We headed off to Mount Maunganui today, with the Millard family, to watch the Xmas Parade . It's the first time we have been to see the parade, as every year, we end up doing the "duck race", but we decided to give that a miss this year .
It was a beautiful day, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, the sea was very inviting, but we had a date with Santa and not the surf board!
It was a beautiful day, the sky was blue and the sun was shining, the sea was very inviting, but we had a date with Santa and not the surf board!
When we arrived, we parked next to the beach. We then headed off down the boardwalk for our morning coffee. The kids ran along the sand playing ball and having a good time.
After we had our caffeine fix we headed off to the Farmers Market. No, this is not somewhere you can buy farmers, but a place full of lovely fresh produce and tasty treats. All the stuff is either, homegrown or homemade. So you know there isnt any "nasty stuff" in it. We picked up a HUGE punnet of strawberries and some home made Hot Chilli sauce mmmmmmm.
We headed back to the beach and got the picnic blankets out. Under the shade of the Pohutukawa tree, we had some early lunch. Callie was fast asleep in her pram and the kids were playing in the sand. Once we were all full to the brim, we headed back to the parade area.
It was jam packed with people waiting for the parade, all lined up along Maunganui Road. It reminded me of Disney World, but not on the same scale, found myself singing the Mickey Mouse song.. hehe.
The parade was great, lots of different floats and cars, motorbikes, suped up ride on mowers and even a motorised toilet! People put a lot of effort into decorating their floats, they are all given a number and you can vote for which is your favourite one. The winner gets over $3000 in prize money, so its all taken very seriously.
Callie liked the bagpipes and the Chinese dragons, she got a bit of a shock when the fire engine put on its siren, but she soon got over it. Sam got his hand shook, by the "Cement Rider", he mush have been so hot in that suit.
The Salsa group were great, they were dressed up as a deck of cards, and we all had a jig to the music. And even Santa made an appearance, which is always a great hit with the kids!
They put on lots of entertainment after the parade. They had a Zumba Display, which got me shaking my bits and having a little jig...think I'm addicted (Sam disowned me)! The boys sat and watched a juggler, playing with fire, there was a kid beatboxing, who was amazing, I tried it and again Sam was not impressed.
On the way back to the car we stopped off at the reserve so the kids could go play in the playground, then we headed back to the car and back home. Callie was shattered. We managed to get her in the bath before she fell fast asleep. But I must admit, no matter what mood she is in, she always manages to smile......! xxx
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