Time to hop to beach in your car
But be careful as you drive in Coromandel
Petrolheads and rock’n’roll fans are being treated to their second Beach Hop festival in four months as the annual event revs up and returns this week to its regular March date.
Beach Hop kicked off in Waihī on Wednesday, before making its way to Onemana on Friday and then to Whangamatā on Saturday and Sunday.
The festival also hopes to draw some much-needed visitors back to the Coromandel. For this, the organisers have put together a new festival feature — the Repco Power Cruise the Loop tour which replaces the usual event stop in Thames.
The tour encourages entrants to visit towns around the Coromandel Peninsula loop at their own leisure. Each town has put together a little something, like special deals on food and activities, to entice entrants to visit.
Entrants have to keep a receipt of a purchase made from at least one town on the loop.
Each participating vehicle will also get an electronic tag to record the time and on Friday, the organisers will draw a random time from those who participated and the closest time will win $5000.
The organisers had to cancel the usual event stop in Thames due to the closure of SH25A, which made it unsafe to travel to the town in a large convoy. Another new addition to the overall festival is the King of the Hop Elvis tribute competition which drew in 15 contestants hot for the $10,000 prize money.
Other highlights include the grand parade at Whangamatā on Saturday morning, the Rock’n’roll club march, retro caravan show and of course the big display of classic cars and hot rods throughout the town.
Meanwhile, Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency advises Beach Hoppers to drive with caution around the Coromandel Peninsula, as many roads are compromised and vulnerable following the recent weather events. “Drivers need to be aware that the roads are not back to usual. Road users should be prepared for disruption and delays at one-lane bridges and repair sites and expect unsealed surfaces,” the agency says.
Road conditions can change without much notice, so travellers coming to the Beach Hop event are advised to check www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz and tcdc.govt.nz/roads for the latest.
Beach Hop, founded in 2000, is usually held in March but had to be postponed a couple of times in the past few years due to the pandemic.