Council puts an end to rollerblading Xmas fairies

By KIRI GILLESPIE, Waiariki journalism student
The rollerblades have been pulled out from under Rotorua's Merry Christmas Meter Fairies.

The festive fairies have been spreading Christmas cheer for the past week by feeding parking meters as they circle city streets on their rollerblades.

Now the Rotorua District Council has put the kybosh on their activities, citing the bylaw that bans rollerblades in the central business district.

Valen Pirret and Kelly Douglas will continue to feed parking meters on foot until Friday, but they say the atmosphere of their freewheeling activities has been lost.

"It's not as effective anymore.

"It doesn't feel the same, but it's good because our feet don't hurt anymore," Kelly said.

When Colour Concepts director Terry Wheeler organised the two girls to zip around town in search of empty parking meters, he did not realise the city's bylaw banning skateboards included rollerblades.

"I didn't get any permission. I actually thought it [the bylaw] was only meant for skateboards, not rollerblades, so I just went ahead and did it," he said.

The Rotorua District Traffic Bylaw of 1990 forbids the use of skateboards or rollerblades within the Central Business District, unless written permission has been given.

City Focus Manager Dennis Olliver said there was no problem with the girls' meter feeding activities as long as they followed the council's policies and guidelines.

"They are very colourful and add ambience to the streets in the stressful time before Christmas where people may forget to feed their meters," he said.

However, the same rule needed to apply to the Meter Fairies as it would to anyone else skateboarding or rollerblading in the central city.

The festive duo may now be lacking their transportable footwear, but have improvised by donning blue wigs and handing out lollipops to children.

"If we can't rollerblade we might as well keep on doing it [feeding metres]. The lollipop thing has added to the Christmas cheer," said Mr Wheeler.

There are plans to have the Merry Christmas Meter Fairies back next year.

Mr Wheeler said he would be applying for permission for them to rollerblade in the central city.