Regions and Events
Catch up with all the MX-5 Regional Events happening over the next few months …
REGIONAL COORDINATORS …
Coordinators are your primary contacts for information about planned events and activities in your region.
Northland
Lee Keighley
Mobile: 021 675 095
Email: lkeighley@xtra.co.nz
Auckland
Marilyn Harp
Mobile: 021 617 729
Email: marilynharp@gmail.com
Northern/Auckland has a closed Facebook group with regular updates on activities: Facebook
Waikato
Shane and Anne Harris
Mobile : 0277123453
Email: waikatomxfiveclub@gmail.com
Waikato has a closed Facebook group with regular updates on activities: Facebook
Bay of Plenty
Karen Struiksma
Mobile: 027 342 7189
Email: bayofplenty@mx5carclub.co.nz
Waikato has a closed Facebook group with regular updates on activities: Facebook
Hawkes Bay
Trish Wiseman
Mobile: 027 2839992
Email: padj.wiseman@xtra.co.nz
Taranaki
Nora Hunn
Phone: 06 761 8864
Mobile: 027 216 0608
Email: norahunn@gmail.com
Taranaki has a Facebook group with regular updates on activities: Facebook
Manawatu
Guy Brandon
Mobile: 021 543 605
Email: manawatu@mx5carclub.co.nz
Manawatu has a closed Facebook group with regular updates on activities: Facebook
Wellington
Charles Thompson
Mobile: 027 363 3977
Email: haryadoon@gmail.com
Kapiti has an open Facebook page with regular updates on activities: Facebook
Nelson / Marlborough
Amy Chilton
Mobile: 021 0855 3453
Christchurch
Annaliese Boot
Mobile: 021 1777 668
Email: canterbury@mx5carclub.co.nz
Dunedin
Annaliese Boot
Mobile: 021 1777 668
Email: canterbury@mx5carclub.co.nz
Southland
Colleen Balneaves
Mobile: 027 513 3559
Email: cbalneaves@icloud.com
CLUB ACTIVITY …
We would expect that if you attend club events, you’d normally attend the events organised for your selected region. Regional Coordinators are your primary contacts for information about planned events and activities in your region, however other regions may send you things from time to time. You are welcome to attend the events of other regions.
See the contact details for Regional Coordinators below for further details.
The following are some older entries to provide an indication the type of activities across some of our regions.
Facebook Pages and Groups
Facebook pages are maintained by some Regions. Open pages are visible to all. Closed Groups are for MX-5 Club Members only. If you are a Financial Member, regional coordinators are happy to accept your request to join a page by answering a couple of questions.
See details below for each Region.
Whangarei / Twin Coasts; Northern / Auckland; Waikato / Hamilton; Bay of Plenty / Tauranga
10 September – Targa Taster
Meeting Time: 9.30 at Hampton Downs cafe
Departure Time: briefing 10am
Departure Location: Hampton Downs around 10.30am
Expected Duration: Come and sample some of the Targa roads and the route book.
Significant Places: No helmet required
Brief Additional Details:
Contact: Allan Boot – president@mx5carclub.co.nz
Whangarei / Twin Coasts
Contact: Lee Keighley lkeighley@xtra.co.nz
Northern / Auckland
17 September – Beachlands country ramble
Meeting Time: from 10:15am
Meeting Time: 10:45
Location: The Southern Motorway layby before the Drury off ramp
Expected Duration:
Significant Places: A lovely ramble through the countryside
Brief Additional Details: Ending at Pine Harbour Marina for lunch
Contact: Marilyn Harp 021 617 729
Northern / Auckland
28 September – South Auckland dinner
Meeting Time: Dinner at Murphy’s Law, 200 Gt South Road Drury
Departure Time: 6.15pm
Departure Location: Get yourself there through the evening traffic
Expected Duration:
Significant Places:
Brief Additional Details:
Contact: Sandra Jones – sandra.jones1@gmail.com
Northern / Auckland
1 October – Pink Breast Cancer fundraising afternoon tea
Meeting Time: Your choice for the two locations
Departure Time: 1pm South Auckland, 1.40 central Auckland and 2pm at Albany
Departure Location: Meet at one of the above locations and drive in convoy to Red Beach
Expected Duration: Numbers required for catering – please reply below
Significant Places: Fundraiser for breast cancer at Allan and Kay’s place.
Brief Additional Details: Dress in pink and dress your car up in pink. Prizes, raffles, games, lots of fun for a great cause
Contact: Let me know you are intending to come: Marilyn Harp 021 617 729 or marilynharp@gmail.com
Waikato / Hamilton
19 November – Raglan Picnic
Meeting Time: from 10 am
Departure Time: 10:30 am
Departure Location: Rototuna New World Carpark
Expected Duration: 4-5 hours
Significant Places: Ngaruawahia, Waingaro Road, over the river, Ohautira Road, SH23, stop at Te Uku for a stretch.
Brief Additional Details: Carry on to Raglan, down into the town centre, left onto Wainui Road, right onto Marine Parade
Contact: Maureen waikatomx5club@gmail.com
Bay of Plenty / Tauranga
10 September – Okoroire Hotel
Meeting Time: Coffee at the Packhouse cafe from 9:30am
Departure Time: 10:30am
Departure Location: Packhouse cafe, Palmer Place, Te Puke
Expected Duration: 4 hours
Significant Places: Hamurana Reserve on Rotorua Lake. Okoroire Hot Springs Hotel.
Brief Additional Details: Contact Denis by Thursday 7th September.
Contact: Denis Crossman via denisc@xtra.co.nz or 0276933773
Taranaki
17 September – This way and that
Meeting Time: Stratford Casa Pequena cafe
Departure Time: 10:30am
Departure Location: Stratford (beside clock tower)
Expected Duration: 4/5 hours
Significant Places: mystery
Brief Additional Details:
Contact: Nora Hunn norahunn@gmail.com
Manawatu
10 December – Christmas Run to Pongaroa Hotel
Meeting Time: 10:15
Departure Time: 10:30
Departure Location: Aokautere New World Car Park
Expected Duration: 1.5 hrs to Pongaroa
Significant Places:
Brief Additional Details: Christmas themed run so dress up your car as well as yourselves. Traveling over the Pahiatua track through to Mangamairie before heading south and east to get on to SH52 east of Eketahuna. Then north east on Route 52 to Pongaroa. Their are many ways to return…
Contact: Guy Brandon Manawatu@mx5carclub.co.nz 021543605
Hawke’s Bay / Napier / Hastings
29 October – Mahia Day Trip – NEW DATE
Meeting Time: 08.45am
Departure Time: 09.00am
Departure Location: Outside the BP Bayview HB
Expected Duration: All Day
Significant Places: Straight Run to Mahia up State Highway 2 to Mahia Beach for a Fish & Chip Lunch at the Pub. Hopefully the roads won’t be too bad since they have patched them up after the cyclone.
Brief Additional Details: Beautiful scenery, Beautiful Beaches, Beautiful Hawkes Bay
Contact: Trish Wiseman – 0272839992
SEND IN DETAILS
Please use the Run Events Submission Form at bottom of this page to add details of your upcoming events.
Kapiti Coast / Wellington / Upper Hutt / Manawatu / Hawke’s Bay / Napier / Hastings
19 November – Riversdale
Meeting Time: 9:45am
Departure Time: 10:30am
Departure Location: Carterton Wild Oats
Expected Duration: most of the day
Significant Places: The Beach
Brief Additional Details: Picnic lunch at Riversdale beach. Driving some great Wairarapa roads.
Contact: Sharon 0272744443
Kapiti Coast / Wellington / Upper Hutt
3 December – Christmas Drive and Lunch
Meeting Time: 9:30am
Departure Time: 10:30am
Departure Location: The George Levin
Expected Duration: most of the day
Significant Places:
Brief Additional Details: Christmas lunch
Contact: Sharon 0272744443
Canterbury / Christchurch
Contact: Annaliese Boot at canterbury@mx5carclub.co.nz
Otago / Dunedin
Contact: Annaliese Boot at canterbury@mx5carclub.co.nz
Southland / Invercargill
Runs are usually 1st Sunday of each month.
MX5 CLUB OF NEW ZEALAND
Nationwide, since 1990
topdown@mx5club.co.nz
ALL OWNERS WELCOME
Mark 1 NA 1989–1998
Mark 2 NB 1998–2000
Mark 2.5 NB-FL 2001–2005
Mark 3 NC 2005–2008
Mark 3.5 NC-FL 2009–2013
Mark 3.75 NC-FL2 2013–2015
Mark 4 ND 2015–
RECENT EVENTS …
MX-5 SUCCESS AT CLASSIC CAR SHOW
NORTHERN / AUCKLAND / WAIKATO
Just in case you have not heard Northern MX-5 won the best display at this prestige Classic car show.
At 8am on show day a group of members arrived at the Ellersiie race course to set up our display. Brenda and Marilyn had spent
a lot of time on design and gathering the goodies, which included a May pole with heaps of coloured streamers and bunting.
This was to compete in the show theme competition which was a carnival theme. Our display was based on THE GREATEST SHOWMAN movie. lt took us close to an hour to assemble. The weather was fine but the wind was giving us a hard time.
Once we got the display up it was time for the members to get into the clown outfits. Some really weird people emerged, but hey it worked. The clowns and colours attracted a lot of punters over the day.
Allan Boot our new co-ordinator was dressed as a Ring Master and with a megaphone and some great sales pitch he had people coming to our display. All clowns worked all day, talking to people and promoting the club and our cars.
We managed get a number of people with MX-5s to join our club and some were going to purchase one and join. Margaret sat in her RF for most of the day, working the roof up and down This was also a great attraction.
We had 10 cars on display. Frank kindly supplied three special cars – a rare NB coupe, a original NA and a beautiful blue NB with all the accessories one could think of. There was another NA, an ND and three RFs, one the latest 30th year special, and two NCs. All the cars were beautifully prepared and looked stunning in the sun.
By mid afternoon the wind had pretty well wrecked our display, however the judges must have seen it before destruction. At 3pm the word came that we should head to the Pavilion for the prize giving.
The organisers read out the first five places which included a number of the usual traditional classic car big boys.
We thought that’s us out, but lo and behold they called overall first place the MX-5 Car Club. We sat there for a moment like stunned mullets (not as stunned as some more high profile clubs). A couple of cups and a cheque for $750 for the club made the long hot day worthwhile.
We have been at the show for a number of years, and possibly the Mazda MX-5 is now recognized as a Classic.
A special thanks to the members that supplied their cars and dressed as clowns, and very special thanks to Marilyn and Brenda for the inspirational design and huge effort in preparing the event for us.
Report by Morrin Layton. Main photo by Marilyn Harp. Other photos by Brenda White.
LITTLE DID WE KNOW …
KAPITI COAST
Cars met at Manor Station Car park then drove over to Carterton and met Wairarapa cars at Wild Oats. After a Coffee and chat we handed out drive sheets, to head on our way. Firstly heading to the Paua Shell factory shop to have a look. Some did shopping.
Then we headed out the back of Carterton,joining back on SH2 at Wangina then heading out back of Masterton joining back onto SH2, then turning off to Mauriciville then a loop to cross over SH2 going around back of Eketehuna before joining SH2 again to drive through Pahiatua then turning off SH2 to head out to Pongaroa.
Great day for a drive with tops down. Had lunch and a chat at the pub, before heading home.
Little did we know that our April drive was going to be cancelled and in about ten days our world was going to be different. Hope everyone is staying safe. We will really appreciate our freedom when we get it back, we take so much for granted.
Driving our lovely cars with all that beautiful scenery and meeting all you wonderful people. Look forward to seeing you all again soon. Stay safe, do your bit and hopefully will be over soon.
Report & Photos by Sharon Ewing.
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HAWKES BAY
Another lovely fine Hawkes Bay day finds us at the Aquarium of New Zealand on the Marine Parade in Napier, ready for a 9.30 start for a meander around the local MX roads. These are roads we have been on before, but hey, good roads are good roads!
Four cars, with one meeting us on the road. We set off tops down and toured down the main road to Clive, veered off to do a round-a-bout way of going through Whakatu industrial area and on out to the Tuki Tuki valley. No other traffic, no cyclists (we must have just been a tad too early), for a nice cruise on Tukituki Rd to catch up with our other car at the Waimarama Rd intersection.
Heading back towards Havelock North and go past the Craggy Range Winery. It’s like driving through a tunnel with large trees each side of
the road, very pretty. They obviously irrigate the grounds at the Winery, the contrast between the grounds and the surrounding hills is like black and white, or, green and very brown!
Meander our way through the village and head off onto the country roads which sees us do the odd un-expected detour and wander our way around to end up at Bridge Pa. Hang a left onto Raukawa Rd and head for the hills. We get onto Whakapirau Rd, which most hadn’t been on before. Quite steep downhill, lots of tight bends, and even a couple of Beagle dogs in the middle of the road – which apparently they think they own!
Skirt around the outskirts of Hastings to Fernhill. Here we should have headed for a long loop off the Taihape Rd, but we cut it short as we had a booking at a Café and couldn’t afford to be too late. (Bit of a time error in the planning.)
Out to Puketapu and then heading for the hills again. Take in a big hill, then a hard right-hander to head towards lunch. Through Bay View village, and then try and turn right onto the main highway – seemed like the longest part of the morning!
A short way up the highway and we are at Snapper Café for lunch, and we find Ann and Noddy waiting for us. They would have been on the run except for the knee op Ann is still recovering from. Still, we can pretend the van is a “5” in disguise.
A great meal, a long natter (as you do) and its home time.
Report by Mike; Photos by Trish.
