Matakohe Mini enthusiast Chris Westlake and co-driver Norma-Jean Lim with their “Mini Mack”. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Matakohe Mini enthusiast Chris Westlake and co-driver Norma-Jean Lim with their “Mini Mack”. Photo / Peter de Graaf
More than 50 Minis are making their way through Northland this morning to raise money for a children’s charity and pay homage to one of the all-time great Kiwi movies.
In the 1981 film Goodbye Pork Pie, two young men set out on a chaotic road trip from Kaitaia to Invercargill in a stolen yellow Mini.
The Minis embarking on the first stage of the 2500km Pork Pie Charity Run today hopefully won’t be pursued by police or blow up in the streets of Southland, but they will raise a huge sum for KidsCan.
The 52 diminutive British cars are due to leave Paihia at 7am today and, all going well, will reach Taupō tonight. They are due in Invercargill in six days’ time.
The drivers, who called in to see the kids at Paihia School yesterday, included Chris Westlake of Matakohe, one of only a few to have entered all eight Pork Pie Charity Runs to date.
When Westlake bought his 1965 Mini, it had already been cut down into a ute. He went a step further and turned it into a miniature truck.
His “Mini Mack” includes a truck horn, exhaust and lights, plus a scaled-down twin-axle trailer and crash gearbox that has to be double-clutched like a truck.
Westlake, who was wearing a bear suit, and his creation were mobbed by children during Thursday’s school visit.
“It was a buzz, seeing the kids smiling and laughing. That’s what it’s all about.”
Kaura Wahapu, 9, from Waitangi, was one of the car enthusiasts checking out the Mini fleet.
“They look so cool. And they’re driving all the way from the top of New Zealand to the bottom in six days. That’s awesome,” he said.
Five-year-olds Mila-Jay Abraham-Maaka, left, and Samson Gottard-Finderup check out a Mini modelled on the car made famous in Goodbye Pork Pie. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Westlake, who has an entire collection of Minis at his Kaipara home, said the cars had a nostalgic appeal.
“It’s just a little car but when you talk to people it brings back memories. A lot of people learnt to drive in them.”
Kevin Hollamby’s 1983 Mini is modelled on the Goodbye Pork Pie car, as it limped into Invercargill at the end of the movie minus the front, boot and lights. Photo / Peter de Graaf
As of yesterday Westlake and his co-driver, Norma-Jean Lim, had raised just under $10,000. In total the 2023 run had raised $343,000, smashing the record of $328,000 set two years ago.
The biennial Pork Pie Charity Run has raised more than $1 million since it started in 2009.
KidsCan, which supports Kiwi children affected by poverty, has been the run’s chosen charity for the last four events. It provides food, jackets, shoes and health products to 874 schools and 200 early childhood centres in high-deprivation areas around New Zealand.
How many kids can fit in a Mini? It turns out the answer is quite a few. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Chris Westlake, of Matakohe, and his “Mini Mack” are mobbed by children during a visit to Paihia School. Photo / Peter de Graaf
