Joining petrol heads in Taranaki

As we drove through, I waved, like a royal on extremely happy pills, from the back of a Ford Fairlane 500

“Really? That doesn’t sound like you, Mum.” My daughter wasn't the only one to think it out of character for me to be taking part in Americarna, a celebration of the golden age of the American car. 

The implication being, it would be Taranaki, petrol-heads and boozers, with not a hint of greenie spirit. I just wouldn’t enjoy it. 

I wasn’t planning to hang out on the streets of New Plymouth drinking until I vomited, though, or even to hang around at the end of the night to see how many of the Americarna convoy members did just that. (As younger ’Naki-ites traditionally do.) 

I was there for the cars, the colours, the company of a handful of friends and, as it turned out, the sunshine and the laid-back rural locals of Hawera, Stratford, Eltham and Mangorei Road. 

As we drove through, I waved, like a royal on extremely happy pills, from the back of a Ford Fairlane 500, pop-rock hits at high volume. 

The rare person with a gloomy face, I considered a challenge. Nine times out of 10, they eventually smiled. 

More than 850 Chevrolets, Mustangs, Cadillacs, Studebakers, Fords and others, from all over New Zealand and a few from Australia and the US, formed a long motorcade that brought residents out in their thousands. They gathered for picnics and drinks by the side of the road; Hawera and Stratford people held mini-festivals and had a good nosy at the row upon row of cars parked for their enjoyment. 

The annual Americarna is a Taranaki institution I heard of only recently. It’s not going to help us slow down global warming or dampen our driving fervour, but for a lift to the spirits and in genuine admiration of the car makers and restorers, I’m glad I got to one.