By Pauline Stewart
“Crank Up was the biggest turnout we have ever had. The cars just kept coming,” says Shaun Hurst, lead organiser along with the members of the Hauraki Vintage Machinery Club. Kaihere Domain just outside of Ngatea on the Hauraki Plains was packed on Saturday for their annual Crank Up festival.
“It was a great and pleasing success. We had such a great display of vintage machinery and cars.,” says Shaun.
The Informer editors were a little overwhelmed. The demonstrations of the different machines were very resourceful. One man had made his own engine from scraps of steel. The coffee cart and the ice-cream truck never stopped for a minute. Every child got a ride on the tractor wagon.
Old style hay baling was a hit as was the sheep shearing, once again, old style. Early history is everywhere. Participation by three neighbour clubs – Franklin, Waikato and Tauranga adds a great deal to the fun and energy of the day.
Some people sat with their thermos and picnic chairs in the shade for a lot of the day, just enjoying the relaxation and watching the activity. The organising team intend to make more room for parking next year and to increase the number of craft stalls which fit in with the theme. Crank Up is not like other carnivals or fairs; it is a specialty event which all ages love particularly if you like machines, vintage machines and cars.
Of course we had nothing to do with the weather but it was a beautiful day at Kaihere Domain- blue sky, a warm sun, a fresh breeze and a lot of relaxed country folk who had time to chat.. The Kaihere Domain is a very picturesque park/picnic setting, “It’s perfect for this kind of carnival event,” says Shaun.
