Yesterday, Mrs Crick, of Queenstown and Dunedin, took to the ravine in an even older car - Julian Smith's 1922 Rolls-Royce Silver Ghost - chaperoned by an international cast of Silver Ghost Association members from New Zealand, Portugal, Australia and the United States as part of a 3000km trip around the South Island - the sequel to a North Island journey the club completed in November.
The three-strong convoy - including Texan Maurice Franklin's 1924 Silver Ghost and expat Kiwi Steve Littin's Minnesota-made 1925 Springfield Silver Ghost - attracted plenty of attention.
Tourists stopped to photograph the graceful cars negotiate the narrow road.
"The road's much better. I was having a fit when Julian said he was coming over in his car," Mrs Crick said.
Armed with a sketchpad, Mrs Crick plans to return to gold rush country with her painting friends.
"It's so sensational being in this open car. I can lean over the side and look over the canyons. It's just been spectacular," she said.
Advertisement
