It’s the annual Brokenwood A&P show. Time for that special kind of Kiwi carnival. Amidst the shearing displays, the ‘Calf Day’ competition and wood chopping, is the usual assortment of fun rides and fairground attractions. The sun is shining on happy family entertainment and ever popular this year is the shonky old Ghost Train. But when the surly A&P boss Harold Wilbury takes the minute-long ride as a safety check he gets the fright of his life. Shunted in his carriage through the final curtain, Harold greets daylight wide- eyed and dead. He is quite literally gone in 60 seconds. When a man dies of fright surely there is no question of murder - it’s just a case of bad luck. Then again how scary was the Ghost Train ride really? Curiously, Madame Magdalena in the Fortune Teller’s tent predicted the tragedy. Was that co- incidence or a way of adding credence to her credibility? The Ghost Train operator, Johnny Oades swears it’s nothing to do with him, but there is a question over falsified Health and Safety checks. And why is Daisy Rose the fairy princess so unhappy?

The Cream Boat is a charming vessel that chugs its way up the scenic Brokenwood waterways. It carries sightseers and Christmas parties and often Hen Parties.

Cycling is very de rigour around the globe and no less in Brokenwood. When one such MAMIL, (Middle Aged Man In Lycra), Lester Nyman, reaches the top of a local mountain after a gruelling ride and suffers a massive coronary, it doesn’t seem suspicious.

On the edge of Brokenwood sits an abandoned mental health facility, an asylum named Brokenwood Downes. Now derelict, the spooky buildings provide a great hideout for local teenagers.