Ice rink for Christmas
People in Palmerston North will have the chance to get their skates on this Christmas.
There will be an ice rink in Te Marae o Hine-the Square for four days, from Thursday.
The artificial, environmentally friendly rink looks like natural ice and gives people who have never ice skated before the chance to give it a go.
Ice rink owner Robin de Goeij said the open-air rink, from Holland, was invented so it could visit communities that don’t usually have access to the ice for recreation.
‘‘We don’t use any power for the floor and we can operate rain or shine.’’
De Goeij said he’d taken the adjustable rink to nearly 300 places throughout New Zealand, from small rural towns to big-city shopping centres, schools and universities. ‘‘This outing in Palmy is only the second time it has been used full size and we’ll be skating around a Christmas tree.’’
He said he loved his job because, for most people, skating was pure excitement. ‘‘We see a lot of families together. There’s not a lot of activities where you can join in with the kids, but with ice skating you can. A lot of the time, mum and dad are learners just as much as the kids.’’
The rink is surrounded by inflatable sides, which help cushion the impacts for learners and create a barrier between the rink and spectators.
Chairs can be used on the rink to help people balance and children under 16 will need to wear a helmet and gloves.
Tickets will cost: adults $10, students $8 and children $5, including skate hire.
Other Christmas events include the lighting of a Christmas Pohutukawa tree and a carnival in Te Marae o Hine on Thursday, and the Christmas parade on Sunday.
There will also be a Christmas concert on Saturday.
It features local acts followed by Rodger Fox’s Big Band.