Hawkes Bay to Whakatane run

[psyguy]

Well, that was a good first run for me. Thanks for everyone who came along. My boys and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Next time I will have to bring my MR2 though, that corolla sucks haha.

Thank you for organizing it, Keith, and definitely need to do one when your MR2 is ready!

[Crawls]

Thank you for organizing it, Keith, and definitely need to do one when your MR2 is ready!

No worries, I can't wait to be able to kinda keep up with you guys haha.

[mickeyduck]

Gentle Annie to Hastings is SOMETHING ELSE! Worth getting down from Auckland just for that road, no kidding

Screen Shot 2020-10-26 at 5.23.32 PM.png (657.39 KiB) Viewed 1301 times

Looks like you got it a bit sideways on the Gentle Annie, Ivor?
Or is it my browser that's giving me this angle?
(Google Chrome 85)

And yes I fully agree! That Taihape-Napier road should be an annual event for the entire North Island crew. It's EPIC and unlike anything near Auckland it's in perfect condition! 160km of pure MR2 bliss. Late November would likely be a perfect time to do it I reckon, like a North Island Christmas run.

OK some private eye insight:

We got a bit held up after Wairoa as Isaac's mate realised he'd lost his cell phone there, having already got half way to Gisborne. They flicked us a txt (which thanks to no coverage we never got) and headed back to Wairoa to try to find the phone.

Meanwhile all but the first 2 cars had stopped with Pierre who had run over a rather fat possum which had torn a section of under-tray loose. Isaac's absence was duly noted and we were assured he was last seen only a couple of kilometres ago, though oddly enough the drivers either side of Isaac didn't notice him leaving the convoy. I asked the crew to wait until we returned, imagining I'd find the lad a couple of k's back. But no...

Unsure if "a couple of kilometres" was in fact just that, and not seeing any sign of him having fallen off the road, we figured he must have gone back to Wairoa for some reason. We carried on back to within 8 minutes of the township before we got cell phone coverage and Isaac's txt turned up. We called him and said we'd wait for him, then turned around to go tell the others to carry on without us.

Sadly it was 3pm by the time we'd had a pit-stop and gassed up in Gisborne and as we were expected for dinner at an old friend's place in Kawerau we decided to head over the ranges instead of doing the East Cape. We got to Kawerau about 6:30pm whereas if we'd gone around the Cape it'd have been at least 10pm.

You get that. Might have to do the Cape another day. In fact I'd want to do it in 2 days so there's time for photos etc.

Did our bit to diminish the bug population though while enjoying about 1,470 km of wicked twisties.

Car ran like a train, didn't miss a beat and nothing broke. Though a full inspection will be under way shortly, as well as a bit of a wash with the watering can.

Thanks Keith for organising, and to everyone who came. Great company as always. Here's to next time!
.

[rocco26]

Thanks for organizing the trip Keith, an amazing drive.We left from Gisborne so had a little more time.
Check out the photos along the way on " Rocco's red s dub"

[WairoaboyNZ]

A big thank you to the organizers of this event

Was our first-ever significant event out of Rotorua, it proved to be a real experience and half...even after several weeks of prepping the car and double-checking bits and bobs, still ended up with a minor issue to sort (Shock Retaining Nut came loose...Dash the jolly thing was the strongest words used at the time - Honest

Poor old girl showing its nearly 300,000km age on the Taihape-Napier road had no show in Hades in keeping up....its 135psi compression was no match (no help to the tools in the back ) for the other pocket rockets, got to Napier and parked up at Whirikaki Beach where the engine lid kept our Pizza warm

Onto Wairoa, for the night to briefly see family and recover from the day

The next morning venturing south to meet the lads in the hope of doing a video of them boosting up the Mohaka Hill, we proved to be 5 minutes too late, coming across them at the crest of the Mohaka

Was really cool to hear some of the local's comments in such a little hick one-horse town as they drove by, several locals coming over to check things out and one potential membership pending (A recent purchaser of an SW20 3SGTE 'Paddock find')

The Tiniroto road proving to be the begging of a troublesome rattle that progressed into a thud....eventually becoming a significant thump in the right front end, no idea why the retaining nut came loose....forgot to tighten, insufficient torque...no idea, but with a boot of trusty tools, superb portable floor jack and a handy block of 10x12 wood on the roadside made for a 15-minute repair that even Possum Bourbne would be proud of

With the sunset and Te Kaha, no better time to stop on the beach and do a brief remembrance to Ryans mother who passed one year that day (we would otherwise have been in the Philipines commemorating), a solemn time with much-needed rest after some leg cramping corners

Opotiki Caltex true to form, putting on a super feed and rest stop

Onward to Rotorua via Taneatua home 10 pm

Until next time, Go Well, Take Care and Safe Travels

[ClanFever]

Thanks all for coming, great recap Charlie that about sums it up! We too went for a little back drive to try find the missing AW, however we got to a point where I definitely knew I had seen the car, and I totally guessed (correctly) it was a turn around to get something left in the town the weather was far too kind to us that day for there to be anything but a breakdown causing any trouble with the cars

As time was getting on by the time we all got to Gisborne, Keith and I both chose to go inland too, as we were just not in the correct cars. Unfortunately my only current MR2 is not quite ready for the road, and I had just sold my other one. Plus my Forester had been stolen recently, and I don't quite trust the girlfriends Carina. That left the gutless Carib, which although it's AC was a real joy and necessity, it just did not have the grunt with it's 72 at the wheel horses. The whole trip, not just the trip here but on the way back to Taranaki and then Levin over the past few days, was a struggle even keeping it at 100km/h sometimes, depending on the gradient of the road. Passing slower cars was a real pain, as if there was more than 1, no passing lane was ever big enough to get enough momentum up to pass the two.

We'll definitely have to look at this one again. I think a night in Gisborne after a early arvo meeting perhaps in Taupo could be a goer. There are a few options we can look at, the roads are actually really awesome, there was virtually no traffic and I think with a little more time up our sleeves, we could keep the cars together

The BBQ was great, Keith brought the goods with his meats. The motels of choice across the board were very good as well.

[Crawls]

Olaf, I hear ya. My corolla didn't even have A/C, and it still sucked. I was ringing the guts out of it trying to go uphill. I still remember just out of Bayview, going up a slight hill, chopped the rolla into 3rd and "gunned" it, then got absolutely smoked by 3 mr2s that were probably idling hahaha.

I definatley want to do that again, in something with a few more hp.

This needs to be either an annual or even a biannual event.

[85AW20v]

Gentle Annie to Hastings is SOMETHING ELSE! Worth getting down from Auckland just for that road, no kidding

.....And yes I fully agree! That Taihape-Napier road should be an annual event for the entire North Island crew. It's EPIC and unlike anything near Auckland it's in perfect condition! 160km of pure MR2 bliss. Late November would likely be a perfect time to do it I reckon, like a North Island Christmas run. .....

You should try it at Targa Rally speeds - now THAT makes it a lot of fun. And I keep telling you Charlie - do the Targa Tour.......