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ay 12 July 2019
Friday 12 July 2019
Friday 12 July 2019
The X factor
Suzuki Swift SR2 See page 4
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Friday 12 July 2019
Friday 12 July 2019 Richard Scott 027 499 9668 Darren Smith 021 346 700 Peter Findlay 021 355 580
For over 45 years we’ve been making it easier for New Zealanders to get the things they need. We offer personal and business lending including pre-approval so you know exactly how much you have to work with.
07 577 6604 54 First Avenue firstavenue@mtf.co.nz
mtf.co.nz/firstavenue
Weekend Sun Friday 12 JulyThe 2019
Bay Driver
Weekend Wheels July 20-21: ITM Winter Series, Round 1, Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park In association with The Circuit Club (Inc) Taupo presents the ITM Winter Series Round 1 Dual Sprints and Clubmans Competition. It is open to all competition cars and club drivers. There are points on offer and great prizes to be won with the Dual Sprint and Clubman format. There are awards for best presented car, worst presented car, best presented driver and worst presented driver. Sausage Sizzle and drinks on Saturday afternoon. The overall winner will get tickets and accommodation to Supercars Pukekohe on September 13-15. On Saturday is the Dual Car Sprints Format. All you have to keep an eye out for is the other car starting alongside you. Then do the multi-car sprint at the end of the day which is an excellent introduction to racing. On Sunday is the low-key Clubmans race meeting. Cars and drivers are grouped according to lap time so there is no need to worry about faster cars coming up behind you. To enter visit https://www.brucemclarenmotorsportpark.com/whats-on/itm-winter-series/ August 4: Oilers Hot Rod Club, 9am-11am On the first Sunday of every month, The Oilers Hot Rod Club inv tes everyone down to The Lakes Tauranga for breakfast and to display their cars. The club has about 15 members but anyone can bring their pride and joy along. They usually get about 50-70 car owners adding their rumble to the event also. Pretty much anything goes, Woody says, from hot rods to muscle cars, classics, vintage and whatever else gets your motor running. Come on down and bring your cars, have breakfast at the Mill House and mix ‘n mingle with like-minded people.
Terms, conditions and lending criteria apply.
August 6: New Zealand Military Vehicle Club, Tauranga The Bay of Plenty branch of NZMVC meets monthly on the first Tu sday of the month at 7.30pm, upstairs at the Tauranga Citizens Club, 170 13th Ave, Tauranga and welcomes new members and visitors. You do not have to own a military vehicle to be a member as often there can be more vehicles than drivers, or you can simply come along for the ride. Those wishing to obtain a military vehicle, either in roadworthy or unrestored condition will get plenty of assistance from existing members who have a wealth of experience and expertise. We particularly welcome the younger generation as they are the future of the club and within our ranks we have a very active “Young Guns” section that gets together for annual expeditions usually over the Christmas break, but also throughout the year.
List your event - Do you have a motoring related event coming up? Send the details to daniel@thesun.co.nz and we will list it, for free, in the Weekend Wheels. Bay of Plenty events get preference and listings are subject to space.
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The Weekend Sun
Bay Driver Friday 12 July 2019
Friday 12 July 2019
Friday 12 July 2019
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At HAVAL, we are dedicated to providing drivers with the best technology, features and safety advances from around the globe to deliver premium SUVs at an affordable price. Terms & Conditions Apply: RRP and SRRP prices include GST + on road costs for vehicles retailed and delivered by the 31/9/19 or whilst stocks last. Five year, 100,000km warranty is fully transferable. See haval. co.nz for T&Cs. H6 LUX model shown. Safety features are not a substitute for driver alertness and may not operate in some driving and road conditions or adverse weather. Drivers should always drive carefully and never rely wholly on the system for safety. RRP and SRRP prices include GST + on road costs for vehicles retailed and delivered by the 31/9/19 or whilst stocks last. Five year, 100,000km warranty is fully transferable. See haval.co.nz for T&Cs. H6 LUX model shown. Safety features are not a substitute for driver alertness and may not operate in some driving and road conditions or adverse weather. Drivers should always drive carefully and never rely wholly on the system for safety.
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Terms & Conditions Apply: For more information visit greatwallmotors.com.au. Vehicles must be retailed and delivered by 30/09/19 or whilst stocks last. Metallic paint +$495. Tray and sport bar are for illustration purposes only and may vary slightly. E&OE. *For more information visit greatwall.co.nz. Vehicles must be retailed and delivered by 30/09/19 or whilst stocks last. Tray and sport bar are for illustration purposes only and may vary slightly. E&OE.
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blairb@farmerautovillage.co.nz Visit Our Showroom 19 Hewletts Road, Mt Maunganui, Tauranga Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm Saturday 9am - 5pm
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Weekend Sun Friday 12 JulyThe 2019
Bay Driver
Swept away by the Swift
I’ve got fond memories of the Suzuki Swift from a few years back.
Invercargill drizzle - a brand new Suzuki Swift. It had arrived the previous day, with just a couple of hundred k’s on the clock. Newspaper vehicle fleets are usuall There was not a single muddy footprint on comprised of beat up vehicles with high the floor mileage, suffering the effects of dozens of So I nabbed it and left town, winding my different drivers with varying theories on how way up the country as the rain cleared and to use the clutch. the ragged white peaks appeared through On this particular occasion I was working the disintegrating clouds. The twisting down south and had to head up to roads and dramatic scenery along Lake Queenstown – the adventure capital. Wakatipu definitely helped but it was th I was to spend two days immersed in cool little car that made this one of those coroner’s inquests so fun times were not on memorable drives. It just had the x-factor the agenda. and a good heater. But then I saw it, shimmering in the The popularity of the Swift has grown and grown since then. The challenge for Suzuki is to keep producing the same magic that people were drawn to in the firs place. Needless to say, when I got the chance to take one of these out again, I nabbed it. I wanted 2 ki Swift SR zu to see if the Swift still has the u S : el d o M x-factor. e petrol tr li .2 1 e: Engin The guys down at Tauranga to u a n: CVT Motor Company gave me the Transmissio w (89hp) keys and I hit the road again. Power: 66k m 00rp The SR2 model has the same 0Nm @ 44 anual) Torque: 12 $21,990 (m m o fr peppy little 1.2 litre, 66kw, le b a il ava 90 Swift SR2 uto): $23,9 a 4cyl engine as the base model. 2 R S t if ed (Sw ual) st n a te s M a e L Added to that is most of the c ri (G P 90 from $19,9 le b a extras you will find on th il a v a t Swif up-spec RS turbo model.
SPECS
It sits smartly on its 17” black gloss alloys, similar to its big brother the Swift Sport. Inside, it has Apple Car Play and Android Auto so you can hook your mobile device up and pump out your own sounds or access other apps via the infotainment system. The SR2 is also distinctive with its streamlined black roof. SR2 is a limited edition run with four different colour schemes: blue with silver roof, black with silver roof, premium silver with black roof, silver with black roof. Gracing the side profile are carbon fibre look side skirt while the unique SR2 badge on the rear hatch rounds off its slick street-style. There is just something about these Swifts that makes driving a lot more fun than other small cars. The non-turbo models are not overly powerful but they are peppy enough to zip up hills and around corners. The torque kicks in later in the rev’s but its arrival is timely on the hills or when overtaking. The SR2’s zesty 1.2 litre 16 valve DualJet VVT engine is lightweight, quick and responsive. I took this vehicle up and over the Kaimai’s to try and replicate my last drive through the mountains in a Swift. And yes, it does still have that distinctive Swift feel to it – the fun factor – plus a whole lot more. It is quite a bit lighter than it used to be and the engine is more refined This vehicle still hangs on to the same
distinctive Swift shape that it had eight or nine years ago even though SR2 styling in particular adds a new dimension. For me, it delivers on its reputation, despite the nostalgia and heightened expectations. There are plenty of safety features too, to help you on the road but they don’t take away from the feeling that you are really out for a drive. There is the anti-lock braking system with electronic brake force distribution, electronic stability programme and six SRS airbags. Safety and convenience combine in some of the other features like cruise control, speed limiter, hands-free Bluetooth connectivity and LED running lamps. The SR2 auto adds a 7-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Sat Nav and reversing camera. And with a small car like this you would expect it to run on the smell of an oily rag. It boasts a fuel economy of just 4.8l per 100km. That all depends on how you drive it and where you take it, of course. Sadly, this test drive came to an end all too soon – I would have happily kept driving it down to the southern lakes but, once again, I had to give it back and get on with the day job. To taste a slice of the Swift, you will need to go and see the team at Tauranga Motor Company, 326 Cameron Rd. They have a 3.9 per cent, no deposit, finance deal available o the Swift range too. Daniel Hutchinson
The Weekend Sun
Bay Driver Friday 12 July 2019
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$32,990
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*Recommended Sales Price (RSP) excludes GST. Prices exclude any dealer on-road and fitting costs. Includes 5 Year/80,000km Service Plan. Please see your authorised Isuzu Utes Dealer for full pricing details. Ends 30th June 2019 or while stocks last. Please visit www.isuzuutes.co.nz for more info & service plan t&c’s.
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Weekend Sun Friday 12 JulyThe 2019
Bay Driver
Goldrush comes to Coromandel 42 Dive Cres, Tauranga | 07 571 1161
A competitor battles it out in the Goldrush Rally of Coromandel last year. Photo: Supplied
The routes and timings for the Goldrush Rally of Coromandel have been announced for the weekend of August 16-17, when about 70 cars are expected to take part in Round Five of the New Zealand Rally Championship. “A big thanks to the Rally NZ organisers for holding this event again in our district,” says Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Sandra Goudie. “The event really charges up the winter calendar in a quiet time for the Coromandel and brings some valuable visitor spending. “The rally gets extensive national and international television coverage, so it provides a great showcase for our good old Coromandel hospitality and our stunning scenery – you can’t put a price on that,” Mayor Sandra says. “The rally organisers have added a new initiative – a beach clean-up on the Sunday. Meet at the Whitianga Wharf at 10am. The rally teams and all members of the public who want to pitch in can show up to help clean up the beach around there,” says Mayor Sandra.
The fun revs up on Friday evening with a street party in Whitianga. Albert Street will be closed from Monk St to Lee St from 4-7:30pm for people to have a look at the assembled rally cars. There will be food stalls, late night shopping and meet and greet sessions with the drivers. Also, on Friday, the rally cars will be conducting a reconnaissance of the stage routes. The vehicles will be clearly marked and travel in a convoy. The reconnaissance does not involve road closures. Letters have been sent to residents along the routes. The rally headquarters will be at the Mercury Bay Multisports Park on Moewai Park Road in Whitianga (off South Highway), and on Saturday, August 17 people are welcome to visit the rally pits and enjoy the food stalls. On Saturday afternoon there will be the ITM Kopu Super Special Stage on Moewai Rd and Abrahamson and Dakato Drs, which, like the other stages, is open for the public to watch, beginning at 4.39pm. The rally racing takes place through Saturday on four routes, with the finish at Blacksmit Lane, Whitianga, which will be closed from Albert St to the Esplanade from 4-8pm.
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Bay Driver Friday 12 July 2019
Friday 12 July 2019
Friday 12 July 2019
Craig Coleman M: 021 957 190 | Glenn Cranston M: 0274 936 630 | Evan Campbell M: 027 290 4727
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Weekend Sun Friday 12 JulyThe 2019
Bay Driver
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Bay Driver Friday 12 July 2019
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The big South Island trip of a lifetime As discussed in our last column, a couple of Christmases ago we packed up the family and headed to the South Island for just over four weeks for a cracker of a summer break. The goal was to have a quiet Christmas with just our family for the first week in th Marlborough Sounds over Christmas and the New Year and then link up to another group doing a trip through the centre of the mainland from Kaikoura through to Alexandra. When they went to the West Coast of the Mainland, we would back track through Canterbury, again heading north. But as soon as word came out about what we were doing, two more families decided to ditch Christmas at home and join us too. To say that this was a trip of a lifetime, would be an understatement. The difference between the North and South Island is almost like different planets. It is amazing that a lot of North Island people have been overseas but have never been to the South Island. We are quite fortunate, because until 12 years ago, we lived in Christchurch, so every weekend, we would load up the 4x4, dirt or mountain bikes and head into the mountains. It’s just so different down there. Lots of wide open spaces and hundreds and hundreds of kilometres of accessible 4x4 tracks, huts, lakes and rivers. It was tough moving to Tauranga in the first few years as the North Island not only has more people, (77 per cent of NZ live here according to Google), but it is way smaller than the Mainland too. Anyway, enough of my jabbering. Here is
where we spent our first five night After the two hanger-on families from Whangarei arrived at our house to spend the night, we left for Wellington the next day.
Rainbow Station Rd, on the way through the top of the North Island.
The excitement that was building was pretty awesome, especially knowing that we would be doing around 4000km over the next four weeks, mostly off the beaten track too, once we hit the South Island. Even the six kids spread over different ages were excited. I called in a favour from one of our customers to use his holiday home in Paraparaumu for the night before we hit the ferry the next day. Once off the ferry, it was off to a great place in the Marlborough Sounds, called Mistletoe Bay Lodge. An eco-friendly lodge with very good amenities that doesn’t break the bank. It was here we all spent Christmas for a few days. Then it was off to do Rainbow Station Road, which cuts straight through the spine of the mainland from just outside Blenheim and eventually heads through to Hanmer Springs. It is only open for a couple of months, normally starting either Boxing Day or the day after. There is another road which runs almost
Camping out at Lake Tennyson in the northern South Island high country. parallel to Rainbow Station, starting south of Blenheim. It starts as Awatere Valley Rd and then becomes Acheron Rd. It runs through Molesworth Station and also meets up just north of Hanmer Springs. Normally this route can easily be done in a car with good clearance, unlike the Rainbow, which this time was 4x4 only. There were lots of slips due to very heavy rain the weeks before. What was most remarkable for me was how the scenery could change so dramatically every 10km, from lush forest, to wide open grass lands, to barren landscapes like the North Island’s Desert Rd. Just over half way to Hanmer Springs, we
camped at Lake Tennyson. One of my small bucket list items was to stay here. There was a great, deep water crossing to be driven through, in order to make it to a good camping spot on the other side of the lake. The wind that night gave us a hammering, typical of a Canterbury north-wester welcoming us to Canterbury. This was our first night sleeping in the tents and being very much in a remote location. By this stage we all were settling well into a routine of packing and unpacking. Please stay tuned for our next chapter coming soon. Thor Hein, East Coast 4x4 Super Centre
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The 2019 Weekend Sun Friday 12 July
Bay Driver
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Terms, conditions and lending criteria apply. Visit mtf.co.nz/terms.html for details.
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Bay Driver Friday 12 July 2019
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ForesTree PROJECT 1000
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The 2019 Weekend Sun Friday 12 July
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