After organising 34 Mainland Classic events over 30 years, Dunedin couple David and Christine Mehrtens are putting on a ‘‘grand finale’’ trio of trips in 2020 and then calling time on their endeavours.
Over three decades they have built up a database of about 800 eager motorists, many of whom join the Mehrtens on their South Island-based tours.
With grandchildren now on the scene and a new sports car sitting in the garage, they are keen to free up the many hours they spend co-ordinating the popular events.
‘‘I’m keen to be a fly on the wall and let somebody else do the organising,’’ Mr Mehrtens (62) said. ‘‘As the organisers, these events are becoming increasingly harder to run. The costs and effort required to get things off the starting blocks is now at the stage where we are having our last year of Mainland Classic events in 2020. Yes, three of them and that will be it.’’
The Mehrtens have promised to go out in style and will be ‘‘pulling out all stops’’.
The first one on the calendar — the popular Autumn Colours Outing — already has 30 people registered. Held on April 18-19, it takes motorists on a scenic trip from Dunedin to Arrowtown. The dates have been planned so that those from overseas and the North Island can tack on the six-day Mainland Classic Tour of 2020 from April 20-25 around the South Island’s most spectacular roads. They will take a trip through Wanaka, Haast, Queenstown, Te Anau, Milford Sound, Invercargill and The Catlins before finishing in Dunedin.
It has been a decade since the Mehrtens ran this trip and it has been appreciated by ‘‘many hundreds of entrants,’’over its lifespan.
‘‘The Mainland Classic Tour has been a stand-out event over its 18 years, with 10 outings from 1992-2010 and enjoyed by many from far and wide. It’s a step up on all the other events we have put together. You come on this event to take in the fellowship, camaraderie, food and gain memories that will last a lifetime. Just ask anyone who has been before,’’ Mr Mehrtens said.
After taking a breather over winter, the Mehrtens will be back into it for the last hurrah — the second Aoraki/Mt Cook Spring Classic, heading from Dunedin to Aoraki/Mt Cook and back via the Mackenzie Basin from November 6-9. First run in 2018, it is open to all sorts of vehicles but ‘‘we really encourage faster vintage vehicles to participate’’, Mr Mehrtens said.
He was feeling ‘‘quite relaxed’’ about winding up this part of his life and will take away an event-organising skillset, many treasured memories and a full address book.
‘‘These events have brought a lot of good people together over the years,’’ he said.
- Catherine Pattison
Photo: ODT file
