Public donations have kept a Northland rugby club afloat and its weekly competition going, nearly two months after a fire razed a shed that contained all its playing gear and equipment.
Among items razed in the suspicious fire on May 26 at the Eastern United Rugby Football Club in Taipa, 30km north-east of Kaitaia, included a recently-replaced ride-on lawnmower worth $35,000, a scrum machine valued at $3500, flags and goalpost pads.
The club's weekly rugby competition was to have resumed at the venue 24 hours after the fire and it went ahead after donations from the Northland Rugby Union and other rugby clubs in the Far North.
Eastern United Rugby Football Club president Dave Jurlina said the club has replaced its ride-on lawnmower which was insured but was still sorting out plans for the construction of a new shed.
"We've demolished the building that was set on fire but are still in the process of getting quotes and sorting out the insurance side of things. Donations have come through in the meantime which have kept us going."
Mr Jurlina said he did not expect construction of the replacement shed to start this year given the time it would take for building consents and other paperwork to be finalised.
The regular senior club competition, he said, would finish in two weeks while junior rugby would carry on for a few more weeks.
However, he said the fire has not affected operations at the club.
"At the end of the say, the fire really did not alter anything we were doing. We borrowed a lawnmower and other clubs have helped out with other stuff like playing gear.
"The clubs and the general public have just been brilliant with their support. Last week, our club successfully hosted the junior schools rugby tournament that ran for a week," he said.
The estimated damage from the fire was more than $45,000.