Christmas trees of every kind on display
A pop-up Christmas tree forest filled North End Church with festive joy last week for the annual Tree Awamutu.
In its fourth year, Tree Awamutu invites the community to design and construct a Christmas tree that presents a message.
Visitors travelled from all around the Waikato to marvel at the wide range of Christmas trees on display.
Trees were presented by families, community groups and local businesses with a wide array of creativity on display.
Ma¯hoe Medical Centre’s display was the only ‘real’ tree and was decorated by children.
Fonterra entered a tree constructed from milk tanker parts and offered a prize to a child — a mini tanker, some Fonterra goodies and a ride in a full-sized tanker.
The tree was made of used tanker parts which had collectively travelled over one million kilometres around the region before being turned into a Christmas tree.
A local community youth intervention service, Pathways, hung a cloud that “held the dreams of children”.
Te Awamutu Methodist Church and other groups invited guests to add to their tree in different ways, some remembering lost ones and others sharing struggles with people who are willing to help carry the burden.
Organiser Kathy Strong says the event is always popular.
“Visiting children were once again eager to complete the quiz, exploring the forest to answer questions about the trees with the prize of candy being a helpful motivator.
“Visitors enjoy the craft activities, the free cafe and music but the highlight is definitely the creativity people show in their trees.
“The best feedback came from a young man, aged four, who said, ‘I was so full of excitement and joy, it made me crazy’.
“Perhaps that was the candy, or perhaps it’s the Christmas spirit.”
People’s Choice winners were Coke Can Tree first, a tree created by Pathways second and Shine Collective third.