Heritage Village appeals to all ages at Fieldays
The Heritage Village is open to Fieldays visitors, and people young and old are flocking over to see the vintage setting.
Vintage tractors, hands-on activities and a haunted building are drawing visitors to the Heritage Village at Fieldays.
The village consists of a school building, a blacksmith, a jail, a church, a garage and Waikato’s first hospital; and also has a row of vintage tractors.
By late Thursday morning when the first tractor was fired up it was packed with adults and children.
The prospect of a tractor ride drew a queue of excited children.
Mystery Creek heritage co-ordinator Alan Reilly said the tractors are pulling in the older crowd, while the activities are keeping children entertained.
“The vintage tractors attract the older farmers who are having a reminisce and a trip down memory lane,” Reilly said.
“Inside the buildings, you’ve got a lot of stuff to do. For example, at the school, there are slates [and] pens. Along with the tractor rides there’s a lot of stuff for families to participate in.”
A smartphone app has been set up to add to the activities in the village, with a QR code in each building that asks you a question about that site.
Once you’ve answered the question it tells you where to go next.
There is also a myth about the hospital building having a ghost or two in its midst.
Reilly said a former staff member refused to go near it because it gave her “bad vibes”.
“The first operation was to do with a gun, someone had a barrel explode or something like that,” he said.
“Some of the equipment inside it is pretty scary [and] quite intimidating, so potentially hospitals could be where the ghosts are at.”
