Up to 3,500 rallyists are expected to attend, continuing the growing numbers of recent years. Not to mention the wind chill factor which can make this a lot worse. In order to alleviate the worst of the cold a massive bonfire is lit, this provides a focal point for attendees. A vast array of motorcycles congregate at the site, almost every marque ever imported is represented including many home built oddities such as a motorised unicycle, and enormously powerful V8 engined trikes, some with large trailers in tow. The motorcyclists themselves are also a diverse bunch ranging in age from teenagers to 86 years old, and some even bring their babies in the sidecar.
Some folk travel from overseas to attend, hundreds come from all over the North Island.
What brings this unusual group together is hard to define. For whatever reason people just keep coming back. The first rally attracted 309 riders and for the next nine years attendance kept on growing rapidly. The Brass Monkey Rally is New Zealand's best known rally and has become a motorcycling institution. The local community work hard to feed the hungry rallyists with a number of canteens.