EVERY YEAR A GAMBLE IN PARADISE VALLEY

The Rotorua Vintage and Veteran Car Club’s (VCC) 39th Central North Island Swap Meet and Car Show Spectacular was held Sunday, 14 July 2019.

The Rotorua VCC insists on organizing the central North Island’s biggest swap meet and car show in the middle of winter, and, despite the odds, every year, the gamble seems to pay off. The forecast for Sunday, 14 July was showers before things would really turn to custard around midday.

Club president David Tomlinson and key members Neville Harper, Bob Mackay, and Roger Nelson expected the worst, so predicted

a low attendance. Yet the opposite unfolded. All the vendor sites and carparks filled quickly. Four-wheel drives parked on adjacent farmland. Luckily, my assistants and I were in our Jeep. Clearly, everyone was aware of the impending weather bomb and had made sure to arrive early with the aim of departing early.

Among the many cars on show were a fabulous 1950s Packard Clipper; a 1972 Chrysler Imperial Le Baron, which must be the longest car ever made; and a magnificent 1931 Studebaker President, owned by Neville Harper. The number of cars on show topped the century mark, but it was difficult to keep track as the weather dictated a quick turnover. Public attendance was around 5000.

With midday looming, and the skies suggesting that it was time to go, we made our way towards our vehicle. At five minutes to midday, as we shucked off our wet weather gear and got safely aboard, the heavens opened. Now that’s what we call a reliable forecast — the sort you can set your watch by to organize a major event.

Next year will be the 40th running of this iconic show, and I’m predicting that, given this year’s testing weather, 2020’s will be a breeze.