Get your trek on: 2017 Trillian Trek — day seven

24 March, 2017

Words and photos: Liane Clarke

 

Well — 135 people, 34 vehicles, seven days, 1700 kilometres, countless school visits, heaps of haka, a new name and a new charity partner, tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of grants to needy Kiwi kids and a whole heap of fun for everyone involved … the Trillian Trek is over for another year!

From it’s start at a breakfast street party in Matamata a week ago, all the way up the west coast of the North Island to Cape Reinga and back down the east coast to Whangarei the 2017 Trillian Trek has been full-on since Matamata Mayor Jan Barnes handed out the first set of route instructions — right up to the publican at Parua Bay Tavern handing out the first celebratory pint to a grateful (and thirsty) fire truck passenger at the private finish.

This group of people who give up their time to help make a difference in the life of a child are a selfless bunch — a little bit kooky for sure and mad for their vehicles and mad for the cause. 

There’s no doubt they love the driving but there’s also no doubt they love the smiles and reactions from the kids and communities visited along the way. Trekkers see how that ride on a fire engine, a first bike, even just a few moments spent being made a fuss of can brighten up a day. 

Not all the Trekkers own their own vehicles and not all are able to be part of the whole event. The event owns a number of ‘floater’ vehicles that can be provided to teams without cars or those coming to take part in the event from overseas. Some corporate sponsors sign-up for a day or three on-board a particular car or fire truck, some participants are friends of friends who regularly tag along every year to be part of the good work, some go with different teams each year and some are new to the event and trying to decide whether to take the plunge, build a team and invest in their own vehicle.

All are welcomed and there is plenty of advice on who to go to for help outfitting your car and your team, how to prepare, when you should start preparing and what to expect. 

The ‘what to expect’ question is a difficult one for seasoned Trekkers to answer. The experience can’t really be explained in a few words. And the Trek can be quite different depending on who’s in your team, what size your team is, what sort of a vehicle you are in and what experience you have had with non-competitive rallying and fundraising. 

Each year there are a number of shorter events which are a great opportunity for those thinking about the week-long commitment. A chance to try out Trek culture and see if it’s for you. Some teams only do the shorter, weekend-long treks as the logistics of the main event can prove too much to co-ordinate. 

No matter the level of your involvement, Trekkers pretty much guarantee you will have fun, you will laugh, your heart strings will be tugged, there’ll be some tearful and humbling moments with the kids, you will get wet, and you will make friends for life.

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

Grand Routier — in the french tradition

Sitting in Paddy and Patsy Williams’ Dunedin garage is a stunning example of one of these rare French grand routier sedans. It is a 1949 four-door Lago-Record Factory Berline sedan, to give its full name. Daughter Cath let us know how proud she was of her dad, who had been tinkering away in his garage on this car for so many years.
Without exaggeration, it has been a mammoth task. I first saw this Talbot-Lago in mid 2019. The long-nosed, sweeping, curved four-door saloon, clothed in its misty green metallic paint, was quite breathtaking. There’s more than a little English influence in it, too, harking back to company owner Tony Lago’s involvement in the Clement-Talbot-Darracq era. The long front wings and bonnet, usually multi-louvred, highlighted with artful touches of chrome bling, are typical of the era, but these were indeed luxury length. Interiors provided leather-clad, armchair-style seating and ample legroom, with touches of wood and surprising details such as dainty childproof interior locks — a far cry from today’s lozenge boxes.
Paddy, a retired civil and structural engineer, knows his way around a lathe. He has a well-equipped garage-workshop to assist in any machining tasks along with his other passion for restoring classic motorcycles.

The Great River Road

A few years ago my family, knowing my fondness for driving, gave me the book Unforgettable Road Trips: Thirty-Six Drives of a Lifetime by Martin Derrick. Most of the road trips listed take less than a day in places like Scotland, Monaco, and Australia, plus one in New Zealand. Most of these places were too far to go just for a short drive but four of them would take several days. My interest was piqued, and those four drives were added to the bucket list. To date, I have done three of them: ‘Route 66’ (USA 21 days), ‘State Highway 6’ (NZ 10 days) and ‘The Great River Road’ (USA 22 days). You can drive all of them in less time, but you could also fly over them. We wanted a decent immersion in their charms.
The great river referred to is the Mississippi. While the name conjures the deep south, the river actually starts at the bottom of the great lakes, before emptying into the Gulf of Mexico about 3800km later. The great road is more of a concept than a specific strip of tarmac, as you can drive down either side of the river on various routes. Regardless of which side you drive, time should be kept aside for detours to places such as Nashville, which is famous for something or other.