Austin 7s on a remote island

[Tony Griffiths]

Another remarkable Facebook post. Click the pictures for higher resolution copies.

[Ruairidh Dunford]

These are tremendous photos.

[jpsmit]

Great pics indeed, funny that the author felt the need to immediately note that the island is a dormant volcano having not erupted in over 600 years. Presumably there was some thought that the arrival of the cars would change that. 

[Chris Garner]

Great photos. The leading car of the group has a badge affixed to the radiator. Can our NZ friends identify it? It also appears to be the only one with a rad. temp gauge.

[Bob Culver]

For anyone interested the island is the dominant landmark from the Auckland east coast. It is a bit sobering to realise it was not there when the maoris arrived maybe 1000 years ago. Can and have easily kayak or row there in a scout cutter. All the roads can be walked in a day. The weather was obviously not as stifling hot as at present. Presumably they did not pile four into each car! The island has become very much more overgrown in just the last 50 years. i trust they resisted racing each other but it would be ideal. I doubt if anyone so ludicrously well dressed has been on the island since.The cars taken over for the occassion. Presumably councillors or MPs. The roads are more track like now than then. just a truck, bus, tractor or few there.The big wigs presumably there to inspect the new roads. The island is all scoria with very little earth.

[Steve Parkin]

Interesting thread. Apart from Sevens my other passion is narrowboats. Our marina neighbours for many years had a boat named Rangitoto with a profile of the volcanic island on the cabin side. It will probably come as no surprise to hear that they were from Auckland - he was a retired Air New Zealand Boeing 747 captain. 

They managed to spend summers boating on both the UK canals and the Pacific ocean since they also had a boat at home. 

The image below is of the Rangitoto in the snow (the boat that is - not the island). 

I used it wish them Happy Christmas back in 2013 (see https://nbalbert.blogspot.com/2009/12/ch...obion.html)

[Humps]

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[img]rangitoto-summit-lighthouse-fullers360[/img]It turns out that this was something of a publicity stunt by Seabrook Fowlds, the Austin agents in Auckland. The photo shows the island with the lighthouse in the foreground which can be seen in one of the photos