Napier Mayor Bill Dalton had a quick catch-up with an old friend last week.
He was reintroduced to a Mini he owned 16 years ago, which has been restored by Hastings couple Steve and Helen Burgiss. They and the restored Mini will be setting off from Kaitaia today - alongside 59 other Minis from all over New Zealand and their keen, albeit cramped, drivers and passengers to take part in the Pork Pie Charity Run - tracing the Kaitaia-to-Invercargill journey depicted in the Kiwi movie Goodbye Pork Pie.
The Burgisses are one of two Hawke's Bay couples to be making the epic journey, the first leg of which goes from Kaitaia to Taupo.
"It takes up to 10 hours," says Helen. "Last time we spent five hours in heavy traffic on the Auckland motorway."
That's just one of the challenges to meet to be involved in the Pork Pie run.