Christmas Events Around the Country

While the rest of the world is enjoying snowy landscapes and consumes sugary pastry without guilt, New Zealand is soaking up in the sunlight for Christmas. Jewel Online has compiled a guide for essential summer Christmas celebrations throughout the country.

1. Auckland
Christmas at Auckland Zoo
December 14-18, 9.30am-5.30pm

As well as the regular stars on display- the animals - they're running a 12 Days of Christmas puzzle trail. Zookeepers will say a special hello for Christmas, and there will be Christmas-themed animal encounters. Santa will also make an appearance during a special interactive show at 10.30am, 11.30am and 1.30pm daily.

Source: NZ Herald

2. Wellington
AC/DC Tour
December 12, from 7 pm

Australian rock legends, AC/DC are coming to Wellington's Westpac Stadium on their Rock or Bust World Tour! More than four decades into a career that shows no signs of slowing down, AC/DC, like electricity itself, provides the world with an essential source of power and energy. The legendary band's high voltage rock 'n' roll has flowed into the world through sold-out concert tours and more than 230 million album sales. If there’s one thing you need to do in your lifetime, it’s see AC/DC live!

Source: Discover Wellington

3. Tauranga
Christmas at the Races
December 11, from 9:30 am 

Soak up the party atmosphere at Tauranga’s Christmas at the Races! With three fantastic events and a range of hospitality options to choose from, it’s the perfect chance to treat your guests to spirited thoroughbred racing mixed with a whole lot of festive fun! Make sure you book early as these packages sell out fast!

Source: Bay of Plenty Tourism

4. Queenstown
Shotover Jet Christmas Cracker
12 December 2015, 7pm - 10pm

In its inaugural year (2007) the Christmas Spectacular was a complete sell-out and proved to be the entertainment highlight of the festive season. Since then the concert has gone from strength to strength, attracting sellout audiences every year, fostering and showcasing our amazing local talent and bringing the community together to celebrate the festive season. A giant outdoor stage, loads of room for the kids to run around, food stalls and picnic hampers, a 2 hour show, a cast of over 200 and an absolutely spectacular fireworks display to round it all off made the 2014 show the biggest and best yet – and 2015 is shaping up to be even better again!

Source: Queenstown New Zealand

5. Christchurch
LEGO Christmas Ornament Workshop
December 13 and 20, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Who would like to join making your own original LEGO Christmas decorations at Imagination Station? Come and build with us and walk away with one decoration you have made! We have learnt that age is no barrier to learning with LEGO so we do not offer a strict age limit for any of our classes. Instead, if your child is aged 8 or younger then a parent must sit alongside the student learning (no extra ticket needed). If your child is 9 or over, we encourage you to stay, participate, and enjoy our coffee delivery service. If you do need to dash off, make sure you leave a contact number with us in the case of an emergency.

Source: Eventfinda