National Rally – Taranaki Easter 2021
What a great weekend … about 20 members from our club joined with about 300 others from various Jaguar Clubs around NZ for the 2021 National Rally.
The weekend started with an opening dinner on the Friday night involving a very generous 3 course meal and entertainment. Saturday was the main show day with about 250 jags of all varieties from a 1925 SS 100 through to the latest I-Pace gathering in a local park where the general public could wander and drool over the fantastic display of the Jaguar Marque. For many this was followed in the afternoon with a visit to a local property developer’s private ‘estate; where amongst the groomed lawns and garden (not to mention the tennis court, swimming pool, sand volleyball court, archery area and a children’s playground that even Trevor Mallard would be proud of ) were two large sheds with a vast arrange of collectable cars from Hummers, to Jags, an Aston Martin, Morgan and a genuine Plymouth Roadrunner. Saturday night was a Tartan themed (again 3 courses) dinner, complete with haggis and a Scottish Flute band to dance the night away. The next morning we were up early and off to Stafford for the gymkhana where many willing owners put their precious vehicles through a number of obstacle courses on the damp ground of the local racecourse – the Mountain looked spectacular on the drive out the Stafford. Then it was off the Republic of Whangamomona on the Forgotten Highway for lunch. If you have not travelled this road before it may best be described as a twisting-winding road with bends between the bends… not great for the stomachs of some passengers. Sunday night was a prize-giving night with another 3-course meal (clearly the theme of the weekend) and then Monday morning was a generous buffet breakfast before cars started departing for home – for some of us that meant a visit to the Holden Museum as we finally then said goodbye to the Taranaki. A fantastic weekend and a great chance to stretch the legs on the jags on the way down and back.
For those of you who missed this great weekend, start saving your pennies for the next rally in Christchurch in 2024 – if this rally was anything to go by 2024 should not be missed.