February 2025
Paul & Kae Bond’s 1930 Model A
Who’s Who for 2024/2025
Committee: Winston Matthews, Murray Cormack, Keith Lyndsell, Tom Deverall, Naomi Mason, Steve Edwards, Margaret Deverall, Margaret Ilton.
The full list of the elected officers is circulated with the minutes of the 2024 Annual General Meeting
If you notice any required maintenance at any stage for the Clubrooms, please let Steve know about it.
Steve Edwards 09 401 6239 Caffeine & Classics
Next Club Meeting Saturday 8th February 1 pm
3rd Sunday every month 9.30 to 11.30
Next date: Sunday 16 February Ka Uri Awanui
Monthly - 2nd Saturday 1.00 pm
Club Meeting @ Aurere Clubrooms
Repco Caffeine & Classics
Monthly - 3rd Sunday
Ka Uri Awanui 9.30 start
Calendar of Club Events 2025
February
8th Saturday Monthly Meeting 1 pm with Parts shed open at 2 pm.
16th Repco Caffeine & Classics
22nd Saturday Northern Captain’s Run
March
8th Saturday Monthly Meeting 1 pm with Parts shed open at 2 pm.
Southern Captain’s Run
16th Repco Caffeine & Classics
April
12th Saturday Monthly Meeting 1.00 pm
Parts shed open at 2 pm.
19th Saturday Brian Parker Rally
20th Repco Caffeine & Classics
May
11th Saturday 1.00 AGM Meeting with monthly meeting following AGM.
Parts shed open at 2pm.
12th Mother’s Day run
18th Repco Caffeine & Classics
Northern Club Captain’s Run
Saturday 22nd February
Meet at the FNVCCC clubrooms at Aurere, for a shared morning tea at 10 am.
The run starts at the clubrooms and ends at Whangaparoa.
Club Clothing
Purchases of club clothing may be made at any time from DD Gold in Kerikeri or Kaitaia.
Please make your own orders and arrange with DD Gold for the payment and collection of your garments.
Club Uniforms …Refer to email for sizes and prices, please.
Chairman’s Report
December's meeting was the Christmas lunch – a most convivial do.
Very much a social occasion with no gymkhana or other vehicle event, although several members attended in their vintage vehicles.
On the opening day of the Mangamukas, some members travelled over the hill in vintage cars.
I went South/North/South in the Rover and saw a group traveling in the reverse direction with Rosco in both directions.
The traffic was not too heavy and the repaired road was impressive –noticeable that many of the slips this time were on the south side.
I didn't get to the Taipa Show and Shine, but I understand several members were there.
Unfortunately, the weather caused the cancellation of the January Beach Picnic.
On the National front, the good news is that the Club has (at long last) purchased a replacement for the Club's HQ and Office (which was badly damaged in the earthquakes). Located in Papanui, it is handier for the airport and Canterbury Branch than the old city centre premises. I hope to get a quick look at the new buildings when Tom and I are in Christchurch for the March exec meeting.
Keith
Northern Club Captain’s Report
We hope you have all enjoyed the summer break and are ready to get those engines into gear and onto the road for another year of happy motoring.
Unfortunately due to inclement weather, our January picnic had to be cancelled.
Looking ahead -
This year is the 50th anniversary of the Far North VCCC.
It was actually November 1975 that we became a stand-alone Club.
To celebrate the occasion, our annual trophy prize-giving dinner, which is held in July, could be held at our club rooms, with our Mill Bay caterers providing the meal.
I think it’s an exciting way to celebrate. We have lovely club rooms and innovative members to “dress her up.” This will be discussed at our next meeting. Feedback is always appreciated!
We have the Far North Captain’s run on 22nd Feb, which will start with morning tea at the club rooms at 10 am. The run will be a ‘round circuit’ and it does involve metal roads that are in good condition. The run will end at Whangaroa with a ‘pay your way’ meal.
“In the wind” is a mid-week visit being planned for Imerys Ceramic quarry at Matauri Bay.
The next few months are usually busy with folks on holiday, along with plenty of ‘stat’ days for the working folk.
Take time out to support any club members in need as we’ll look forward to another active year of gatherings, driving and friendship. Marg.
Omnium gatherum…
Wishing you the very best, best can be for 2025. When the going gets tough please reach out to another club member if you can, have a chat and share the moment in time you are at.
Sendinglovetoeveryonewho’sdoingtheir besttohealfromthingstheydon’tdiscuss.
The First Motor Trip to the Far North
By G E Alderton
We went at it, got over, but the crossing carried away the driving chain, and one of the links dropped in the river. That was the first time on the whole trip that A.C. used any cuss words.
We have just come along on the level and passed through the pretty little village of Kaeo, at the head of an alluvial flat and I have now had to ascend the steepest hill in the north- Kukuparaire. I remember that hill.
A.C. thought it would be impossible for the car to carry both of us and suggested that if I were to get out and push, it would greatly assist. I did so with pleasure. I pushed and the car pushed and sent me flying into a ditch! It was all very sudden and for a time I was quite dazed. The machine had struck a boulder in the road and the jar of hitting it had set loose the reversing gear, causing the car to suddenly start downhill. It knocked me over; the wheels went over my legs and I found myself in the ditch.
AC realising the position, quickly backed the machine onto the bank and saved her.
A horse pulled that machine up the Kukupairaire.
I started to walk for Auckland. I had gone some miles before the machine overtook me and it was long after dinner time now, though we ought to have been at Ohaeawai for dinner. We were no more than halfway yet. We made fairly good progress over the Kirikiri Plains but for puncturing a tyre, and reaching the Waitangi River just at dusk.
Here the fine bridge had been swept away just previously by kauri logs getting adrift and we had to take the river to get across. It was a question of whether there was not too much water, but here we were, and go at it we must.
He is a thorough motorist. He is never the least disturbed, no matter what happens. If his machine were smashed to smithereens and half the bones in his body broken, he would still say he had had “a most enjoyable run.”
That would be quite ‘correct’ as a motorist: it is bad form to admit or proclaim any mishap. Some people think motorists can tell bigger fairies than the followers of Isaac Walton, but it is not so: they are merely “not understood.”
We had good luck to find the lost link, but it was badly bent, and we had no tools with which to mend it. We found a large iron spike on the bridge and with this we beat the link and after about two hours, we got it fitted into the chain. It was now dark, we had had nothing to eat since breakfast, and we were looking forward to a good time when we reached the hotel which was only two miles away.
We had yet to negotiate a very nasty hill, covered with large loose cobblestones which was too much for the machine and another tyre was punctured. This was roped up.
We made for the hotel, but now our water ran out, and we had to carry it from a house.
We finally reached the hotel after nine o'clock on Sunday night, fairly well fatigued, and the very correct landlord positively refused to serve us with anything but tea.
Next day we left Ohaeawai for Kawakawa. The road between these two points was about 17 miles, passing through volcanic land. The road is level with metal scoria making it an ideal motor road. We could not however take advantage of it for a run as two of the tyres were in a very sorry condition.
At Pakaraka we were making some repairs to the machine when a Maori girl rode up and was greatly interested in the car
“Where you go tonight?” she inquired. “Auckland,” we replied.
The town was 200 miles off and with a startled “Eh,’ she pulled her reigns and made tracks. She may have doubted our veracity or taken fright at our imaginary monster which was just about fit to crawl into Kawakawa. We reached this place sometime after dark and we were glad to find a pair of new tyres waiting there for us. These were affixed the next morning and we started for Whangarei. This run of about 38 miles was over a rather rough road- one piece which is corduroyed with slabs, causes a kind of speechlessness. You are afraid to speak for fear of biting your tongue and swallowing your false teeth. It must be however splendid exercise for the liver, if the cure is not worse than the disease.
We were making very slow progress at this time as the car seemed to want a complete overhaul- every bolt and joint was loose and rattling and the engine was not working at all smoothly.
Nearing Hikurangi we noticed a couple of cockies driving along in a wagonette, going about 5 or 6 miles an hour and I could not resist the temptation of wagering A.C. twenty thousand to two that he could not overtake them.
“That's a wager,” he said and he let her out. We both anxiously awaited developments.
It was quite a coincidence that just as we were talking about the boiler, A.C. was looking at the steam gauge and he let the machine right out.
“Hold tight,” he said and we shot over the road jumping huge holes and it went as I never thought the machine could go.
“Do you see the steam gauge? he asked.
“It is up to 300.”
I realised the situation and I thought of those 60 odd steam tubes just under our seat preparing to ascend like so many rockets. I knew enough of the car by this time to know that the safety valve was set to blow off the steam at 220 lbs and for some reason the blow-off had failed to work and the pressure had gone to 300 lbs- a nice sort of bomb to sit on.
We kept their eyes on that steam gauge as we raced along and slowly we saw the hand recede. A.C. had acted with great promptitude. Had he stopped the machine even for a moment the boiler might have played up. That was one danger and we had to sit tight and let her go ‘eyes out.’
At Hukerenui, it was mail day and there was quite a crowd people to see us coming in. We entered in great form, driving fully 30 miles an hour.
“Hoorah! Hoorah!” the villagers cried and threw their hats thinking the exhibition run was being made for their benefit but A.C. jumped off as quick as lightning and whipped the fire out, the steam then showing over 200lbs.
“Any danger of this boiler we are sitting on playing any capers if you take liberties with it?” I asked.
“No,” he said: “ I don't think so. But I suppose like other boilers it can burst under certain conditions. Yes, I think I have heard that the tubes have been blown out. That's bad - if those tubes move upwards we should be impaled.”
On examination, it was found that the safety valve was out of gear and could not be repaired. We decided under the circumstances to push on at once and take advantage of the daylight, as it would be impossible to watch the steam gauge under the lamp light. We pushed forward having only about 15 miles to do, to reach Whangarei and two hours of daylight to do it in. But our luck was out. We came to a piece of newly metalled roadthere were not more than two chains of it- and pop went the new tyre. We took it off and found it punctured badly in 2 places. We stayed there for about two hours trying to repair it but failed and then roped the
wheel and went on.
At Hikurangi, two miles further on, we were assured there was an expert bike man, who could fix anything. We engaged him. And three times we got the inner tube patched up and every time it was submitted to pressure it burst again. We were with the expert till four o'clock next morning and finally had to rope the wheel again and make for Whangarei. We got into the township in time for breakfast having only broken one of the stays of the undercarriage after leaving Hikurangi.
From Whangarei, the machine- or all that remained of it- was shipped back to Auckland and thus ended a most enjoyable run, full of interest and practical experience.
We spent three whole nights on the road and discovered that steam cars were only intended to be used on city roads.
A practical engineer should drive it and another should accompany it with a machine shop and that should be owned by a millionaire!
Repco Caffeine & Classics
The December meet attracted a large gathering of cars and was a perfect morning for a drive.
January was not so inviting weatherwise but coffee, food & a catch-up drew a good group of people in.
Christmas Potluck Dinner
