Also went down to the hairpin with my boy (6) and we took in a pit visit during quali. Best of the action at the hairpin with a giant screen but a long trek for short legs. He was most excited by the 'smashed car' (Shell Mustang) on a trailer on Sunday. Well, that and a Formula Ford losing all four wheels on the front straight, that was hard to top actually come to think of it.
Given the landlords have merged with Ellerslie racecourse and will (according to the memo) set Puke up as a training venue to service Ellerslie, it seems the highest and best use of the land is ................houses. Drop a pin on Pukekohe raceway, if you were not depressed enough about losing a motor racing venue and want to get extra depressed about losing prime dirt:
About land use capability » Our Environment (scinfo.org.nz)
There is a good debate on one of the racing forums, speedcafe it might have been, on how inadequate all the other venues are in NZ for supercars. Too small, too remote, not close to an airport capable of handling a 747-cargo plane, lap times too short, not enough spectator capacity, track width too narrow, no major population centre, the list goes on. For all Pukekohe being compromised (hard to see over those darned horse railings for one!), it was tried and tested. Shame really.