Notices showing church Christmas events; Choral performances, performance of “Handel’s Messiah”. Sign: “Walk in and see the crib and the Christmas tree”. Shots of people walking past stone church [possibly Christchurch Cathedral]. Cut out tree with Father Christmas head in its branches on the verandah of the D.I.C department store. People crossing road outside D.I.C. store. Christmas shop window display. Street scenes and pedestrians [probably Cathedral Square, Christchurch]. Spectators at roadside to watch parade. Parade (Most shots are taken from first floor verandah): Naval pipe band; “Christmas Pageant” float in the form of a large pipe organ with organist and choristers.; Group of people in Christmas tree costumes; “Red Riding Hood” house with Little Red riding Hood walking alongside; People wearing large conical costumes [possibly stylised pencils]; Snow White and The Seven Dwarves float; Book of “Fairy Tales” float pulled by three very strange creatures; “three blind mice”; Christmas pudding with cooks walking around the float. Nineteenth Century sailing ship[ and sailor in period costume. “Cinderella” float with gold carriage and horses; Humpty Dumpty and king’s men; “Mother Goose”; “J. Devell & Co.” truck with a large number of children on the tray and sign along the side “Junior Leaguers”; Faux elephant towing cages with faux animals; Hilly Billy band; Three pigs floats drawn by people in pig costumes; People in Christmas cracker costumes; Father Christmas; Old woman who lived in a shoe; “Hays - Official transport” van. Looking up at woman and children watching parade from fire escape. Closer views of parade floats as they are brought into a recreation ground. [Christchurch 1950s].
Close shots of spectators watching parade. Floats: “Jazz Hits The Thermal Area Rotorua 30,000 Club”; Men dressed in marching girl uniforms marching along street; Large floral float. [Probably Rotorua 1960s] .
Shop window decorations. Shots of people walking along footpath, looking at displays, entering and exiting shops.
Shop window sign: “These premises will be closed from Wednesday, 24th December reopening Tuesday 13, January 1959... ”; other shops signs showing reopening in 1959. People leaving by the front entrance of “The Lands and Survey Department”. Man carrying two heavy cases into “Newman Bros. Ltd” garage; shots of other people arriving at the garage. “Newman Bros. Ltd” bus leaving garage - destination: “Lewis Pass”. “Special” bus leaving. Shots of people boarding railcar Drewry [ introduced 1955 - 1958] at main railway station. Railcar “RM 114” pulling moving off towards camera. Shots of people walking out to tarmac to board “NAC” aeroplane.
Christchurch parade circa 1955, Rotorua parade circa 1967.
(SECTION WHITE SPACER)
Shots of people with boats in bay. Water skiers.