At the finish:  “We broke the throttle cable at the start of the 2nd stage this morning. We have now driven 2 stages with the co-driver operating the accelerator through the window. This has proven a very interesting last few hours. An experiment not worth repeating”

SS48: Have broken throttle - co-driver holding a cord out the window - pull to go. Have to be a pretty trusting driver!

SS39: “Good forest stage - lovely”

SS38: “That stage was as good as it was 2 years ago - excellent day!”

SS37:  “All good - nice stage - slippery”

SS36: Big smile “4 cylinders again - and a different coil”

SS34: “Fuel starvation problems”

SS30: “No front brakes - rear’s keep locking up. Remember this from 1976 Heatway - where we serviced for Morrie Chandler”

SS26:  “Lovely stuff that - car going great”

SS25: “Good thanks”

SS24: “Good fun”

SS23: “Excellent stage, lovely”

SS22: “Good substitute for day in gym”

SS15:  “Awesome! Good stage”

SS13:  “Good fun”

SS1:  “Dusty in NZ isn’t it! Getting used to the car”

Mazda RX3

 

Dave C from Amberley, NZ, Dave H from Alexandra, NZ. Car: Mazda RX3.

SS15: “Great!”

SS14: “Broken exhaust”

SS13: “Had nearly zero percent steering for last 15km”

SS12: “All good, not so bad”

SS8: “Good - happy to be up the field now”

SS7: “Puts a new meaning on the word dawnbreaker. Man should not have so much fun with his pants on”

SS6:  “Going ok, but missed a stage with alternator problems.”

SS5: Has flat battery - trying to get started

SS4: “Having a ball”

SS1:  “Long way to go - so far, so good”

Robbie Elliot

Robbie from Oamaru, NZ. Neville from Blackwater, AUS. Car: 1981 Datsun Stanza SSS.

At the finish:  “The drinks are on me. Thanks to everyone. We will have a good few drinks & I’m sure the stories will get better by the end of the evening”

SS48:  “Can taste the beer already”

SS47: “I’m ready for a beer”

SS46:  “If you run another event, we will be there! Either driving, or we’ll help you out”

SS45:  “Very slippery”

SS43: “Oh for a North Canterbury norwester” (to blow dust away)  

Neville Barton

SS42: “I don’t know what it is about the councils in this area, but they must grade the road just before we go through”

SS41: “Looking forward to Lees Valley - we want to stop for a photo in there” 

SS38: “Pretty good in there - dusty, driving to finish - I have a premonition of a hangover coming on if we get to the finish”

SS37: “Slippery, not too bad. I remember when they planted those pines. Very dusty through the valley”

SS36: “3 dead wallabies in there - nice bit of road”

SS35: “I learned to drive on that road. Rolled a few cars in my time, so know it well”

SS34: “We are cruising to the finish. I know that stage well, but in one place they have put a corner & a shingle bank. Bent the steering in 42″

SS32: “Something wrong in back end” Wobbling around - looked at it after finish.

SS30: “Finally got engine tuning right - now going well. Smell of cow shit just like home”

SS27 & SS27a: “We are on the charge. Fixed the misfire. Going great now!”

SS26: “More corners, better than the first one - all good”

SS25: “Very fast in there - wait til tomorrow when we’re around home”

SS24: “It’s slippery in there”

SS23: “Could have done with a 6th gear in there”

SS21:  “Grouse roads. Better than the faster ones”

SS18: “No halda”

SS16: “Fast & furious. Not even half way through yet, 5 days of this to go”

SS15: “The bridges are narrow & it’s pretty fast in there”

SS14: “Great, smooth, better than long stage”

SS13:  “The reason for my long stage time is that I stopped cos I thought I had a puncture. Was passed & re-passed & am greatful to those drivers ahead to let me get back past”

SS12: “All good, six more days of this is there?”

SS9: “Good bit of road. One of the best I’ve ever driven. A little gem”

SS8: “Getting into it, fun”

SS5:  “We’re taking it easy, stopped for each blind brow”

SS1:  “Last rally 2006 Silver Fern - need more practice”

SS16: Just went past on a trailer

SS8: “All good - big things can come in small packages”

SS7: “That was for my mate who’s missus wouldn’t let him come south with me”

SS6: Smiling! “All going well, can’t wait for the longer stages, especially the big one” His eyes were sparkling!

SS5:  “Having a ball!”

SS1: “Neat stage”

At the finish: “WE GOT HERE!! Take a picture of the car - any side, they’re all pretty - haven’t been near a fence or a tree. Tried twice to finish Targa, broken the jinx now”

SS48: “Nursing a broken engine - may not get there”

SS47: “Survival mode. I drove that like a nana. I’m not happy. Blew a piston ring at the start of the day”

SS46:  “Nervous, didn’t get into that - looking to finish”

SS45: “First part was good, I passed a car in there”

SS43: “Very rough through the ford - couldn’t stand the dust”

SS41: “Great to start the stage with a coffee at the lodge”

SS39: “Everything is cooler today, new radiator & thermostat”

SS38: “Nothing is not wrong”

SS37:  “Passed 54 - then went off. Rear bumper hanging on the road”

SS35: “Engine overheating - looking for water”

SS34:  “Got a bit of a sweat up, hard but nice work” Car stopped outside control, engine boiling “Lots of 2nd gear & no air flow, the teas nearly ready”

SS32: “Nervous start - felt like a puncture, but no”

SS30: “Must be cows around here somewhere - catching 32″

SS26: “Co-driver made a mistake at last intersection - very annoyed with himself, overshot & spun. Good to be able to make a mistake where there is room to spin”

SS25: “I’m liking the fast stages now, not like earlier in the week”

SS24: Two little spins today, lost 20secs”

SS23: “High gearbox temperature” Looking worried

SS22: “We have gearbox issues, the temp is too high, might have been all that 2nd gear work”

SS21: No complaints” Driver’s glove worn out - hole in glove

SS18: It was different - we fitted not only new tyres, but a new brand of tyre - don’t know whether its for better or for worse”

SS15: “The lack of local knowledge was a disadvantage in that stage”

SS14: “Lots of left food braking - smooth, sweeping, great”

SS13:  “This met my expectations. An exercise in sustained concentration. This is a landmark in my rallying career. I completed in this stage, more stage km than all I have done in my previous 2 rallies”

SS12: “Not unlike Waitomo, a bit lumpy in there”

SS11a: Broken oil cooler in SS11

SS9: Spin

SS6: “Lovely day, except for our early morning error”

SS5:  “Happy to go round & do it again! Great stage”

SS4: “Roads fast, this is amazing”

SS1:  “Hit rock on 2nd corner in. All OK though”

SS48: Girls in the campervan said it wouldn’t get printing. “Crests like nipples, big as Scania wheel nuts”

SS46: “Stage was fantastic - one of those ones you could pin the tail on it & call it a weasel”

SS45: “Rough bits” Quote from navigator - “been using the full box, including reverse thrust”

SS41: Co-driver said “Would prefer the water on driver’s side, he’s a better swimmer”

SS39: “I had my first spin of the event & damn, it was after the finish”

SS37: “All good - not a problem”

SS35:  “Waltzing the valleys, neat stage. We just fuel & go, all good”

SS34:  “If the boss knew we were here, we’d be in a helluva lot of trouble”

SS33: “We have no sponsors for this event - this is not a tax dodge”

SS32:  “Couldn’t get into the groove. Saw some gold in there” Paul asked for his share & he said “you’ll get that later”

SS31: “Thank goodness it was a downhill finish - I got the last splutter of fuel”

SS30:  “Must be Speights country - great Otago county roads”

SS27 & SS27a: “She was good. Some of the best flowing roads in NZ. 187kph in the first part (SS27)”

SS25: “That’s knocked the sleep out of my eyes”

SS23: “Very open & fast”

SS22: “I’m in the garden business, an outstanding selection of native flora” (stuck in the side of his car)

SS18:  “Its a bit early for that sort of thing”

SS17: “That was a great day. There was a bit for everybody”

SS15: “I wouldn’t like to fall in that river”

SS14: “Good, just can’t make up time”

SS13: “Fantastic. Just out of fuel”

SS12:  “Rough as a lumpy mattress”

SS9: “That was a good wee test, a driver’s stage”

SS6: “Going like a train”

SS1:  “Car OK, dusty”

Dean Pester

Both from Cust, NZ. Car: 1974 Ford Escort Mexico.

At the finish: “We lost the clutch in touring before the 3km stage - but we’ve had a fantastically good 8 days - certainly it was a challenge, but we’re here, and sometimes we weren’t sure we’d make it. Hello to Room 1 at Cust school - the Pukeko is safe”

SS47: “I always enjoy the challenge of Kaiwara road. I grew up here in Culverden”

SS45: “We gave the motor a hard time in there with the long straights. The oil pressure was dropping.”

SS43: “Just missed going off & through a fence”

SS42: “That was a good wee stage, I liked that one”

SS37: Driver said “horrible”, co-driver said “get out of here please”

Kennys Pester

SS36: “The brakes are getting hot. We are missing our families & please say hi to room 1 at Cust School! The Pukeko is still in the back of the car”

SS35:“Magic, love these stages!”

SS34: “Boy, that ones worked up a sweat - by half way through I thought we’d already done 30km”

SS32:  “Tricky, not one to get going in. Maybe the next one we’ll come right”

SS30: “Grouse - enjoying today’s stage

SS27 & SS27a: “We didn’t enjoy this as much as the previous (SS26)”

SS26: “Fun stage, but spun on a fast 90 left”

SS25: “Great stage to settle the breakfast”

SS24:  “Puncture right rear half way through, changed wheel”

SS23: “Too fast for 1600. Need more gears or power”

SS22:  “That was a great stage but half way thru I was low on fuel so had to back off”

SS21: “Great stage, loved the roads”

SS18:  “I wasn’t too brave in there this morning”

SS17: “What a great stage”

SS16: “I like it. Had a scare, so we must be going well”

SS15: “She was pretty quick through there. Doing OK, not as beautiful as the previous stage”

SS14: “Good, preserving class place now, but having fun too”

SS13: “Not a bad bit of road, great, I moved up a class place in there, so made sure I finished”

SS9: “We’re still ok”

SS6: “We had a big spin - we were nearly toast. The front of the car was very close to going over”

SS5: “Too fast for our car”

SS4: “That’s more like it, a bit of room to move”

SS2: “That was ugly! Too many brows, too much dust. One or the other would be OK”

SS1: “Good start to day - lovely”

SS47:  “Went backwards through a fence - the strainer hit the drivers door” he came out towing 20m of fencewire on the rear axle

SS46: “Great fun, power sliding everywhere”

SS45: “Too muddy for us. There was always a good chance of sliding off on the yellow clay”

SS42: Was last seen on jack stands at NZED workshops in Coleridge. When he came through late in stage he reported the panhard bolt on the diff had come loose & the NZED boys welded it up. “They had plenty of power to do aye”

SS41: “Very lucky, broken panhard rod - welded up at power station”

SS39: It was a gearbox & clutch problem - now I have a new gearbox in with ratios that are so high I only used 1st & 2nd gear in the whole 10km”

Before SS35: Temporary withdrawal.

SS33: “Lost 4th gear in SS32, drained oil, lots of teeth fell out, now we’re running”

SS32: “Brows very tricky. Easy to go off if not concentrating”

SS30: “Better stage, flowing. I just love those stages”

SS27 & SS27a: “I’ve enjoyed every stage of this day immensely. Now I’m not quite so cautious”

SS25:  “We have more power now. A new head. The piston slap is bloody well still there! Great to be back

SS13: “Lots of smoke, but good” Was spoken to at service on road & he thinks either blown head gasket or worse. Will work on it. He didn’t do SS15

SS12: “Lots of big rocks, rough but OK”

SS11a: “Oil temp up a bit. Stage just like being in Bolivia”

SS8: “All good, but the engine is very rattly”

SS7:  “I don’t know what speed we got up to but we were on the shift line in top”

SS6: “This thing still does over 200kph. I’m getting used to driving it again on a less than firm ground”

SS5: “200kph top speed! Bit of noisy piston slap. Passed #23″

SS4:  “Piston flat. A few problems, electric fan stopped at start of ss1. Engine over 200 degrees”

SS1: “Motor stopped in touring & we lost some time”

SS48: “We had a small off, through a farmers gate, u turn & back out”

SS47: “Good. Taking it easy. We have nothing to gain, but a lot to lose”

SS46: “Better stage, pity its at the end”

SS45:  “In SS1 of those 3 the exhaust & 30s later the alternator fell off. We took 7mins to wire them on with fencing wire”

SS42: “Very happy, we’re going well”

SS39:  “Nice little tight one to start the day”

SS38:  “Loved it! We think it might get to the finish”

SS37: “Interesting stage”

SS36: “I slid wide & the steering wheel kicked back & I now I have a very sore left wrist”

SS35: “Great stages, forest ones a bit more tricky. Off to lunch”

SS34: “We put the old tyres on to avoid damaging the good ones - but 6 year old tyres don’t have as much grip as 2 year old tyres”

SS32: “Great stage - having fun”

SS31: “We’ve had a bloody good day, we’ve had skids, and look forward to another day like this tonight”

SS30: “Will just keep chugging along”

SS26: “Just hoping to make it to the next stage”

SS25: “We’re still here” “Hi Kayne!”

SS24: “A very fast stage - you need large [anatomical appendages] to drive that”

SS22: Told by another car that 24 broke clutch hose on the start & also alternator issues - they did not start the stage

SS21: “Tricky stage - this car didn’t need horsepower. Suited the low powered cars”

SS18: “Going well now”

SS17: “Arrived at end with front right puncture”

SS16:  “Having a good day - caught car 47, couldn’t get past.”

SS15: “Running on 4, bloody marvellous”

SS14:  “Having fun now, running on all 4 cylinders”

SS13: With a big smile driver told me the missfire has been fixed, “we passed 3 cars”

SS12: “Running better today”

SS11a: “Continues to run on 3 or 4 cylinders, whatever it feels like”

SS8: “Dropped onto 2 cylinders at the start, then picked up & ran OK”

SS7: “Got woken up in there. If you were brave, you could make up some time”

SS6: “The motor is off song, goes good, then goes off. We’ll just keep it going” Big smile on face, so they’re happy

SS5: “Changed jets in carb at service. Missed all the time in the stage, but came right as we went over the finish line”

SS4:  “Its still going! Starting to do better, the engine is the only concern - with driving you never forget how to ride a bike”

SS1: “Original car - BDA - had engine probs on Thursday, so we rebuilt this car in 2 days. Has standard engine”