Sun shines on a festive season Down Under
Christmas and New Year celebrations in New Zealand offer a summer twist on the traditional festive season. As temperatures start to rise, December begins the countdown to the holiday period, marked by barbeques, pavlova, Kiwi music showcases and an en masse migration to the beach.
New Zealand’s Christmas and New Year celebrations occur during the summer months, making for long, hot, sunshine filled days. Mid December also coincides with the beginning of the school and university holidays, resulting in the major urban areas emptying as families relocate to baches, cribs (holiday houses) or camping grounds in smaller coastal and lakeside towns.
A popular holiday option for many New Zealand families and groups of friends is to rent a house or pitch a tent in a camping spot. A number of websites such as Bachcare, Holiday Homes, Holiday Houses and New Zealand Holiday Homes provide a network of holiday houses for rent throughout New Zealand, while Top 10 Holiday Parks coordinate 48 camping grounds across the country. The Department of Conservation manages over 235 vehicle accessible camping grounds, providing access to more remote camping locations.
As the temperature rises, the proximity to beaches, lakes and coastal areas allows Kiwis as well as international holiday-makers to indulge in a range of water sports. Boating, water-skiing, fishing, diving, kayaking, surfing and swimming are all popular recreational activities during summertime, with many of the larger settlements providing equipment for hire.
In the build-up to Christmas, cities and towns partake in a range of local celebrations, including Christmas carols in public parks, Santa parades through main streets and Christmas light festivals, usually involving local icons and celebrities. These are typically free of charge and advertised locally around the end of November and beginning of December.
Christmas Day itself is considered much more low-key than traditional overseas celebrations. Presents are generally opened mid morning followed by a large lunch meal of traditional Christmas fare with some Kiwi twists such as salads, a barbeque or pavlova. While many families decorate a traditional pine tree, New Zealanders regard the native pohutukawa as their unofficial Christmas tree owing to its scarlet blooms that adorn the coastlines.
The following day is Boxing Day, which sees many Kiwis attending the Boxing Day Races, Boxing Day one-day cricket tests, flocking to the Boxing Day sales at shopping centres or simply recovering from the day of excess before.
New Year’s Eve has a legendary party status that sees many of New Zealand’s premiere music festivals occurring at many of the country’s popular coastal settlements over this period. Well known festivals include the Cusp in Nelson, and Rhythm and Vines, an annual celebration of dub, roots, reggae and drum and bass set amongst the vineyards of Gisborne, on the East Coast of the North Island.
Many popular New Zealand music artists and bands also team up and spend the Christmas and New Year period touring local pubs and bars across the country. Touring information is usually available at the bars themselves or in local newspapers.
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