Whitianga could boast the most grunt and power during the Rugby World Cup next year.
The town is part of a Kiwi Speed Festival proposed to Prime Minister John Key last month. If the festival gets approval it could be launched during the Rugby World Cup in an endeavour to attract the international media.



A platform for showing off power boats, exotic cars and aircraft, the festival would travel through New Zealand and include three main centres, Whitianga, Wellington and Wanaka.
Along the way the festival would stop at many of New Zealand's popular tourism destinations, with a provincial town hosting the entourage each night with its exotic cars and aircraft.
Festival organisers, Leigh Hopper, Paul Shanahan of Hopper Developments, and Peter Martin from Targa New Zealand, met with the Prime Minister and Tourism Ministry advisors in August.
Leigh says he hopes the government will see the merits in the idea.
"We certainly think it has a lot of merit. The idea is attracting a lot of attention, people are quite ecstatic about it. The idea is to showcase the best of New Zealand."
The idea extended from the success of the Whitianga Festival of Speed which attracted 10,000 people in its first year and doubled that in April earlier this year.
He says it is a great opportunity for big car manufacturer names like Ferrari and Porsche to come to a great spectator event and bring some toys to play with.
"We would close the roads through New Zealand and have a gumball rally. The three week event would be quite a big lure to them."
The organisers received a very warm response from Mr Key, and are waiting to hear back if they are suitable for government funding.