The Beach Hop- NZ
The beach at Whangamata on the Corramandel peninsula in Auckland is usually sleepy and idyllic, a quite place populated with only dairy farmers, their families and the occasional tourist.
However from the 22nd to the 26th in March the place springs to life, or should I say roars to life to the sound of petrol engines. The Repco beach hop as it is formally known runs for three days and nights and everyone is invited, its an open party.
You can be one of the many happy spectators for free or for a small fee you can register your car and be a part of this classic car event.
I must say for a home spun event this was a great experience. The event was well organised and well managed. This world of cars was unchartered territory for me and I happily leave this level of technical engineering to the experts and the enthusiasts. However this didn’t stop me from being in ore at the variety of interesting an unusual American cars on display, and not forgetting the trucks an caravans.Â
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This event is only for American cars, no European or Asian Models here.
Dodge, Buicks, Fords, Shelby’s, Studabakers, you name it they were there. The classic generations of cars from the 1950’s through to the 1970 were all on show.Â
The variety of cars was surprising however the community of committed enthusiasts was even more interesting. This was a real NZ experience. There were cars that had been lovingly restored and brought back from just the chassis to be a dream car. There were cars that had been bolted and welded together from old hot rods that looked like they had come straight from the latest Mad Max movie.Â
They were all different cars, but the thing that brought all of these cars together was the enthusiasm and love of the people who drove them. This enthusiasm was on another level. This isn’t just an idle hobby, this is a love affair. When they say NZ is full of surprises they were not wrong.
"This isn't an idle hobby, this is a love affair"
