For most Kiwis, Christmas means family and friends, overindulgence and great memories of holidays at the beach or lake. 48 Hours caught up with some well-known Bay of Plenty people to find out about their Christmas plans and traditions.
Lizzie Marvelly, Rotorua pop singer:
What is top of your Christmas wish list?: A lovely sunny day to spend with my family. I've had an amazing year, so I'm just looking forward to spending Christmas Day with my whanau; that's enough of a blessing.
Do you have any family traditions in your household? I have a few traditions that drive my family nuts. I'm a complete Christmas obsessive, so I start listening to Christmas music in September and try my utmost to get the tree up as early as possible; a campaign that is generally met with fierce resistance. I also read the whole Harry Potter series every Christmas, because there's just something about Christmas at Hogwarts that is, pardon the pun, magical.
How will you be spending Christmas? This year I'll be spending Christmas Day with my family in Rotorua, hanging out with my little cousins and, no doubt, eating an enormous amount of food. It's one of my favourite days of the year and I can't wait to spend it with the people I love.
What are your holiday plans? We'll spend the Christmas period in Rotorua, then later in the summer we'll head to Mount Maunganui for the traditional family summer holiday.We've been going since I was about a year old, so I have lots of happy memories there.
What's the best thing about Christmas in the Bay? The beautiful natural environment (the lakes in Rotorua and the beach at Mount Maunganui), and the friendly people. I love coming home.
Tommy Wilson, Best-selling children's author and Rotorua Daily Post columnist:
Children's book author, Tommy Kapai Wilson introduces his latest book T is For Tauranga, at Omokoroa Point School. KTA 14Jun12 - kk110612sp11 STORY TIME: Children's book author, Tommy Kapai Wilso
What is top of your Christmas wishlist?:
To help the homeless have a warm and safe home. Personally, a copy of Alf Rendell's book, Historic Tauranga From Above, would be cool.
How will you be spending Christmas?: We will be having our annual hikoi to Ellerslie on Boxing Day to watch the family racehorse run, and seeing in the new year with all the Mounties over at the beach, as we have done since the kids were old enough to walk.
What are your holiday plans? Camping up on Motuhoa Island in the middle of the harbour, fishing and foraging for kai and finishing a book on the wishes of a little girl when her daddy comes out of prison.
What's the best thing about Christmas in the Bay?: Christmas carols at our little church in Te Puna on Christmas Eve with the whanau, and giving thanks for the aroha we have been blessed with over this very challenging year. We have plenty, so much more than most, and we need to share it with those who have a lot less.
Rhys Arrowsmith, General manager of Tourism Bay of Plenty:
Rhys Arrowsmith
What is top of your Christmas wishlist?:
I've asked my kids for the ugliest Christmas Day jumper they can find, otherwise I hear there's a new Tiki Taane album release in the new year, so I'd be happy with an iTunes card toward that.
Do you have any family traditions in your household?: We have a mounted deer head we dress up each year. This year Barry was dressed up as a peace and love beach hippy, which gets a real laugh from visitors.
How will you be spending Christmas?: Christmas Day we get up and head to church in the morning to remember what it's really about, brunch at home, then take a trip over to Matakana Island for some fun on the beach and water. A perfect day.
What are your holiday plans?: Most of it we plan to do a "staycation". Living in the Bay is paradise and I love getting into the more isolated parts of our backyard.
What's the best thing about Christmas in the Bay?: Early morning walks along Tay Street beach with my family and dogs, hitting the surf and secret water hole swims. I also love seeing all the visitors here enjoying our place and adding to its vibrancy.
Todd McClay MP for Rotorua:
Todd McClay
What is top of your Christmas wishlist?:
It's been a busy year. I wish for good weather and to spend some quality downtime with my family, particularly the kids who are all getting bigger.
Do you have any family traditions in your household?: No one is allowed to open any presents until everyone is awake. It's torture for the boys.
How will you be spending Christmas? I will be helping out at the community Christmas lunch in Rotorua, serving lunch to hundreds of local people. We might then have a family barbecue at one of the lakes.
What are your holiday plans?: As our four children get bigger, this might be one of the last years it's still cool to holiday with mum and dad. We're planning a small family holiday where we get away for a week or two. We also love spending time at Pukehina and on and around Lake Rotoiti.
What's the best thing about Christmas in the Bay?: It's the best place in the country for families. Even though it's a very busy time in Rotorua, friendly people enjoying good weather and beautiful lakes full of clean water.
Joe Royal, Bay of Plenty Steamers and Maori All Blacks hooker:
Joe Royal
What is top of your Christmas wishlist?:
Maybe something for my Ford Ranger truck-some 20" inch black mags.
Do you have any family traditions in your household?: Every year at Christmas my fiance and I spring clean the house inside and out so it's all tidy before the new year, and clean for when do have family over for the holidays. It's pretty satisfying once you're finished and you can kick back for the rest of the year knowing the house is clean.
How will you be spending Christmas?: We always have Christmas at my mother in- law's in Western Heights and then new year with my family in Auckland.
What are your holiday plans?: We hope to go away, probably to stay with family and friends up north.
What's the best thing about Christmas in the Bay?: We get to see all our family and friends. We will shoot to the Mount and hang out at the beach for a pretty typical Bay summer.
Peter Burling Kiwi sailor, Olympic silver medallist, 49er World Champ and member of Team New Zealand:
I'm looking forward to a bit of time off and hopefully having some nice weather to enjoy it. Last year I got a new surfboard but it's still going alright. I'm a difficult person to buy for. I don't have a lot of stuff and when I want something I usually buy it myself. Christmas for me is more about time off, hanging out and enjoying yourself.
Do you have any family traditions in your household?: A lot of the family will end up in one place for a big dinner. We'd always have a tree. As kids we'd wake up and spend the morning opening presents, eating a bit too much chocolate and lollies.
How will you be spending Christmas?: I'm spending Christmas Day with my parents, brother and lots of family in Tauranga.
What are your holiday plans?: It's quite nice to have time where you're just winging it and doing what you feel like. Waking up and checking the forecast in the morning and going to find something fun to do. We do so much travel now that it's always nice to take it easy on the holidays and not really venture too far. I'm hoping there's going to be a bit of surf down home with the East Coast swell.
What's the best thing about Christmas in the Bay?: For me it's always going to be special because it's where I grew up and where I spent all my early Christmases. I enjoy spending time down there with family.
