Runaka Christmas Party, 17th December 2011
On Saturday the 17th December we celebrated Christmas by holding a party at Puketeraki Marae. Te Runanga o Otakou were also invited to take part as we were defending the Moki/Te Wera Cup, which was won Kati Huirapa last Christmas. The day exceeded our expectations (except for the weather). Tamariki were treated to a bouncy castle (which was also enjoyed by a select number of adults), lolly scramble, games and a visit by Hana Koko. Every child there received a gift! The BBQ was cranked up and was accompanied by salads, seafood, sweets and drinks. The kai was simply amazing and catered for all ages.
While tamariki were being entertained by Santa, the adults formed a number of teams to contest the Moki/Te Wera Cup, by way of a quiz. The questions were reasonably easy but there were also some trick ones there which tripped a few teams up. In the end Puketeraki 1 won the quiz, which consisted of Mat Ellison, Joan Ellison, Rose Stringer-Wright, Struan Stringer-Wright and Justine Marshall. Somehow we managed to acquire a member of Otakou, Jean Duff! and so there was some controversy over who actually won. In the end it was conceded that Puke were the overall winners. A certain member of a team contested one of the answers and threatened to throw the whole event off the rails. Luckily, the quiz master Tama Smith had stated that those who complain will automatically lose a point. Many thanks to Tama, Joy Smith, Kiri Fraser and Haines Ellison for organising and holding the quiz.
The last event for the day was a ukulele jam which was enjoyed by all. A great day was had. We look forward to next years (once we have a lovely Christmas/New Year break after an extremely busy year!). Click on the photo gallery for momentos of the occasion
