After a short discussion, it was decided that we should concentrate on our 60th anniversary which is coming up next year, 2026. A five-person committee was formed to create ideas and to get the ball rolling. Those who put their names forward wereKeithNunn,KenYoungson, Paul Herron,Paul Katon and Starr McDougall. Thanks to all of you for putting yourselves forward and we look forward to your ideas over the next few months.
We were fortunate to have Alet and Phil Gerritsen come along and talk to us about their trip, travelling by motorbike from the top of South America to the bottom. Alet gave us a great commentary, complemented with a selection of slides and videos. It was really interesting. Thank you to them both and, as Starr said, we look forward to their next trip which is already being planned.
Another season of motoring is starting shortly with the Daffodil Rally on Sunday the 24th of August. This annual run is open to everyone and is a fundraiser for cancerand is also agreat opportunityto showcaseour branch while fundraising for a cause that will have affected us all in some way. It only costs $10.00 per car and all funds raised go to local cancer support. So, tell you’re your friends to come along. Should be a great day.
Murray Proctor
Jokes from Gerry Kennedy
If you suck at playing the trumpet, that’s probably why.
What’s the difference between a buffalo and a bison? You can wash your hands in a bison.
What was Noah’s greatest mistake? Taking woodpeckers on board.
Car photos for the Clubrooms
Club Captain’s Report
It was a pleasure to be elected as Club Captain at the lastAnnual General Meeting. I hope that I can do the job as well as the members that have come before me. David has asked me to write a small article each month in The Wiper.
The first job for the year was to organise the branch events for the season. A meeting was organised with Murray P, Greg E, Keith N and Bruce P at the clubrooms to sort out the leaders and dates of the rallies or runs. Unfortunately, I had a very heavy cold so I chose not to attend. Murray P chaired the meeting and finished up with a very good programme.Abig thank you goes out to all the members that put their names down to run the events.
Just to finish off, “Who’s Alan Ritchie”?
I am 78-years-old and have lived in Gore all my life. I started in 1963 as carpentry apprentice with Gore Construction, working there for 18 years. I branched out for five years working on my own account. My next move was to go Secondary School teaching as a woodwork teacher for the next 34 years. I worked at St Peter’s College and Blue Mountain College.
I have owned four old cars:
1929 DeSoto
1952 Morris Minor
Alan Ritchie
1954 Hillman Californian
1955AustinA50 Cambridge
More Jokes from Gerry Kennedy
If it’s sent by ship, it’s a cargo
If it’s sent by road, it’s a shipment
Sign at the road works “SLOW DOWN or we’ll put the pot holes back!”
Don’t run with the bagpipes! You may get kilt.
Sent in by Bill Sheddan
From the Editor’s Keyboard
Firstly, a welcome to a new “regular” contributor. Now that the Branch once again has a Club Captain, Alan Ritchie will be keeping you all updated on developments each month.
The “Buchanans” have been busy writing, as Pauline Buchanan has provided a report on the June Tuesday Ramble to Mossburn & Lumsden and Trish Buchanan has contributed a story about the End of Season Run. To finish off the contributions, John & Katy Parish sent me a great account of their adventures getting to and from Nelson for the Alvis Club AGM, and the events associated with it.Abig “Thank you” to them all!
Your Editor has also resorted to filling up pages this month. At the time of writing, IhaveNOTHINGin handat all.Iam hoping forreportsand photos from the Annual Dinner & Prize-giving and the July Tuesday Ramble in time for the September issue and, as your Branch Delegate, I will be producing a report on theAugust Executive Committee meeting. However, stories about YOUR activities – whether that be about your cars (or other hobbies), your trips, or anything else that has interested you – is what really makes The Wiper, so PLEASE GET WRITING and send me something.
In the meantime, happy reading!
David North
Q: What's so special about the number 8,549,176,320? Answer next month
Answer to last month’s Brainteaser
Q: What runs all round a backyard, but never moves?
A: A fence.
Fun Facts
The safety razor was one of the first disposable products ever made.
The Hershey chocolate company in the USA produces 70 million Hershey Kisses a day.
Annual Trophy Winners 2024-2025
Hard Luck Trophy Greg Elder
Beginner’s Trophy Allan Young
Most Rallied Vintage John Tremaine
Most Rallied PV/PWV Ken Youngson
Most Rallied P60V Jean Smale
Best Presented Veteran/Vintage John Tremaine
Frank Robson Trophy BillAinge
Clearwater Capers Ken Youngson
Ladies Run Nancy Stronach
House Convener’s Trophy Roy Buchanan
Club Captain’s Trophy Bruce Price
McBride Pre 1945 Trophy Bryan Neilson
Scobie Commercial Trophy Bryan Neilson
Most Rallied P80 Trophy David North
Editor’s Trophy Paul Katon
Junior Reporter of the Year Certificate Ryder Cook
Congratulations to all, and thank you to Murray Proctor for the information.
[I am hoping to have photos and a report on the Dinner & Prize-giving for next month’s issue.] The Editor]
End of Season Run (1)
Sunday 15th June 2025 was a brisk sunny winter’s day, that saw 18 cars converge on the Gore VCC Clubrooms to enjoy the End of Season Run.As the hardy souls gathered the general theme of chat prior to getting our instructions from Murray Proctor was – “What is a Poker Run and how does it work?” There was a bit of nervousness amongst some as they freely admitted theyweren’t cardplayersor gamblers and hadnoideahowto play poker but, as they soon discovered, they didn’t really need any poker knowledge. It was all going to be a bit of luck with no real skill required.
Our instructions were clear – a playing card would be found at seven locations around Gore which could be identified by solving the clues provided. Once located, you then needed to fill the blank cards on the back of thecluesheet to reflect thecardsyoufound. You could solve the clues in any order you wanted to and once all cards had been recorded it was back to the Clubrooms for the “playing of the hand”.
Eighteen cars driving around Gore visiting West Gore School, Ritchies’bus depot, East Gore Model Train, Police Station, Court House, Paddy’s Bins and the seat in front of Rod Bell’s new house on River Terrace created some interest in the town – I was asked why we were all driving around Gore stopping at the same places!!!!
Dealer Murray instructing at the start
Rod’s Riverside Seat
Once back at the Clubrooms, Poker Dealer Murray advised us that out of our seven cards we could swap up to five cards from his pack to try and make the best five-card pokerhand.Aseveryonehadthesameseven cards to start with, the decision which cards to swap out and be replaced from Murray’s pack was the challenge of the day.
Player Mary trying to bribe the Dealer
Well done to Paul and Lynette Katon who managed to end up with the winning hand, a full house. With three runners-up with equal hands and only twoToblerone bars togiveout, DealerMurray decided to takethe bars home with him, so those three people remain anonymous.
A great natter and catchup, whilst enjoying liquid refreshments in the sun behind glass, concluded an enjoyable Sunday afternoon and End of Season Run. Thanks to Rod Bell for putting it all together and to Murray Proctor for running the day.
Pauline Buchanan
End of Season Run (2)
APoker Mystery
I was up against it as I know nothing about poker, don’t know Gore very well and didn’t have a navigator. Nothing for it but to hope for the best! Clue sheets were handed out as we set off, so I immediately stopped by the Parts Shed door to look at the clues. I was relieved that the seven places to collect the cards seemed pretty obvious. Unfortunately, I had no idea where threeofthemwere.Atthis stage,aStudebakerdrewupandthedriverasked me where on earth we were supposed to be going. This cheered me up a bit and, after a short discussion about the clues, we went our separate ways.
Naturally, I started with the places I knew and before too long I had “collected” four cards from River Terrace, the Hamilton Park railway station, the Court House and the Police Station.
Just the three “mystery” locations to find. One was West Gore School, so I scouted around in what I thought was West Gore, but to no avail. I then tried the industrial area off Charlton Road, thinking that Paddy’s Bins or the Ritchies Depot might be there, but, again, no luck.
Time was running out so I needed a new plan and had another look at the instructions. Hmm, “Electronic devices can be used in navigating...”
I don’t have a smartphone, but, much to my relief, the library was open and in almost no time at all Dr Google had told me where the other three cards could be found. There was now no time to lose, so off I set for the nearest one, West Gore School.
(L-R) Hamilton Park, Court House and Police Station
West Gore School
I also (just!) managed to get to the Ritchies Depot:
before Murray Proctor phoned, asking if I was on my way back.
Oh well, I was now!
Of course, I was the last back to the Clubrooms and I was not at all surprised to find that, even after exchanging three cards, I didn’t have the winning hand!
Well done to the winners, Lynette & Paul Katon (left), and to the other participants who all did far better than me in finding their way around Gore.
Many thanks to Rod Bell for dreaming up the Run (with no gravel and no mistakes in thedirections!)andto MurrayProctorforrunningtheafternoon with great efficiency and humour.
Despite my various handicaps - and my failure to complete the challengeit was a very enjoyable trip around Gore on a beautiful sunny day.
David North
Jokes from the Editor
I have a pet tree. It's a lot like having a pet dog but the bark is much quieter.
Why was the robot so tired after his road trip? He had a hard drive.
In New Zealand History This Month
11 August 1962
Picton ferry Aramoana enters service
Aramoana in rough seas, 1964 (Alexander Turnbull Library) Few ships have had as much impact on New Zealand history as the Aramoana, the country’s first roll-on roll-off ferry, which entered service between Wellington and Picton in 1962. Cars and rail-freight wagons could now readily cross Cook Strait and be driven on and off the ferry at each end of the voyage.
The GMV (‘government motor vessel’) Aramoana was the poster child for the Railways Department’s new Cook Strait ferry service. Its influence was immediate. In its last year of service, the Union Steam Ship Company’s former Wellington–Picton ferry Tamahine had carried 60,000 passengers, 11,000 cars and 14,000 tonnes of cargo. In its first year, the Aramoana carried 207,000 passengers, 46,000 cars and 181,000 tonnes of cargo.
Since the 1960s, five other Cook Strait ferries have carried the ‘Ara’ prefix: Aranui, Arahanga, Aratika, Arahura and Aratere. For more than half a century these ships – and more recent successors and competitors – have formed a ‘floating bridge’, linking the North and South Islands’ road and rail networks in a truly national transport system.
It was a cold and frosty mid-winter day when 12 cars left the Clubrooms at two-minute intervals for our Tuesday Ramble to the Railway Hotel in Mossburn.
Cars at the Railway Hotel
We were warmly welcomed by the new owners and a lovely log-burner fire. After ordering our drinks, we made our way into the restaurant and selected our meals from the menu.
The choices were excellent, and everyone seemed to enjoy what they ordered.
After lunch and a chat among ourselves, we headed back to Lumsden to visit the historic railway station and view the trains.
The station was fascinating, and we also enjoyed looking around the craft shop (Five Finger Crafts) at the far end.
We all had a good look around, and as the temperature began to drop, we made our way back to Gore.
Gerry at Lumsden Station
It was a great day out, many thanks to Gerry Kennedy for organising it.
Trish Buchanan
Tuesday Ramble
26th August
11.00 am: meet at Clubrooms
11.30 am: depart for Southern Field Days building, Waimumu BYO lunch, tea & coffee supplied
Judy McNab is organising – be in for a surprise!
(If you wenton the Tuesday Ramble to Balclutha you will know what Judy can do!)
Numbers before 23rd August
Contact Gerry 027 233 4634
Sunday 14th September
Seen on the Grey Power Southland Facebook page
Gore Branch Events for the 2025-26 Season
Event Date Organiser(s)
Daffodil Rally for Cancer
Opening Run
P60 Run
Sunday 24th August Denis Knight
Sunday 14th September Murray Proctor
Sunday 5th October Bruce Price
Ladies Run Sunday 9th November Nancy Stronach
Josephville Hill Climb
Christmas Run
Picnic Run
Festival Rally
March Run
Swap Meet
Frank Robson
Memorial Run & Clearwater Capers
Night Trial
End of Season Run
Tuesday Ramble
Sunday 30th November Evan Henderson
Sunday 7th December Bruce Price
2026
Sunday 18th January Keith Nunn
Saturday 28th February Katy Parish
Sunday 8th March Alan Ritchie
Sunday 15th March Katherine Welsh
Sunday 5th April Greg Elder
Sunday 10th May Keith Nunn
Sunday 14th June Murray Proctor
Last Tuesday of the month (except December) Co-ordinated by Gerry Kennedy
Editor's note to event organisers
If you want to see a report in The Wiper please provide one yourselves or organise somebody to do it for you. (N.B. This works best if you ask them before the event!)
9th August
24th August
13th September
27th September
3rd – 5th October
4th October
10th –12th October
25th – 27th October
15th November
16th November
22nd November
31st January – 1st February
5th – 7th February
15th – 21st March
9th May
VCCAGM,Ascot Park Hotel, Invercargill
Daffodil Rally for Cancer – national event
DunedinAutospectacular
Alexandra Blossom Festival Rally
Central Otago Branch
Otago Branch, 53rd Dunvegan Motorcycle Rally
Southland Branch, Post-Vintage & Post-War Rally
Canterbury Branch Swap Meet & Display
South Canterbury Branch, Mt. Cook Rally
MMXXV RallyeAutomobileAncienne Monte Carlo, Banks Peninsula Branch https://www.bpvcc.org.nz/
Southland Branch, Swap-meet & Open Day
Arrowtown Rally 2026
Edendale Crank Up
South Canterbury Branch celebrates 120 years of the first car to Mount Cook
Vero International Festival of Historic Motoring, Nelson
Nelson Branch Swap Meet
Thought for the Day…
“Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.” — George Carlin
In Welsh History This Month
8th August 1958
The Lone Ranger, actor Clayton Moore, visited James Howell's store during his visit to Cardiff, attracting thousands, stopping traffic. and bringing chaos.
For fans of “Where's Wally” books, you can find Clayton Moore in his hat in this photo.
Adapted from https://www.facebook.com/TheHistoryOfWales/
Sent in by Donna North
July Meeting Night Talk
The pale text on Alet’s title slide (above) reads: 6 countries | 15 000km | 62 days | 100% Fun
Star McDougall had arranged for Phil & Alet Gerritsen to give us a talk about their motorcycle tour of South America. Phil was quite happy to sit with the audience and then to chat afterwards, while Alet gave us a fascinating account of their travels, accompanied by a selection of the vast number of photos and videos they took during the trip.
Alet began by setting the scene. They are dairy farmers, working on the farm for 10 months of the year and holidaying for the other two. They both lovemotorcycling and havebeenonmanyepicmotorcycletours,this being their latest. Their aim is to visit every continent on earth and they have almost achieved that, just Antarctica to go! Having said that, next year’s trip being planned is Malta to Norway.
For big tours such as this, Alet said that planning is key – and planning to your interests - since there is so much to see. For this trip they went with Motodreamer, a company that specialises in motorcycle tours, so much of the organisation was handled for them. Looking at the photos and listening to Alet, it soon became clear that it was still a major undertaking. She recommended GigSky as an affordable mobile data plan for such travels and the Relive app as a way of keeping track of where you have been. She also mentionedAI earbuds that give real time language translation but that, unfortunately, they were left at home!
One thingAlet said about motorbike riding struck me: “You are at one with the bike. But if you fall, you die.” It seemed a good reason not to do it!
I didn’t manage to take notes of the whole of Alet’s talk, so, instead, here are links to some of the many highlights that they saw and places that they visited during their journey from the top to the bottom of SouthAmerica.
The part of the trip covering Chile andArgentina was particularly eventful astheroadcriss-crossedtheAndes– andthereforetheborder–manytimes, each with its own delays and idiosyncrasies and Alet belly-boarding down huge sand dunes in theAtacama Desert made for some impressive video!
and videos (including some fromAlet & Phil): https://www.youtube.com/@MotoDreamer/videos
GigSky:
https://www.gigsky.com/
Relive:
https://www.relive.com/
A big “Thank you” to Star for arranging the talk but most especially to Alet and Phil for the amazing story, photos and videos. If you weren’t there on the night you missed a real treat!
David North
REMINDERS
FOR SALE & WANTED ADVERTISEMENTS ARE FREE to Club members. Advertisements will be published in three consecutive issues. Please contact the Editor.
The Branch receives commission if you insure your vehicle(s), boat(s), house(s), contents or travel with Vero Insurance and quote the Branch number (300135).
https://vcc.org.nz/vero-vcc-insurance-scheme/
Gore Branch VCC name badges: are available to order by contacting the Branch Chairman (cellphone 027 649 1377).
N.B. If you’re not wearing one at a meeting you will attract the Sheriff’s attention and are likely to be fined!
You are very welcome to come on Branch runs in your modern.
Join the VCC online at https://vcc.org.nz/how-to-join/
Both Bluebridge and Interislander Ferries offer discounts to VCC members: https://vcc.org.nz/membership-benefits/
To Let: the Gore Branch Clubrooms are available to VCC members for personal functions at very reasonable cost.
Newsletters from other Branches are posted on the VCC Website each month. Go to: https://vcc.org.nz/news-from-our-branches/
They are also sent to each Branch by email and can be obtained on request from the Secretary or the Editor.
GORE BRANCH BANK ACCOUNT NUMBER
What We Did on Our Holidays
Our trip to the 2025Alvis Car ClubAGM in Napier
by John Parish
John & Katy in the TB21 outside the Crab Farm Winery (photo by Al Dray)
We decided to bring theTB21 as Napier is a long way from Gore (1,171km according to Google) and the TB21 is a bit quicker than our 3½ litre. The first leg was to our daughter in Christchurch, 520km from home. We were all packed up and ready to go so after dropping the dogs at the kennels we were on the road by 9.00am. The weather forecast was not great but we started with the hood down. I had checked the car over and it was running well until nearing Oamaru while passing a truck on a passing lane it spluttered a little.This became worse and we ended up stopping on the side of the road. I thought we might be out of fuel but shouldn’t be. I put the spare can of fuel we had in the boot in the tank and we tried again. The car would run a short distance and then stop. We managed to get to Maheno and filled up with fuel but by the amount it had taken it still had plenty in the tank before filling. The garage at Maheno just sells fuel so has no workshop. Katy got us some lunch and I got under the bonnet to see what the issue was. The plastic fuel filter was full of crap and we didn’t have a spare. I took it off and flushed it out a few times which allowed us to get to Oamaru and buy three replacements. We were not going to be caught out without a spare if the replacement got blocked. It had started to rain so we put the roof up and carried on to Christchurch.
The next day we were to drive to Picton and catch the 2.00pm Bluebridge Ferry. Google told us it was 337km and would take 4hrs 45 mins, but that is in a modern car. We had to be there for latest check in by 1.00pm. Given the drama of the previous day, we decided to leave Christchurch as close to 7.00am as possible. We were away at 7.15am with the roof still up in light rain.The car went well andwetoppedup with fuel inKaikoura,with coffee for us and petrol for the car.We arrived in Picton at midday so 4hrs 45mins, thank you Google. We parked in the main street and because of the weather bomb predicted got some sea legs tablets. We also found a café for lunch and relaxed before heading to the ferry. The crossing was flat so the sea legs tablets we had taken were not required. While on the ferry Katy got a text from Alvis club member Stephen Kos who, while wandering around Picton before starting a tramp on the Queen Charlot track, had spotted a TB21 and wondered if it was us. What a shame to have missed him and Jocelyn but we wished them well for the tramp and said we were off to Napier to theAGM.As we approached the North Island we went outside to watch Wellington come into view and were treated to a pod of dolphins doing acrobatics around the ship. There were four to start with and then they were everywhere. The pod must have been at least 50 in size. What a treat! After unloading from the ferry, we battled the Wellington traffic to our accommodation in Lower Hutt then walked down the street to find something to eat.
It rained all night and was still raining when we were ready to leave for the final hop to Napier via the Remutaka Hill and the Wairarapa, 314km. We got away at 8.15am in terrible conditions but at least most of the traffic was going the other way. The weather was forecast to improve which it did slowly.Westoppedat Cartertontorefuel andcheckthetyrepressures.Then carried on as far as Eketahuna for morning tea at The Lazy Graze café which is the only café in Eketahuna. It was very good even though my date scone became a savoury muffin.We got chatting to the guy at the next table who looked like a farmer about how their season was going. His name was Graham and he asked what we were doing. When we told him we were driving an old car from Gore to Napier for a car club AGM he said he had met an old school mate a couple of weeks prior who was driving an old car. His name was Barry Hoffman and did we happen to know him? Needless to say, the conversation went on for some time and none of Barry’s secrets will be disclosed here. We carried on and the weather did improve so we
stopped at Waipukurau for some lunch and put the hood down. Napier was only 70km away and we arrived at the East Pier Hotel about 2pm to find lots ofAlvis cars in the car park.
That evening at registration it was great to catch up with Alvis folk over drinks andnibbles. Itwas also goodto meet non-memberDavid Mackersey who now owns the Speed 25 Charlesworth saloon owned and restored by Bob Curry and Jill Grierson, then owned by John & Kate Welch. David lives in Napier, in fact only a short distance from our hotel and it was good of him to bring the car and visit. I hope he considers joining theAlvis Club.
Saturday morning was the rally so we assembled in the car park at 8.30am for the briefing only to be told that Michael Lavender had been in an accident the previous afternoon in Woodville where his daughter Rochelle had been fatally injured and that Michael was in critical condition at Palmerston North Hospital.We gathered together in prayer for Michael and the wider Lavender family.
The rally briefing over we headed off to visit The Puketapu Hotel for morning tea. The hotel sits above the road but in Cyclone Gabriel it still got over a metre of water through the building. You wouldn’t know it now but it has been a long road back.
Outside the hotel
We then continued on to the Lemmon Museum. This was started by the current owner’s father in an old chicken shed and by all accounts the chickens had not all vacated the premises.
Thecurrent location is up averysteepdrivewaythat challengeda fewAlvis cars particularly when someone stopped half way up.
In the car park outside the Lemmon Museum
The museum is immaculate and not only was the current owner’s father a collector but his grandfather was as well. There are two buildings but only one is open, the other is described as a work in progress. The middle of the building has cars and motorcycles including a Rolls-Royce Ghost and sixcylinder Napier, both having been purchased by the grandfather.
Inside the Museum
All around the outside are rooms with different types of collectables, all numbered with an index of what they are. There are clocks, telephones, household items, clothing, hunting traps, sawmilling items, blacksmithing
tools, brass lamps and the list goes on. This would be the best laid out and catalogued private collection I have ever seen.
The Museum’s Napier 40/50 (centre) and Rolls-Royce 40/50 Silver Ghost
We moved on from here to the Esk Valley which was also badly flooded in Gabriel for lunch at the Crab Farm Winery where we were escorted to the tree house. Lunch was shared platters full of all sorts of delicious taste sensations. Following lunch and some wine purchases it was back to the Hotel for the AGM. The AGM was an AGM, including some vigorous discussion on the Club’s constitution as circulated to members. This was duly put to the meeting as a notice of motion and passed with only one against. It can now be sent to the Incorporated Societies for registration and compliance with the 2022Act.
After freshening up it was down to the hotel’s Breakwater Room for a lovelymeal and moregettingto knowpeople.On Sundaymorning wewere to meet in the carpark at 9am to head to a car show in Hastings, departing at 9.30am. I think most people remembered to put their clocks back an hour
(left)
overnight but there was a fair bit of car cleaning going on quite early when Katy and I went for a walk along the waterfront. On our return we joined in the cleaning and were good to go at the appointed time.
Hawkes Bay Car Show
Iam not agreat fan ofcar showsas they areoftenhardto get intoand worse to get out of. I also don’t see why I should pay more to put a car in the show for other people to look at than they pay. Anyway, we went and the clutch was complaining and smoking by the time we parked up and there were lots of cars on display.
The first person we met was our member Bill Inglis from Napier who we have not seen for a number of years. Bill has not changed, looks just the same and still has a wonderful sense of humour.
It was great to catch up and hear what he has been up to. We really enjoyed the Farmers’Market next door and it was a lovely day weather-wise. When weentered thecarshowweweregivenaslipofpaperthatsaid nodeparting before 2pm. By 1pm cars were leaving so we did as well as we didn’t want to be in a big queue trying to get out onto the main road.
Once back at the hotel we had time to relax before the gymkhana which was going to be held in the car park. For some reason the car park was quite fullsoweaskedifwecouldgoonthegrassinfront oftheunits.Noproblem – which was typical of the service at the hotel. They were great and it was a very good choice of venue. The field tests were short and sweet which gave time for a lie down before the final dinner and prize giving.
The gymkhana
The final dinner and prize-giving was once again in the hotel’s Breakwater Room. It is amazing how much noise a small group of people can make. The meal was excellent, the trophies were awarded and some cards to Michael Lavender & family were signed. By now Michael had been moved to Wellington hospital but was still in intensive care. Goodbyes were said in case we missed people in the morning and see you next year in Nelson.
Katy andIhad decidedtodotheGentleAnnieRoadfrom NapiertoTaihape as we had not been over this before. We were joined by Barry & Vivienne Hoffman in their 12/50 and John & Wendy Martin in theirTA21 Drophead.
Once out of Napier the road was relatively gentle but going into the Ruahine Forest Park it had some very steep climbs and downward slopes. It is all sealed road and is a reasonably good surface but you are working for quite a long time. Barry led the way and set the pace which was good and I hope he wasn’t pushing the wee car. Once across the Taihape side the Hoffmans turned right to Taupo and we headed to Taihape for lunch.
On the Gentle Annie Road: (L-R) John & Wendy Martin's TA21 DHC, the TB21 and Barry & Vivianne Hoffman's 12/50
John and Wendy Martin were going to Donald andAnne Schnell’s property near Fielding to look at a car the club has stored there and for afternoon tea and we were invited to tag along. Beryl Maglis and Shirley Harris also turned up so we had a lovely visit. Donald and Anne have retired from farming to a lovely lifestyle block with a modern home and substantial sheds so are very well setup. We were introduced to their two Valais Blacknose sheep which have big handlebar horns and are very popular pets in the USA. Google them to find out more.
We then travelled down to Palmerston North where Stuart and Valda Lind hadoffered us abedforthenight.NewZealandis asmall placeandStuart’s cousinAlan was my best man when Katy and I were married 41 years ago. That evening was apost-AGM gatheringfor atake-away meal at Stuart and Valda’s house. We had the: Linds, Martins, Parishes, Schnells and Beryl & Shirley. It’s funnybutAlvis peoplejust don’t run out ofthings to talkabout.
The next morning Katy and I had to head to Wellington to catch the 1pm Bluebridge Ferry and the weather was foul. It was wet and windy when we
said goodbye and thanked Stuart & Valda and the wind got stronger. We followed Stuart’s suggested route and got to SH1 just south of Levin where there was no traffic! We headed south and avoided Transmission Gully, finally stopping in Plimmerton for a coffee where we found out there had been atornado in Levin thatmorning and SH1had been closed for aperiod. We continued on to Wellington and parked up in the queue for the Bluebridge ferry with plenty of time to spare. While waiting we could hear sheep bleating so went to investigate. Parked two lanes over was a Ute with a big covered trailer. The sheep were Valais Blacknose, the same breed Donald & Anne had. The couple were retired farmers from Rangiora and they were collecting the sheep that had been having embryos harvested. Some of the sheep had lambs so they couldn’t go on a stock truck and they said it was gentler for them to do it anyway. They had some 3-day-old lambsandyoucanseewhypeoplewantthemaspets.TheA-gradeembryos get sent to the USA and they get up to $5,000 per embryo. We have the wrong sheep!!
Even though it was still blowing hard the crossing was pretty flat as there was very little swell.We sat on the ferry withAsh &Audrey McKenzie and Ash had some more updates on Michael Lavender.At that time, he had had threeoperationstostabilisehis brokenribs andtherewereotherbreaksthey had yet to deal with. On the way across Ash got a text to say Michael was being flown to Christchurch by air ambulance so his condition had improved.
We spent the night in Blenheim and were able to put the roof down in the morning for the drive to Christchurch. Our drive down the Kaikoura coast was wonderful with very little traffic and amazing views. We spent the afternoon with our daughter and went to visit Katy’s 92-year-old mother who is in a retirement home. The next morning, we were on the road at 8.30am for the final push home to Gore. We stopped at Oamaru for lunch and to refuel. The trip was uneventful and we arrived home at 4pm tired but happy to be home. The journey south worked out at 1,289km so in total, excluding the weekend travel, we covered 2,460km. Well done little TB21Alvis!
Can be viewed by contacting Garry Mulqueen on 03 208 9232 1/3 FOR SALE
1978 Triumph 2.5 S
Manual with overdrive
180,000 Km (increasing slowly as being used occasionally)
3 owners
10 years’use for VCC runs
Current Rego and WOF on sale
Very tidy condition
$8,500
6-cylinder, 4-litre, manual gearbox, 4-door sedan. Current WOF & Rego. 125,000 miles. Interior: walnut dashboard & leather seating original. Restored in ex condition through 1996. Good history kept over the years of service. Many spare parts available. Located in Gore, Southland. $40,000 ono.
Some More Jokes from Gerry Kennedy
This morning, I saw an envelope on my doorstep with “DO NOT BEND” on it. I stood there for ages trying to figure out how to pick it up.
I ordered a chicken and an egg off the internet to see which would come first.
Local man addicted to brake fluid says he can stop anytime he likes!
I was able to swim with the whales for free but to swim with sharks could cost me an arm and a leg!
I hate it when I see some old person then realise we went to High School together.
Did you hear about the bloke who bought a dog from a blacksmith? As soon as he got it home, it made a bolt for the door.
Sign at garage – “If we can’t fix your brakes, we’ll make your horn louder.”
Run reports, articles of interest, photos, technical tips, letters and feedback are always welcome.
The Wiper is usually distributed on or around the last Tuesday of each month
Please send all contributions to David North before the 3rd Wednesday of each month for inclusion in the next issue of The Wiper
If you don't have a computer, I can get a hand-written article typed up or put your notes or jottings into shape for The Wiper. If you prefer, I can even take notes as you talk to me and write up the story for you - I am always ready to help so just let me know how!
e-mail: northd14@gmail.com
physical and mail: 4 Trotter Street, Riverton 9822
telephone (mobile) 021 172 3281
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The opinions and statements in The Wiper are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy or views of the Gore Branch or of the VCC. The Branch accepts no responsibility for the accuracy of any statements. The Wiper is printed by I-Cue 10 Wood Street, Invercargill Telephone (03) 218 3350
