17 June 17, 2015 Mahurangi Matters motoringfeature

hotwheels FEATURE

Snells Beach resident Anne Richardson has nearly finished restoring a 1932 Riley Lynx convertible, commemorating the project her late husband John started 47 years ago.Originally from England, John inherited the car after his father died in 1968. It needed a bit of work to get it on the road, but the work never happened, Anne says.“Cars of that age in the 1960s were seen as a load of old junk. It’d be like a 1980s Japanese import today. You could buy them for $10. “It was held together with bits of wire and had been painted with a yard-brush, but my husband had always been keen on Rileys. It was a family thing and I married into it. “He was always going to get it back on the road, but it became his retirement project.”The Riley was always close to John’s heart, though perhaps absent from his mind, and remained in storage for the next 43 years. But the couple brought the car with them when they immigrated to NZ in 2008 to live closer to their daughter in Auckland.They finally started the restoration four years ago, drawing on the expertise of Snells Beach mechanic

47-year pit stop nearly over for classic Riley

Anne Richardson

Steve Simpson, who now works on the North Shore.The engine was still in good condition and started first time, but borer had eaten through the cars wooden frame.

“My husband was a very good mechanic but he didn’t want to do the body work. We couldn’t find anyone in the UK who could do the work, but with Steve’s connections we’ve been

able to get the job done.”But not long after starting the project John died.“At first I wasn’t sure if I would continue with the car’s restoration. But I thought I should complete his ambition as a memorial.“I’ve had to do a lot of research as they are very rare in New Zealand. As far as we know, it is the only six cylinder Lynx in the country.”The car’s wooden frame has been remade, it has been repainted and is currently being reupholstered. After a few last checks and tweaks, it should be ready for its first ride in time for spring.Anne is already planning the first journey. John’s brother is going to come over from England for the annual vintage car rally in Napier in February.

The Riley Lynx was a sports touring car.

The car’s wooden frame had to

be completely replaced.

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18 Mahurangi Matters June 17, 2015 motoringfeature

Owner Mike McFall and the team have the Rodney District covered for breakdowns, jumpstart, and lockouts - heavy vehicle salvage too!

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The Wellsford/Warkworth Vintage Car Club would like to acknowledge and thank the following organisations and individuals for their sponsorship of the National North Island Easter Rally, recently hosted by our branch.

Chemwash (Nigel Ross)

Mason Containers (Al Mason)

Principal Sponsors:

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A nationwide network of stations that can charge an electric car in 10 to 25 minutes is the vision that is being brought to fruition by Steve and Dee West.The couple, who have a property in Matakana, drive a Tesla S – one of only six in the country – and also have the older model Tesla roadster and a Nissan Leaf. Their enthusiasm for electric vehicles, which Steve describes as “making perfect sense for New Zealand” has led them to set up a business and website this year, focused on rolling out a nationwide network of fast charging stations that anyone can use.Normally, an electric car is charged overnight using power from the grid, as it sits in the garage. This is because electric vehicles have a charger built in that converts the AC power from the grid into DC power for the car’s battery. Due to size and weight constraints this onboard charger is limited in power so typically takes six hours to fully charge a car.The Rapid DC Chargers are a powerful unit that allows electric vehicle owners to charge their car in around 25 minutes. They are a much larger version of the onboard charger, and convert high power 3-phase AC into very powerful DC current. This dramatically reduces the charge time.“Free from the constraints imposed by the hazardous nature of traditional fossil-based transport fuels, charging stations can be placed in much more convenient locations like shopping malls and supermarkets where you would typically park for at least 20-30 minutes anyway,” Steve says.The stations cost around $40,000

each and the plan is to start by placing them in the areas of highest electric vehicle ownership – Auckland and Wellington – then extend the network in a linear fashion along well-used routes such as State Highway 1.The first one is being tested in Auckland, with two more due to come into the country next month and 20 more in August.Users will be billed for using the stations based on the amount of power used. Steve says because New Zealand’s power grid comes from almost 80 per cent renewable energy, electric vehicles are ideal.“We spend $5.5 billion on petrol in this country each year, and the running cost of an electric vehicle is a quarter that of a petrol-driven engine,” Steve says. “There is virtually no maintenance on an electric vehicle as there are no spark plugs, no oil and very little that can wear out. Just brakes, tires and wipers!”If you can’t afford the Tesla S, which costs around $110,000 and has a 400km range on a single charge, there is the Nissan Leaf (120km range), which Steve says can be bought on the second-hand market for around $20,000. He says on Trade Me they are selling around 50 of these a month.Other car manufacturers, including BMW and Audi, have also introduced electric or hybrid models.“We drive electric cars because they are environmentally friendly, and the way of the future, but they are also utterly silent and have a lot of torque at low speed which makes them very zippy when you take off from the lights.”Info: charge.net.nz

A new Tesla S will set you back around $110,000, but cost next-to-nothing to run.

Charging stations expanded

19 June 17, 2015 Mahurangi Matters motoringfeature

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Six years after the speed limit was lowered from 100km/h to 80km/h, crash statistics on the notorious stretch of highway in the Dome Valley continue to fall.According to NZ Transport Agency figures, there have been 122 crashes in the Dome since the speed limit changed in 2009. This is compared to 181 in the previous six years.There have been two fatalities since 2009 (both in 2010), compared to 11 in the previous six years. Prior to the speed limit change, the road was tagged the 10th worst road in the country.However, NZTA highway manager for Auckland and Northland Brett Gliddon says the reduction in crashes isn’t just the result of the speed change.“The Dome Valley has been monitored for many years and a variety of projects have made a significant difference to reduce both the number and severity of crashes,” he says.“The level and quality of the pavement management and its effect on loss-of-control type crashes in the wet was

identified as an area of concern. Road chip which offers better skid resistance has been installed on this section of the highway and it has resulted in a remarkable turnaround in the number of crashes.”The Transport Agency believes there is still work to do in reducing the number of loss-of-control crashes in the Dome.Susan Speedy, who runs the business Frog Pool Farm in the Dome, believes the road is definitely safer than it was.“We just don’t hear the sirens like we used to,” she says. “But in saying that, we still try to avoid driving in the Dome when it’s wet because we’ve seen the statistics and it still feels unsafe.”The Dome remains over-represented in some areas including:• Bend lost control/head on – 73%

(national average 25%)• Too fast for conditions – 39%

(national average 13%)• Wet – (64% (national average

28%)

Dome accident statistics fall

Dome crash statistics

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20 Mahurangi Matters June 17, 2015 motoringfeature

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After six months of fundraising and a search up and down the country, Kawau Coastguard finally has a new tractor.The tractor is used to launch the Kawau Rescue boat, ensuring it can attend maritime emergencies.Immediate past president Roger Davies says they have been in a precarious state, relying on an aging tractor that was prone to jamming gears, meaning the crew couldn’t guarantee an immediate response in emergencies. Member Brett Howlett searched from Timaru to Whangarei for a replacement.“He just loves tractors,” Roger says.Brett won the People’s Choice Trophy at the 2013 Tractorama in Algies Bay for his restored 1950s Allis-Chalmers. Brett finally found ‘Mr Right’ in Masterton last month – a 1996 Ford 100 horsepower tractor. Its wheelbase is 130mm higher than the older tractor and it has an extra 20 horsepower.“But the most important thing is that it goes!”The tractor is being stripped of

unnecessary equipment, painted with protective paint and the wheels are being galvanised to prevent rust. It should be in working order later this month.The group raised $25,000 over six months for the tractor, including 18,000 from selling 2400 lotteries tickets over summer, the second highest number out of the 72 coastguards in NZ.They also received $2500 from The Matakana Seagull Race and $900 from Wilmot Motors’ Good in the Hood promotion.A donation from the Mansion House Music in the Gardens event has allowed the coastguard to replace the old and weathered pontoons on the rescue boat as well.Meanwhile, Roger Davies has stepped down as president this month after four years in the role. “It was time for new blood.”Snells Beach resident Peter Garman was elected president at the organisation’s annual meeting on June 10.

Coastguard tractor afloat

Brett Howlett with the new coastguard tractor.

21 June 17, 2015 Mahurangi Matters motoringfeature

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Bennett’s first store opened in 1890, a stone’s throw from Port Albert Wharf. At that time it was owned by John Shepherd, George Bennett’s father-in-law. George bought the store but accidentally drowned in 1910. His widow kept the business going until their son Len was old enough to take over in 1916. Roads were poor in the early years so goods were delivered by sea in the family launch.In 1926, the original wooden building burned down and a new General Store was constructed further up the road, on the corner of what was then Market Street. Well aware of the fire risk, Bennetts hired a Dargaville firm to make the new shop out of concrete. A small shed out the back stored flammable goods and there was a petrol pump outside the shop. It was said the store sold everything ‘from needles to anchors’. A set of pre-1924 brass W & T Avery scales, made in Birmingham, weighed butter and eggs bought from local farmers for four pence a pound.Every Tuesday, scows delivered supplies from Auckland via the Kaipara Harbour. Fresh supplies appealed to customers and the store began a tradition of holding late nights on Tuesdays. As roads improved, Bennetts drove their truck down to Auckland to bring back goods for the shop.It was truly a ‘general’ store supplying not only groceries but also hardware, paint, kerosene, mower petrol and farming gear. Occasionally, it would even stock drums of preserved mutton birds from the South Island and customers travelled miles to buy these delicacies. From 1941 to 1987, the store was also a Post Office agency. Closing this agency ended 124 years of a Port Albert Post Office. In 1948, Bennetts took over the rural mail contract, a role they filled for 65 years. Mail was collected from Wellsford and delivered, along with newspapers and groceries, on their run of some 280 kms of rural roads. Online shopping is nothing new. Phones, not computers, were used in those days but the principle was the same. Customers rang through their orders and goods were delivered to their postbox on the rural delivery run. Once a week, regular customers were rung to confirm their orders and if any of those people were expecting visitors, the order would be adjusted accordingly. Anything and everything was carried – from bread, meat and milk to petrol and kerosene.But as the old saying goes ‘all good things must come to an end’. Alf, Joe and Len Bennett reached retirement age and in 1991, Bennett’s General Store closed. The building was sold and is now a private home. The brass Avery scales, mail pigeonholes and other memorabilia can be seen in the Albertland Heritage Centre.

www.albertland.co.nz

HistoryLyn Johnston, Albertland Museum

They delivered the goods

Ed Inger’s truck fueling up at Bennett’s Store in 1929. Photo, Harold Marsh Collection, Albertland Heritage Centre.

22 Mahurangi Matters June 17, 2015 motoringfeature

Keeping you on the road61 Station Road

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Four Mahurangi groups have received a total of $4000 from Wilmot Motors this month as part of Z Energy’s Good in the Hood campaign.Z stations nationwide selected four neighbourhood groups to support, and customers were asked to vote for their favourite group throughout May. The money was divided based on each group’s share of votes.Warkworth St John received the most votes with 2387 and received $1427 towards a new all-terrain pneumatic purpose-built carry chair.Rodney Womens Centre got $644 to finish a community garden, Kawau Coastguard received $906 towards a new tractor, and Warkworth/Wellsford Breast Cancer Support Group received $1023 to attract new members and

attend activities.David Wilmot said it was great to see so much local support for the groups.“Overall, we received more than 6680 votes for the local groups we were backing, each of which are doing great things in the Warkworth region. It was really humbling to see our customers show so much support,” David says.“The funding we’ve been able to give these groups will continue to make a real difference in the lives of people who need that bit of extra help.” The cheques were presented to the groups at Wilmot Motors on June 12.A further $1000 has been set aside for Wilmot Motors to support other neighbourhood groups and projects as they arise through the year.

Mahurangi groups gassed up

Wilmot Motors senior sales consultant Rob Morris congratulates two of the Good in the Hood recipients Warkworth St John chairman Alan Boniface and Breast Cancer Support Group organisers Cath Barlett and Barbara McLean.