Return of the toy run

Amber and Abby Ellis in Jill de Buisson’s husband’s 1955 Ford V8 F100. Photo: Sharnae Hope.

The annual toy run is back, withhot rods, muscle cars and classics rides ready to cruise through Tauranga for a good cause.

The Tauranga Toy Run returns on December 1 for its 14th year, with hundreds of toys set to be donated to the Child Cancer Foundation and Waipuna Hospice.

Organiser Jill de Buisson and her core team are revving up and encouraging locals and out-of-towners to give more this year to those children in need.

'We have a ton of cars coming up Palmerston North, Hamilton, Auckland and Rotorua to support the cause,” she says.

'It's a big exercise for a hot-rodder to take their car out on a cruise like this, plus they donate as well.

'Cancer touches everyone in some way, and doing this for the children and the Waipuna Hospice encourages more people to take part. Every year it just gets crazier and crazier.”

Last year they specifically asked for more educational toys like puzzles and books that children could make use of while they were in bed or waiting for an operation.

'It was crazy,” adds Jill. 'People totally took this on board, and child cancer said they had never seen such an amazing amount of entertaining toys.”

The vehicles will depart Baypark at 6.30pm and headed to Papamoa before travelling along the beachfront towards downtown Mount Maunganui.

Drivers will then cruise over the Tauranga Harbour Bridge and along Devonport Road before parking up at Fraser Cove, where the classic vehicles will be on display at 7.30pm.

Donations can be dropped at the World's End bar at Fraser Cove.

People are also able to donate at Baypark between 6-6.30pm, right before the engines start revving.

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