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Kiwis On Tour: Hit the West with the best

18 September, 2019

 

Route 66 Tours with Beach Hop frontman Noddy Watts are well known. It’s a grand idea for a fully escorted self-driving tour, in this case, of a part of the West Coast of the USA.

All the essentials are included: car, insurance, accommodation, even a fully programmed GPS unit, as well as a US cell phone. All you have to do is arrive and then enjoy the experience.

For over ten years Noddy and Andrea have been guiding these tours and now have 21 under their belt, so they are very familiar with the process. Seven hundred people have enjoyed their company on these tours so far, and many are repeat visitors.

The ‘West Coaster’ tour is for 32 days and will take place between August and September next year, 2020.

Mustang convertibles will make the most of the summer weather and places like Old Town San Diego, The Grand Canyon, and Pikes Peak, Aspen Colorado. You’ll also visit Pinkees Hot Rod shop, the America’s Car Museum, the Santa Monica Car Show, and much more. You’ll even drive some of Route 66 and the Pacific Highway.

Between May and June 2020 there’s a Route 66 tour, or take the Cars and Blues Tour in July–August 2020. Prices vary, so contact [email protected] or Kiwis On Route 66 on Facebook.

Motorman: Blame it on Rio!

22 May, 2025

Following the third polite advisory, I figured there had to be a fair degree of substance to the warning. “If this is your first visit to Rio de Janeiro, please be careful,” came the personal hushed dialogue from the pleasant hostesses on a far from crowded Varig flight from Los Angeles to the famous Brazilian seaside city.
The previous evening I had flown into LA from Auckland en route to the 1985 international launch of the Fiat Uno Turbo. I was prepared for another long haul of just under 12 hours across Mexico, central America, Colombia, and central Brazil to that nation’s third largest city. Surprisingly the 10,500km run from Los Angeles to Rio is actually longer than the 8800km LA-London air route.
With the journey including a brief stopover in Honolulu I expected to travel just under 44,000km for the return journey to sample what was to be a low-volume version of a popular Italian car that would sell in even lower numbers in New Zealand. I like to think this shows nothing more than my deep commitment to my craft. In fact, even though I became lost on the homeward journey my total air miles would be little different.

Pinnacle Porsche

15 May, 2025

We were stopped at the side of the road, setting up the next photograph, when a faded Toyota slowed alongside and stopped. The window was already down to give the driver a good look.
“That’s my dream car,” he said, speaking for more than a few of us.
He drank in the gleaming red paint, shining in the sun, and the car’s purposeful swoops and curves. He exhaled half a lungful of cigarette smoke, gave a hang 10–style thumbs up and drove off.
On the side of the road, against a clear blue background, the Porsche stood out in all its stark red glory. It’s the classic 911 shape on steroids. It has the fat, even pouty, front lip of the G series 911s, added to comply with 5mph bumper restrictions in the US. It also has the oversized haunches to accommodate the wider rear wheels and tyres – a first for Porsche, which also confirmed its supercar credentials – and, most noticeably of all, that enormous whale-tail spoiler. They made it look as if Porsche had abandoned its restraint.