Repco Beach Hop: Police hit the street in their undies for Waihī Warm Up party

Police jumped at the last moment to beef out the numbers at the Undie 500 relay. Photo / Francine Miller

Police made an addition to their uniform at the Waihī Warm Up Party last week.

Police officers from Paeroa and Thames jumped in and saved the day when organisers called for more eager participants in the Mitre 10 Undie 500 relay race at Wednesday's rock and roll festival.

The officers happily volunteered and donned the leopard skin-print undies required for the task and belted along Seddon St with two other teams in drag and various costumes.

Go Waihi introduced the Undie 500 relay last year — a relay race involving a rapid undie change at each end of the race. Anyone could dress up and enter in teams of three.

This was the 21st birthday celebration for Repco Beach Hop and organisers were keen to run the hop event again — wanting to stick to the date of the last weekend in March — hot on the heels of November's event.

The Warm Up Party was the first leg of the five-event festival which continues in Whangamatā and headed up to Thames today.

Go Waihi turned on a great day showcasing the town to its Beach Hop visitors.

Go Waihi's Greg Whyte says they were ''very pleased with the way the day turned out as our plans came to fruition.

''It was like a big jigsaw with lots of pieces, hoping they would all mesh together on the day - and luckily they did. The ambience around town was amazing - a great vibe."

The day started around 10am with classic cars and hot rods rolling into town to park up along Seddon St.

Petrolheads were welcomed with an impressive kapa haka performance by local schools, headed by Waihī East School.

Around midday, the Mitre 10 Undie 500 was held followed by the fashion show.
Among the visitors was Diane Kruse, who divides her time between Whangamatā and Texas.

''I come over every six months of the year to spend time with my grandchildren. We coincide it with Beach Hop and I've been coming here for the past eight seasons. I wouldn't miss it.''

Because of Covid-19 they were able to stay on in New Zealand longer.

Festival favourites John and Coral Harwood and Brian and Colleen Pascoe from Hawke's Bay also attended the Warm Up Party in their 1956 pink Cadillac. The four are regulars to the festival and are known for their different costume changes every day.

This year they went for a Grease theme. Waihī's get-up was the Rydell High cheerleaders from Grease with John and Brian playing Danny and Kenickie.

Local Dar Palmer combined her love of fashion-making with a fundraiser at the Warm Up Party. She donned her ''Dotty'' outfit (head to toe in pom poms) she'd made herself. She was raising money for Waihī Towncats.