Major upgrade for Rangatira Golf Club’s ‘bucket list’ cable car

Club member Bernie Mathews built the car in 1970.

Rangatira Golf Club’s cable car, “Bernie’s Bomb”, is undergoing a complete overhaul but it has not come cheap.

Built in 1970 by club member Bernie Mathews, the car runs on a near-100m track from the end of the 18th green up to the first hole at the Rangitīkei course.

Club president Richard Lambert said there had been regular maintenance on the car over the years but time had run out.

“The bearing and the cogs, all that sort of thing, normally wear out every 20-odd years and they were due for a replacement,” Lambert said.

“The engineers said it was getting harder and harder to get parts for it.

“Even machining them would be difficult. They suggested replacing the whole engine and we agreed.”

That has cost around $100,000, with the Hunterville Vet Club providing the club with a loan.

The club, which has around 100 members, has started a Givealittle page to help repay it.

Lambert said utes had to be used to transport people when the car had been out of commission in the past.

“You would have to be a pretty young person to hike from the bottom to the top,” he said.

“It’s fairly steep.”

The Rangatira Golf Club’s cable car, "Bernie’s Bomb", needs a complete overhaul, costed at $100,000.

The new parts, brought in from Germany, are currently being put together in Palmerston North.

“The whole mechanism has been taken away but we hope to get it reinstalled next week,” Lambert said.

“We’ll hook it back up and it’ll have to undergo a few load tests. Hopefully, in about two a fortnight it’ll be back.”

He said the car was one of a kind and something golfers from around the country wanted “to tick off their bucket list”.

“We rely quite a bit on green fees and they are a pleasure to host.

“It’s great to see the course being used regularly.”

Mathews, an engineer, built it from scratch, Lambert said.

“He obviously had a vision and he knew what he was doing.

“It wouldn’t have been a straightforward thing to put in but we’ve got plenty of trouble-free years out of it.”

In 2013, club members raised $77,000 to bring the car up to standard, with two steel cables installed.

It was out of service for five weeks.

Lambert said people were already making donations to the project and they were “gratefully received”.

“It’s going to take us a while to get the money. Hopefully, small steps lead to big outcomes,” he said.

“We want the car to last another 50 years.”

Donations can be made at www.givealittle.co.nz/cause/rangatira-golf-clubs-lift-needs-a-major-overhaul.

Mike Tweed is a multimedia journalist at the Whanganui Chronicle. Since starting in March 2020, he has dabbled in everything from sport to music. At present his focus is local government, primarily the Whanganui District Council.