Tractors: In the spotlight

"We have been so lucky with the weather, the village has been really busy," says Barrie Smith, president of the Taranaki Pioneer Village Society, as he talks about the latest exhibit at the village; a tractor originally used for grading roads by Eltham Borough council in the 1930s.

The tractor has been restored and is now running after hard work put in by members of the village society, along with Ken Rye of Eltham, to have it ready for the vintage trail that ran as part of the fringe garden festival.

While the festival has now finished, Barrie says that visitors to the area and locals will still have plenty to enjoy.

Recent visitors have commented on how good the village is looking, something Barrie credits to the hard work of both the volunteers who regularly come to help and the workers who have been provided by the Ministry of Justice.

"With a huge variety of restored buildings and machines to see, there is something for everyone here," says Barrie.