Miata Mailing List: September 1997, Message #2
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From: 	"Fletcher Blades" <fblades@fanshawe.newzealand.ncr.com>

Subject: Wow, What a club run...

Date: 	Mon, 1 Sep 1997 00:13:17 +0000



Well,



Yesterday I, and 32 other MX-5's went on one of the best club-runs, I've   

 ever been on.



The Northern chapter of the New Zealand MX-5 club had a record turn-out   

of 33 MX-5's, (normal turn-outs 10-20 cars). Considering that its still   

winter down here (although, it was a rain-less and sometimes sunny day),   

that is outstanding.



Most of us gathered in Cornwall park, Auckland at 9AM, from there we took   

the motorway south, and picked up more cars from more southerly parts   

before heading across the Hauraki plains, including some of the longest   

straight and flat roads in New Zealand, some of them a whole five miles   

or so before a bend!!!  A bit boring, but somewhat of a novelty for us   

here in this hilly-bendy country.



Then it was state-highway 25A across the back of the Coromandel ranges,   

all twisty turny stuff following river beds and up over the mountains and   

back down the other side. Lovely scenery including native bush all the   

way. Then it was down the Corromadel coast, through some (man-made)   

forests down to Whangamata, where we stopped to re-group, and allow the   

locals to admire our cars.



After a short breather, it was back in the cars for a spin further down   

the coast to Waihi. The road from  Whangamata to Waihi is the most   

twisty-turny road I've ever been on, it was custom made for MX-5's (well,   

apart from some of the corners being rutted), and were fantasic. A good   

sports-car like ours can actually catch up to a motor-bike on these roads   

because there are almost no straights, and four wheels corner faster than   

two. Some of the corners had recommended speeds as low as 20 km/h (13   

mph), and there were whole strings of left-right-left-right-lefts at 30   

km/h (19 mph).  Needless to say, an MX-5 can take these corners at double   

and sometimes triple that, but it involves a bit of four wheel drift and   

throttle steering. WAHOOO....  This is the most fun I've had on a public   

road. and all at sub-legal speeds!



When we got to Waihi, the club had arranged for us to visit Ken Hogg's   

private collection of 90 or so cars. Wow, what a collection, all sorts of   

cars, mainly British and European, ranging from the 1920's through to   

1970's with some I'd only heard of before, but never seen, like Allards   

and Bond Equipes, as well as more "common" fare as Daimlers, Rolls   

Royces, Austins and the like. Not all of the cars were in top shiney   

condition (most were), but you could see his workshop and tools where he   

restores them himself, so you knew they would look good sometime in the   

future. My favorite cars had to be the Jensen Interceptor and the   

Lamborghini Urroco.



After thanking Ken for his hospitality, we mounted up once more, and   

headed through the Karangaheke Gorge, along the path of a river cutting   

through a ravine (well, I guess that's what a gorge is, so that's   

probably redundant). This road follows the river closely, but a historic   

railway set up last century to aid the retrieval of gold from these   

parts, follows a straighter path, with tunnels blasted through rock, and   

bridges crossing the gaps, -must have been hard work doing all that with   

just a horse and cart back then. We saw the (now a tourist attraction)   

train going the other way. We waved at them, and they waved at us. There   

were a lot of smiles right then...  Once at the end of the gorge, which   

was nearly as much fun as the Whangamata-Waihi road, we stopped for a   

meal at the Ohinemuri Estate Winery and Cafe.



After a pleasant if somewhat cool afternoon in the outdoor section of the   

cafe, sampling both liquid and solid fare on offer, and discussing our   

cars and other stuff with 55 other enthusiasts, it was time to go home.   

Most headed back by the more direct route on state-highway 2 , but a few   

just had to go back the way they'd come, so tempting were the roads.



Well, home and tired, it was only 400 kilometers (250 miles) but is was   

the most fun you could possibly have in the time.



What a blast.



Fletch.



Red '90

fletcher.blades@newzealand.ncr.com

MX-5 Car Club NZ.