Foxton Beach fizzing for New Year’s fair
Foxton Beach was bursting with colour and noise for the town’s annual New Year’s fair.
Hundreds flooded into town for the fair yesterday, with parked cars packing every street for blocks around the festivities.
A giant inflatable gorilla loomed over the crowd, marking a blow-up adventure playground. Stallholders hawked their wares, while carnival barkers competed to lure fair-goers to their games of chance and skill.
Hayden Rodgers, 11, and Campbell Baim, 12, fizzed with enthusiasm as they tried to decide what to do next, while cradling armfuls of food and little purchases.
Every summer, Hayden and his family come up from Wellington for Christmas and New Year, sharing a bach with the Baims, from Tauranga.
Walking to the fair and scoffing a few hot dogs is a holiday tradition for the families.
Campbell said he liked the bouncy castles and games, but the bargains were the best.
‘‘My favourite stuff is all the book stalls and garage sales. That’s were I got this,’’ he said, enthusiastically waving an All Blacks flag to match his shirt.
On her arrival at the fair, Keira Fergus, 10, of Pahı¯atua, was quickly playing her first carnival game.
Her mum, Moria, takes Keira and her two little sisters to the fair most years and it’s always fun.
The sisters were headed for the mini-cars, but got distracted by a paintball shooting range. Knock down enough targets and you win cash, the sign promises.
Paint was splattered all over the drop cloth at the back of the range and the frame holding the targets, but there’s barely a fleck on the targets themselves, hinting at the inaccuracy of the paintball guns.
But the sisters don’t care. The thwok of the paintballs and shooting the guns seems like too much fun to resist.
Besides, all that really matters is doing better than your siblings.
‘‘I knocked two down. It’s fun, but it’s pretty hard,’’ Keira said.