New retro-style gas station opens on site of old Mangaweka DC-3

Mangaweka's new self-serve gas station is fitted out with retro-style pumps. Photo / Ethan Griffiths

Since 2017, the Rangitīkei town of Mangaweka has been home to four high-tech electric vehicle chargers, but not a single petrol station.

That changed on Friday when a brand new self-service station opened with the goal of becoming something of an attraction.

Owned by Allied Petroleum, the Mangaweka Retro Gasoline Station is located right on the side of State Highway 1.

The new attraction mixes the old with the new, with the old-style gas pumps operated by a self-service machine, requiring customers to pre-pay for their fuel at the kiosk.

The site was previously home to a BP and later G.A.S. petrol station, and after that became 'Mangaweka International Airport' - a nod to the genuine DC-3 that had been displayed on the site since the mid-1980s.

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The new owner of the property is Brendan 'Mintie' Cottle, a Shannon-based businessman who leases the site to Allied.

Cottle has owned the site for the last five years, purchasing it after a brainwave while travelling through the town on his way back to Shannon.

"I just had a vision when I came past. I'm into my automotive stuff, and I had a vision coming past here. I contacted the owner and we sat down and did a deal."

The famous Mangaweka DC-3 is no longer standing, but the property owner hopes to one day bring it back. Photo / File

Cottle originally approached another fuel chain with his idea, but Cottle said they weren't keen on the retro concept.

The next stop was Allied Petroleum which jumped at the idea.

"It's been a real combined project between both of us with designs and a retro theme," he said.

With the new petrol station in place, the focus now moves to constructing a new building on the site, which will act as something of a museum.

"I want to create a destination, so people can hop in their classic car or motorbike and pull up and look at the collection," Cottle said.

"The plans are pretty much done for this building."

But despite the excitement of a new attraction in the town, there's a hint of sadness after the famous DC-3 was taken down earlier in May.

The plane now sits in Shannon, where Cottle hopes to restore it to its former glory and bring it back to the town.

"I want to bring the plane back to Mangaweka, but that'll be on the wall of the next build. The intention is to bring it back."