The Beach Hop Tour Crew
The Beach Hop Tour Crew at your service

Chris Beattie
The Guy Whose Fault It Is
Chris Beattie has been around. A lot. He is primarily a journalist, writer, author, publisher, occasional motorcycle racer, group travel operator and adventurer. In a professional career spanning far too many years, he has accomplished much, travelled comprehensively, run numerous group adventures to various places and events and is now semi-retired and enjoying all that the northern region of coastal NSW has to offer.
He was inspired to organise and promote the 25th Silver Anniversary Beach Hop Aussie Invasion Tour after having enjoyed the area that the Hop is held in on the stunning Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand’s North Island. Chris takes up the story …
“I was there with my kids on a campervan adventure a few years ago and the absolute highlight of our trip was the Coromandel Peninsula and all the natural wonders it has to offer,” he recalls. “I vowed to come back there one day and having known about the Repco Beach Hop festival for some time, I thought I’d do a little research.
“It didn’t take long to realise that the Hop was just as special as the area that hosts it and after talking to Noddy Watts at length about the idea of a tour, we vowed to pull something together. It also helped that my nephew and car and music enthusiast, Wazza was a leading member of Noddy’s Hop crew.”
So Chris has spent the better part of the past year pulling the various elements of the tour together and he and his own crew, including key member Mitch, are now working hard to ensure that the inaugural Beach Hop Aussie Invasion Tour is a roaring success when it kicks off in March, 2025.
We invite you along to share the adventure!

Mitch
MotorHead Mitch
Primarily Mitch (aka Supra-man!) is a car guy. A fast car guy. He owns a turbocharged Toyota Supra, which has logged up plenty of miles and given him many smiles along the way. It boasts the infamous 2JZ GTE six cylinder turbo motor with coilover suspension and brakes connecting with the road via 20in wheels and tyres.
So Mitch is all over the whole 25th Silver Anniversary Beach Hop Aussie Invasion Tour idea and joined the tour crew enthusiastically, which is great news for us and our tour members. His passion for all things automotive is obvious and contagious and he is mega-excited about the great adventure that lies ahead.
Mitch is also a bit of a tech-head when it comes to all things Interweb and digital etc, so he is in charge of the website and all of the technical side of the tour. So he’s a very handy man to have around indeed, and combined with his love of cars and music etc, he’s more than comfortable in his role with the 25th Silver Anniversary Beach Hop Aussie Invasion Tour.
“I’ve known about the Hop for a while now and it’s great to actually be working on the tour and helping to bring everything together for the big day when we all hit the road in March next year over in NZ and head off to play with our Kiwi cuzzies,” enthused Mitch. “It really is going to be the trip of a lifetime as I know Noddy and his crew are going to be pulling out all stops to make next year’s anniversary Hop one to remember!”
So welcome aboard Mitch as we prepare for our 25th Silver Anniversary Beach Hop Aussie Invasion Tour.