Sleepin Around New Zealand: First Trip and More!

[pchast]

Just beautiful!

Thanks for sharing.

[Sheddie]

Hi Pete,
Glad you enjoyed this.
It's always good to hear from you, thanks for your reply

[Sheddie]

Capri Car Club Summer Camp Hahei, Coromandel Peninsular.
Waitangi Weekend 6th - 8th February 2015.
Summer Camp this year was held at Hahei, on the Coromandel Peninsular to coincide with the Leadfoot Festival.
Leadfoot is a hill climb event held at motor racing legend, Rod Millens, Leadfoot Ranch. The race corse is Rods driveway that winds its way across the property and up the hill from the road to the house. It is a three day event for invited drivers in a wide variety of vehicles and bikes.
The Capri Club were going to attend on the Saturday, as part of the car display, so Friday and Sunday gave us some time to look around the area.

We had driven down on Thursday and had a nice big site to set up on.
It had been pretty windy through the night, so we added a few more pegs and ropes before we headed off.

Friday morning the club president waves us off on our drive across the peninsula to Coromandel township.

The sky was overcast with showers, so we had to tread lightly on the hilly twisty road.


Yes that is 25km/h (15mph) recommend speed for the corners, and some of them are down to 15km/h (9mph).

The view over the town and harbour was still a bit misty as we drove down out of the hills, but the sun soon came out for a nice sunny day.

The sight of around 20 Capris driving through the town made everyone stop and look
And while the rest of the club went to visit the Driving Creek Railway, we went for a look around
the town, as we will be back to do the Driving Creek thing at the end of April.





Most of the buildings in the town are from the early settlers days

The wharf at Coromandel with the fishing boats lined up

This was our lunch stop where you can have mussels served in so many different ways

One of the old mussel barges that worked in the mussel farms in the area

[pchast]

Thanks again for the pictures!

[KCStudly]

It is a beautiful country. I looked up the Coromandel Mussel Kitchen, and boy howdy does that look like a nice place to eat and drink!

[Sheddie]

Hi guys good to here that you are enjoying these travels. It's a pitty the morning was a bit grey.
Lunch was fabulous, we had fresh fish in beer batter, others were eating mussels in all styles, for example, fritters, deep fried or in big pots in their shells floating in a chowder.

[Sheddie]

Capri Car Club Summer Camp Hahei, Coromandel Peninsular.
Waitangi Weekend 6th - 8th February 2015. (continued)
After lunch we all headed of to visit The Waterworks.

Being a lawn mowing contractor I had to check out the ride on mower, I think I will stick to my 28hp 52inch Ferris.

This sure is an accurate depiction

Stick man was pedaling his bike with the help of water jets on the wheels

I forgot to mention that it is a wild life park as well

We stopped to check the weather forecast before taking a walk in the bush
It is quite accurate! As we watched the dry stone getting bigger and casting a shadow we could tell it was going to be a nice afternoon


We set our watches to the water powered clock, 1/4 after 3, it is quite accurate too. It has the rocks to move up or down as adjusters

The ladies were seeing who could squirt the best on the pedal powered pumps

While their other halves were getting dizzy I tried this one and when I got off managed to walk sideways in to the garden And no I hadn't been

The farm dogs were all very well behaved, l wish ours were that quiet some times

Mr & Mrs Et were out for a ride on their bikes

and even though the pedals on my bike weren't working, the club sheriff couldn't catch up no matter how hard he tried

I know now what it is like to be a mouse

Pirongia Pete was hanging around on all the toys :

and demonstrating his ballet skills

He probably had a bit much ballast for balancing on the barrels. I made it a little bit further than the others, getting part way on to the second barrel before taking a roll in the sawdust.

John Wayne eat your heart out Although we were a bit worried about the ropes, and the tree for that matter

I was getting a bit tyred and needed a sit down. Bad move! Not only did it swing but it had a swivel on it as well

It was time now to leave the Hauraki Gulf side of the peninsula

and head back over the hills

to the Pacific Coast



Mercury Bay and Whitianga


Then to Hahei and our camp site.

[Shadow Catcher]

Again thanks for sharing, the beware of Crocs appeals to my sense of humor.

[Sheddie]

Again thanks for sharing, the beware of Crocs appeals to my sense of humor.

Thanks for the reply. Yes we all got a laugh from the crocs sign

[KCStudly]

Brings back great memories of traveling in your beautiful country.

Keep 'em coming!

[Sheddie]

Hi KC thanks for looking in again. There is more to go on this trip then I will be caught up for a while.
I am at present getting our Humber Super Snipe ready for the next trip at the end of April. It hasn't been on the road for a couple of years, so we took it in to town last weekend and got a Warrant Of Fitness, and now there are just a few maintenance jobs to do. I have also wired it for charging the TD battery while travelling, and at present I'm trying to sort an ongoing problem with the alternator.

[KCStudly]

You mentioned your Ferris mower. Small world. For a couple of years I worked for their sister company, Giant-Vac. We made all of the grass catcher attachment kits with deck vac units for them and some other brands (Exmark, Scagg, Dixie Chopper, etc).

[Vedette]

You guys look like you are enjoying the country!
Our travel and camping season is just beginning.
Can't wait!

[Sheddie]

Thanks Brian, we sure are. And owning a tear drop has sure added to the experience and the opportunities. I think you should enjoy the next edition of this trip. I have been putting it together today, as with a tropical cyclone passing through there isn't much else I feel like doing. It hit Vanuatu pretty bad yesterday, but has been down graded, thank goodness. But at this rate I may not be working tomorrow.

[Sheddie]

Capri Car Club Summer Camp Hahei, Coromandel Peninsular.
Waitangi Weekend 6th - 8th February 2015. (Continued)
Saturday Morning we were off to Leadfoot Ranch.
This is the home of one of NZs motor racing legends, Rod Millen. He had moved to USA in '78 to do rally races and started the automotive technology company, MillenWorks. A few years ago he moved back to NZ, to a farm property at Hahei on the Coromandel Peninsular. He decided that the long drive up the hill from the road to his house would make an ideal hill climb track and every second year holds an event for "invited friends" from New Zealand around the world to participate. The variety of vehicles competing is amazing. From vintage race cars of 1906 through to the latest technology of Rally cars and Drift cars. there are motor bikes, off roaders, historic rally cars, open wheel and saloon cars and Go Carts. Rod him self enters three different vehicles, one of his old rotary Mazda rally cars from the '70s, a Toyota Tundra stadium race truck and the Toyota Celica he used in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
It is a three day event, Fri, Sat, Sun, so the Capri Club decided to attend on the Saturday and have our cars as part of the display.

We had a good turnout by our members with over 20 Capris on display.

This one had to be the wife's favourite, it is her car after all

Vedette should know what this is.

This old British Bedford has probably changed a bit since it left the factory

A bit of polish it will be just like new
We headed over to check out the pit area just as the first group of cars paraded down the hill after their first run

1959 Gemini MK 2

1989 Gulf Almac Cobra 427R

Mazda RX 2 Coupe followed by a 1969 Lotus Cortina MK 2

1936 Ford V8 Coupe. Superb example with super charged flathead

1952 Allard K2 Sports

Zakspeed Escort Rep

1931 Riley Nine Special fitted with a Tiger Moth aero engine.

Custaxi. Historic NZ race car. Ford Customline with aerodynamic front, the 7 litre t/bird engine was set right back under the windscreen and the driver was practically in the back seat.

1947 Herrick A40 Special. It's history includes Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon

Replica Gas Station

Legendary Scottish driver Jimmy McRae in 75 Escort RS 1600

The owner of this 1935 Ford V8 Coupe has been racing it for 55 years.

The oldest car competing, a 1906 Darracq Grand Prix, was built to run in the first Grand Prix at Le Mans

Even the Go Carts were doing well. One of them had bettered Rods record time and held the lead until near the end.

Rod had all his toys spread around for inspection



A very old Mack Truck


It's not a sports car, but it is a Porsche


REO Speedwagon

Flat head V8 Ford Tractor, he has a matched pair of these

Amongst the commercial displays was a tent full of shiny new Indian Motorcycles.


During the lunch break we were entertained by a fabulous air display


The drift boys then tried their version of it.


A couple of Pommie Fords, Capri v8 and Escort


and a Ford powered Chevy, what a fabulous looking car.

Rod took the grass track over the jumps. By the end of the weekend he had set a new record for the hill climb.
This is a fantastic event and the organisation can't be faulted.