Wellington Takeover
Labour Weekend gave us three days together, living the pure lowrider lifestyle. Friday night kicked things off with a good old-fashioned cruise and pub crawl — it had us bouncing through the city, pulling up clean, catching up with the crew, and showing Wellington how we do it. With dozens of lowriders parking and cruising together, we definitely had heads turning that night.
On Saturday, we kicked things off at club member Kev’s, with a breakfast to feed the whole neighbourhood. Here we plaqued another seven members who were welcomed to the O.S.R. family, and from here we gathered at BNT, cruising on to Raumati Beach for a few milkshakes and yarns.
Then came the main function, the big one — with more than 160 people under one roof, cars on display, photos being snapped, memories being made, and of course the right music taking us right back through the years. There were some old faces we hadn’t seen in ages, new ones stepping up, and plenty of stories (some better left off the record).
The energy that night was unreal. Everyone was dressed sharp, our rides were outside shining under the lights, and we had a real feeling that we’d built something that’s lasted.
Here and Now
It’s pretty cool that we’ve been able to work on making lowriders more accessible over the years, with the LVVTA now allowing us to get our cars certified for hydros/airbags so that we can cruise legally. The scene has come a long way in those 25 years, and seeing how the lowrider scene has grown in New Zealand has been something special to watch — especially considering that O.S.R. were right there at the front of it, helping to show people what lowriding was all about.
I want to give a massive shout-out to everyone who’s been part of the journey so far — the members, the families, the supporters, and everyone who’s ever pulled over to watch us cruise by.
To our Australian brothers: thanks for making the trip and holding it down. To the OGs: respect for building the foundation. And to the next generation: let’s keep the culture alive. Thanks to the Wellington chapter who made the event what it was, and everyone else who chipped in along the way to make it such a great celebration.
Twenty-five years in, and we’re still just getting started.
This is a teaser of the full story from the Old Skool Rydz 25th Anniversary, which is about twice as long as this. For the entire story, including plenty of other great writeups, you can grab the full magazine here, or at your local supermarket.
