[browner_]

Every 4th car in New Zealand seems to sound like a formula one car.

Can someone tell me why the childish practice of making your car as loud as possible is still tolerated, despite attempted recent noise control laws. NZ is surely the worst country in the world for this, and I am widely travelled.

Unfortunately, its not just the unbelievably load cars, its also the way they are driven. I have had the misfortune to spend the weekend in various parts of Wellington and all Ive heard is these cars screeching round day and night. Today, I went to the beach at Days Bay Eastbourne, and it was like a medium day at Brands Hatch.

I have lived in Wellington for 5 years, and all the places I have lived in have been plagued by these monstrosities. By all accounts, Christchurch and Auckland are even worse.

I just dont want to live here any more , and if there was a chance to get back to the UK I would go. The trouble is rural NZ is terribly remote (if you need to work!) and is also populated largely by boy racers, gang members and P-smokers.

[Singel]

Boy Racers (hooners) is on our top hate list.
Luckily, we do not have this problem in our area. The beach here is also peace and quiet.

When I was previously working in the bank, an idiot sped through the narrow car park with hell loud engine noise :mad:

I understand that they will do the noise check during WOF (dunno when will this new test start ???)
hmmmm............. not sure whether this measure will be effective :confused:

[Avalon]

The trouble is rural NZ is terribly remote (if you need to work!) and is also populated largely by boy racers, gang members and P-smokers.
Its pretty darn good in our bit of it! Traffic down our road is often too slow if anything, and while I certainly cant swear that theres no illegal substances being used down here - it aint P. Not quite true in the towns up here from what ive heard - but out in the sticks it seems to be ok. And you can get that without straying too far from the trains.

[browner_]

Dunno about Carterton (only been to the golf course which was beautiful), but Masterton gave the impression of being a hell hole much like Foxton, Otaki,Levin(!) and Bulls, which is what I was really thinking of.

I cant see how anyone could live up there.


But what the hell do you DO in Carterton?

[browner_]

Boy Racers (hooners) is on our top hate list.
Luckily, we do not have this problem in our area. The beach here is also peace and quiet.


What beach is that then?
Wellington is more confined than Auckland I guess, but it seems impossible to escape from them here.

[KerryS]

No problems with boy racers in my part of Auckland either. Queen St on a Friday and Saturday night is a different matter. But they aren't hooning around - more driving the circuit to show off their lowered suspension and triple exhausts and whatever.
I've not noticed them causing any trouble.

[spitz2]

In the U.S., we call them "riced out" cars because somehow Asian American boys tend to have these ugly customized loud cars (and I am also an asian, but the slang is widely used by everyone). Hopefully the police will take care of the noisy cars in NZ.

[Richard_from_Long Beach]

You're not kidding about the boy racer problem in NZ, Browner. You need to send a copy of your post to every politician in your area, all the way up to Helen Clark. Law enforcement needs to take the problem seriously.

At least in NZ it's just the kids who get their kicks off the noise. In the US
there are hundreds of thousands of moronic adults who drive Harleys and other modified motocycles that can shatter windows from 100 yards away.

[clg]

Don't see many hoons, p addicts or gang members where I live in Wellington, none of the later two in fact. I hear very few loud cars around here. Much less than I did in the US. In the CBD you hear some loud cars but I would say they are very much the exception. I have seen quite a few people from the UK complain about the drivers here and again, one of those things I don't really see. Sure, some people drive too fast but don't kids in the UK do that or is it just the US and NZ? I have seen far fewer people doing really stupid things here than in the US from a driving persepctive but then there are a lot less cars!

[JCM]

By all accounts, Christchurch and Auckland are even worse.

In NW Christchurch, I'm unaware of the presence of P addicts or gang members. The teenagers I see tend to limit their activities to playing football and basketball in the local parks. In eight years here I've seen two instances of a boy racer racing along a suburban street. I regularly read newspaper articles about the hoon problem but, in the burbs, I've very rarely actually seen it.

[veronica]

we live quite close to Christchurch center and yes on occasions, particularly on a friday or saturday night the Hoons are out and about. But I can't say they are any worse than the boyracers in Essex who drive down the front at Southend 'doing the circuit" and I can only assume that this happens in other parts of the uk. I think its a young male problem rather than just a NZ problem.

[willsken]

I think its a young male problem rather than just a NZ problem.

I think that comment is 100% spot on. :nice1 We live in a little village and they go racing past my house often enough…. The speed they go makes my hair stand on end when my kids are out playing.

[Caroline and Dave]

A friend of ours is a traffic cop in Essex UK and boy racers are the biggest problem they have. he reckons 70% of their work is dealing with them and the after effects they cause . it seems its all over

Dave and Caroline

[Avalon]

Dunno about Carterton (only been to the golf course which was beautiful), but Masterton gave the impression of being a hell hole much like Foxton, Otaki,Levin(!) and Bulls, which is what I was really thinking of.

I cant see how anyone could live up there.


But what the hell do you DO in Carterton?
:D

Well yes - cant say Masterton would be my favorite spot to live in, or in fact spend time in - but then I dont anyway. On saying that - once you get out of the towns - its quite lovely - but you do then have to accept that you are in the country and the "rules" are different. You cant just nip out for a pint of milk (or beer) or a loaf of bread, and going to work has to be thought out and planned. I would hate to live in Carterton itself - but then im just not a town person. Even Greytown - lovely though it is - I would hate to live in the town itself.

As for what do I do here - well given how long I spend on here I do wonder how I find the time to have a life anyway :p Hubby works in Welly, so hes busy earning money 4/5 days a week (doing some of that at home to cut down commuting). As for me, my job is to get everything else done at home so that our weekends are free. Food shopping can take at least half a day a week because I have to drive round quite a bit, we have a big house to keep sorted, a bigger garden which really does have to be looked after :wah and I do spend a lot of time doing finance type stuff. The rest of it - staring out the windows looking at the mountains, slurping coffee and reading books. I take one day a week to head to "the big city" to meet friends and get stuff done that I cant do here.

Weekends are for chilling out and maybe wandering round the area, drinking coffee or wine or going to the beaches (on which we can often be the only people there).

Its definately not for everyone - I think you have to like your own company quite a bit to live like this - but we are pretty quiet people anyway.

[Kim39]

Up here in sedate Te Awamutu the hoon element isn't prevelent. Yes you do get the super tuned old bangers, but nothing more than the UK i suppose. As for P users and Gang members afraid not(not that i have seen anyway). We do have a camoflauged house just on the outskirts that belong to some White supremersist(sp) odd bods, as well in Pirongia just down the road. Am led to believe that years ago TA was a big Mongral Mob stronghold but they were run out of town a while ago.


Kim

[Moorf]

Hoons are number ONE on my hate list of NZ - there's rarely a stretch of road without a burnout junction and in Chch they plague a lot of areas, I have friends in Cashmere who regularly have problems with them.

Maybe Wellington is too hilly for them?! :D

Hopefully compulsory insurance may be bought in and at least this may go some way to clearing the dangerous ones off the road. As someone mentioned above, write to your MP's. We have.

Rice rockets - they use that here too - basically any souped up Japanese car.

[leigh31]

Where I live in Auckland (CBD) - the boy racers are LOUD! Ridiciously loud. To the point that it will wake me up at night.

I just don't understand where all the police are in this country? :confused: I see that most police stations around us close at 7p. Isn't it common knowledge that after 7p is usually when you need the police most?!?

Regardless, I wish they get someone down on Beach Rd, in CBD. Anytime of the day. It might actually deter some boy racers - because right now it's a major problem.

[Avalon]

Maybe Wellington is too hilly for them?! :D
.
I wish :D I dont think I slept much when I lived in town. We chose a nice apartment on one of the main race drags - not great on a friday and saturday night. Made worse by roadworks at 7 am on a saturday and sunday.

Imagine the bliss of getting to live back out in the country. Though currently we have some rather loud cows in the field. Never knew cows could make such a racket :D

[ruthyroo]

At least in NZ it's just the kids who get their kicks off the noise. In the US
there are hundreds of thousands of moronic adults who drive Harleys and other modified motocycles that can shatter windows from 100 yards away.

Sorry, I don't really agree with that... TBH I think one of the reasons that the boy racer behaviour / petrolhead culture is so widespread in NZ is that while many adults 'tut tut' and shake their heads about it, they tolerate it because they were exactly the same in their youth - especially the guys. My (male) colleagues at work will moan about hoons in one breath then tell stories about their own exploits when they were younger. And many of the ones aged 25-45 drive just as fast and aggressively as any boy racer - and that includes the women! Mr Rr works with respectable pillars of society every day i.e. teachers, and he tells me that they are as bad as the kids when it comes to drooling over souped up cars. It's one of the least attractive aspects of life in NZ for me, the whole petrolhead thing.

[Moorf]

LOL @ cows, in Scotland it wasn't so much the cows but the Steps album the farmer played them, loudly, when they were being milked :D - he swore it got his yields up!

Here we don't have hoons on a regular basis, maybe one or two a month and as Ruthyroo said, they're not always youngsters in clapped out cars.

[Diny]

The trouble is rural NZ is terribly remote (if you need to work!) and is also populated largely by boy racers, gang members and P-smokers.


I'm with you on alot of the things you say but feel I have to point out that we live in a rural location and (as far as I know) there's no P-smokers, gang members or boy racers around here. Plenty of sheep though.

Diny

[Al_S]

I'm with you on alot of the things you say but feel I have to point out that we live in a rural location and (as far as I know) there's no P-smokers, gang members or boy racers around here. Plenty of sheep though.

Diny

Plenty of sheep reminded me of something that happened just recently here in Ontario. As you can see, there aren't too many sheep or goats up here. And thank God the police do not go home at 7 pm either. Street racing , though common, is not considered "kosher" and people can expect to spend time in the slammer (her majesty's penitentiary)for racing and hurting others.

http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/06092006/6/n-odds-speeding-driver-blames-lack-goats.html

[browner_]

Well Ive been back to the UK a couple of times (Surrey) and in the week that I was there I saw/heard ONE noisy car with jet engine modified exhaust.

Here in Wellington, there are several each minute, if you care to stand on a road with any traffic whatsoever.

I havent seen Southend so cant comment but in my experience, the UK is nowhere near what goes on here. You cant seem to escape it in Wellington.

How about standing on the front at Taupo on New Years, have you tried that?

[Singel]

What beach is that then?
Wellington is more confined than Auckland I guess, but it seems impossible to escape from them here.
We live here : www.wattlecove.co.nz
The beach is 5 mins walk from our house.

We read about gangs and 'P' drugs from newspaper or TV but so far we have not seen any.