THE KŪMARA BOX:

Paeroa has the L&P bottle, Gore has the trout and Dargaville has Ernie, the kūmara king. Every small town needs its hero and for decades, "Ernie" (aka Warren Suckling) has delighted kūmaralovers. Long-time farmers Warren and his wife May are the owners and operators of The Kūmara Box, a wonderland dedicated to all things kūmara (with some other oddities thrown in). There's a movie to watch, a tour to take, rides in the kūmara train to enjoy and a small church and garden to explore. As of mid-2020, Ernie and May were looking to retire, but hopefully, they hand the spade to someone equally as passionate about Dargaville's favourite knobbly root vegetable. 503 Poutō Road, Aratapu.

(09) 439 7018. On Facebook.