Goodbye Pork Pie

John travels to Invercargill to win back his girlfriend Sue, who has just left him after six years together. After a night of drinking in Auckland, he decides to make the long journey south to her sister's house as a desperate attempt to salvage their relationship.

John and Gerry met in Auckland when John saved Gerry from receiving a ticket for not wearing a seat belt. Grateful for the intervention, Gerry offered John a lift for part of the journey, forming an uneasy alliance between the middle-aged man and the young drifter.

The 'Blondini Gang' was the media nickname given to Gerry, John, and later Shirl during their cross-country road trip. The name came from Gerry's nickname 'Blondini' (a reference to the famous escape artist), which he wrote inside the boxcar during their train journey. The name stuck as a national manhunt was launched for the trio.

Shirl was arrested for shoplifting while the trio was in Christchurch. This arrest triggered the national manhunt for the 'Blondini Gang' and forced Gerry and John to continue without her.

When Gerry and John picked up Shirl in Wanganui, Gerry quietly bet that he would change her virgin status before they reached their destination. He later won this bet during the journey, though the exact timing is implied through a brief scene after their night of partying in the boxcar.

In Wellington, Gerry ran a red light and triggered a police chase through the city center. They evaded capture by driving through Wellington railway station and stowing the Mini in an empty boxcar that was being shunted onto the Interislander ferry, allowing them to cross to the South Island undetected.

At McNab, police spotted John and he drove off in the Mini without knowing Gerry was underneath the car. Gerry was arrested but escaped from the police car and climbed onto the fleeing Mini. A PIT maneuver flung Gerry from the vehicle, and he was struck by a pursuing police car, leaving his fate uncertain.

Gerry's ultimate fate remains ambiguous. After being struck by the police car during the PIT maneuver at McNab, he is shown injured on the ground. A trucker at the scene refuses to move aside for the police out of respect for Gerry, but the film never confirms whether he survives his injuries. The final shot focuses on John's reunion with Sue, leaving Gerry's fate unresolved.

The Armed Offenders Squad shot a hole in John's petrol can during the Invercargill finale. As John drove through a cemetery toward Sue's house, the leaking petrol ignited, triggering an explosion that destroyed the Mini moments after John escaped the vehicle.

Snout, whom they met in Dunedin, helped them dodge a police roadblock and bought Gerry's flags for the Mini's antenna. However, after they left, Snout tipped off the police about their route toward Invercargill, leading to the ambush at McNab. The betrayal appears motivated by either greed for reward money or a desire to end the chase.

When Gerry was left injured on the road after the PIT maneuver, a trucker who had been following the chase refused to move his vehicle aside to let police pass. This act of solidarity delayed the police response, allowing John to continue toward Invercargill. The trucker's respect for Gerry's reckless spirit prevented immediate capture.

The police chase escalated from a simple unpaid petrol bill in Waikato into a national manhunt after a pattern of crimes: stealing petrol, failing to pay at petrol stations, and the involvement of Mulvaney (who supplied drugs). When Shirl was arrested for shoplifting in Christchurch, media coverage labelled them the 'Blondini Gang' and police committed significant resources to catching what they perceived as an organized group.

The unpaid petrol in Waikato was the first incident that drew police attention to the yellow Mini.