Woodville hosts rare veteran car rally with pre-1919 veteran cars

Drivers and passengers get ready to leave from the Wind Farm Cafe back yard on Saturday morning.

The Central Hawke's Bay branch of the Vintage Car Club recently gave Woodville and Districts residents an opportunity to travel back to a time when motorised transport was in its infancy and still an adventure.

Thirteen pre-1919 veteran cars came to the town for one of the club's periodic rallies, this year organised by local enthusiast Bruce Hutton. Most arrived on trailers on Friday evening, the drivers and passengers staying at the Ormond Street Motel and dining in great fashion at the Smoke 'n' Wood Café hosted by councillor Peter Johns.

Two of the cars are so rare there are only five each in the world – the 1903 Holley Motorette and the 1915 GWK Roadster.

After breakfast at the Wind Farm Café they headed out on one of two routes – the short route (53km) taking in Hopelands and Mangatainoka with a visit to a stately home while the longer route (100km) for the bigger cars added a side route out to Maharahara and a photo under Paul Gleeson's Harvard.

The routes were mainly country back roads, mostly sealed but not fast – the cars were built that way - and all vehicles negotiated them safely.

The evening was hosted at Gerard and Raewyn Murray's home, The Octagon, and catered for by the Woodville Art and History Inc. as a fundraiser for the galleries to be built at the old council I-site and library.

Next morning most travelled to Clive and Shirley Boyden's to look at their motorcycles and other memorabilia before returning to town for a picnic at Fountaine Square attended by other vintage car enthusiasts from all over the southern North Island. The drivers of the 61 cars and their passengers enjoyed the gathering with the threatening rain holding off.

One of the visitors for the rally was the NZ president of the Vintage Car Association, Diane Quarrie, who said her organisation has 8500 members in 36 branches.

She said New Zealand has so many vintage cars (Veteran – before 1919, Vintage 1919-1931) because New Zealanders never threw anything away, which means some are still being discovered and parts preserved. They were well cared for initially because only the wealthy could afford them.

She said present-day owners are passionate and knowledgeable about their vehicles as only they know how to maintain them.

She added they are lucky to be able to travel any road in New Zealand without government restriction, unlike some other parts of the world. She says her national body lobbies government to ensure it stays that way.

Mayor Tracey Collis thanked the visitors for coming, saying their contribution to Woodville's economy is much appreciated in the post-gorge closure period. She said it was also important for people to see the early motorcars.

"Each one is a piece of art in itself," she said.