STANDARD PASS PARADE
THERE WAS NOTHING STANDARD ABOUT THE SATURDAY-MORNING PARADE OF STANDARD PASS HOLDERS — AS ALWAYS, THE SHOW WAS SPECTACULAR
While Ultimate Pass holders start the grand parade from the Esplanade beside Williamson Park and end in the main street of Whanga, the Standard Pass holders start at the other side of town and end up on the Esplanade. By 8.30am, a huge number of vehicles had already gathered at the Whangamata Rugby and Sports Club grounds, parking up in rows. Last year, to celebrate the anniversary of the Ford Falcon and Ford Fairlane, these vehicles were allocated a separate area on the other side of the grounds to park up on, and they then led the convoy out. This year, it was the turn of the pickup truck, since this year’s giveaway was an F100 pickup. In a steady stream, cars poured into the grounds and took their place at the back of the rows. Walking between the rows really gave an insight into the large variety of vehicles that attend Beach Hop, and the sound of cameras capturing the images never lessened. We would have to say that the most popular car to arrive had to be the new black Ford GT. It had crowds around it the whole time it was parked up.
Once again, members of the local Whangamata scout group were on hand, selling bacon and egg sandwiches and drinks, which was a great boon for those of us who hadn’t taken the time to eat breakfast. This time also provided a good opportunity for people to catch up and stand around talking about their rides. At 11am, the first cars rolled out onto the street, led by the pickups. As the convoy headed away for the grounds and over to Williamson Park, aka Ford Reserve, viewing positions along the street were at a premium. Local residents had taken up position in front of their homes, some on deck chairs, others on cushions, and even one or two on couches. Plenty of signs were out again this year, encouraging the drivers to “REV IT UP!” — and many drivers weren’t shy about obliging! This is one of the best ways to see a lot of the Beach Hop attendees, and you don’t even have to leave home. Once the final car had passed, a walk up to the main drag of Port Road to check out the other attractions was in order. Luckily, since this is a magazine, you don’t even have to do that — just turn a few pages to check it out!