Parades canned but there's no stopping Christmas in Kerikeri, Kaikohe

A colourful troll-themed float from a previous Kerikeri Christmas Parade. Photo / Peter de Graaf

Plans for the most spectacular Kerikeri Christmas Parade in years followed by a CBD-sized street party have been scuttled by — what else? — the pandemic.

All is not lost, however, with organisers working out new ways of bringing Christmas spirit to the Bay of Islands town.

This year was set to have been the first time the parade was organised by community group Our Kerikeri, which took on the responsibility after the Lions Club bowed out in 2020.

Afterwards, Our Kerikeri had planned to close the main road to traffic and hold a street party while shops stayed open until late.

However, chairwoman Annika Dickey said both events had to be cancelled due to Covid uncertainty. It was not clear if the traffic light system, with its requirement for vaccination certificates at large public gatherings, would be in place by then.

The star of the Kerikeri Christmas Parade waves to his multitude of fans. Photo / Peter de Graaf

The group was continuing to organise events that could go ahead at any alert level.

That included large-scale Christmas installations around town and a Santa's grotto outside Feast on Homestead Rd, where children could get their photos taken.

However, in these days of social distancing and travel restrictions applying even to the North Pole, Santa would not be there in person.

There would also be competitions for the best-decorated business, street and house, with prizes including $1,000 for the best-decorated street.

The winning residents would be able to put the cash towards their own street party.

Go to www.kerikeriourtown.co.nz for more information about entering.

''We've had to scale it back but we will still be doing what we can. We have a fantastic team of volunteers and our sponsors have been amazing.''

Despite the change of plans sponsors had allowed Our Kerikeri to keep their donations and put the money towards the new, Covid-proof version of Christmas, Dickey said.

Creative director Kylie Penn said the decorations would stay up throughout December.

''We're working very hard to make Christmas creative and fun, even within Covid restrictions.''

One of the highlights would be a travelling choir cruising the streets of Kerikeri and Waipapa on the back of a truck, singing carols for five days in the lead-up to Christmas.

Santa and his helpers satisfy calls for a lolly scramble at a previous Christmas in the Village in Kaikohe. Photo / supplied

Kaikohe Business Association is also busy planning for a Covid-era Christmas, with organiser Anika Whapshott saying the usual Christmas in the Village Parade couldn't go ahead given safety considerations and restrictions on gatherings.

Instead a Christmas trail would be created in the shopfronts along Broadway, with businesses paired up with community groups and schools to decorate the windows.

Prizes would be awarded for best business creation, best community creation and people's choice. Entrants were encouraged to finish their windows by December 3 and leave the decorations in place until after Christmas.

Whapshott said the trail could be enjoyed by anyone in their own time, with masks and social distancing but no need for vaccine certificates.

It could also go ahead even if Northland returned to a level 3 situation.

For updates, go to the Kaikohe Business Association Facebook page or email admin@kaikohe.town to get involved.

Kaikohe's giant Christmas tree — a Norfolk pine next to the skate park — will also be lit up.

Paihia is also putting on a Christmas trail similar to those planned in Kerikeri and Kaikohe.

The displays will be in place around the Village Green and the town centre from 3pm on Friday, December 5, until the following Monday.

'Desperately hoping' Whangārei parade will go ahead

Organisers of Whangārei's Christmas Parade are "desperately hoping" the event can go ahead on December 18.

Committee chairman Colin Twyman said the date had been pushed back from the end of November so there was still time to register a float.

"We need these kinds of events probably more than ever. If we can, we want to give the community an uplift," Twyman said.

NorthTec students SandyLee Teirney and Vanessa Henderson have built a playhouse to be raffled off at the Whangārei Christmas Parade. Photo / supplied

Organisers are also raffling off a playhouse with proceeds going to charity.

NorthTec students SandyLee Teirney and Vanessa Henderson built the 2.5m x 2.5m playhouse as part of their carpentry course.

If it gets the go-ahead the parade will meet Santa in the City, organised by Whangārei District Council, in the Cameron St Mall after making its way through town.

Floats can be registered at The Hits website or by emailing whangareichristmasparade@gmail.com.