WHITIANGA — DAY TWO

WHO DOESN’T LOVE WHITIANGA? THE DECENT DRIVE OUT IS ALWAYS WORTH IT, FOR THE STUNNER THAT IS THE REPCO WHITIANGA BEACH PARTY!

It was Repco Beach Hop 16 that tested the warm Whitianga waters, unofficially adding the coastal town to the Beach Hop itinerary on Tuesday for Hopgoers who’d arrived early. The overwhelmingly positive response from attendees saw it formally added to the programme, and the Repco Whitianga Beach Party officially became a thing last year, given the Thursday slot, and both Beach Hoppers and the Whitianga community have given it their utmost support. While the drive from Whangamata to Whitianga — around one-and-a-half hours — is far longer than the previously used location of Tairua, it’s also part of what Beach Hop is about: the journey as well as the destination. The Repco Whitianga Beach Party closed down a stretch of downtown Whitianga as well as the adjacent block across to the waterfront beside the marina, offering a full day’s worth of good times for those who had decided the drive out there was worth it — the right call to make. As the vibrant procession of vehicles entered Whitianga, the route followed the Esplanade, looping around to Albert Street and filling the closed main road and grassy reserve with cars. As this ‘first-in, best-dressed’ parking filled up, the lucky latecomers got to cruise into the waterfront reserve — a better parking location in our opinion, thanks to the picturesque backdrop providing an arbitrary characteristic such as the vibe or whatever you want to call it. The far end of this waterfront area seemed

popular with visitors from the South Island, with at least five cars in close proximity having travelled from homes between Nelson and Geraldine. Moving a little closer to town, another South Islander was drawing the crowds — Steve Batey’s WIP Racing ’55 Chev doorslammer fire-ups proved exceptionally popular and offered a taste of what to expect from him in the upcoming drag season. However, despite the blower and zoomie headers, it was the Beach Hop ’49 Ford that really drew them in, no doubt because of its centre-stage location — and, hey, who can complain about a small block soundtrack through open headers and the smell of C85 in the air?! The show on the ground wasn’t all the Repco Whitianga Beach Party had to offer, with an

One of the most popular cars at Repco Beach Hop 18, Tony Anderson’s ’59 Buick sled is one wicked ride and was driven up from Nelson. A self-confessed Mopar freak, Tony admits that the Buick was a bit of a lucky strike. With the itch to build himself...