South Island New Zealand road tour with Beach Hop's Noddy Watts

ON TOUR: The inaugural Backyard Tour of the lower South Island with Noddy and Andrea. Photo / Supplied

From the Mother Road to the Mother Land, Noddy Watts used 2020 as the driver to finally explore his own backyard.

Reinvention was the theme for many in 2020.

Beach Hop president Noddy and partner Andrea Ross did just that with their business Kiwis on Route 66.

"Man what a rollercoaster," Noddy says from the Whangamata home he managed to secure in 2019, prior to his last tour to America where his business was focused.

When in Whangamata, Noddy leads his team of volunteers for the annual Repco Beach Hop which drew record crowds this November of 110,000 people.

The event will go ahead again in March 2020, which is the traditional date for the five-day festival of American classic cars and 50s and 60s rock 'n roll dance and culture.

Outside of the weeks at home, Noddy and Andrea travel to America and recently, Canada, with their tour company.

New Zealand car enthusiasts are led around the sleepy back roads and 'real America' on the famous Route 66, USA, and by last year had completed their 22nd tour.

Tour-goers like Mark Jones, owner of Marjo Pizza in Whangamata, loved it so much he got a tattoo.

It proved Noddy is not exaggerating when he says the trip is life changing for the bonds that are formed among participants.

"In America you can drive fast, essentials like gas, beer and food are cheaper and there's the wide open spaces," Noddy says of the different experience available to him as a tour operator on the famous mother road.

Being forced to stay in one country was not just a lifestyle change for Noddy and Andrea.

"Gypsies," he offers as the description of his way of life.

But it could have effectively destroyed his business.

"Like a lot of businesses we had to diversify," he says.

"Over the years, Americans have wanted us to do a tour in New Zealand for them."

So 2020 became the year for the couple to get in their Ford and drive the back roads of New Zealand, discovering the hidden characters and must-stop photo opportunities for a tour around our own backyard.

Unfortunately he had to cancel the North Island tour that was planned as the country went into level 3 lockdown.

But the reccie that the couple did around the South Island - captured on their Facebook page - left devotees liking and commenting in envy.

A tour followed, with participants guided for 18 days and nights with very little rain and a mild winter.

"We ticked off a lot of bucket list stuff for Kiwis. We had eight people from the South Island and they said some things they've driven past and just never stopped, and they went 'wow'.

"It sounds selfish but we got this country all to ourselves," says Noddy. "Stewart Island was a real highlight, and the roads down south were awesome, stunning scenery. We drove south from Christchurch, and every highway is an adventure.

"One of the biggest kicks we get out of it is the relationships. Friendships are developed on tour in America happened here as well.

"We thought that sort of thing happened because we were in a different country but the same thing happened here, which is really cool."

Another highlight was a fancy dress dinner at Larnach Castle in Dunedin, seeing the Milford Sound on the Riki Tour and visiting the Royal Albatross Centre.

Andrea took a flight in a Tiger Moth out of Gore, complete with aerobatic spins, and their sponsored V8 Ford Mustang handled the 2500km like a dream.

The couple are focused on recuperating now as their volunteer team prepares for March 25-29 when the Repco Beach Hop 21 brings the fun back to town once again.

- For information on the tour visit the Facebook page Kiwis on Tour.