On Sunday 10th July the HCC club celebrated with a Mid Winter Xmas Dinner with the theme American Independence Day. This was organised by Jeanette and Geoff and held at the Howick club. Appropriate dress was encouraged and there were some great outfits on the night. Several committee  members got together to provide us with some very different entertainment. Song sheets were provided and we joined in with their improvised band of singers, piano organ players and even a homemade double base which was played admirably by Geoff. Sally composed an original song and we all had a laugh at the words. Well done Sally. All the band members looked great in their USA costumes. Sadly several members were unable to attend either due to ill health or bereaved and these were acknowledge by David. On a happier note the evening was well attended and the food provided by Howick club was lovely. This was another great night for the HCC club.

A huge thank you to Lois and Tom for hosting this event at their home in the Fairview Lifestyle Village back in June, when Auckland seemed a much happier and brighter place to be. It was a lovely day and about 20 people enjoyed the hospitality. Lois is a great ambassador for this style of living. John Morrison turned up in his Hupmobile which was previously owned by Lois and Richard. and Lois was thrilled to see her again. 

On Aug 15th  the AGM and kickstart breakfast was held at the Maungakikie Golf Clubrooms. About 40 people attended and once again we were served a very nice breakfast. Club revenue was reported to be a little down but mainly due to the pandemic lockdowns. Geoff Roberts decided to stand down from the executive committee after many years of service and the club thanked him in the appropriate manner. Nicola Birchall has assumed the title of Member Welfare Officer to make sure we keep more up to date with the lives of our members and John Morison has been co opted into the new role of New member Liaison Officer. Geoff and Jeanette had planned to have a mid week Luncheon event at their home  towards the end of September but sadly due to Covid this was not possible. The Spring tour is now postponed which makes our next event the Christmas Party which will be held at the Howick Club, once again organised by Geoff and Jeanette. Attending form is on this website. the date is 12th December. Lets hope this date is not cancelled too. 

The group started arriving on Friday afternoon and most of the party met up for pre dinner drinks followed by a meal at a café along the road from the “Salty Dog”,  Snells Beach, where we were all staying.
After a night’s sleep we woke to a very miserable, wet, windy day, so everyone with the exception of one very brave couple decided to use their modern cars and leave our treasured oldies warmly wrapped in their covers.
The local newspaper turned up to take photos and Murray Greig’s 1914 Model T joined Phil Henley’s 1906 Cadillac for the photoshoot.
The run was very wet and there was quite a bit off rough roading. More so for Pauline and Monty with Jacky & Murray as passengers, who lost their way, not once but twice and ended up doing a good extra 25ks. All good fun. None of us envied Caroline & Phil doing it the hard way in the Cadillac. But good on them.
We arrived at the Port Albert café for lunch where the lovely ladies gave us a warm welcome and considering this café is a bit off the beaten track, it was very busy. Food was nice too.
Back to the “Salty Dog” for Nana naps then we all met again for Happy Hour and our evening meal. Moses our host, was so accommodating and the food was well organised. Plenty of chat and laughs throughout the evening.
Prizegiving was a little different with a bit of Kiwi ingenuity for the awards. Caroline & Phil received a trophy for the oldest car on the run. Murray Greig was given his for the oldest 4 cylinder car and for driving it to the venue. Penelope & Warwick were awarded theirs for the furthest distance travelled to the venue, and Pauline & Monty’s was for getting lost not once but twice. Shame about the red shoes (Private joke).
Sunday morning we awoke to a much better day. The sun was shining and it was nice and warm. Perfect for motoring. At 9.30am we took off for a drive to Leigh, where we had our morning coffee fixes. Then we travelled back to Morrison & James Pottery, for a tour of the company.
This being the end of the drive we all thanked Caroline & Phil for organising a great weekend. Despite the weather on Saturday, we enjoyed great fellowship and we are all in awe of Caroline and Phil’s pioneering spirit to do the whole run in their very exposed 1906 Cadillac as shown in the pictures.
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About 45 people gathered at the Howick club to celebrate another years Christmas dinner function arranged by Jeanette & Geof.  Pre dinner drinks were served,  followed by the main meal which as always was excellent. The meeting up of freinds was enjoyed by all as this is what makes the club so special. Jim Francis was 98 this year and gave us a short recap on his life to date. Well done Jim. Jim commented on long standing members, Wilma & Brian. Presents were distributed to everyone. Thanks once again go to Jeanette & Geof for all the effort they put into this wonderful evening.

Spring Tour 2019
We started on Saturday at the Botanical gardens with 14 cars and over 30 people participating and after a pretty drive stopping at the Taste Bud café for lunch, the rest of the afternoon was spent with visits around the Thames township and then pre dinner drinks followed by an evening get together in the Thames Workingman’s Club. Weather was kind and really lovely.
Sunday
The entourage headed out along a really nice coastal drive with a mandatory café stop at Waiomu Beach for morning tea. David Lane had arranged for orange cones to be installed along the main road of Coromandel so that our cars could be parked up and enjoyed by all. Some people had visited Water World. This is a quirky local café with a playground and water powered inventions (Very enjoyable). And some people visited Driving Creek Railway. An incredible feat of design and engineering all without the help of modern equipment. This was enjoyed by all that participated. David & Sally held an impromptu pre dinner drink time in their garden lounge. Then it was off to the Star & Garter for dinner. Lots of stories, jokes and chatting. Weather still held.
Monday
Weather had turned. It rained heavily and blew a gale. Had to feel sorry for those in open cars. Some people were brave enough to stop at the Gold Mine in Thames on the return journey which did however have  a bonus with the weather being much improved by the time they left the mine.
A special thanks to Warwick & Penny Woollams and Adrian & Sylvia Garret who ventured from the North to make this trip.
And thanks go to David & Sally for organising a great three days of motoring. Again the relaxed social group expressed their enjoyment of the whole weekend away “A great mix of socialising and motoring”.

​Winter Wander
Sunday June 23rd 2019
The weather gods were shining upon us as we avoided the predicted rain until just before lunch.
 
So the gathered team of automobiles set off in their “preferred car of the day” from the Botanical Gardens and headed for the Clevedon Farmers Market where Terry Jenkins had organised priority parking for our group signalled with his 1917 Dodge. Looks like many were catching up on their breakfast as a selection of goodies and coffee satisfied the “morning tea” craving. This is a very popular market and in the summer parking is a real problem. The delightful tour through the country was new to some of us and impressed us with the scenery, panoramic views and near total lack of traffic. Yes it started with a bit of a climb, but nothing a veteran couldn’t cope with. At one stage we were tracking along a razor back road, no doubt a bit of a challenge before it was sealed,  but very appropriate for our Winter Wander and all new to the writer.
 
The run into Tuakau was a bit wet but cleared for the rest of the day. Destination for lunch was the Tuakau Hotel with a table set for the whole group: a good selection and lots of chatter.
 
Geof and Jeanette Roberts were awarded the “Winter Wander Trophy” with Rex Healey their passenger in the youngest car on the run. Monty and Pauline mistook the Farmers Market and went to Pukekohe rather than Clevedon but joined us for lunch. Great to see Kit and Rina joining in from their trip North and understand they have suggested a Pot Luck lunch at their place sometime soon-sounds like a good idea. The Henley team arrived in black BMW claiming it was over thirty years old and appropriate – looked smart to me with their dog having the whole back seat. The Greigs from out West turned up in their very nice Ford V8 coupe and Roy Sharman joined Terry at Clevedon for the run to lunch. Two model A”s were the order of the day for the Porters with Ethan navigating for Ben and Julie, and nugget navigating for David and Kaye.
 
Another good Winter Wander and day out for the club.
 
Thanks Ben for organising the run: new country is always a treat!
 
By David Porter.Ealey their passenger in the youngest car on the run