For three-year-old Aimee Watene, building a sand castle on Mount Maunganui's Main Beach yesterday was serious business.
With her bucket and spade firmly in hand, and parents Leighton and Sarah there to help, she was determined to create a better castle than the other 100 or so people who were taking
part in a sand sculpture competition.
"It's going to be a really big, big castle," the Greerton child said. Mr Watene, a draftsman, had a more complex explanation about their creation.
"It's France's Pariser castle," he said.
"An abstract version."
So, how does one create such a masterpiece using only sand?
"Well, it takes a lot of patience and wet sand," he said.
It also helped when Aimee put in the hard yards, instead of destroying all his hard work, he said.
He guessed Aimee did not approve of the way he was tipping the buckets.
The youngest Watene defended her actions, ensuring her father knew her position in the project.
"You do it like this," she said, hitting the top of the bucket with a plastic spade.
The event was organised by radio station ZM. Promotions manager Jonelle Decke said it was a great attraction for local families like the Watenes.
"It's a great excuse to have a bit of fun on the beach."
While Aimee said it was her idea to spend Monday at the beach building sand castles, she had yet to decide who would live in the sand replica of Pariser castle.
"I don't know who will live there, maybe some people," she said.
But the pint-sized Watene rejected the idea that some of her new Christmas toys could take residence in a new mansion.
"They're just too big, she said.
"They wouldn't like it."
