More than 65,000 people made the trek to Wheels at Wānaka in Three Parks this Easter (April 18-20), along with 5,000 vehicles.

The vintage machinery fair included steam engines, tractors and farming heritage, cars, motor-bikes, snow-mobiles, traction engines, trucks, earthmovers and heavy machinery spread over more than 50 acres at Three Parks.

The biennial vehicle extravaganza put on an extraordinary show for its final year, starting on Good Friday with the ‘earthmoving practise day’ featuring vintage and modern earthmovers and a range of demonstrations, plus the 2025 Cat Operator Challenge, where the ‘best of the best’ competed with three different Cat machines.

A rarity in New Zealand, the 1916 Waterloo Boy Model R tractor from Wheels at Wānaka organiser Allan Dippie’s tractor collection.

Overnight rain cleared to an overcast but mild Saturday morning (April 19) after a damp Friday at the event.

As a result of the better weather, traffic was backed up for kilometres on all the major roads to and through Three Parks and every available parking space was taken as the hordes descended on the event on Saturday. Locals took to social media to describe the gridlock and the travel times within the Upper Clutha as a result.

The show celebrated 125 years of Mack trucks with a huge turnout in the display ring and the commentators calling it the biggest and best display of Macks ever seen at Wheels at Wānaka.

A beautifully presented collection of Hart-Parr steel wheeled pre 1930 tractors.

Wānaka resident Chris Menzies had his 1998 Mack MH613 truck and trailer unit on display. A rural workhorse used for carting fertiliser, timber, gravel, hay and baleage, the truck was retired with more than 1.24M kms on the clock.

A futuristic looking Tesla Cybertruck caught the eye of many attendees as did another rarity on display, the 1916 Waterloo Boy Model R tractor from Wheels at Wānaka organiser Allan Dippie’s tractor collection.

A cheer went up from the crowd for the little tractor that could - in the popular tractor pull contest.

The name John Deere is arguably the most successful agricultural machinery maker in the world but its venture into tractor production began in 1918 when it purchased the company which produced the Waterloo Boy tractor. 

Its 6.5ltr, two cylinder engine design was so reliable it powered nearly all John Deere tractors for about 50 years. 

Wheels at Wānaka general manager Allan Dippie said the event “felt successful in every way”.

“The volunteers and vehicle enthusiasts’ contributions were exceptional, the sun was shining, we had record numbers through the gate and everyone had a wonderful time,” he said.

However he acknowledged the traffic problems, saying while the event had “plenty of parking and a robust traffic management plan in place, the roading network simply isn’t designed to cope with the level of traffic experienced on Saturday morning”. 

“We apologise for the delays and thank everyone for their patience and understanding,” he said.

Crowds gather for the big machinery excavation displays.

The Wheels at Wānaka charitable trust has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for various national, regional and local charities including Cure Our Ovarian Cancer, Heart Kids NZ (via the Heartlands Tractor Trek) and Coastguard Wānaka Lakes.

PHOTOS: Wānaka App