Celebrating Independence Day on 2 July

Last Saturday (2 July), members of the American Muscle, Street and Custom Club assembled on Buffalo Beach to kick-off their own Independence Day celebrations. More than 30 unique and interesting cars joined the fun, ranging from a 1920s Model A Ford, through to current generation Mustangs. There are more than 200 members of the club now, and membership is open to any with something interesting to share (and drive!)

The passion that club members have for their cars is obvious. The cars mostly all looked as they would have when they were new - and some probably even better. The thousands of hours of painstaking work that owners have lavished on these cars is evident everywhere.

The procession left Buffalo Beach at 2:30pm and rumbled its way through the heart of Whitianga, before heading back to Grace O’Malley’s on the Esplanade. The fun didn’t end there. On Saturday night, Phil Hart rocked the night with his great music and many revellers at Grace O’Malleys and on Sunday, it was time for Cars And Coffee at Smitty’s at 11am.

Independence Day wasn’t just a parade for the cars however. Many of the owners turned out in their own stars-and-stripes themed costumes for the event, which added colour and joy to the occasion. Karyn van den Heuvek won the prize for the best costume.

Pictured: Karyn van den Heuvek in her prize-winning outfit, Martina Llewellyn, Rob Llewellyn, Julie and Reg Smith in front of some of the cars at Buffalo Beach.