More than 1000 people turned out for Kawakawa's inaugural Steam Festival on Friday to celebrate a milestone in the restoration of the Bay of Islands Vintage Railway — and enjoy each other's company after two years of cancelled events due to Covid.
Festivities began at 6am with a blessing of the new Te Hurihanga Training and Service Centre in the pre-dawn mist.
The centre, funded by a Provincial Growth Fund grant, will provide much-needed space for offices and learning facilities for the trust's volunteers, employees and trainees.
The colourful, vintage-style building was built by Paihia-based Sita Construction and officially opened at 11am by Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime, railway trust chairwoman Sue Hamnett and Northern Adventure Experience chairwoman Rowena Tana.
Once the formalities were over visitors could check out steam locomotive Gabriel's new boiler (built by Kawerau Engineering, also with a PGF grant) and a steam engine display, compete in a hot-dog-eating contest, or tuck into steamed kai including hāngī and dumplings.
