Giving way to roundabout fun

Darryl Taylor (in striped shirt) and his mates celebrate in their traditional way. PHOTO/ BEVAN CONLEY

A beer and a barbecue are Christmas traditions in New Zealand, but Whanganui man Darryl Taylor and his mates have added their own special twist.

Every Christmas morning for around 30 years Darryl and his friends have met at the Springvale Park roundabout, while the Christmas traffic whizzes around them.

On Friday, 12 people were relaxing in deckchairs on the roundabout, including a few "randoms".

"We always get a few people who see us and just decide to join us, and they usually bring us a bottle of wine or some beer," Darryl said.

The group also got lots of cheers and waves from people driving by.

He said the tradition happened through rain, hail and shine - "We've had a couple of Christmases where the weather has been cold and raining, but we just put up a gazebo and wrap up warm."

The friends' get-together continued at the Cemetery Circuit on Boxing Day.

"We have a life-size coffin (see picture, Page 2) that we fill with beer and ice and use as a chilly bin. We're all getting a bit old to carry it now, so we just have to find a few young people to do that for us."