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holders, Standard Pass holders, and motorcycle riders. The huge gathering of Ultimate Pass holders assembled at the Esplanade, ready to depart for the main street after the VIP cars — those of the sponsors and those carrying other parties important to Repco Beach Hop 17. This part of the Grand Parade departed at 10.15am, proceeding down the main street at a leisurely pace, before doubling back around the end roundabout and parking up along the eastfacing side of the main street. Then came the Grand Parade for the Standard Pass holders, who had assembled at the Whangamata rugby park and converged en masse on Whangamata central. The massive procession never seemed to end as it cruised down the main street before turning right at the end roundabout, for an end destination outside the Ford NZ Reserve (Williamson Park). The morning’s rolling entertainment all taken care of, the Meguiar’s Main Street Car Show kicked off — and this is really what tends to make the evening news. With the main street absolutely filled with delicious iron, New Zealand’s largest public car show could commence. Navigating through the hordes of onlookers can be a difficult task, and makes a thorough once-over of the show a task that can take several separate passes up and down the street. Further along the main street, the Repco Pre-’49 Hot Rod Show was taking place in the car park of the Whangamata Club. Displaying an array of hot rods of various styles, the show is exactly what it sounds like, and it can’t have been easy for guest judge Chuck Miller — ’68 Ridler Award winner and custom-car builder, among other things — to select a winner. However, select one he did, with that honour going to Bruce Carter’s beautiful ’33 Ford Tudor.