Meri Kirihimete

"Meri Kirihimete" is "Merry Christmas in Maori -

the language of the Maori people of New Zealand.

We grew up celebrating Christmas holidays at the beach, as this is the middle of the Summer Down Unda. We had to spray fake snow on our windows to get some sort of "Christmas feeling." Santa is known as 

Father Christmas:

I remember seeing Santa arrive at our water ski club on two skis - he fell off and his beard floated on top of the water. At that moment, I had my big revelation that Santa was a fake...Oh well, it comes to the best of us.


A most beautiful native tree flowers in December, and is known as the New Zealand Christmas tree - 

Pohutukawa:

Favorite Christmas meals include Turkey or ham, but the dessert is the crowning jewel of NZ cuisine (named after the famed Russian ballet dancer Anna Pavlova) -

The PAVLOVA:

Both Christmas Day and Boxing Day are celebrated as National holidays. It gives more time for celebrations, cricket:

Surfing:

...and swimming with dolphins that like to hang out with my family who live in Papamoa