Minis re-enact legendary NZ movie road trip
16 Apr 2009
A re-enactment of one of New Zealand’s best known movies Good Bye Pork Pie has raised NZ$120,000 for charity as 37 car loads of mini enthusiasts completed a ‘legendary’ road trip through New Zealand.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic car, Mini fans spent the Easter holiday driving from Kaitaia in the north of the North Island to Invercargill on the southern-most tip of the South Island.
Incredible journey
The journey was "five incredible days" and took the 80 participants on "driver’s dream" roads, said Murray Hemsley of the Whangarei Mini Owners Group.
"The weather was fantastic, the scenery stunning and the most memorable thing for us was the people - we really experienced the extent of the New Zealand public’s generosity, it was unbelievable," he said.
Blondini Gang
The 37 minis set off from Kaitaia on Good Friday and followed in the tyre tracks of the film’s ‘Blondini gang’ who drove a yellow mini named ‘Pork Pie’ on a hair raising journey south to Invercargill with police hotly in pursuit.
The 1981 movie was one of Kiwi director Geoff Murphy’s early successes, and one of the New Zealand film industry’s funniest productions.
The mini fun run endeavoured to follow the Goodbye Pork Pie route but some deviations were forced by the number of people and cars involved.
From Kaitaia, the minis drove south via Auckland and the Waikato to Lake Taupo, then on to Wellington via National Park and Wanganui.
The cars crossed Cook Strait by ferry to Picton, then drove down the West Coast through Hokitika and on to Invercargill via Alexandra in Central Otago and Dunedin.
The quiet West Coast roads allowed the cars to safely drive in convoy and the roads through Central Otago - "a driver’s dream" - were the highlight, said Hemsley.
Engine failure
When the cars arrived in Invercargill yesterday (15 April), they tore through the city’s Eastern Cemetery just as the Blondini gang had done 28 years ago.
In an ironic twist, one of the cars had broken down north near Dunedin and almost didn’t make it - again mirroring the events of the movie.
This car had been bought as a shell on the internet six weeks ago by a group of ‘Westies’ from West Auckland. It required a new engine in Dunedin, but the group managed to complete the 2800km journey just a few hours behind the main fleet.
The ‘Westies’ arrived in style driving right into the foyer of Invercargill’s Ascot Hotel - where the fun run’s final function was being held - throwing Monopoly money out of the car windows as the Blondini gang had done in the film, said Hemsley.
Memory lane
Pork Pie Rally organiser Rod Harris came up with the idea for the event after taking part in the 1999 London to Italy rally that marked the Mini’s 40th anniversary.
Harris spent 18 months organising the downunder event with support from the Whangarei Mini Car owners group and the Mini New Zealand division of BMW.
As well as enjoying several social functions at stop-off points along the route, each team was challenged with raising at least $1000 for Starship Children’s Hospital in Auckland.
In the event more than $120,000 was raised, and the money will go towards buying two tissue oxygen monitors for the hospital.
Background information:
Goodbye Pork Pie
Goodbye Pork Pie was released in 1981 and is considered one of New Zealand’s most popular films. Directed by Geoff Murphy, and written by Murphy and Ian Mune, the film was a low budget project that employed just 24 cast and crew.
The story starts in Kaitaia near the top of the North Island when local goon Gerry hires a yellow Mini using a stolen licence and heads for Auckland where he has a chance meeting with John, whose wife has just left him and moved to Invercargill.
In the mini that Gerry names ‘Pork Pie’, the two hit the road to travel the length of the country. Their high speed exploits earn them the name ‘the Blondini gang’. The police take a dim view of their exploits and make it their mission to stop the Blondini boys from reaching their destination, Invercargill.
Mini history
The Mini made its debut as the Austin Seven and Morris Mini Minor in 1959.
The first British Motor Corporation Mini was a very plain and simple car, lacking safety features and comfort. But it could carry four people, was frugal with petrol and was priced at about £650 in New Zealand.
The Mini was not popular at first and it wasn't until the Queen was seen behind the wheel of one that sales began to take off. Later, when the Beatles each bought one, the car became trendy. It never got beyond cult status in the United States where it was withdrawn from the market in 1967 because of low sales.
By the time the classic Mini ended its 41-year production run in 2000, a total of 5,387,862 had been built in 137 variations.
Veteran New Zealand motoring writer Don Anderson, of Auckland, whose book Mini Down Under is to be published this month, says about 67,000 cars were sold while Minis were assembled in New Zealand between 1960-82.
BMW now produces Mini hatchback, convertible and clubman body variations with engines including a diesel option. Electric Minis are on trial in the USA.
More information:
Kiwi star directors
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