St Heliers fills with classics, customs, and kids toys

2 December, 2014

The first Monday of December may mean different things for different people, but for us it’s always the day of the annual ‘Toy Run’. The Toy Run, which is hosted by North Shore Rod And Custom Club, actually doesn’t include a run at all, but is more so a giant park up of generous car lovers keen to make a difference for kids in need.

Taking place at Vellenoweth Green, St Heliers, Auckland, the event sees the hundreds of vehicle owners present making a gold coin donation to the Salvation Army upon entry, as well as many of them donating a children’s toy, which is then given to charity to be used as a Christmas gift. While the event has been going for many years now, the toy donation part (and the event itself, if we’re honest) isn’t all that well promoted, so while many toys were donated we did think that aspect could be pushed a bit more.

Regardless, the NSRCC did a great job on the night coping with the 300 or so cars that arrived, even going as far as providing a lolly scramble and presents for the kids in attendance, and credit must be given to them for running a great family-friendly event.

Mark down the first Monday of December in your diary for next year, as the event is well worth heading along to, regardless of if you’re driving a custom or classic car, or are just keen to take a look.

A second dose of Dash

When the car arrived in Wellington in December 2018 it was duly taken along for entry certification. Vehicle Inspection NZ (VINZ) found some wrongly wired lamps and switches — not too bad — but, much more significantly, some poor welding repairs. As the structural problems were probed more thoroughly, we realized the previous owner’s restoration would not do and we needed an upgrade. Dash had made it into the country but it would take some time and money before he would be free to explore any of New Zealand’s scenic highways.
We took the car to our new home in Johnsonville in the northern suburbs of Wellington and I pored over the car in detail to figure out what was next. There were lots of new parts on the car and a very perky reconditioned drivetrain but the chassis needed serious work.

Lunch with… Jim Palmer

In the 1960s, Hamilton’s Jim Palmer won the prestigious ‘Gold Star’ four times and was the first resident New Zealander home in the New Zealand Grand Prix on five consecutive occasions. He shared the podium with Stirling Moss, Jack Brabham, Bruce McLaren, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Denny Hulme, Jackie Stewart, and Chris Amon. The extent of his domination of the open-wheeler scene in New Zealand will probably never be matched or exceeded. Yet he’s always been modest about his achievements.