In Canterbury today last minute shopping for pre-Christmas treats filled many peoples agendas as they all sought to complete the hundred-and-one things they needed to do on Christmas Eve.
In Sefton , north of Christchurch, Cam and Melissa Booker once again opened their market garden fields early on Friday morning to allow thousands of people from far and wide to come and dig for new seasons spuds or pick fresh peas.
People have been flocking to the Bookers farm for the past nine years to load up on Christmas veges and to also attend the large farmers market they host there on the day.
Mr Booker said the recent dry spell produced much smaller spuds this year but the thousands digging for the tasty potatoes didn’t mind it at all.
Over at Orana Park it was just like children opening their Christmas presents on the big day as the exotic animals there wasted no time shredding the wrapping paper covering their seasonal treats.
Park staff had laid out all the special Christmas Eve treats for them to enjoy as hundreds of spectators watched on.
For the past 11 years the annual treats event at Orana Park draws in spectators on Christmas Eve, who come to watch the lions and many other animals enjoying their festive season treats.
As well as lions bickering over who got the best bits, there were cackling keas sussing out how to get at their tastiest bits, kunekune pigs demolishing their presents in the farmyard display areas, gorillas and giraffes enjoying the break in their routines and even the tiny meerkats found ways to get to their special treats as they and all the other animals enjoyed their pre-Christmas treats.
