Gumboots and brollies at vintage machine expo
The weather gods rained down yet again on another major Hawke's Bay event— this time the Hawke's Bay Vintage Machinery Club's second Junction Expo held at Takapau on March 25-26.
Like the abandoned one-day cricket match at McLean Park, Napier's Art Deco Festival and Horse of the Year Show in Hastings, the club had to contend with plenty of rain during its two-day major vintage machine display, which drew exhibitors from as far south as Clinton and as far north as Whangarei.
Held in a large paddock owned by Junction Wines' owners John and Jo Ashworth, rain on the Saturday and Sunday mornings meant the thousands of enthusiastic onlookers at the expo were clad in coats, gumboots and carrying umbrellas.
While it was wet both days until lunchtime, expo organiser Neil Harrington said conditions were quite pleasant afterwards on both afternoons
“All in all, despite the weather, it was a fabulous weekend. Including exhibitors, we believe 5000 people were at the event over the weekend,” Neil said.
The club's expo in 2013 attracted 6000 people and the club had been hoping for as many as 10,000 people to attend this year.
Though the weather spoiled any chance of the crowd reaching that mark, Neil said spirits remained high, particularly at Saturday night's dinner for the exhibitors, which was attended by 190 people and was catered by local Lions clubs.
“We were under the big marquee and Junction Wines had a bar open for us and people were saying ‘forget the rain, this has been a brilliant day'. I have been attending these events for almost 30 years and had the most ever fun at this one.”
One of the positives of the wet weather said Neil was that it allowed for the creation of some new, interesting displays in the main arena, such as traction engines winching bulldozers through the mud, and a tug of war between a steam roller and exhibitors.
He said Stephen Muggeridge's ploughing demonstration with his team of Clydesdales once again proved a crowd favourite, and
described the World War I military horse exhibition by Hastings man Malcom Baker as “fantastic”.
There was a great display of blue tractors celebrating 100 years of Fordson, while the earthmoving exhibits included a new D7 Electric Caterpillar bulldozer and a 630 Horsepower John Deere tractor, he said.
On the vintage side, Neil said the stationary engine display included some very rare examples of early engines, in particular a Gardner engine built in 1897, “possibly only one of four known in the world,” he said.
Half of the profits of the first expo—$10,000— went to the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter.
Fifty per cent of the profits this year are due to be divided equally between the SPCA, the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter, Alzheimers New Zealand, and Cranford Hospice, but it was unclear if the event would return a profit. LINE UP: Three traction engines and a 1923 Model T Ford truck called Forest.