Car enthusiasts headed for Repco Beach Hop

Henry’s Rod Shop employees shut up shop every year to attend Waihi’s Warm Up Party. Pictured is Kim Mair with her beloved 1964 Ford Galaxie. Photo / Rebecca Mauger

Repco Beach Hop may be the only time Katikati residents enjoy State Highway 2 traffic rumbling through their town heading north.

It’s that time of year for the annual 1950s-1960s car and era celebration starting from Waihi to Whangamata. Yesterday was the kick-off with the Waihi Warm Up Party — the first leg of the five-day event.

Plenty of classic and hot rod cars rolled through Katikati once again yesterday, wowing bystanders, headed for Waihi.

Part of the procession heading north was a local fleet from Henry’s Rod Shop. The petrolhead employees love their classic cars and just about all of them owns a hot rod or classic car.

Every Beach Hop, the Katikati crew shut up shop, jump in their prize possessions and follow each other to the warm-up party.

They love the atmosphere, the cars and sometimes they recognise cars they’ve worked on as much of their work is on out-of-town vehicles.

Office manager Kim Mair says this will be their third year attending the party.

‘’A huge amount of people from Katikati go. You’d actually be surprised about how many cars there are hiding in garages in Katikati.’’

Among their fleet is a 1928 Ford Model A, 1936 Ford Tudor, 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle, 1979 Chevrolet Camaro, 1947 Ford Jailbar Pickup, 1964 Ford XP Panel Van, 1959 Ford Pop, 1988 Ford Falcon, 993 GMC Truck and Kim’s 1964 Ford Galaxie.

Repco Beach Hop 2022

The annual rock and roll celebration started yesterday and goes to Thames today for the Repco Power Cruise. The Castrol Edge Thundercruise to Onemana Beach follows on Friday, before the main event in Whangamata on November 26-27 for the Classic Cover Nostalgia Fair.

Then organisers will be doing it all again on March 24-26.

Graeme “Noddy” Watts decided to double-dose the beach hop twice in the space of four months after Government’s Covid-19 restrictions caused the cancellation of last year’s event.

‘’The first one is the hardest — the second will be a breeze as the plans are still fresh. We did this same thing in 2020-21 with no problem,’’ he says.