Ōtara street sparkles for Christmas: 'Everyone is welcome here'
Auckland's famous Franklin Road Christmas lights have some stiff competition this year, in the form of Cooper Crescent in Ōtara. Throughout the past month, the light display has attracted more than 10,000 people to the small South Auckland street and that is only set to grow. Project manager Terry Nelson said that when the lights first went up in 2017 no one expected it to become this big. "One of our reasons for running it was for the children around here because they can't get to the Karaka lights and the Franklin lights..." What set Cooper Crescent apart from the rest, said Terry, was the community vibe that radiated from every house. Neighbors and residents were selling hearty Pacific and Māori meals, performing music, face paint and even fire dance. Most of the lights were DIY and low budget, but that only made them more awesome, he said. "The neighbours are just making do with whatever lights they have, and they come up with the best designs that anyone can come up with." One local resident even went so far as to make a Bethlehem set, with their children playing the roles of Mary and Joseph.
"It's a really beautiful community and that's what we wanted to show was that like, man, our streets are safe, Ōtara is safe and that everyone is welcome here. "People have a negative stigma about Ōtara, but when you come here and you walk onto the street, you'll feel it. "The street was already well past capacity this year, said Terry, which was exciting, if not a little daunting and hectic. Terry's wife, Swanie, was also a key player in bringing the lights to life. She said the lights went up in the second week of December and would stay on until the first week of January. Terry said one of the best parts of the lights was the theme nights, where people could experience pacific and Māori culture. Swanie said there were also photobooths along the street, many of which were upcycled from household items as part of a waste minimisation scheme.
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Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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