About 370 classic vehicles came together around the town square at Cruise Martinborough 2018. PHOTO/JADE CVETKOV
HAYLEY GASTMEIER
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The fifth annual Cruise Martinborough hit the road on Thursday with 420 classic vehicles taking part in an array of events over four days which are sure to have heads turning.
Organiser Damien Pivac says he has a “slight addiction” to vintage wagons and that’s why he started the event which is growing in popularity every year.
“The very first year we had 150 vehicles registered and it’s grown since then.
“There were 370 last year and this year we’ve had to cut the registration off because we’ve got to the maximum number of cars we think we can get around the Martinborough Square.
“We want to avoid a logistical nightmare.”
Yesterday hundreds of hot rods, classics and American muscle cars cruised to Lake Ferry for lunch and live entertainment, before a drive-in movie in Martinborough in the evening.
Today’s schedule features the iconic carpark party at The Farriers Bar & Eatery in Masterton from 11.45am, and then drag racing at the Masterton Motorplex from 3pm.
Pivac said it was only the first 200 metres of the strip that the drivers could “have a good time on”.
“Last year I was in a Dodge Hellcat owned by a local lady, and we got up to 180kmh.”
The Pukemanu Bar and Eatery will be tonight’s place to be with Good As Gold performing from 7pm.
Tomorrow will feature the Show and Shine at Martinborough Square, from noon, where there will be stalls and fun things for children to do.
And for the first time there is going to be a Miss Cruise Martinborough pinup and rockabilly dress competition to be judged between midday and 2pm.
The Hollywoods band will entertain at the Pukemanu from 8pm after the Cruise Martinborough prizegiving.
A brunch at the Copthorne Solway Park will tie up the weekend on Sunday morning before everyone makes their way home.
Pivac said people were coming from as far south as Bluff and as far north as Northland.
He said he noticed a gap in the market so launched the event in 2014 thinking it would be an exciting thing to do for the wider Wairarapa community.
From Thursday until Sunday, Pivac can be spotted with his white 1970s Chev C10 pickup truck – he only has one vintage vehicle because he’s “being good at the moment”.
“I’ve had a lot of older ones, usually from the 1950s and 1960s but this one is from the 1970s, mainly because I’m getting older and I need something more reliable – plus, if you’re leading 420 cars you don’t want to break down.”
