Wairarapa farmer Gavin McLachlan opened his neolithic-style stone circle to the public on Sunday, to raise funds for the
Wairarapa museum and art gallery.
Gavin, (wearing the kilt, but not the piper) is an early British history enthusiast. He built the circle, high up on his
property at Rangitumau, not far from Masterton, to commemorate his own family's emigration from Scotland in 1849.
The stones, or 'menhirs', are placed to recreate the astronomical calendar, as with the European stone circles. The
alignment of the stones is dictated by the winter and summer solstices.
Gavin talked about his research, and the practical aspects of actual construction.