Great NZ Mustang Run News
201
People
and 107
Cars Registered at 24 March.
10 April 04: Event Complete
Approx 150 cars (300 people)
took place in the final event, 4 cars suffered minor
breakdowns such that repairs were needed, there were no
speeding tickets, and no accidents. A great time was had by
all!
24 March 04: Only 4 days to
go!!
At the registration close
date of 24th, 201 people and 107 cars were registered. TV
have advised they plan to cover the run departure from
Christchurch. Participants on the overnight in Dunedin will
get a rare chance to examine the PDL 1 Mustang.
21 March 04: Only 7 days to
go!
Registration pack # 2 has
been posted out to all registered participants, and they
should start arriving on Monday. 99 cars registered as at
today and so
we will definitely exceed 100. Registrations close on
Wednesday 24th.
16 March 04: Only 12 days to
go!
171
people and
92 cars are now
registered, and new regns are still coming in. Anticipation
is definitely building! The run booklets will be printed in
the next 3 days, and its hoped to start posting out
Registration Package # 2 on Saturday 20th. Keep an eye on the
daily itineraries because
there have been numerous last minute changes. One
banner is also being
printed.
9 March 04: Only 18 days to
go!
157
people (and over 80 cars) are
now registered. The last clothing order is being assembled,
and final itinerary details are being sorted. Printing of
the event booklets certificates etc will occur next week
NEW: Clothing Badges:
In response to your requests,
the event logo is now available as a 70 mm embroidered badge
for $12 ea. See clothing page for
more details.
Press Release # 2 is now
being promulgated. Feel free to make sure YOUR local paper
has a copy, and if you are registered they may be interested
in your picture and details to add more local interest. Go
to it!!
2 March 04: Only 26 days to
go!
Registrations have continued
strongly with 143
people now registered, and
more arriving daily. Clothing orders have surged as well
with total orders now over 230 items. Over the coming
weekend, the accommodation not taken up will be released to
the general public. I will request each Motel/hotel to hold
a few extra rooms for latecomers, but they will soon be gone
at the current rate. If you haven't already done so
Register, and BOOK YOUR ACCOMMODATION
before it is too late.
Detailing of the daily
itineraries is still continuing so keep an eye on the site
for the latest. Preparations are in hand to have the event
booklet printed. Any registrations arriving after 13 March
will NOT make it into the booklet. Book now to be sure.
Posting out of the final registration package (Booklet,
certificates, name tags etc) will occur on approx 19 March.
23 Feb 04: Only 34 days to
go!
Wow!! Registrations have
really started pick up! Over 200 clothing items have been ordered. a "run" away success ;-} !
The most popular overnight location is Taupo and the average
participation period is 3-4 days.
21 Feb 04: Only 36 days to
go!
104
people are now registered for
this event and more registrations are arriving daily.
The last date you can register and be guaranteed
accommodation is 5th March. After that all unused block
bookings will be released for sale to the general public.
Ive received the following
email: "Hi Wal, ....We were very keen on going and trying
hard to get the mustang up and running, but unfortunately we
live in the Manawatu and after the flooding etc, our main
bridge out of the valley has been washed away and the only
other way out the mustang wouldn't get out. So we have
got Ferry bookings for Saturday the 3rd April for a car and
two adults, returning Wednesday the 14th April. Could you
put them on the website and if any one would like them they
can contact me". Vicki Larson, Email
vlarsen@inspire.net.nz
9 Feb 04: Only 48 days to
go!
Here at last!! Check out the
detailed daily itineraries now
posted on the site. They are not quite finalised, but wow
what a great event this is going to be!! Register now while
accommodation and clothing is still available. Repeat orders
for clothing are now happening. Those that have received
their clothing seem very happy with their purchases and are
ordering extra items.
4 Feb 04: Only 53 days to
go!
At 4 Feb there are 78
people registered for the run. The daily itineraries are
looking GREAT and will be up on the site in just a few days.
Wow it's going to be a fabulous experience!
The time frame for delivery of clothing orders has shrunk
from 6 weeks (over Xmas!!) to just 6 days for the most
recent order. A reminder that the last day for acceptance of
clothing orders for guaranteed delivery before the run is
1 March 04.
22 Jan 04: Only 66 Days to
go!
At 22 Jan there were 68 people registered
for the run, increasing at about 2 a day at the moment. Registrations will
obviously pick up as the event gets closer.
Local arrangements and daily itineraries are coming together nicely.
Thanks to local sponsors there will be at least some free lunches and evening
entertainment for registered participants!
Here are some of the comments received back so far on the event clothing :
"Clothing arrived
this morning and looks really great. Well done."
"Got the gear this morning, Its great"
"I received the clothing today and I must say that I'm very
impressed with the quality, the vest is lovely and warm and
looks good".
"Awesome. everything fits great..."
The design of the event publications is well underway (booklet, certificates, aerial flags, banners, show
cards, etc). Check the new Publications page for
progress.
9 Jan 04: Registrations Rolling in.
As at 8 Jan there were 49 people
registered for the run. All registrants are being sent the 1st registration pack
which includes 2 posters. There have also been 17 orders for run clothing.
The most popular sections of the run so far are Tauranga to Taupo, Taupo to New
Plymouth and New Plymouth to Masterton. The average participation period is 3-4
days.
The event was recently written up in "Mustang Matters" an email newsletter,
circulated around the world.
Jim Chism of MCA, the organiser of the USA 40th Celebration, has also sent the
event an email. He said: ".....we will be thinking of you guys on your run from
Kaitaia to Bluff.........Happy New Year and pass our best wishes along to all of
you fellow Mustangers in Kiwi land. Jim, Lisa and Jordan Chism".
Current organisational activity
is mainly focused on getting the daily schedules arranged (starts, stops,
overnight activities etc), and preparing the material for the Mustang Run
booklet which will be sent out in the final Regn package.
18 Dec: Poster being distributed. New Press Releases and
Club Flyers.
The new posters have been sent out to all the club reps
and included a press release and a
club mag article. The first clothing
order will also be sent out shortly, and we now have sufficient
numbers to place another clothing order for delivery in mid January.
YOUR help to publicise this event would be
very welcome. You can help by:
a)
Posting posters in locations where mustang owners might see them. Ask for some
from you local rep.
b) Send copies of the press release to
your local newspapers.
c) Take copies of the event literature
to any Mustang owners you may know who are not club members.
5 Dec: New Poster now printed and available.
The Final Official Poster
The new posters are now printed (A3 size) and they look great!! Everyone who
registers will get a copy , and copies will also be sent out to each club
coordinators soon for distribution around the country where they will be most
seen (Car parts shops, Ford dealers repair shops etc etc). We just received a
clothing order from the US...!!
27 Nov: Registrations and clothing orders are
now coming in.
Two clothing orders have already been received, and
registrations are arriving at around 1 or 2 day. Samples of the
Run Clothing were on display at the All USA Day In
Tauranga on Sunday and were well received. These items would make great Xmas
presents! (however if you want delivery by Xmas make sure to get your order form in
by 5 December.)
19 Nov: Clothing sales are now open!
Pictures of all the run clothing items have now been posted to
the clothing page, and the order form is
downloadable. These clothing items are smart, good quality and good value for
money. They may well also be valuable collectors items in future. Order now!
6 Nov: Its all happening!
The first people to formally register were Tom and Karen from
Hawkes Bay! Congratulations! All
accommodation is now in place except for Christchurch. A new poster is being
developed...above is a preliminary design. The clothing page is now up in
preliminary form, the final clothing samples are being produced for
photographing for the website, and the order form is nearly finished.
1 Nov: Formal Registration is
now Open!!
The official registration form is now
available on the site, and can be down loaded from
here. Register Now!
28 Oct:
2nd Coordinating meeting at CHCH Convention
The second meeting of the organising
committee was held in conjunction with the national Convention in CHCH at Labour
weekend. Most of the organisational details have now been put in place, and
formal registration will be opened shortly. Accommodation arrangements for the
run are being put in place at the moment, and the clothing selections are also
being organised so that they can be put up on the site and sales can start.
9 Oct: 112 people now registered
interest
Over 112 people have now registered their
interest in being part of the event, and registrations are continuing to come in. Most popular accommodation option is $100 a night, most
popular sections are the central North Island down to Masterton, and the lower
North Island from Queenstown to Bluff. Manawatu and Canterbury clubs have the
most registrations, so far.
10 Aug: Publicity
Spreading
Publicity about the run is spreading well,
with information on the event recently appearing in Australian Muscle Car
magazine (Issue 8) , and in NZ Classic Car, August 03.
10 Aug: South Island Return Route Proposal
As a result of feedback from intending
participants, a conceptual idea for an informal SI return route has
evolved.
The SI east coast main route was chosen so as to allow more
people to watch as the run as it passes through their town, and it also provides
more reliable accommodation options. However several noted that this route will
bypass the scenic central SI area of the Mackenzie country etc. With this
in mind, and noting that many participants will be returning from Bluff back
towards Christchurch and further north, there is no reason why the returning
cars could not be rerouted back thorough an "informal" scenic central
SI route, so as to add value to the return trip.
The following informal route is proposed.
Friday 9th: 11 pm to 6 pm.
Bluff to Twizel.
Saturday 10th: Twizel to Picton
arriving for the 6 pm ferry crossing.
10 Aug: Biggest Single Marque Event ever held in NZ ?
Its been suggested that this event could well be the biggest
single car marque event ever held in New Zealand. We are targeting a minimum of
500 Mustangs taking part in the event overall, and hopefully we can put over 200
over the Auckland Harbour bridge in one continuous column. This is
perfectly achievable when it is considered that:
1) 500 is less than half the estimated total NZ Mustang population.
2) 500 is approx the current registered club population.
3) Current registrations for the event are running about 60% club, and 40% non club.
So lets make it even bigger, and set a record that may never
be broken...(till perhaps the 50th Mustang birthday!)
30 July: Fund Raising Auctions: First two items sold.
The on-line auction
of items donated for event
fund raising, has very successfully sold the first two items*, for a total of
$205.
* Special limited production MCA tee shirt commemorating the New York bombing.
* Ultra cool 40th Anniversary presentation jack knife donated by Southern Mustang.
Further items are now required...what can you (or your company) donate?
30 July: Access to Accommodation : Register
Interest Now.
Co-ordinators are now selecting accommodation options for the
run. It is already clear that because the end of the run coincides with the
start of the Easter period, accommodation
will be tight in some locations. For those that have registered interest, the co-ordinators will endeavour to secure enough accommodation for those
people. Later registrants are not guaranteed accommodation, and may find
they have limited choices in some of the smaller and/or more popular
locations. For this reason it is highly recommended that you register
your interest as soon as possible.
Accommodation will be purely on a first come first served
basis.
July: Route Changes
As a result of feedback from co-ordinators and intending
participants, three detail route changes have been made and embedded into
updated June 03 route maps. The changes are:
1. The North Auckland stopover on day 1 has been moved from
Warkworth to Orewa. The new location has greatly expanded accommodation options,
as well as better parking.
2. Hanmer has been added as a stop over to the route on day
8.
3. A shortcut has been added to the route on day 11 bypassing
Lumsden by turning off at Five Rivers, cutting about 10 km off the route for
that day.
Click these thumbnails for full size images.
July:
More Co-ordinators
Two more co-ordinators have generously volunteered to organise
sectors of the Run. Craig Oldfield will be the co-ordinator for the
Manawatu sector from Wanganui to Masterton to Wellington, and John Noble
has volunteered to do the sector through Dunedin. Thanks guys.
The Mustang Run also welcomes Ken Smith the new Auckland
sector co-ordinator.
This means that there are only two sectors without volunteers,
as shown in the table below. Could YOU be a possible co-ordinator?? (You don't
need to be an existing club member!)
May: Publicity on NZoom.com
In the first of a series of articles on NZ car clubs, the
NZMustang clubs were showcased on the nzoom.com
website. This included mention
of the NZMustang run, and a link back to this website.
April: 1st Co-ordinating Committee Meeting Held.
A meeting of all the club representatives was convened in Taupo on Sunday
13th April. Reps from Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Taranaki and Manawatu clubs
attended. Apologies were received from the Canterbury and Southern clubs. The
meeting was attended by Jim Chism from the Mustang Club of America, who has been
appointed Executive Director of the American 40th Anniversary celebration in
Nashville Tennessee. Jim was very keen to learn about the NZ event and
promote it when he returns to the US. Jim gave the meeting a good overview
of plans for the huge US celebrations.
From Left to Right: Bart Ingram, Kelvin Pearson and
Grant Bradley (BOP), Noel King and Graeme Snell (Tar),
Judy Hutchinson (Man), Margaret Mold and Colin Bates (Waik), Neville Hutchinson
(Man), Jim Chism (MCA).
The meeting then moved on to discuss and agree on the nature of the NZ Mustang run, further detail the route and discuss organisation, sponsorship,
finance, development of event logos and posters, accommodation, registration,
evening events etc. Considerable enthusiasm for the event was generated.
Jim Chism donated a couple of large Nashville 40th Anniversary banners and a
Tee shirt to the
committee, and it was decided these would be auctioned off as fund raisers for
the NZ event. Further details on this are coming.
Full minutes of the meeting have been circulated to all the participating
clubs.
April: International Status
The Great NZ Mustang Run is now an official MCA 40th anniversary
event. The logo developed for the official Nashville event has been modified with the
permission of the organiser for use on the NZ Run.
Wal Marshall
National Co-ordinator
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