WHANGAMATA

Saturday is the biggest day of every Beach Hop, and official figures estimated an incredible 120,000 people were there this year. On a day as jampacked as this was, it’s tricky to give a condensed run-down of things — we’ve got the NZV8 Beach Hop Annual 2016 for that — but here goes! The mayhem kicked off on Port Road, the main street of Whangamata, with the Rock ’n’ Roll Club March — a parade of various rock ’n’ roll clubs, members dressed in their retro best, busting out their best retro moves. From there, it was almost straight into the Grand Parade, which was exactly what it sounds like — a series of parades comprising both Ultimate Pass holders, who gathered outside the Ford NZ Reserve, and Standard Pass holders, who assembled at the rugby club. Taking the lead were the Ultimate Pass holders, who cruised their way through Whangamata, coming to a stop on the main street as part of the Meguiar’s Main Street Car Show. Once the Ultimate Pass parade had parked up, the Standard Pass convoy could begin, also proceeding down Port Road. Led by a convoy of supercharged vehicles, it made its way to a concurrent park-up outside Ford NZ Reserve. Of course, the spectacle that is Beach Hop takes over the whole town of Whangamata, not just the main street — if you desired to view them, tot rods, pre-’49 hot rods, retro caravans, motorcycles, a classic car auction, stage shows, and countless live acts were all within walking distance. However, when it comes to live acts, nothing could quite compare to the Saturday afternoon stage shows held down at the Ford NZ Reserve. These were a warm-up to the main attraction — the prize draw, in which one lucky person got to choose among the giveaway car, a custom retro caravan, and $10,000 in cash. The giveaway car was the