Remember early 70s leaving North Shore (Auck) on a Friday about lunch time and heading for Admiral Rd Masterton with one buggy on A-frame behind XY ute with petrol cans and few spares and wheels on back with 3 across the bench seat. You had to be mates or it did not work on these trips. ute was followed by Rod Millen in his buggy (not for long) and off we went. Arrived at Masterton about 9.30 Friday night and meet by friendly club members, paper work done a couple of beers and off to their place for a sleep. Up morning feed and taken to hill climb. Great dice all day long with Warring and then back to club for prizegiving. At about 8 pm Millen ask's how much you guys had to drink. "oh a couple" then he says "we might as well head up ah, theres a hillclimb at Bald Hill tomorrow". So we thank everyone and off we go. Well the lights were real neat on the buggy "TUI YEA RIGHT" any way i rode with Rod to Waiurou. it was quite cosy around legs with heat from radiator sweeping past legs but the ears were cold even with full balaclava. We were going to swap the buggys over on the A frame and just un hooked PJ"s buggy when a E-Type Jag goes past. This is red rag a to bull with Millen and he looks, smiles and says come on PJ lets play. They take off and Shorty and myself head off up the Desert Rd towards Turangi in the ute. We get to the Service Station at Turangi turn off and here is the guy in the E-Type chatting away to Rod and PJ. As the story goes he said he saw some dim lights coming and he thought well i'm getting along alright wonder what that is, and did not believe it when the buggy's past him. So off he went and said it was not too bad until the twisty stuff and the climbs out of those valleys. Next he saw the guy's was at the Service Station and looked in back behind seat and could not believe a V6 could be in there. Any way after a quick refuel Rods buggy on A frame and change of drivers so others could have nap, off to Bald Hill. we made it for day and PJ let me have a drive for the day. I think i was 3rd behind Rod and Doug Bremner. Then off home, unload, sleep very well and off to work Monday. Alot off us used to do this in "the good old days" But those peolpe at Masterton were great and we meet them lots more over the Daybreaker Rally trips.
Quote Originally Posted by beowulf View Post
Admiral Road was also my first hillclimb. In a 1939 Ford 10, It fell over at the hairpin, still wasn't the slowest car in the event.