convoy (Raptors, XLTs and Tremors) to the top of the highest point in Kauri Bay, however, the course would have ranked a grade 2 (or borderline 3) out of 5 in the 4x4 trip grading scale – impressive for road tyres.
We trudged through the ground’s forestry, and long deep muddy ruts (thankfully it hadn’t rained recently), we climbed up clay-based hills engaging 4L along the way, pitched and rolled at up to 26 degrees and downhill descended on while knuckle drops. Of course the Ranger made light work of it all.
Refreshing beverages were served upon our return and we all got to savour the experiences while gazing out at the glorious view out toward Waiheke and beyond.
According to Ford, they achieved the impossible in getting to #1 through the passion for Ford and the Ford Ranger, (both theirs and ours), however, when you have a product this good… Roll on the next decade.