Naki's one day Epic Sept 8th

[tw2]

Both metservice and the garbage app on my phone say we are expecting good weather. Looking forward to this one.

[mik995px]

I am thinking of going on this, I doubt any of my MR2's will be fit for the trip but will have something to attend in, I will look to meet up with Keith for the trip to Wanganui for breakfast and then head back home after lunch in Taupo.

Cheers
Pierre

Maybe ill come along with you Pierre. I saw you had a van on the lift today .

[G'Boot]

Looking forward to the run. Will probably meet you in Inglewood.

[pbaron]

Hi Michael, I will probably take the Merc and my daughter is coming with me so no room for you in the car , all good if you want to follow us to Otaki to meet up with Keith and Sue.

The van has been on the lift for a month now waiting for good weather and enthusiasm to align so I can get the motor out of it and get rid of the body.

I am thinking of going on this, I doubt any of my MR2's will be fit for the trip but will have something to attend in, I will look to meet up with Keith for the trip to Wanganui for breakfast and then head back home after lunch in Taupo.

Cheers
Pierre

Maybe ill come along with you Pierre. I saw you had a van on the lift today .

[mik995px]

Hi Michael, I will probably take the Merc and my daughter is coming with me so no room for you in the car , all good if you want to follow us to Otaki to meet up with Keith and Sue.

The van has been on the lift for a month now waiting for good weather and enthusiasm to align so I can get the motor out of it and get rid of the body.

yea thats my plan. Ill bring the yellow mr2

[optional]

She and I leaving Otaki between 6:30 and 6:45. Staying in NP that night

[mik995px]

Things came up. I can't come anymore . Hope you guys have a fun day!

[NABS]

Sorry to hear, thank you for the heads up

[bren38]

Weather's looking good so I'll take a run down from Rotorua, be at Taupo about 12 and try to get a park at lakefront by BurgerFuel. See you there.

[NABS]

Sounds good, we will be pushing along but could be closer to 1 when we get there depending on road conditions. So far so good.

Look forward to seeing you at lunch

[pbaron]

See you in Otaki at 6:30

She and I leaving Otaki between 6:30 and 6:45. Staying in NP that night

[optional]

What a Blast!
The early start was absolutely worth it!
The only bit of marginal weather we experienced was over the Fields Track. That and the dirt, mud and animal left overs resulted in the cars getting a good coat of 'trail dust' on them. This s great piece of twisty road but you have to be careful of farm traffic and livestck. We encountered cows, sheep, goats, native wood pidgeons, turkeys and peacocks. Not a bad tally in bit over 30 kms! The run through Ohakune to National Park was uneventful but that road is always interesting. We stopped, briefly, at Smash Palace to check out a SW20 they have. Then on to Taupo via National Park and Turangi. The radios proved their worth as I was able to warn those following ( yeah, for some reason I was leading, despite it being a "Naki" run) that the police were active. The only one without a radio managed to earn a discussion with one of the local officers.
The run from Turangi to Taupo was the slowest part of the whole day, heavy traffic with what seemed like an unlimited supply of Nissan March and Micras being driven for maximum economy. We were overtaken by a group of bikers through the twisty part who seemed to have no regard for their own safety. I noticed one had the number plate "2 Watt". I assumed that was referring to the riders intelligence. As a biker myself I have to say that, regardless of the safety aspect this type of action only serves to reinforce the public's opinion of them. A lesson to remember when we are traveling as a group.
Lunch in Taupo was great, sitting in the sun looking out over the lake. It was great to catch up with Brendon from Rotorua, who had just popped down to have lunch with us. I could not help but feel a bit down looking at his AW11. If you thought my, now deceased, Supercharger was smart have a look at this one. It is a 1989 N/A Manual that Brendon brought over from Britain with him. He is the second owner, the first was another family member. That's the sort of history you want in a classic car!
In Taupo we also lost one of our party who was actually from Waikato. Thomas had driven down to New Plymouth to join the run! That's enthusiasm! Good to get to know you Thomas. I hope to get up your way sometime soon.
From Taupo we were down to three cars as Pierre and Meg headed home too. The rest of us headed to TeKuiti, via Whakamaru and Bennydale.
It must be at least 25 years since I travelled that road. I used to use it a lot when I lived in Taharoa and Rotorua. I had forgotten what a great piece of road it is. For some reason we were leading again, a decision Nathan may think twice about from now on. Quite unintentionally I demonstrated why I refute all suggestions that the MR-S is a "Hairdresser Car" and not a worthy successor to the AW and SW. I was just cruising and hardly ever exceeded 110 kph yet he freely admitted that he could not match the pace I was setting in his SW20 Turbo. I must admit to being more than pleased with the change to the correct wheels (thanks again Ivor), shod with Michelin Pilot Sports. My god the thing hangs on now. I would be prepared to say that it would now match Sue's Boxster in all but the top end. And that at a quarter of the price! Some "Hairdresser's" car! For those in desperate need traveling that road there are some brand new toilets at Bennydale that got a big thumbs up from Sue and Leslie, and me. Well done Bennydale!
A quick cup of coffee at TeKuiti then off again.
It must be almost as long since I did the Mount Messenger road. Another stretch just made for MR2's. Pity about the traffic. We ended up behind a couple of guys pulling bikes on trailers. They were obviously in a hurry and were not holding us up at all. They did let us pass just before the main hill though but we ended up behind other, slower cars. That said we managed a good time to New Plymouth. In the process I think I know why Nathan had trouble keeping up with me. You need to look at the rear suspension on that car mate.
The next day Nathan met Sue and I for brekkie at a cafe on the harbour front. What a location! We were joined by another new member from Inglewood. Welcome Nicole. Another MR-S in the club, we are slowly taking over. Great to meet another enthusiast I hope you get as much out of the club and your car as Sue and I have. You know who to talk to if there is any way we can make sure that happens.
We had a good run home with the top down all the way. The heater works so well that we didn't even realise it was cold till we stopped and turned the engine off! A great weekend brought down to earth with a bang when we got home to discover that our drains had somehow blocked over the weekend! I am now sitting at home waiting for the drain un-blocker chappie to come and sort it out.
Once again I took my Nikon camera and never even got out of the boot. I was sort of relying on getting a bit of video from the go-pro but for some reason the only bit it actually recorded was the boring bit just north of Taupo on SH1. I must use it more so I am familiar with it. Either that or get Sue to play with it and she can use it. So, if anyone does have photos some would make this report more appealing and we might get a really great turn out next time.
Thanks again for organising the weekend Nathan.
Keith and Sue.

[bren38]

Great report of the day Keith, and great to meet you and Sue and the rest of the crew. Thanks to Nathan for organising and giving me an excuse to take 89 MR2 for a spin (not that I really need an excuse, any sunny day is good enough!)
Cheers, Bren

[tw2]

Great meeting you guys. Got a great glimpse of mount taranaki at 6am. The bennydale road is a good one. I took the old taupo road home which is a great drive for anyone up that way.

Have a look for play in the rear trailing arms Nathan. Common cause for a wandering back end.

[NABS]

Thank you all who came along, for the day, weekend, for breakfast, lunch, it was great meeting you guys and Everyone who joined us super early Saturday morning, it was worth the long 850km and 14 hour day almost to the minute!

Sorry to hear about your drains Keith, hope they are all sorted now and yep, thank you for the tips regarding the incredible ‘tram tracking’ I was experiencing over the weekend. Great write up thank you.
Pierre, hope you guys got home on time safely.

I managed to get a few photos and will stick them up when I work out how.