By MIKE DILLON
Olivia Tennet will not be driving her new Mercedes around town. After all, she's only 11 years old and can't even see over the steering wheel.
But that didn't put the brakes on her excitement at winning it yesterday.
The Epsom youngster, who won the $48,000 car in a
lucky ticket draw at the Ellerslie races, had never been to the races before last Saturday.
Now she's a fan for life.
But she won't be able to bet for a while - Olivia has seven years to wait until she reaches the legal gambling age.
"Dad is the family punter."
He's probably also the car driver.
Olivia is not just lucky - she's also talented. Already a seasoned actress, she appears in The Lord of the Rings films as Freda, a small speaking part.
She also appeared in the 2001 family adventure movie Kids World, which was filmed in Auckland and starred Christopher Lloyd.
But the youngster, who aspires to become a new Judy Garland, said being directed by Peter Jackson in the Rings was the biggest thrill she had so far experienced.
"I love horses and I would love to ride a horse who was a racehorse," she said.
She may have better odds of doing so than driving the car.
