The 150th Hawke’s Bay Show announced plans that have ignited the hearts of Land Rover enthusiasts nationwide, to include a purpose-built extreme 4WD course and display of pre-1960s Series I Land Rovers, celebrating of 65 years of Land Rover during the show.
The Land Rover is an iconic vehicle and plays a key part in the history of agriculture in New Zealand. The NZ Series One Land Rover Club will manage the display during the show, with the aim of bringing together 65 vehicles. The response from Land Rover Series I owners has been phenomenal.
“Word has spread very quickly, and we’ve had a fantastic response. It will be a pilgrimage from all over the country, some from as far away as Whitianga. They all want to be a part of this event and the overall 150th celebration,” says Mark Warren of, Hillseekers 4WD, who is designing and managing the 4WD course.
“As far as we know, there has been no other display like this of Series I Land Rovers, so it’s going to look fantastic. There are a lot of these wonderful machines in sheds and garages, all in differing states of use or repair,” says Mark. “Some will be able to drive into the Showgrounds, and some are in a more delicate condition.”
The Land Rover display and 4WD course gives enthusiastic owners the opportunity to show off their vehicles to the public, and also have a spin around the purpose built 4WD course during the show.
The 4WD course will run over three days at the Hawke’s Bay Show, featuring safe driving demonstrations, with the latest in 4WD off-road vehicles, quads and Gators. The purpose-built course will include a measured side slope to demonstrate rollover points and safety performance.
Anyone wanting to be involved should contact Anna Hamilton, events manager of the show, which  runs from Wednesday Friday October 23-25 at Showgrounds Hawke’s Bay. Phone 06 878 3123,  021 244 0673, or email events@showgroundshb.co.nz