Thousands of classic motoring enthusiasts are on their way to the Coromandel for the annual Repco Beach Hop Festival. Video / NZ Herald
Graeme “Noddy” Watts knows Kiwis love a road trip – “and Route 66 in America is the ultimate road trip”.
The co-founder and president of the annual Beach Hop Festival in Whangamatā has been taking customers on self-drive tours in America since 2010, alongside his partner Andrea Ross.
Their business - Kiwis on Route 66 - means the pair are “chasing the sun following the summers” as they spend from May to October in the United States guiding their tours and the remainder of the year in Whangamatā.
Watts said the couple had just finished their 33rd tour. They have taken more than 1500 New Zealanders and Australians on tours since 2010.
He said there were five different routes “that cover most of America” but the most popular was Route 66 a 28-day loop starting and finishing in Los Angeles.
Driving at the Bonneville Speedway in an area of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Wendover, Utah.
“We generally use Mustang Convertibles because if you go to America, you want to drive an American vehicle.”
Watts said they suggested activities to the group every morning.
“Some things we will do as a group ... but generally the beauty of a self-drive tour is you’ve got the freedom to stop where you want when you want ...
“We’ve got a very unique business in that we love telling our customers to go and get lost because when they do get lost, they find things that we don’t know about.”
Noddy Watts and Andrea Ross at the Antelope Canyon in Arizona.
At the end of each day, they regrouped at the hotel and shared stories about the day’s adventures.
“We’re really busy. Kiwis love a road trip. And Route 66 in America is the ultimate road trip.”
Watts said two tours would go to Canada and Alaska for the first time next year.
How Beach Hop started
Watts is best known as the man behind Whangamatā‘s Beach Hop.
The event started in 2001 and was born from Whangamatā‘s local rock ’n’ roll club called the Coastal Rockers.
Every year, it hosted a dancing event when rock ’n’ roll clubs from the Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Auckland went to Whangamatā for the weekend and had “a dance on the Saturday night”.
“Some people noticed there was nothing to do during the day for these people that were in town.”
The self-described “hot rod and classic car enthusiast” was asked to organise some cars, leading to 100 cars arriving on the Saturday morning.
“We did a parade into town and parked up in the main street and we had a stage with some local bands performing.”
Beach Hop president Noddy Watts pictured at Beach Hop in 2019. Photo / Alison Smith
About 4000 people attended “and it was a real success”, he said.
Watts said it was originally called the Whangamatā rock ’n’ roll festival. The group agreed it had “real potential if we manage the growth” but it needed to change the name.
“It is a hop, a dance at the beach, so why don’t we call it Beach Hop?
“It grew every year and it’s been one of the biggest events of its type in the country.”
Watts said the Whangamatā-based festival was a chance to “wind the clock back to what life was like back in the 50s and 60s”.
Its main goal was to raise money for local emergency services, he said.
“We’ve got a holiday resort town so we’ve got to have safe beaches and activities.”
Watts said it fundraised for the surf lifesaving club, the volunteer coastguard, land search and rescue, and the Westpac helicopter.
As the “festival director”, he managed more than 200 volunteers, worked with the committee to plan and deliver the event, and dealt with sponsors and media.
