After waiting for two years, the Hororata Mechanical Swap Meet welcomes thousands

The Hororata Mechanical Swap Meet held at the Hororata Domain on Saturday 28th May was hotly anticipated after being postponed three times in the past two years and the event didn’t disappoint! 130 sellers rolled into the event as the sun rose followed by 2500 punters looking to find treasures to take home.

“We were blown away with the numbers that attended the event, it is double the number of sellers and five times the number of buyers compared to past years,” said organiser John Foster. “The swap meet community has missed out on coming together for the past two years. Along with finding that hard-to-find part or special piece of machinery, swap meets are about catching up with mates and having a yarn, that is what we have missed most.”

“We had people come from all over the country, including Auckland, Nelson, the West Coast, Dunedin, and Invercargill. It was quite overwhelming seeing the line grow and grow of sellers wanting to get into the event first thing in the morning but hats off to the team of volunteers who worked like a well-oiled machine to get everyone in fast. We are lucky to have the Hororata Domain as a venue, there is not just plenty of space but options for how to manage a huge influx of people and vehicles.”

John Foster and Dave Pomare set up the Hororata Mechanical Swap Meet in 2010 and have run it since then. This year they partnered with the Hororata Community Trust to help deliver the event. “We knew the Swap Meet had potential but it was hard for Dave and I to grow it, having the Trust on board has given us the structure we needed to really elevate the event. It still had the same heart and passion behind it but with systems in place which meant we comfortably handled this massive growth.”

“The event is a good fundraiser for the community with the Hororata Historical Society, Terrace Station Charitable Trust, Hororata Parish, and Hororata Community Trust all benefiting from the proceeds.”

For the first time in its 12-year history, the Hororata Mechanical Swap Meet will be held twice in one year, returning 24th September 2022. “We loved it so much so let’s do it again!” said John.