Taylor Begovich waves the start flag as Chris Westlake of Matakohe starts the 2350km Pork Pie Charity Run. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Taylor Begovich waves the start flag as Chris Westlake of Matakohe starts the 2350km Pork Pie Charity Run. Photo / Peter de Graaf
A movie which became a Kiwi classic 40 years ago is being relived as a fundraiser for a children's charity.
The 1981 movie Goodbye Pork Pie followed the misadventures of the Blondini Gang as they took a chaotic road trip from Kaitaia to Invercargill in a yellow mini.
At 7.30amon Friday, 50 Minis — ranging from 1960s originals to Mini Coopers and even a Mini truck and trailer — left Paihia on a 2350km trip retracing, more or less, the gang's tyre tracks.
Along the way they will raise money for children's charity KidsCan.
After passing through Whangārei and Auckland with a stop in Pōkeno — where the Blondini Gang first, albeit accidentally, stole petrol — the drivers and support crews spent the night in Taupō. On Saturday this weekend gone, they aimed to reach Wellington.
Allan and Mary Bull of Hamilton were the first out of the blocks at Paihia's Scenic Hotel on Friday morning. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Northlanders taking part this year include Chris Westlake of Matakohe, who has painstakingly converted his 1965 Mini into a miniature Mack truck towing a custom-built two-axle trailer.
His ''Mini Mack'' includes truck exhaust stacks, air horns, a full set of truck lights, embroidered seats and a giant toy bear as co-driver.
Westlake, a truckie by profession, said he had taken part in all seven KidsCan Pork Pie Charity Runs to date.
Chris Westlake of Matakohe gets ready to embark on the 2350km drive to Invercargill in his "Mini Mack". Photo / Peter de Graaf
Last time he ran into mechanical difficulties — partly because he was towing a trailer-load of kumara — but this year he's hoping for an incident-free drive to Invercargill.
The Mini was a fun car that made people laugh, he said.
''My mum and dad grew up with them. People tell you stories about how they learnt to drive in them, as everyone did in the 1960s and 70s, and the Mini Mack puts a smile on people's faces.''
Kevin and Keri Hollamby of Rotorua with their slightly modified 1982 Mini. Photo / Peter de Graaf
Organiser Tracey Brake said the Pork Pie Charity Run was great fun but also a test of endurance for cars and drivers.
"We've got Minis from 1964 with 850cc motors. Travelling long distances in a classic Mini is a bit like being a marble in a biscuit tin ... To get to the finish line you need a finely tuned sense of humour, a chiropractor on speed dial and an AA Plus membership — that's vital.''
As well as raising money for Kidscan the teams aimed to bring some business to towns hurting from the lack of international tourists, she said.
The other Northland teams taking part are Phil and Pamela Renouf, or Team Blondie, from One Tree Point, and Greg Moir and Kelvin Hyde, aka the Mulvaney Gang, from Kerikeri. The Mini fleet is due to arrive in Invercargill on Wednesday.
A scene from the classic 1981 movie Goodbye Pork Pie. Photo / file
KidsCan provides food, jackets, shoes and health products to children at 829 low decile schools and 110 early childhood centres across New Zealand.
The 2019 run raised more than $290,000 for the charity.
Goodbye Pork Pie, which was directed by Geoff Murphy and co-starred Whangārei lawyer Kelly Johnson, was one of New Zealand's first commercially successful movies. Along with Sleeping Dogs four year earlier it heralded the coming of age of Kiwi cinema.
