New Zealanders love their country. Christmas is a special time for each country town to have their own Christmas festival.
It's a time to show off their pride in their national sports and traditional costumes. And also what each town represents in community activities. Each shop and business displays something about their business on their floats. And what town folks have that’s so special, eg: old cars and talent.
Before the Festival:
Before the floats come down the main street of the town, people are gathering and waiting for the festival to start.
Then there came a murmuring stir behind us, so we turned to see…
Walking up the street on high stilts, were two girls dressed as blue peacocks. They had put up their big magnificent tail ‘feathers’. Such a sight to see!
But later when they returned with the main body of the pageant the wind had come up, so you won’t see the stunning effects of their tails in the photos below. Such a shame, I didn’t take pictures of them long before the pageant had started for real.
Their appearance before the pageant happened, stirred everyone’s anticipation and seemed to create a build-up of excitement in the air. The whole town seemed to be out there, so friendly and happily mingling up and down the main street.
We were introduced first to this person and then that person, as we wondered down the street, popping into this shop and then that shop. This showed us what their town life was like, everyone knowing one another, like one happy family. It was a joy to behold, it truly was.
What we noticed that was so profound for us:
You can tell by their shops (streets and farms) how industrious and hardworking New Zealanders are. They have their country running impeccably neat and clean. Everything has its place and importance.
There’s no rubbish or weeds in the streets. And flowers are everywhere, neatly placed in hanging pots and displayed in brick troughs down the sides or in the centre of the road islands. They really care about their country.
What’s more, in New Zealand they actually slow down with their cars, stop and wait for you to cross the road, even before you’ve got anywhere near to the curb, at the corner of the robot-lights interchange. So considerate! They don’t have vendors or car window cleaners harassing you at the robot intersection either!
Then, returning back up the street again, we taken into a small restaurant tearoom. There was still plenty time to have something to drink and meet another lovely close friend of the family.
The drinks and food they serve in New Zealand is like nothing we have in South Africa. Everything seems homemade and exquisite. Their pies are full and pot shaped. Not like the flat doughy nearly empty pies we have here in South Africa! South Africa really sounds bad, but I must say a whole different world compared to New Zealand!
Everywhere we went it showed New Zealanders take pride in what they make. And their hospitality is so warm and caring.
The festival floats:
There were so many floats that I can’t display them all, but will do my best to give you some idea of the fun everyone was having.
What `blew me away’ was the fact they displayed slops (sandals) on a lot of the floats, like they were Christmas decorations! And not just new ones at that either, most looked very well worn! If you look very carefully you will see some hanging from a vehicle, in one of the photos.
New Zealanders are a fun loving people.
You can see the white Stormtrooper from Star Wars in one of the collage images?!
I was impressed with the children sitting in the low-slung racing carts pulled by pony sized horses. And I know our son must have enjoyed watching the old fashioned cars pass by.
But, hang on a minute… do you see the photos with the future All Blacks displayed in two of the floats?!
That made me smile broadly. You could see, New Zealanders want their children to be proud of their magnificent ruby team… and to look to the future possibility of been in the All Blacks team as well.