Forsyth Barr Stadium is all set to host its first Ranfurly Shield defence in just under five years on Saturday after passing a ground inspection early yesterday.
The stadium hosted two Hot Wheels Monster Truck shows at the weekend, with machines flying all over the dirt track.
Dunedin Venues Ltd chief executive Paul Doorn said he was delighted with the show and the crowds.
It was all but sold out on Saturday with a crowd of 16,000 and 10,000 turned up on Sunday, both shows in the afternoon, which attracted families.
The dirt track was constructed in about 10 hours with fabric laid out first, followed by plywood and then dirt to finish.
When the show finished on Sunday, the crews quickly started packing up.
"Literally as soon as the fulltime sirens went, people were in, working on the pack-up," Mr Doorn said.
"By the time I left there ... probably five of [the nine monster trucks] were tucked away in the new shipping containers ready to go.
"The turf is looking really good.
"I mean, as you’d expect, it’s had a fair few tonnes of soil on it, so it’s a bit compacted, but it will bounce back really well.
"We’re very conscious of the fact that we’ve got a shield match here this coming weekend.
"It’s as green as it was when we put the covers down initially."
The shows were very loud.
With huge machines and impacts, noise — and lots of it — had to be expected.
The stadium used large sealed rooms on the third and fourth floor to allow families to enter and watch behind the glass.
"We’re talking about monster trucks with monster engines, and they are loud.
"The challenge also is it’s high-impact.
"The engines aren’t running all the time.
"They turn them on, they rev them, and it’s just go, go, go, and then the engines are off.
"I think we certainly advertised and promoted enough to be able to say to people to bring earplugs or headphones because it just makes it a little bit more comfortable."
The sound for the show’s announcers improved on Sunday after a few issues on Saturday.
A motorcyclist crashed while doing a jump but was not seriously injured.
The promoters were very happy with the shows and crowds and were interested in coming back.
Mr Doorn said they might look at bringing them back in 2027.
