Thousands converge on Timaru for Caroline Bay Rock and Hop

Thousands cruised into Timaru at the weekend for the Caroline Bay Rock and Hop, leaving organisers confident the amount raised from the event will be better than the last time it was held two years ago.

The four-day Hospice South Canterbury fundraiser, last held in 2021, began on Thursday, with highlights including Laps at Levels, the Friday night cruise and the Gala Day at the Bay on Saturday.

The smaller towns did not miss out with cruises to Temuka, Waimate and Geraldine – a drive that also attracted the attention of school children on Friday afternoon.

Registrations for the fundraiser were received from throughout the country, with more than 600 from Christchurch, and another 14 from Australia.

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The 2021 Rock and Hop raised $130,000 for the hospice, and on Monday morning Hospice South Canterbury general manager Peter O’Neill said while the total amount was yet to be tallied, “at this stage’’ he was confident of an increased tally.

“The weekend went really well, we couldn’t have hoped for better,’’ he said.

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While it was impossible to gauge the number of people at Caroline Bay on Saturday, he estimated about 20,000 had turned up.

A number of people commented that they had never seen so many people at Caroline Bay, O’Neill said.

“If you look back at the Caroline Bay Carnival over the years it would certainly have had those numbers, but within this era certainly not.

“It’s obviously a calendar event for the district and a great way to showcase the district.’’

There had been a vibrancy throughout the district over the weekend, which he said was exciting.

“The feeling in the town was people were just happy to be out and about.

“It’s a lift from Covid times and people are getting out and mixing again.’’

He thanked the community for its support, and said there were several visitors on Saturday who had travelled from Dunedin and Christchurch to be at the Gala Day.

“The reputation for the event is growing and talking to some people on the Saturday night that go to all the car shows in New Zealand they said ours is the best.’’

He said there were several reasons they had given for this.

“The way we display the cars on the Saturday and the way we honour the cars with our prize giving, and the cars driven through the crowd.’’

People had also loved the atmosphere of the district, he said.

The Friday night cruise had been as popular as ever, and while there did not appear to be as many out watching on Stafford St, he said in the outlying towns there was excellent support, and even a grandstand for viewers on Cartwright Rd, near Pleasant Point.

Other organisations held events to support the Rock and Hop, including the Timaru Cosmopolition Club, which was great to see, O’Neill said.

Hospice South Canterbury events and marketing manager Kim Rogers said it was a “huge weekend’’.

It was the fifth time the event had been held, with Covid-19 leading to its cancellation in 2020 and 2022.

, Feedback had been positive and organisers would meet in the near future to debrief, Rogers said.