WineNZ Summer 18-19 (1)

from a stray dog or errant cow, there are the
more challenging elderly grandmothers with
children in tow, tricycles that won't pull over as
they roll along at 25 km/h in the fast lane and,
my personal favourite, the motorcyclists that
zip along at 80 k/mh, no helmets, cellphones
in hand, hurtling towards you in your lane. But
the cocoon of the Maserati’s cabin provides
a soothing space to prevent all that stress
from penetrating.
After passing through a few small towns
and the bustle of Cavite, the road turns into
a two-lane zigzag through a national park.
This is the best part of the drive. The Levante
has a Sport mode that, when engaged, turns
the throaty gurgle into a deep roar, and the
acceleration goes to G-Force levels. I was
very impressed with the car’s handling around
the bends and never felt there was any risk
of the tyres letting go.
One small but significant thing I loved
about the Maserati was how well it synced
to my iPhone. A text would come in, I'd get
the car to read it to me, I'd dictate a response,
and it would be sent, all without me taking my
eyes off the road or my hands off the wheel.
The entire sync system was super smooth
and intelligent.
Once on the beaches of Nasugbu, I was
able to turn my attention to the other toy, the
Hammerhead RIB. The Hammerhead is made
by Advanced Composite Systems in Subic
Bay, Philippines, using an Australian mould
to create the deep V hull. The 8-metre version
I borrowed for the trip to the beach sported a
250 hp Evinrude G1 engine, which is a ton of
horsepower for one of ACS's smaller boats.
In the water, the Evinrude can push the
Hammerhead beyond 40 knots or 74 km/h.
While that’s nowhere near as fast as the
Levante when you get an open road, speed
on water is very different from on land. The
Hammerhead is an open boat, and at 40 knots
the speed seems huge and far more than enough
for the kids to get up on the foil wakeboard.
Music is a necessity for a top day on the
water. The Hammerhead has a Fusion stereo
system, which connected effortlessly to my
iPhone via Bluetooth. The speakers and
subwoofer on board were excellent. When
running at speed, engine noise and wind noise
drown out the music, no matter how good
the system, but once parked and anchored,
it was cool to have my quality “Dad” playlist
available.
Boats are infinitely more customisable than
cars. Hammerheads can have teak floors,
multiple seat configurations, and racks for all
other kinds of accessories. Indeed, the boat
toy is inevitably a conduit for lots of other
toys for the water. Skis and wakeboards are
some of the usual additions. If they’re too
strenuous then the boat can be used to transport
SUPs to a calm beach or scuba tanks to an
offshore reef.
maserati | motoring
Dennis Valdes with his wife Tessa ready to head to
the beach in the Maserati Levante.
So which toy would I rather have?
A lot more people can ride in an 8-metre
RIB than a four-seater Levante. But on the
other side of the coin, nothing compares to
the Maserati's signature, sexy gurgle. It’s a
tough call, so probably best to have both!
Dennis Valdes is a Makati-based company
president, motoring enthusiast, national
rep underwater hockey player, keen foil
wakeboarder and Marlborough sauvignon
blanc enthusiast.
Heading home to Makati’s city lights after a break at the beach.
www.winenzmagazine.co.nz
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