Saturday - Monday, 23-25 October, 2010 - NZ Classic Scooter Club Labour Weekend Rally, nr Inglewood, Taranaki.

Anyone interested in riding down Friday, return on Monday?

I am dead keen to ride down to the rally via Taumarunui, the forgotten highway past Whangamomona, Stratford then Inglewood.
Am considering staying at Taumarunui on friday night but nothing set in stone. Keen to hear from anyone that wants to join the ride there.
Club Chairman 2008/2010

It would be nice to have a break, and so enjoy the second stage. I might do the trip back in two stages also, come back up the west coast. I'm planning on riding Cygnus #3 (the one with the good carb but the not-so-great big end bearings) and will upgrade my AA membership before setting off!

 To find out more about the rally, click this link and see previous rallys. You can also subscribe for rally updates

  The New Zealand Classic Scooter Club

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 So who is keen to ride there?  A group will be riding there on friday 22nd. Keeping off the main highways where ever possable.Staying at Taumarunui that night then down the forgotten highway on Sat.

The more the better

Club Chairman 2008/2010

living in new plymouth, can we riding out each day?

anyone else in the same situation?

buy a better scooter, and, ride back through the coast from awakino to raglan - 70km of gravel i think, taking you along the most stunning coastline around - rugged

I think the Yamaha has better than an even chance of making it, it's only 26 years old, and yes, that's the route back I'm intending to take. Thanks for the recommendation. Gravel no probs.

i'm hoping to get along but will miss the cosatal ride home :-(. I'll have to have an early start and take a direct route on monday as work requires me to be at a labour day picnic in te aroha at 11
vespa gts 250 gordonton

you could stop and see my Uncle Mick at Marokopa for whitebait fritters and some stories - that guy is a legend - has stories that would make the hairs on your toes fall out.
The New Plymouth VW club organised a kombi rally at marokopa years ago. We lit up the night sky with four post war vw crankcases. you could see the white light arcing off the hills miles away - the sand on the beach was turned to glass and we melted a hole to the centre of the earth. haha
Anyway, the Naki VW boys said the road from Awakino to 'Kopa was cool in a million switch backs kinda way. My mate Tony had a vw offroader on an A Frame behind his two litre kombi and he had the buggy drifting around the corners!
The road from Marokopa back in to Waitomo is wicked. That weekend i had taken my '57 Lambretta, and rode it from 'Kopa back to Otorohanga via the Waitomo Valley road - they are minter scooter roads and i wasted the people cog swapping in old german steel on a 40 year old three speed 150cc Lambretta (their steel was probably 20 years younger)
I cant speak for the road (and i assume you are turning off toward Kawhia at Te Anga part way along?) but i am sure each part of the journey will have its challenges, let alone a lack of fuel.
Hey Uncle Mick might be able to sell you some gas at Marokopa?!
So, tripping around the Kawhia Harbour and then heading on to Ruapuke and Raglan?
The roads from Ruapuke to Ragtown are extreme. Well at least they were in a '70 kombi van when you are cog swapping around hairpin bends on gravel....a cliff on one side and a bank on the other. There are no armco barriers, just a cliff thats probably 200 metres high above the Tasman, if you squint you can see whales.
Hey don't stay in Ruapuke on your own, i have had my own strange experiences there and there have been some tragedies. Its an odd place and i am sure the hills have eyes. Just roll on to Ragtown, its not that much further.

Take lots of photos, you need a camera on your helmet and a trigger on your handle bar - the stops would be briefer and no one wants a photo from where you stopped for a pee. haha

Save travels Ritchie, its a monumental challenge, good luck

Is a nice place, got a camp and a marae.

I think its the seaside place for Otorohonga people, like Raglan is to Hamiltonians.

As Matt said take a gas can.

with the faint sound of a lone bango in the background only just dominating sound of some tired main bearings and a flapping fluro jacket....

http://www.wavsource.com/snds_2010-09-12_7117402747540609/movies/deliverance/duel_y.wav

http://www.wavsource.com/snds_2010-09-12_7117402747540609/movies/deliverance/fun.wav

http://www.wavsource.com/snds_2010-09-12_7117402747540609/movies/deliverance/dont_come_back_x.wav

Sounds like a great trip though.

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Stuart- known as J.W.C

One week and counting!
Thanks heaps to all those who have registered already – nudging 50 at the mo! So if you’re thinking of coming can you please let me know no later than Sunday evening as I need to give caterers a fairly accurate idea of numbers first thing Monday – we don’t mind a few unannounced arrivals but the main thing is we don’t want to run out of food!
Even if you can’t get a form in please call or text me on 027 322 0449 or email nzclassicscooter@gmail.com or thornton.peck@gmail.com to let me know, and while you’re at it please let me know if you’re interested in the tour at Mike’s Organic Brewery ($10 per person payable at Mike’s).
So that’s the pleading part done, now for more info. One important thing that I have to admit I missed from the registration form – make sure you bring your own bedding. This is for all dorms and cabins. Apologies for missing that.
For the BYO parts fair Sunday night – one scooter shop will be bringing some merchandising items and Yuri will have t-shirts, stickers and maybe more. Beyond that the event relies on you all – please bring as much as you can, whether it’s parts, tires, consumables, your whole scoot or anything else scooter related. If it’s too big bring pictures.
And of course the opposite side to that is to bring some cash to buy some chrome to get you home. Or maybe a clutch depending on what ‘s for sale.
And prizes – have I mentioned prizes before now? Thanks to Goetz from Scooter e Motion in Auckland and Mark from Oxygen Surf shop in New Plymouth for their generous donation of prizes. Please remember to support those businesses that have supported the rally.
There will be prize categories for;

· People’s Choice Best Vespa
· Best Lambretta Best Old-timer
· Best Un-restored Best Indian scoot
· Best Rat (scuffy looking, maybe with hot motor) Best PX model Vespa
· Best ‘other’ make Best Scooter-girl
· Furthest travelled (remember to bring your petrol receipts) Best hard luck story

Who gets a prize will be decided purely by your votes. Saturday night we’d like as many scoots as possible in the rec hall (please bring newspaper or something to soak up oil drips) so people can have a look at them all and think about voting. You will get a voting slip in your rally pack, and votes can be made up to the start of dinner on Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m. Don’t forget there may be some day trippers on Sunday you can vote for as well.
There’s a third BYO to mention as well – BYO drinks. It’s fairly obvious but you will need to bring your own liquid entertainment, although there will be coffee and tea available pretty much all the time.
Please pass this on to as many people as you can and come ready for a weekend with plenty on as well as time to have a laugh and catch up with people you haven’t seen since the last time.
Remember, race tape and a hammer will fix almost any break-down, and as always please contact me if you have any questions.
See you next week, Cheers,
Thornton

Mobile 027 322 0449
Phone (04) 586 6616
Fax (04) 586 6161

We still got a couple of beds available in the cabin in Kawhia on Friday night, if anyone wants to join us on the ride down, see the 'Riding to Inglewood' thread.

 Getting close to the pointy end of the rally – there’s now over 50 registered!
Latest addition to rally events!!
I’ve just finished talking to Jake of the Retro Rockers - www.retro-rockers.co.nz - and we’re now going to meet up with them, Mods & Rockers style. This will be after Sunday lunch, 2 p.m. at the Waitara Go Kart Club in Joll St. We were going to stop at the scooter racing anyway, and now there is the chance you could win one of five awards courtesy of the Retro Rockers.
Retro Rockers have arranged the Tim Chadwick Memorial Trophy in honour of Tim, local New Plymouth scooterist, artist & author, who died in a car accident in March 2010. The trophy for Best Mod Scooter will be awarded by Tim’s children (and the same for best chopper), with 2nd & 3rd place getting a Retro Rockers authorised certificate. There will also be an award for Best Dressed Mod & Best Dressed Modette.
It’s great that we have been able to arrange a chance to meet with and support Retro Rockers with this memorial event, and it’s also their 10th birthday.

Directions
In case you’re not too sure how to get to Vertical Horizon here is a link to their website:
http://www.verticalhorizon.co.nz/contact.html
and a Google map:
http://maps.google.co.nz/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112102326367566638026.000492dcd38e17e902df4&ll=-39.1684,174.25827&spn=0.359869,0.738831&z=11

Other important stuff
· $$$$ If you haven’t paid by bank transfer by Friday please pay in cash at the venue. Unfortunately we can’t accept cheques on the day because we have to pay for all participants before we leave on Monday, and cheques won’t clear in time. Unfortunately we can’t afford the risk of providing credit.
· Parts fair Sunday night:
o Scooter e Motion will be bringing some genuine Vespa clothing & accessories at mighty good prices
o Yuri will have rally t’s, stickers and other Scooter Pin-ups items
o There will hopefully be all manner of other scooter parts for sale
o The important bit of this is… make sure you have some folding in your pocket if you want to buy
· Don’t forget to bring sleeping gear, whether you’re in a dorm, cabin, or tent.
Also the rally might appear in the Taranaki Daily News tomorrow or the next few days. They taken pics and spoken with some local New Plymouth scooterists and talked with me earlier today.
If I’ve missed anything please contact me direct, and if there’s any more news I’ll send out another email on Thursday because some people will be on the road Friday.

Cheers,
Thornton