Editorial: Huge pumpkin can't be beat

The heaviest pumpkin, weighing in at 152kg.

Finally, finally a member of my family is in a national final. Yes, folks, my granddaughter Gabriella Hall, with a lot of help from Mr Neat, won the kids' Big Pumpkin contest at Napier's Mitre 10 Mega yesterday.

What a weekend. Actually, the planning started during last week when my son called and said he had read that there was a children's pumpkin competition on at the Napier Mitre 10 Mega at the weekend.

He came around during his lunch break, and he and Mr Neat walked around the pumpkins (there was also one grown by Ruby, Gabriella's younger sister) deciding how they were going to get them to the competition.

The smaller one they thought would be fine to lift but the bigger one was the problem.

"I'll hire a trailer," said son, and get a pallet trolley. "I'll get a pallet to put it on," Mr Neat said.

They were excited, more excited than the children. On Saturday my son and the girls came around and the pumpkin was loaded onto the pallet. We had a bit of a practice run, dressing the other pumpkin up for the "prettiest pumpkin".

The competition had three categories - the ugliest, the prettiest and the heaviest - with the heaviest going through to the nationals. Mr Neat and son talked excitedly about winning. "Nothing is going to beat this one ... it must be at least 120kg," one said.

"Yeah, it's surely going to win," said the other.

Oh dear, I thought. These two are going to be so disappointed if it doesn't win.

Bright and early yesterday, the trailer pulled into the driveway. It took three of us to lift the pumpkin onto the trailer. In went the second one and we arranged to meet at Mitre 10 at 10.45am - weigh-in was at 11am.

We got there just before the pumpkins arrived, so I scooted inside to check out the competition. There were only about 10 pumpkins when we arrived but then there was a flood of entries.

We dressed our second one in a pink hula skirt, pink wig and tiara - she already had eyes, luscious lashes and ruby-red lips - while the boys organised a forklift to bring in the big one.

Mr Neat looked so proud as spectators marvelled at the size of it. He had helped the girls plant the seeds back in October and helped them tend to them in our garden.

They visited on the weekends, watering them and marvelling at how fast and big they were growing.

Mitre 10 Mega retail manager John Joyce stepped up on to the table and clapped his hands for attention.

He was fantastic. He cracked jokes and interacted with the audience, especially the children.

They weighed about eight pumpkins, the heaviest being about 88kg. Then it was time to weigh Gabriella's one. I must admit I was nervous myself.

"Guess!" Mr Joyce yelled out. "120kg," I said. Someone else yelled out "150kg". They were the closest. It weighed in at 152kg. Everyone clapped and cheered as Gabriella went forward to receive her medal and a $50 pressie card.

Then Ruby won the award for prettiest pumpkin. She was rather shy but went up and got her medal. She also got a $50 pressie card.

A lot of effort had gone into some of the pumpkins, so well done to all you children who entered.

This is the fourth year the competition has been held. Good on you, Mitre 10 Mega. It's a fantastic way to get children involved in growing things.

We will be back next year.