Anne Doyle and Ron Richards were among car enthusiasts at the re-enactment of the 1917 Parliamentary tour during its Whangarei stop.
PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
Anne Doyle and Ron Richards were among car enthusiasts at the re-enactment of the 1917 Parliamentary tour during its Whangarei stop.
PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
Mechanical issues might have forced three vintage cars off the start of the Centenial Tour but it didn't stop 40 others from roaring into Whangarei through dusty back roads.
The cars with about 100 drivers and support crew made their way to the Northland Vintage Car Club premises at the Maunu Museum about 10am yesterday as part of the 705-kilometre, eight-day tour that started in Devonport on Sunday.The centennial re-enactment tour has been organised by the North Shore branch of the NZ Vintage Car Club with assistance from the Wellsford-Warkworth, Northland and Far North branches of the club.
In January 1917, Kaitaia businessman Colonel Allen Bell managed to persuade Parliamentarians to participate in a car tour to show them the need for road improvements in the "Winterless North".
MPs, Roads Board members, business managers and a handful of reporters were among the 100 people who set off in 33 cars in January 1917 for Northland where roads were appalling.
Whangarei locals flock to see nearly 100-year-old vintage cars at the Maunu Museum grounds during the re-enactment tour.
PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
Travellers endured a fortnight of choking dust, torrential rain, deep mud, burst tyres and capsizes as they made their way from Devonport to Kaitaia via the east coast and returned through Ahipara, Herekino, Broadwood, the Hokianga, Kaikohe and Dargaville. From there some took a steamer down the Kaipara Harbour to Helensville.
Current tour director Barry Birchall said two vintage cars had issues while another had minor problems in Orewa and had to be
Joy Nowley in her 1914 Doge Ragtop Roadster during the centennial re-enactment tour at the Maunu Museum ground. PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
put on a tow truck and brought to Whangarei.
"We ended up with 40 cars but I am quite happy because the original tour had 33 cars so we're ahead of them," he said.
Organisers avoided State Highway 1 where possible and came through back roads in North Shore, Warkworth, Mangawhai and Waipu until about five miles south of Whangarei when they got onto SH1.
Mike Williams came to see the vintage cars at Maunu Museum with sons Taylin and Ari.
PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
They left the main road in Waipu and drove about 8km on metal road on Ormiston Rd.
Anne Luton travelled from Whangarei Heads to see the vintage cars and recalled a Rover car her father owned in England in the early 1950s.
"I just love seeing how these vintage cars are restored. They are so beautiful and everything is made to last," she said.
One Tree Point resident Roger Field has always had a mechanical interest in vintage cars and said he nearly bought one 20 years ago.
"I had a three-wheel, two-cylinder BSA car back in England and if I had it today, it would be worth about $330,000," he said.
Tony Barnett with a 1912 Societe De Construction Automobiles De Reims shortly after arriving at the Maunu Museum.
PHOTO/TANIA WHYTE
Most of the vintage cars on the tour travel between 80km/hr and 90km/hr.
The vintage car drivers travel to Paihia today via Hikurangi with stops later this week in Kerikeri, Mangonui, Taipa, Peria, Kaitaia, Opononi, and Dargaville.
