The Waihi Pump house

Waihi, added in 2009 to the Beach Hop calendar, has been a resounding success.

To me, the Waihi cruise and park up in the main street harks back to the early days of the Whangamata Saturday parade, when the crowds are not shoulder to shoulder and you can get in to see the cars!

So if crowds are not your scene, than the Waihi event is the one to get to.  Less cars sure, but easier to view, more relaxed, and a nice relaxing day.

Also great spots for some nice photos – up by the old Pump House, and on the cruise through from Whangamata some more different shots of the cars on the road.  Worth a look if you cruised over the hill in the last year or two.

Check out the Waihi albums via the drop down list on the Waihi link above.  On the menu bar.  Up there, just a little to your left, no right a bit, down, there, you’ve got it…

Above, the 100 year old (plus) Pump House, with some classics lined up for your viewing pleasure – see what I mean about lack of crowds!  Below, Waihi’s drag race, a crowd favourite, and a good laugh to be had as Waihi’s men folk unleash their feminine side!

Onemana was added to the Beach Hop calendar of happenings in 2007, and has been a great success.  This year I took over 900 individual photos of the parade as the cars cruised over the hill!

Add to that the ‘civilian’ cars, and the Beach Hop cars that head over prior to the official parade, then I would be picking there were over a thousand cars hitting tiny township of Onemana.

A great little day, and as yet, I have not made it to the beach or the park up, as I head back into Whangamata, while the rest of the Beach Hop Photographers carry on snapping away.  The only way to beat the traffic!

But even then, when you get back into Whangamata, you would not know that a thousand cars are missing – the town is still humming with enough cars to make any motorhead weep!

Tairua Tea Break!

Tairua joined the Beach Hop family in 2009, when road works to Pauanui made the road trip untenable for many of the classic cars and their paint jobs – loose metal roads and convoys of cars is not a good combination!

However, from a photographers point of view it has been excellent – new scenery, a beautiful reserve, plenty of room and close to the main shopping centre for refreshments for the Beach Hoppers!

WIth the Tairua Harbour and Paku Hill as a backdrop, some very nice photos to be had, although in the two years I am still waiting for the tides to be just right – full tide with blue water and blue skies would be a fantastic backdrop…

Come on Noddy. call in a favour from the big guy! – stop the tides for a day!   Check all the photos via the drop down menus on the Tairua list above.

Now THAT’s a backdrop!!

Pauani was part of the Beach Hop over the years 2006-2008, and three good years they were too.

However, road works in 2009 saw this day moved to Tairua, and that was all she wrote.  The closer proximity to the town centre of Tairua saw if swiftly become a favourite to Beach Hoppers, and photographers…

Pauanui though did have its moments, browse through the albums to capture them once again – and if you were there, your car will be too!

Looking through the photos now, as I look to find some samples to put on this page, I remember how beautiful it was on that Pauanui reserve.

Can we have both Pauanui and Tairua at the next Beach Hop please Noddy – lol.