‘Good old-fashioned entertainment’

The Edendale Crank Up 2026 was a celebration of vintage machinery, with Stuart Ledington showing...
The Edendale Crank Up 2026 was a celebration of vintage machinery, with Stuart Ledington showing off his 1952 TEA Ferguson, one of the brands on display at the Edendale Recreational Grounds at the weekend. PHOTOS: GERRIT DOPPENBERG
The machines may have been vintage, but they were in vogue at at the weekend, as Edendale Crank Up 2026 warmed up its engines for another year.

Run annually by the Edendale Vintage Machinery Club, the event brought an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people through the gates of the Edendale Recreational Grounds.

Every year is focused on a different brand of machinery; this year displays of "60 years of Toyota" and Massey Ferguson tractors were the belles of the ball.

The event began with a parade through Edendale on Friday night before settling in for a huge two days of fun, with car displays, vendors and activities entertaining crowds throughout.

An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people flocked to Edendale for a variety of events, displays, shops...
An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 people flocked to Edendale for a variety of events, displays, shops and activities, including this lolly scramble from the the back of a 1934 Sentinel S4 Steam Lorry.
Club president David Shaw said every year there was a massive outpouring of people flocking from all over New Zealand to check it out, with no doubts as to why.

"It’s just great value for money.

"Twenty dollars, you get to stay all day, see the big events, and it’s the last fair before school starts back.

"It’s just good old-fashioned entertainment.

It was not just about the machinery, with a diverse arragement of stallholders selling...
It was not just about the machinery, with a diverse arragement of stallholders selling handcrafted goods, books, and food, showing the Edendale Crank Up had a little something for everyone.
"We always have a very positive response from locals.

"We get people from all over the country, even all over the world, coming out to the Crank Up."

Mr Shaw said it was a stellar event for the club despite a bit of wet weather on the Sunday.

For vintage machinery fans, there was plenty to see, including a 1934 Sentinel S4 Steam Lorry being driven around after being transported from Scotland to New Zealand.

gerrit.doppenberg@alliedmedia.co.nz