Nearly 80 Alfa Romeo car owners converged on Waitangi over the weekend and for the avowed Italian car enthusiasts - known collectively as Alfisti - it was the first time an annual meeting held been held in the Bay of Islands in the club's 42-year history.
Accompanying them was a cavalcade of exotic motor cars. The newest was an Alfa 4C just a year old owned by Andy Kwok from Auckland while the oldest car on tour was a 1969 Giulia Super.
Sue and Ken Carrington and Neil Miller represented the UK. The Carringtons left their Alfa 156 Sportwagon back home while on a three-week holiday but joined the Kiwi contingent for the AGM. Local AROC members were Peter and Marion Boissen from Kaeo with their Guillietta.
Another Northland connection came with a rare Alfa GT Junior formerly owned by Laurie Le Grice of Kamo but sold to John Wilson in Paraparaumu who drove it to Waitangi so Mr Le Grice could see the restoration job first-hand.
Bill Ritchie, a former Clerk of the Course at Pukekohe and a long-time Alfisti drove his 147 Twin Spark from Marton and has a 1964 Giulia Ti and a 1969 Giulia Super in the garage that he still races on occasions.
Peter Beck from Palmerston North is considered one of the longest-serving apostles of the marque in New Zealand. He came with a 1974 Alfa GTV he's owned for 33 years. He owned two other Alfas before that.
There were a number of women Alfa Romeo owners at Waitangi. Kim Parker from Auckland has a Guillietta Clover Leaf, the Alfa with the four-leaf clover (Quadrofoglia) stamped on the side that denotes the sporting models of the line-up considered "lucky" cars. Her husband drives a Jaguar and he "tagged along for the ride," she said.
Dot Louie from Auckland, one of the organisers of the AGM and a life-time member of the club, currently doesn't own an Alfa although her cousin and brother both do.
Club members took several of their classic cars on the ferry to Okiato for lunch at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel. At a Saturday night dinner in Waitangi Sharon Martin, owner of an Alfa Montreal, was appointed vice-president of the Alfa Romeo Owners' Club as Tom Bruynel from Christchurch was appointed president.