Bringing out your inner Elvis
Do you have an Elvis-style jumpsuit in your wardrobe?
If so, Marin Leusink wants to hear from you.
He’s after an Elvis to come along to next month’s big combined nostalgia and transport event, the Volcanic Rumble.
Plans are steaming along for the inaugural Volcanic Rumble, a new Taupo¯ -based celebration of horsepower, style and Kiwiana being put on by the Volcanic Rumble Charitable Trust. The trust is aiming to raise funds to build a pedestrian and cyclistfriendly overbridge over Tongariro St between Countdown and the Control Gates Bridge.
The overbridge would make it safer for people to cross the road at that busy point as well as helping connect Taupo¯ ’s parks, walkways and cycle tracks.
The Volcanic Rumble celebrates nostalgia and the past and future of transport and is aimed at families, kids and transport enthusiasts everywhere, with trophies for the best in each category and the chance for the public to vote for their favourite. As well as retro cars, trucks, motorbikes, caravans, boats and electric vehicles are all welcome.
Marin’s especially hoping that some unique New Zealand cars will be brought along, such as New Zealand-assembled American or Japanese cars that were made back in the day at the Todd Motors factory in Porirua or at Toyota’s assembly plant in Thames.
Part of the Volcanic Rumble will be held to coincide with the annual Taupo¯ Christmas Parade on December 14 with the main event a show and shine on the Tongariro North Domain and a power cruise through town.
The Volcanic Rumble Charitable Trust has been working with local car, vintage car and hot rod clubs to attract entries to the parade, offering rebates to clubs for every one of their members who enters and Marin says there will be the opportunity for people who want to to bring more than one vehicle along.
In keeping with the nostalgia theme there will be a Cadillac, a Marilyn Monroe and an Elvis, or even an Elvis competition if Marin and the other trustees can find a few would-be Elvises.
Registrations are coming in and organisers would love to see 300 or more vehicles entered, although the sooner the better would be good to help with planning. The event has also attracted local sponsorship support, with Malcolm Flowers Insurances signing up as the main sponsor.
Funds raised from the Volcanic Rumble will go towards the gateway bridge for pedestrians and cyclists.
“The bridge will give us the opportunity to link our parks and that has enormous potential for this town because we celebrate our lake as we should but we should also celebrate our great river. We can make a feature of it [the gateway bridge] and make a beautiful entrance into Taupo¯ and there’s real benefit of linking Gates Park and Riverside Park,” says Marin. “There are all sorts of opportunities here. We could make it a real artwork.”
Marin says although the concept of the Volcanic Rumble sounds similar to Whangamata¯ ’s famous Beach Hop, there will be two big differences. The Volcanic Rumble will be aimed at families, and it will be about Kiwiana, not Americana.
The trust is planning to include ‘joy rumbles’ where children with special needs or medical issues can ride around town in the coolest cars so that everyone can enjoy watching the cars.
“Stuff like that brings a community together.”
■ For more information or to contact the Volcanic Rumble organisers, visit Facebook page Volcanic Rumble.