Mel Williams, Visitor Services
The rumble of vintage motorcycle engines echo through Maunu on the third Saturday of May each year, as riders head to the clubrooms of the Northland Vintage Car Club for the highly anticipated annual Northland Motorcycle Rally, in which riders from all over the North Island participate, ready to share their passion for vintage vehicles while making a myriad of new on-road memories.
No two rallies are ever the same with different undisclosed destinations set each time. Riders assemble in the Heritage Park at 8am where they receive turn-by-turn instructions before leaving at intervals on their journey. Where they end up is always a surprise, which adds to the appeal of the event. Last year participants were treated to a scenic ride along Cemetery and Pipiwai Roads, a route enjoyed so much there were requests for a repeat journey. This year’s riders took a trip through Hikurangi swamp, then headed to Ōpua to see the vintage Minerva steam ferry, which is being restored there, before coming back down the coast road.
There are more than 70 vintage motorcycles participating in this year’s rally, including a stunning 1926 Harley Davidson with sidecar, brought north by Vintage Car Club members in Auckland. The oldest entry is a 99-year-old Harley Davidson.
The Northland Motorcycle Rally is one of many key events on the calendar for the Northland branch of the Vintage Car Club, the first club to make the Heritage Park at Kiwi North their home. When members meet, the grounds and village green are lined with beautifully restored vintage vehicles, picture perfect against the backdrop of 19th century buildings and expansive grounds.
The Vintage Car Club began in 1946 and by 1960 eleven branches nationwide had been established. In August 1962 a meeting held in the Ambulance Hall at Alexander St in Whangārei, then another in October that same year in Kaitaia, resulted in the Northland Branch of the Vintage Car Club of NZ becoming the 15th addition.
The clubrooms for the NVCC include a function hall, meeting room, kitchen, library and storeroom. Also on the site is a Parts Shed containing spare parts for vintage vehicles which is open to the public on Wednesdays and a Truck Shed which houses vehicles that are owned and have been restored by club members.
Among these beautifully restored vehicles is a 1909 Lacre Charabanc. Used in Auckland until 1920, it was then purchased by the Wilkinson Bus company before being bought by Footes Mine in Hikurangi. It was here that the bus body was removed, and it was converted into a truck for transporting coal from the mines to the Hikurangi Railway Station. In the early 1930s it was bought for parts; the chassis for bridge supports, the axle for a trailer, and the remainder of the vehicle was discarded in a swamp. The bus was salvaged in 1975 by club member, Ray Mitchell, before being donated to the Northland Vintage Car Club, where a team of members spent two years rebuilding it. They sourced and fabricated some parts, while restoring and utilizing anything that could be recovered from the swamp in which the bus was found. Today the Lacre Charabanc sits proudly in the truck shed, delighting visitors, a beautiful example of Northland heritage preserved and shared for future generations.
What I loved most about my time with the Northland Vintage Car Club this week was hearing the stories and seeing the passion. For these dedicated volunteers, it’s not just about “fixing up a car”, it’s about shared passions, reviving history, giving people a glimpse into the past, and inspiringly, knowing that being left to rot in a swamp doesn’t always mean the story has to end there.
