Auckland Branch have for many years now had a Christmas Picnic, once known as the Gymnic, held the first Sunday in December. As with many events, there have been fewer and fewer attendees in recent years in this bustling chaotic city of ours... therefore, we looked at rescheduling to a bit earlier and having a different location. We then put the day together with a short run to get there and have an optional Posh Picnic.

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Tracey found a gorgeous home out at Waiau Beach, Huntly House. We'd like to thank all those members who came out to support the Picnic. We had a great turn out and Huntly House provided a stunning back drop for the vehicles. There was a good representation of vehicles across all classes and we were really pleased to see the number of vehicles 100 years old and more, they got the prime parking right in front of the house.

 

We must also thank Hayley Parsons, our host, who opened her home to us and was very happy to share the history of the house. Some of the history goes like this: Huntly House, built in Palmerston North and has lived through many lives, including being the office building to a car sales yard, underwent an enormous renovation in the 80s and 90s conducted by her then owners, the Borgonje family. Gerald and his wife Gerda did the lion's share of the work - they owned Huntly House from this 1984 image for about 30 years. Then along came Hayley who in 2019, relocated the house to its new foundations in Waiau Beach. Once there it has had a full restoration to the highest of standards. The top to toe renovation took nearly 3 years of full time work.