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Get your trek on: 2017 Trillian Trek, day one

19 March, 2017

 

When you are traveling the country as part of New Zealand’s premier charity rally — Trillian Trek, a non-competitive charity car rally throughout New Zealand to spread as many smiles as we can and raise lots of money for Kiwi Kids in need — in a parade of classic cars and fire engines themed up to maximum attention-grabbing effect, it takes something pretty special to warrant a second glance. 

For the 100-odd fundraising stalwarts who, this week, have headed off from Matamata on the 2017 Trillian Trek (formerly the Variety Bash and in its 27th year) that head-turner came in the form of a sweet 1925 Chrysler in Tweety-Bird yellow. 

The old girl has come a long way since Dale ‘Daego’ Gerrand took delivery of a “trailer-load of rubbish” a few years ago. Fast forward to today and ‘HOT 25’ looks sweet and sounds sweeter thanks to a 283 small block Chevy motor, a Turbo 350 auto transmission and front and rear suspension courtesy of Jaguar. 

It’s a far cry from the wheels Daego has been driving in the rally for the past 20 years — an old J3 Bedford school bus! This year he couldn’t make the whole run but made sure that he and some mates from Stragglers Hot Rods at least got in a half-day and it has to be said that the ‘Trekkers’ and the spectators along the route were pretty pleased about the extra eye candy! 

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A quick look at what the rest of the day served up; Matamata Mayor Jan Barnes waved her mayoral chains in lieu of a starting pistol — it was a residential street after all — and handed over the first set of pacenotes. Not content with the usual water fight between fire trucks, there was the aftermath of a foam fight and yes, that is a dude making foam ‘angels’ in the middle of the road. The awesome support crew from the RNZAF got up close and personal with the first breakdown of the event, and a couple of shady looking characters tried to pinch a massive cheque attached to a van that has been granted to partner charity, New Zealand Blue Light. 

The van will be used for a new Blue Light initiative aimed at delivering life skills and employability qualifications to troubled teens.

And last but by no means least, parallel parkers extraordinaire — the Fish Pot Café team, sponsored by Marsh Insurance, in surely one of the most unique vehicles on the road in New Zealand, an 18-litre 1960 Seagrave Los Angeles Fire Department ladder truck, which  negotiated its 17 metres under an awning and between two uprights at South Auckland Motors. This beast has done all 27 events and most of its crew have too!

No one’s 100 per cent sure what the rest of the week has in store for the Trek — no doubt grants, giggles, tears and tantrums, and that’s probably all before breakfast! 

Official route of the 2017 Trillian Trek:
19th March Day 1 — Matamata to Orewa
20th March Day 2 — Orewa to Dargaville
21st March Day 3 — Dargaville to Omapere
22nd March Day 4 — Omapere to Taipa/Coopers Beach
23rd March Day 5 — Taipa to Taipa
24th March Day 6 — Taipa to Russell
25th March Day 7 —  Russell to Whangarei

For more information about this event, or how you can support Kiwi kids by donating, head to trekevents.co.nz or visit the Trillian Trek Facebook page

Coaching from the bench: Casting plastic knobs and rubber parts

16 July, 2026

Casting rubber items is simple if you have a good original to work with. The item doesn’t have to be perfect. You can use plasticine to smooth out cracks, and you can even make whole prototypes out of low-fire modelling clay available from craft stores if you need to. Prototypes can also be made of wood or metal.
You will need mould dams to contain the liquid urethane moulding solution until it cures. You can build boxes out of strips of wood, but I have found that small plastic boxes and bowls such as those you would use for leftovers in your fridge work well if you spray them with a mould release agent.
Temperature is important to the chemical processes involved, so work in an area that can be maintained at around 20 degrees. You will also need adequate ventilation because the fumes can be dangerous to breathe. And you will want to wear latex gloves to protect your hands.

Fraser Cars – low flying into the fourth decade

10 July, 2026

With almost three and a half decades under its belt, Fraser Cars is one of New Zealand’s longest-surviving car manufacturers. The company first opened its doors for business in 1988, during the boom time for kit manufacturers. During the ’80s, around 40 different companies were building kits and turnkey cars for this niche market. Of those, only Fraser and Almac Cars (established 1981) are still in business today.
Most of the new kit car companies were killed off in the cradle by the threat of new legislation that never eventuated and definitively by the sudden availability of high-performance Japanese cars when the floodgates to second-hand imports were opened. The now long-retired founder of the company, Neil Fraser, first came across Lotus Seven replicas while racing Lotus Cortinas in the early ’80s. He regularly found himself racing against a little Caterham, a Lotus Seven–styled car built in England. He was very impressed by its simplicity and handling. In 1986 Fraser built his own Lotus Seven–type car, using the knowledge he had gained from several close looks at the Caterham.