Hug A Rig drove into the Waimumu Field Days Site on Saturday, where those with special needs and lifelong illnesses could ride in a truck, milk tanker or other specialty vehicle.
Organiser Dianne and Ian Elstob have been doing a great job for more than a decade and they again did a great job on saturday.
Volunteer Gary Argyle, who was helping people get in to the rides with a ramp on wheels, said he had been working the event for 11 years.
He said he did it purely for the look of joy on passengers’ faces.
"Because you see a smiley face," he said.
"It’s all it is about: smiling, giving back, isn’t it?"
"It’s a safe place because if she acts out or something, no-one’s looking at me, unlike if I was in the supermarket," she said.
"Everyone [here] has something different about them."
Eden said what was different about her was that she had epilepsy and ADHD.
She had sold raffle tickets, fundraising for the event, and made promotional videos, too, to spread awareness throughout the community.
"Sometimes it’s nice to have the kids speaking on it," her mum said.
It was another volunteer and Gore Stihl Shop owner Aaron Green’s first time helping out at the event, and he said he was thoroughly enjoying it.
"They do a great job. It’s very organised," he said.
The event was a well-oiled machine and very safety-conscious, he said, with punters lining up for their turn on the rides.
Half the gravel, barn-like structure was cordoned off for a runway of oversized vehicles.
The lucky passengers were then taken, in a procession, for a 25-minute trip around Waimumu, the rural backdrop of Gore.
Local businesses Moreish Coffee and Bees Bites were there fuelling the guests, as well as crisis support organisation Rapid Relief Team, giving out free burgers, hot dogs and bottles of water.
