Waipu wows with car and bike show

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Waipu Lions, keen to fundraise for a good local cause while the tailend of summer was still here, hit on the idea of a classic car show. That decided, the group had only five weeks to confirm the venue, spread the word and cross everything in the hope that Easter weekenders, petrol heads and bikers might heed the call. And heed the call they certainly did!

Organiser Ron Cave and wife Karen have six classic vehicles so knew what they were about but the short lead-in time left them a little apprehensive that they could attract enough vehicles to make a ‘show.’ They need not have worried as classic cars, street cars, oldies and goodies, horse-drawn carriages and even military vehicles began trickling through the gates at Waipu’s Caledonian Park from early morning followed by a steady stream of general public.

This was a most enjoyable and easy-going couple of hours to look, talk and admire some incredible workmanship and ability of tradesmen mechanics, upholsterers, engineers and painters which, it should be said, was well appreciated by the public who attended. Many were enthralled by the quality to which some restorations has been exacted and in regard to some of the real oldies, many memories were rekindled.

As some stopped in for just a short time, exact numbers are hard to ascertain but the final count was over 150 cars and close to 100 bikes of all vintages that adorned the park – the ideal venue for such a display. Makes and models covered the spectrum from the little English Baby Austin, a teenaged hoons car of the 1960’s, to the immaculate 1961 Caddy which won the People’s Choice award, and from a 1962 VW Karmann Ghia to a super-vintage 1929 Chevvy and even a Rolls Royce.

After the busy hubbub of the Waipu Carnival the previous day, the coffee cart, a hot dog or two and a little background music made this an ideal source of casual entertainment to round off the weekend, and the weather played its part beautifully.

At print time a final figure was to be established but early reckoning was that around $6500 had been raised towards a cultural trip to Samoa for 20 Bream Bay College students.

Said Ron Cave: “We would like to make this an annual event but we’ll see how things look once a final tally-up has been done and find a good cause to support next year, but feedback has been very positive and we really appreciate the support we have had.”

n ORGANISERS WANT TO THANK SPONSORS: Atlas Concrete, Aysha Logging, A-Z Scaffolding, Bream Bay Club, Bream Bay Painters, Bream Bay Printing, Bream Bay Tyres, Clansman Motel, Countdown Whangarei, Cowley’s Hire, Creative Plumbing, Darren Matich, Design Metal Roofing, Evolution

Electrical, GD Plumbing, Good Ground Real Estate, Waipu Butchery, Logan Mclean Café, Magic Tasty Takeaways, Malcolm Harker, Mark Royals Concrete, Noise Panelbeaters, Pizza Barn, Point Timber, Ruakaka Motors, Sumpter Baughen Chartered Accountants, Waipu 4 square, Waipu Bakery, Waipu Deli Café, Waipu Electrical & Security, Waipu ITM, Waipu Liquor Centre, Waipu Motors, Waipu Tyres & Automotive.