Kings and fellow hip-hop artists CHAII and Rory Noble were challenged by Trade Me to wrap a range of presents, using all the rapping smarts.
Video / Trade Me
Michaela Gower spoke to long-time Christmas parade punters Colin Smith, from Napier, and Diana “Buffy” Mabey, from Dannevirke.
Santa Claus is coming to town - and his warm-up will include Dannevirke and Napier this weekend.
Napier will witness the return with a parade staple via 85-year-old Colin Smith, who hadrebuilt the famous 1931 Austin 7 Fire Engine.
While the engine now finds itself in a less dramatic role with the parade, vehicles similar to his were used to fight fires in World War II.
His fire engine had made appearances at Christmas parades, birthday parties, and fire station events across the country It even participated during the firefighter strike earlier in the year.
Smith said he enjoyed the parades as it meant the fire engine was out and about and being shared with the public rather than left in the shed, and spread Christmas magic for children.
“There is a picture with a full-blown adult sitting on it looking out of place and there is a child on it, and it looks perfect, he is just the right size,” he said.
Organiser of the Dannevirke float for KB Ford and service advisor Diana “Buffy” Mabey has been involved with the parade for as long as she can remember.
She said they try to make something that goes with the business, and this year will have an Elvis-inspired float to parade through town on with oil drums for percussion and a guitar made from car parts.
Diana Mabey from Dannevirke with the KB Ford Elvis-inspired 2023 Christmas Parade float. Photo / Michaela Gower
“Christmas is what you make it and I believe Christmas is magical,” she said.
The parade organisers hope to have 45 to 50 floats involved this weekend to bring everyone together.
“It’s a time where the whole town gets together, and it is quite a nice catch-up session.”
The Dannevirke parade will start at 12pm on Saturday and travel down High Street.
Napier’s parade will start on Sunday at 1pm from Clive Square and travel down Tennyson St, turning right into Hastings Street, right into Emerson Street, and finish at Clive Square.
The Napier parade will be followed by a Christmas Fiesta in Lower Emerson Street and Clive Square.
Michaela Gower joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2023 and is based out of the Hastings newsroom. She covers Dannevirke and Hawke’s Bay news and loves sharing stories about farming and rural communities.
