RV DIRECT RETRO CARAVAN SHOW

THE RETRO CARAVAN SIDE OF BEACH HOP HAS GROWN IN LEAPS AND BOUNDS SINCE IT WAS FIRST INTRODUCED, AND THIS YEAR’S DISPLAY WAS THE BIGGEST YET

We all know that Beach Hop is growing in popularity every year, and, while vehicle entry numbers are capped at a manageable level, the retro caravan scene is just going crazy. The entries for this year’s RV Direct Retro Caravan Show seemed to have grown exponentially, up from 88 caravans in 2017 to a massive 110 in 2018 — such is their rise in popularity! Thursday afternoon at the Whangamata Area School was chaotic, with about 80 caravans seeming to arrive at the same time. Just sorting between the powered and non powered, and getting everyone queued and in at the right time, seemed to be quite a mission — one no doubt exacerbated by campers not reading instructions and just turning up whenever it suited them. Fortunately, the team of volunteers under the guidance of the resident Camp Mother managed to squeeze everyone in — amazingly, with a little space to spare. By around 6pm on Thursday, most were in. With no lot numbers assigned, and the random (dis)order in which everyone arrives, you invariably end up with different neighbours from previous years, but that’s half the fun of it. Getting acquainted with new friends over a quiet tipple of something almost always makes for a fun evening! It’s the catching up and the stories shared that make the caravan show so popular with the participants — hearing about the road trips and the inevitable tales of woe to get to Beach Hop. While some had relatively short and uneventful tows up and over the hills to Whangamata, others put in a massive effort to attend — probably none more so than Lynette Butler, who managed to haul her retro van, ‘Maybellene’, up from Timaru despite mechanical issues on the way. Another traveller with a few dramas was Sandy from Nelson, who made the trip north with his immaculate 1960s Catalina towed by an equally stunning 1956 Chevy 3100. While the journey north to catch the ferry was uneventful, getting

Pat McCullough debuted his homebuilt retro caravan at the event, styled after the iconic New Zealand–built ’59 Liteweight. Pat built his van in just six months, working most nights and weekends to complete it in time. Naturally, he colour-matched it to...