Car and bike show proceeds benefit Domain and Mangawhai surf club

JULIA WADE

11 July, 2022

Cash made from a highly-successful, high-octane autumn fundraiser involving hundreds of buffed chrome classic cars and thousands of visitors, has been shared recently between two significant community organisations, with one in the business of saving lives.

Parking up in the Village’s Dune restaurant on June 30, representatives for Mangawhai Domain Society (MDS) and Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service Inc (MHVLS), met for a celebration to raise a glass to the success of the 2022 Mangawhai Easter Hop Car & Bike Show, with both parties receivng an equal share of $13,000.

Organised by MDS in just two-and-a-half weeks thanks to a change in the Domain’s Covid settings, the car and bike show was a dual fundraiser for both the surf lifesavers and the Domain and proved so popular the Hop is now locked in to every Easter Weekend, marking it as a significant annual event.

Surf Club chair, Gordon Finlayson, says he was not expecting anything like the amount received and was grateful for the much-needed cash.

“Both junior and senior surf club members helped out at the event which they really enjoyed and the Domain appreciated everyones efforts, passing around donation bins, directing traffic and generally making sure everyone was ok,” he says. “Naturally we’ve offered to do it again next year.”

The cash will go towards a new state-of-the-art jetski, a Rescue Water Craft which has proven to be lot faster than the rigid inflatable boats, cutting nearly ten minutes off rescue-response times which can mean all the difference between life and death for those who find themselves in trouble out on the water.

“It’s just arrived in the country and training will start in late July, so thank you Domain Society, the money is helping to save lives.”

The Easter Hop has grown incredibly from its humble beginnings three years ago, when 125 cars lined up in The Club’s carpark, attracting a modest crowd. This years event saw over 600 cars and bikes merge onto the Domain with crowds in the thousands attending, bringing revenue to local businesses as well as supporting community groups like the Domain and surf club.

Cafes and restaurants were packed when the last Hop came to town MDS spokesperson Brian May says, with some eateries even runining out of beer and food, and the event could even get bigger. With over 600 members on the Hop’s facebook page and 12 being clubs, the event potentially can reach thousands of

classic car enthusiasts across the country, and has also received endorsement from various petrolhead magazines including NZ Hot Rod and NZ V8.

“It’s just brilliant… we’re thinking we could even turn it into an afternoon extravaganza, make it roll over into a concert with a couple of big musical acts perhaps,” May says. “It’s going to be one of the mainstay events, so great for Mangawhai, really gone beyond my wildest expectations.”

Mangawhai Easter Car Hop crew shares proceeds within the community. From left, new Mangawhai Domain chair Mike McGarry, treasurer Gary Porteous and member/Hop spokesperson Brian May, MHVLS chair Gordon Finlayson and executive Alex Tidyman, and Keri Cordon from major sponsor Bayleys Real Estate. PHOTO/JULIA WADE

“It’s going to be one of the mainstay events, so great for Mangawhai, really gone beyond my wildest expectations.”

– Brian May