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The Brass Monkey Motorcycle Rally will take place over Queens Birthday Weekend at the Idaburn Dam, near Oturehua in Central Otago. Up to 3,500 rallyists are expected to attend, continuing the growing numbers of recent years. The location for the rally is also used for ice skating and curling when the dam is frozen over; it was selected for its proximity to the site of New Zealand’s coldest recorded temperature. Rallyists can expect the mercury to plunge between -10o C and -20o C overnight. Not to mention the wind chill factor which can make this a lot worse. In order to alleviate the worst of the cold a massive bonfire is lit, this provides a focal point for attendees. There is a band playing nearby to entertain the hardy souls before they head off to their tents for the comfort of a warm sleeping bag or two! A vast array of motorcycles congregate at the site, almost every marque ever imported is represented including many home built oddities such as a motorised unicycle, and enormously powerful V8 engined trikes, some with large trailers in tow. The motorcyclists themselves are also a diverse bunch ranging in age from teenagers to 86 years old, and some even bring their babies in the sidecar. Some folk travel from overseas to attend, hundreds come from all over the North Island. Almost every occupation from Airline Pilots to Freezing Workers (no pun intended) are represented. What brings this unusual group together is hard to define. For some it is the craziness of riding a motorcycle to an extremely cold place in winter to camp in a tent; others enjoy the camaraderie and catch up with old friends, some want to secure the coveted 10up badge for having been to 10 rallies. For whatever reason people just keep coming back. Some have ridden to all of the rallies so far; one has used the same motorcycle each time. The first rally attracted 309 riders and for the next nine years attendance kept on growing rapidly. The Brass Monkey Rally is New Zealand’s best known rally and has become a motorcycling institution. The event is run by the Otago Motorcycle Club, based in Dunedin; with a great deal of help from the Oturehua Winter Sports Club. The local community work hard to feed the hungry rallyists with a number of canteens. During daylight hours there are a number of events to keep rallyists entertained, the rally committee is closely examining this area this year to try to expand and diversify the range of attractions. There is even a souvenir shop on site with items such as woollen clothing, teaspoons, mugs, tee shirts, mouse pads, and much more including Brass Monkey playing cards! Over the years many good causes have benefited from donations from the rally organisation including the local hospital, Maniototo St John Ambulance, Motorcycle training schools, and Camp Quality, a charity which helps children with cancer. |
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