Drivers make big trip in little cars for kids charity

One of the Mini cars passing through Whangarei.

Northland's Easter weekend began with a convoy of Mini cars "hooning" off from Kaitaia all the way to Invercargill collecting funds for the KidsCan charity.

The bi-annual Pork Pie Charity Run attracted 57 Mini cars from throughout the country, including three teams from the United Kingdom and two from Australia, for the fundraising drive to help fight child poverty.

Allan Bull gets his Mini ready for the Pork Pie charity run in Kaitaia.

This year's fundraiser started 10 months ago and Kahu Burns from KidsCan said by Thursday evening, the charity had raised $161,000 against a target of more than $150,000.

British couple Paul and Michele Smith came to New Zealand specifically to participate in the event in a Mini kindly lent to them by a friend in Waipa.

They first visited the country in 2013 and while on their honeymoon in Paihia, they spotted Mini cars driving past during the charity run and decided it was a good cause to get involved in.

One of the Mini cars passing through Whangarei.

"We applied even before registration opened. Back in 2013, we travelled almost the entire coastline of the North Island and we've been to places that even our sponsors haven't been to. New Zealand is such a small country but it's not a poor country yet children are going to school without food," Mr Smith said

Of all places in New Zealand, Whangarei particularly appeals to them.

"It's clean, people are friendly, there's the Town Basin, and people are very laidback."

Mr Burns said their trip from Kaitaia had been "cruisey" although the participants had not been able to see much as it was misty. "Today (Good Friday) is one of our busiest days. Mini New Zealand is hosting us lunch in Auckland before we drive to Taupo where we'll spend the night," he said.

Today, the Minis travel from Kaikoura to Greymouth and tomorrow they will be in Alexandra.

The fundraiser, inspired by the 1981 iconic movie Goodbye Pork Pie, will finish in Invercargill on Wednesday.

According to KidsCan, 74 of the thousands of schools it was providing support to were based in Northland where 9148 children had access to food, clothing and health programmes.