Movie star log cabin gets Rotorua home

A piece of Yellowstone Park sits in Mamaku for all to see.

The home to newly opened tourist attraction Mamaku Railcruiser was once trodden through by Yogi Bear and his side-kick BooBoo during the making of the latest Yogi Bear movie.

Rotorua's New Zealand Loghomes owner Derek Mullooly was contracted by movie producing company Warner to make a replica of the Yellowstone Park ranger's station from the original programmes.

"They gave us a picture, a computer generated picture, of what they wanted replicated. We had to adjust it a little bit and build it.''

It took three months to build with five extra staff required, Derek says.

"It was full on. Three of the movie crew came down to help.''

Wood for the cabin was logged with horses from the Kaingaroa Forest's Northern Boundary Rd and not one nail used in its construction.

"Everything was done by hand,'' he says.

The pre-built cabin was then trucked to Woodhill Forest in Auckland for filming then pulled apart and returned to Rotorua where Derek says he is pleased to have a permanent home locally.

"It's great it is local and being used. I'd have loved to have seen it in the Redwoods... it was logged from here. In Tirau we have the corrugated iron sheds, Raetihi has the giant carrot. A lot of towns have their own thing and I think we are a timber and tourist town. A log building as a feature as you come into town _ it would stand out.''

Meanwhile, Mamaku Railcruiser owner Neil Oppatt says he is unable to talk about who he bought the building from but many people who go there comment they believed it is the ranger headquarters from the popular movie.

"Everyone just loves it. They are always saying it's from the Yogi Bear movie. The kids get all excited. I think they expect Yogi Bear to jump out from behind something and go boo.''