KEY POINTS:
I was sizing up the gorgeous pint-sized brunette in the black skinny jeans last night. She looked far too pretty for my liking. And too young, too svelte, too effortlessly beautiful in a trendy bohemian-glamour ensemble seen on the likes of Gwen Stefani or Posh in some park thanks to the help of stylists and carefully orchestrated paparazzi snappers. This beautiful brunette was oblivious to the attention she was attracting.
Humph.
Who was this stunning creature with the cropped gamine hair-do, the latest Prada sunnies, the black suede booties and Pocahontas fringed leather bag usually adorning Sienna Miller when she's not frolicking topless on runabouts? Who was that gorgeous toddler in the sheepskin jacket she was cuddling?
Humph. A young yummy mummy.
She's the kind of maternal woman who must give regular earth mothers the opportunity to seethe, I was thinking, just as a make-up free Mary Lambie sauntered past with one of her brood to join the queue for face-painting. Lambie, a media commentator, Subway franchise owner, and mother of three littlies, was clearly going for the au natural look with hair that looked like it hadn't been brushed since she had arisen from bed that morning. It-kids Peaches and Pixie Geldof pay big pounds for the bed hair look. Lambie seemingly spent very little.
The young yummy mummy turned around. "Hey, get that. It's Keisha Castle-Hughes," observed the Blonde standing next to me. "That must be her kid."
Castle-Hughes, who was sporting a new Audrey Hepburn cropped haircut, shone. All eyes were on her and her 19-month-old daughter Felicity-Amore but the yummy mummy didn't bat an eyelid. There were no signs of celebrity pretentiousness here. Even the minor thespy celebs in New Zealand look a little peeved at events when all eyes and cameras are on them. Needless to say, most are just acting.
But for 18-year-old Castle-Hughes, who has grown up in the media spotlight since she was catapulted to global fame following Whale Rider's success, the attention last night at the Telecom Tree Lighting at Victoria Park is just reality. She didn't even scowl or flinch when amateur mum and dad photographers came up with their little disposable cameras requesting photos (though some didn't even have the courtesy to ask).
Keisha and Felicity joined other famous Auckland faces at the fabulous inaugural Telecom Tree lighting last night. Billed as "a seven-storey light structure" and "the only one of its kind in the world" it's no surprise other family-focused celebs thronged inner-city Victoria Park to view the lighting ceremony and the specially-crafted Santa Line phone boxes. Also at the family event were Greer Robson, Oscar Kightley, Angela Bloomfield, fashion designer Sera Lily, Mayor John Banks, Teuila Blakely, Mary Lambie, Kiel McNaughton and TV One's Corin Dann.
Click here to check out some of the piccies from last night.
Meanwhile, on Monday night, at his own very special lighting ceremony, veteran media man Bill Ralston and his beautiful wife Janet Wilson opened the doors (and the fridge) of their Franklin Rd house to friends for the annual turning on of the Franklin Rd lights. For those of you living outside of Auckland, or general Christmas spirit, the residents of the legendary Ponsonby street compete each year for the unofficial prize of best Christmas Fairy.
Ralston must have won convincingly this year thanks to his sneaky actions of switching on the lights strung across his entrance way before the correct date - December 1. I Spy-ed glorious lights burning brightly from Chez Ralston several nights before the official lighting ceremony was due to take place. Is there a penalty prize for his eagerness off the starting block?
Now, I can't bring you any details from Bill and Janet's party, largely because I was off-duty and sworn to secrecy, and largely because I consumed a few too many glasses of wine and my recollection is a little bit mushy. But I can tell you, aside from clearly winning Spy's Party of the Week award, anyone who's anyone in the world of media was there and I was thrilled to get the invite.
Rachel Glucina
Pictured above: Lighting up of the Telecom Tree. Back row, from left; Greer Robson, Keisha Castle-Hughes. Front row, form left; Sienna Kirk, Indigo Kirk and Felicity Hull. Photo / Norrie Montgomery.
