It was a weekend of celebration all round - and, combined with a growing festive mood in Rotorua, made for a fantastic atmosphere across the city.
It kicked off on Friday night with the Bay of Plenty Sports Awards at Rotorua's Energy Events Centre.
A huge crowd gathered to see hometown star Julia Edward take the Supreme Award. To take that honour ahead of other stars like Peter Burling and Lisa Carrington is no mean feat. The mood of the event was buoyant - fitting given the preponderance of water sports in the nominations - the MC was on fire and the whole evening showed that Rotorua can put on a great shindig.
There would have been more than a couple of sore heads the next morning as locals geared up for the annual Christmas Parade. Hundreds of unpaid hours go into putting together floats and other entries each year, and the hard work and dedication is evident as the parade wends its way through the city. But even more evident is the joy on the faces of those involved, particularly the kids. I watched the parade with my family on Fenton St towards the end of the route, and was impressed that despite the hot day and hike through town there was still a huge amount of infectious enthusiasm from participants.
The kids on the floats and those watching from the kerb were having a great time and, in the end, that's what it's all about, isn't it?
