MANDY SMITH With more than 300 stallholders and 50,000 people expected, this year's Hawke's Bay Show should blow last year's show out of the water.
But it's just another show in another city for the carnival workers.
Mahon's Amusements operations manager Paul Mahon has been in the family-owned business for a
long time.
"I was lucky enough to be born into it," he said.
Between October and April, you'll find him and his team from Ngaruawahia working on shows in a different part of the country each weekend.
"I get to see a lot of the country at night."
Just back from an event in Gisborne, he's been living out of a caravan at the venue - the Hawke's Bay showgrounds - since Monday morning.
"It's not as cold as a tent."
It takes 22 trucks to ferry the fleet of at least 10 rides from city to city, and two days to assemble them.
This year, the star act is the new family ride Rock'n'Tug, but the ferris wheel and Super Loop remain crowd favourites, he said.
Decked out in thermals to combat the chilly wind, maintenance technician Craig Buckingham was attaching the safety cable onto the ferris wheel this morning before loading on the brightly-coloured chairs.
He said safety was a top priority and he and others would be working flat out until the Occupational Health and Safety (OSH) inspectors arrived later in the day. Over at the carousel, Englishman Robert was loading glass-fibre horses onto the 100-year-old frame and keeping a close eye on his charges.
He too was a born-and-bred "travelling show man", working in London before he came to Hamilton.
He says travelling shows have a bad reputation for safety. "But when you look at the number of people that ride, we've got a better record than British Rail", he chuckles.
"And safety is a huge aspect of this business."
Across the grass, Lazy Days employee Glen Hayman and wife Debbie have arrived early to assemble one tonne of outdoor furniture for sale. "The show died last year because of the weather [heavy rain] but I'm sure it won't happen two years in a row. The Hawke's Bay Show runs tomorrow until Friday at the Hawke's Bay showgrounds in Hastings.
