Cranking up appreciation for vintage machinery

Crank Up Weekend is a blast for for fans of vintage machinery. Photo / Supplied

Members of the Hauraki Vintage Machinery Club can't bear to see old machinery rusting away in dirty old paddocks.

The club's 35 members are keen to restore and preserve vintage cars and machinery to keep the automotive history alive.

They're holding their popular Crank Up Weekend this Sunday and organisers are inviting anyone with a vintage or classic car, or truck to joy-ride to Kaihere Domain and join the display.

That applies to any Repco Beach Hop participants who are keen too, says club president Peter Williams. His specialty is restoring vintage international tractors.

Usually about 100 vehicles are on display on Crank Up day, he says.

The event is in its eighth year and also serves as a get-together for the various machinery clubs who come from the Waikato, Auckland, Kawerau and all over the Bay of Plenty.

There will be static displays, a vintage milking machine engine, vintage tractors and memorabilia. A sausage sizzle is available and families are encouraged to bring a picnic.

The Hauraki Vintage Machinery Club was created in 1995 when a group of enthusiasts branched out from the Historical Society of the Hauraki Plains.

• Hauraki Vintage Machinery Club's Crank Up Weekend on November 22, 10am-4pm at Kaihere Domain, Kaihere Rd off SH27. Gold coin donation.