Edwin gets his engine running

For the Swiss family Fullagar, it was the first time they had been to New Zealand and they enjoyed it ... despite their husband and father "abandoning" them as he went in search of some heavy metal.
"Yes I abandoned the family," Edwin Fullagar said with a smile, before explaining that they understood completely when he jumped on a plane in Auckland on Monday and flew to Napier.
They understood because he was only going to be away for about four hours, and because Napier is host to what he described as a mechanical treasure - possibly the only working one of its type left in the world which is accessible to the public.
And while it may have been a flying visit to the Bay, Mr Fullagar was delighted with what he saw at the Faraday Centre, although he did admit that he would have liked to spend more time in the Bay.
The object of his attention was a 1925 Fullagar diesel engine which was used to generate power, and contributed to the national grid right up until 1970 in what had been the Napier Municipal Electricity Department off Faraday St.
After the power house was closed, the engine was offered to the Hawke's Bay Museum of Technology - but they had nowhere to put it. That problem was solved when the Napier City Council made the redundant power house available to the museum as a permanent home for the great engine, and other mechanical and historic goodies.
Unison Network granted the group a peppercorn lease for what is now the Faraday Centre.
"The engine saved us - this is how we got started," the Faraday Centre's Dave Prebensen said.
Mr Fullagar, who is based at Winterthur in Switzerland where he works as a research and development engineer on marine engine fuel and hydraulic systems, heard about the rare old 1925 engine through his father when he was a boy.
His father had also worked in the maritime industry, and had visited Napier and seen the engine.
"He told me all about it and I always thought - if I get to New Zealand I will go and see the engine."
As for the name he shares with it, he reckons he is likely related to its creator "but I'm not sure how ... it is quite a common name in Switzerland."
His wife has a sister living in Auckland, so the family decided to make their first visit downunder, and for Mr Fullagar that created the opportunity to go and see the engine his father had spoken about.
"They interest me as I work with two-stroke engines - that's my business."
He booked a 9.30am flight to Napier to see the engine - and a 3pm return to see the family again.
His eyes lit up when he approached the big two-cylinder engine which is an impressive cast and bolted unit - smothered in pipes, levers, dials and control wheels.
His smile grew wider as the man who once ran the Fullagar for the power board, Ian Webster ran him through the operations while Mr Prebensen and another volunteer at the centre got the great generator turning.
"It is a beautiful piece of machinery," Mr Fullagar said as he engaged in mechanical chat with Mr Webster.
He also spent time looking over the rest of the centre's unique mechanical exhibits.
"Well worth the trip," he said.
Mr Prebensen said Napier's unique Fullagar engine was well-known throughout the world through both websites and word-of-mouth.
Marine engineers from ships calling at the Port of Napier often wandered down to look at it.