Classic cars at The Elms

The Devonshire tea ladies with some of the Packards at The Elms. Photos and video: Rosalie Liddle Crawford.

There's nothing quite as beautiful as a classic car in pristine condition.

Several were on display this morning when members of the South Pacific Packard Car Club visited The Elms as part of their spring tour.

South Pacific Packard Car Club chairman Leyton Chan says they have around 83 members and 180 vehicles – although there were far fewer than that on the lawn outside the mission house.

'One of our club members owns the Blue Haven Motel, where we've been staying. They have a 1955 Packard, one of the newer ones. Most of our club members own pre-war models.”

The club members taking part in the spring tour arrived yesterday via Thames and Paeroa, and will head home via the Waikato later today.

The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga manager Andrew Gregg says the club decided to visit around 12 months ago, after a couple of committee members came and were impressed by what they saw.

'The Elms is open to group visits, and this is an example of the kind of groups we like to attract – people with an interest in heritage,” says Andrew.

'They get a tour around the property with our guides, and then an opportunity to have Devonshire tea afterwards. You can spend half a day here and really only be scratching the surface.”

Devonshire teas – tea served with scones topped with cream and jam – have been a constant presence at The Elms, with the previous family owners putting them on in the grounds as fundraisers.

Andrew says although The Elms is known primarily for the mission house, there's more to the area's history.

'There are centuries of Maori occupation prior to the missionaries arriving. And after the mission period it became a private family home. So it has different periods of history, which we try to represent.

'We're really keen to engage more locals here. The Elms is so significant to the history of Tauranga, we would like to see more residents learning about that.”

Guide Bev Corbett has been with The Elms for five years, and says they provide tours for all types of groups.

'We do casual guiding, when there might just be a couple of people who turn up with an interest in the area. We also do group guiding and heritage gardening tours, usually for gardening clubs. We have a lot of cruise ship tours in the summer as well.”

For more information about The Elms | Te Papa Tauranga, visit their website.

Stuart Flexman from Orewa with his newly restored 1941 Packard.

South Pacific Packard Car Club members being served tea.

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