Those of you who stayed away from Repco Beach Hop 18 because of the dodgy-looking weather forecast, shame on you — the meteorologists were wrong, and we were gifted with five days of Hop-friendly skies. This started, as it always does, in the town of Waihi for the Go Waihi Warm Up Party — a nice and relaxing way to ease into the Beach Hop way of life.
However, we’re sure that it’s far less relaxing behind the scenes, and the logistical work behind this must have been immense, with road closures throughout downtown Waihi, which gets taken over for the day by a mass of hot rods, classic and muscle cars, trade stalls, and entertainment areas — most notable being local band Tim & the Rockets playing in Waihi’s iconic Cornish Pumphouse.
It’s all about the cars, though, and with a significant stretch of the main drag taken up, as well as many side streets, you had to have your walking shoes on to take it all in. The cars on show also gave us a good idea of what to expect in terms of cars in attendance — not just returning Hop stalwarts, but new builds freshly completed for the event that acts as the deadline for a significant chunk of locally built vehicles.
Just check out the gallery below, read our full event report in the latest issue of NZV8, or keep your eyes peeled for the NZV8 Beach Hop Annual 2018 which will be out on May 14.
