Marton's Harvest Fair grew out of a pumpkin growing competition - and that competition has grown to produce a New Zealand record.
Aaron Akkerman, 16, has been growing giant pumpkins in his family's Turakina garden as a hobby for eight years. This year his effort weighed 732.5kg and broke the New Zealand record. It was so big it had to be put on to Gallagher Group's certified scales with a forklift and taken to the fair on a trailer.
Unless it's beaten by a Morrinsville pumpkin being weighed next week, Aaron will have the year's biggest.
He wasn't at the fair, but contest organiser Andy Corser was standing by to take good care of the pumpkin. He didn't want anyone harming the colossal vegetable, because it still has to get to the Mystery Creek Field Days near Hamilton in June.
There are many photographs of Aaron and the pumpkin in a blog at www.giantpumpkins.co.nz.