Woking, England, is the home of the modern McLaren but their founder is a Kiwi icon. They returned to New Zealand to retrace, in the 650S Spider road car, some of Bruce’s formative drives and visit the many McLaren related landmarks around Auckland.
On The Trail Of Bruce McLaren - cars.mclaren.com
Today McLaren’s home is in Woking, England, but the story started nearly 80 years ago on the other side of the world. We return to New Zealand in a 650S Spider to trace the early years of our company’s eponymous founder, Bruce McLaren…
They are familiar to me and I both cycle and drive the West Auckland roads seen in their lovely photos (sadly in nothing as exotic as a McLaren!). Not sure the the Bethells Beach Valley is really part of “The Scenic Drive” but it is certainly nearby, very scenic, and would be a great drive in a McLaren! I liked the perspective of their Waitea Road, Muriwai, photo (above). Below is the same road/view through the windscreen of my Bravo and from my bike.
If you want to retrace their steps, and can afford it, McLaren Auckland can provide a 650s or something even faster. If you prefer cycling they also had a pretty nice Specialized S-Works McLaren bicycle on display last time I stopped to take a photo.
It is perhaps understandable they chose not to visit or mention a significant West Auckland McLaren site I see when walking the dog* in Waikumete Cemetery.
* On leash dog walking is allowed at Waikumete. It is the largest cemetery in New Zealand, and one of the largest public parks in the Auckland region.
