On Saturday morning, we were due to drive down the coast to Punakaiki - to meet Morag and Pete, who'd rented a place for us for Saturday and Sunday nights.
Our B&B not having any wifi, we stopped off on the high street at the Westport library to check in on M&P's expected time of arrival in Puna (three cheers to the NZ taxpayer by the way as the libraries have been uniformly excellent). We were so engrossed in emailing that we barely noticed all of the activity behind our car.
Even when Duncan observed a green-bewigged elf and I saw a small fairy walking past, we didn't put two and two together. It was only when a police-car parked behind us and a team of kilted bag-pipers amassed nearby that we twigged that something was up... And we were traffic-coned in and not going anywhere!
Cue the Westport Christmas parade
Lots of sweets were being thrown from the floats, presents given to children - all good fun. Floats, ponies (from the racecourse), cars and motorbikes (from the speedway track), shameless advertising by the local coal industry (who probably sponsored the affair I guess) and Father C on the loo (unclear!!) made for a happy half hour's entertainment.
Once the parade was finished, we finally headed southwards down the coast, stopping off at a cute little bay at Charleston,
Meanwhile, altogether now...
"On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Two pavs a-cooking,
And a kiwi in a fern tree"
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