Getting the extended whanau to celebrate Christmas out at the beach instead of being stuck indoors was a no-brainer for Petrina Lea’ana.
"We wanted to do something different this year, so this is our first time bringing the kids to Riverton for Christmas," Mrs Lea’ana said.
"The playground is great too ... so we will end up spending the whole day here," she said.
Family members had cooked up a traditional Samoan umu (food cooked over hot rocks) for their Christmas meal.
The siblings from the Le’ana families are originally from Samoa and made Invercargill their home years ago.
Mr Hamlin said he loved bringing the dogs down to the beach so they could enjoy the sea air.
"They love the seaweed, the kelp and they just love the smells ... it’s also good for them to socialise and see other dogs," Mr Hamlin said.
The Winton man said he brought his dogs to the beach every Christmas even if it rained.
"The dogs just love it — they are not worried about the wetness."
