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If NZ actor Sam Neill ever takes a drive down Kaipara Flats Road, he might find himself having flashbacks to Jurassic Park.
In a paddock beside the road, about a kilometre past the township heading west, are two life-sized dinosaurs – a brontosaurus and a T-Rex.
They are the handiwork of 75-year-old retired Kaipara Flats builder and farmer George Wech. His carpentry can be found in many places in the Kaipara Flats and Hoteo community, from picnic tables and a community stand at Kaipara Flats School to the restored façade of the Kaipara Butchery.
The dinosaurs are just the latest creations he has built especially for his five grandchildren. His long list of projects include a pirate ship, medieval castle, giraffes, bullocks, archers and a three metre trout in a river on the farm. The six-metre high pirate ship comes complete with a crow’s nest, plus a cabin with plumbing and a sink.
Wech started making the dinosaurs after his youngest grandson, Jackson, visited Auckland Museum, which currently has a real T-Rex skeleton on display.
He started with a printout of the dinosaur off the internet, which he used to make a grid plan on a piece of A4. The brontosaurus, which was installed this month, was built in nine sections and took about a week to finish.
Both dinosaurs are made of mostly old fence palings and Jackson’s mum Odette is credited with the paintwork. Mike Paddison kindly used his tractor to help with the assembly.
The dinosaurs were given a big tick of approval by Jackson who has now declared he’d like a pterodactyl!
