Do some Christmas shopping, see the town's Christmas lights and maybe even see Santa! There are also two stages set up for entertainment! It will be a fun day out for the whole family!

Christmas trees. lights, food, market stalls, this event has everything to get you in that Christmas spirit! Huge fun for the family with lots of things to see, eat, buy and watch! I heard Santa will also be making an appearance, he really is a busy man!

This is a great market and I think their Christmas one is going to be even better! If you are looking for something really unique for someone who has just about everything this is a great place to shop for them! All of the best crafters in the region will be there!

This is a real treat for the kids, secretly the adults love it too! Open all year round (with Santa visiting at Christmas) the fantasy cave really is a local favorite. Filled with magical fairies, elves and castles, you will be visiting again and again and the kids will love it!

This big Christmas light competition in the small town of Dannevirke really is a must see! You can walk around the houses and businesses enjoying the lights or hop on the tour bus that will take you around.

This attraction just turned 97 years old! See Santa, the Christmas Lights, elves, carousel and the dancing monkeys! This is a Christmas must do in the Manawatu, I remember going here when I was a kid and my dad also visited when he was little! This year I took my daughter for the very first time!

Every year the Professionals run a competition to see who has the best Christmas lights! They print a map in the paper so you can visit each one and see who you think is the best! Sometimes you will see Santa on your travels too!

This bus company is doing something very special for Christmas. They will be putting on Christmas light tours. All you do is jump on the bus and your driver will take you all around the best Christmas lights.

If you want to see the most beautiful lights and decorations that you can purchase for your own home this shop really is the only place to go! It is like stepping into a Christmas fairy tale. Floor to ceiling the shop is filled with Christmas trees big and smal styled beautifully with amazing decorations. We were especially fond of the miniture Christmas houses!

In conjunction with the Palmerston North Christmas Parade The Square also fills up with some of the area's best stall holders. Get some last minute Christmas Presents or eat some of the yummy food! It's a great way to make a day of it and get in the Christmas Spirit!

These guys are famous for their traditional scoop icecreams which are so hard to find now! You will find a ton of locals there on hot days and they have all the best flavours! I love hokey pokey and my husband always get goody gum drop!

In the weekend we drove into Dannevirke, everything was shut except Highway Dairy, we grabbed a drink and my husband got some hot food out of their cabinet. The y were so friendly and even had the patience for my 4 year old spending her 20cents on lollies!

We don't have a supermarket here so the foursquare is such a valuable resource for our community. Unlike other corner shops their prices aren't over inflated. They seem to have exactly what we need and they are locally owned and operated.

In the summertime this place is booming! It seems to stock everything you forgot to pack for your holiday at the beach with is so handy! They also make a great coffee and have fish and chips and hot cheese toasties for lunch overlooking the beach! The deck is a great place to sit and have coffee people watching too!

Probably the best stocked four square I have ever seen! It really is a mini supermarket and has everything you could possibly need! We have been here when the Martinborough Fair is on to get ice creams and cold drinks throughout the day!

A must stop for ice cream in Wanganui! All of your classic favorites, my husband can not go past a goody gumdrop double scoop with a chocolate dip! Great value for money and the staff know how to make a decent scoop!

These guys have a great range of choose your own lollies! They have a great range of drinks and their prices are awesome. As friendly as they come too!

We used to live across the road so this was our regular! The best milkshakes come from here, they also do an awesome 2 scoop icecream which is more like a 4 scoop!

How I do love a good four square! You can get everything here, wine, beer, vegetables, desserts. It's great if you don't want to brave the whole supermarket just for 1 or 2 things.

I remember coming here on the way home from school, the owners are really friendly and they have a great range of lollies, drinks and snacks.

Riversdale Beach is where our family go every summer. It has a real community feel and it is such a lovely place to be. This fishing is great launch a boat, put out a net, dive for paua, catch a crayfish all the best fishing is here! A great place to take the kids swimming, find starfish in the rock pools and play in the soft sand.

A real New Zealand favorite! Castlepoint is the destination of choice for many Kiwi's and tourists alike. The weather is great, the water is warm and the sand is perfect for building sandcastles. A great place to holiday or just visit for the day, but you may never want to leave!

During the summer you will find us here daily with our dog. It is the best place to take your dog in the area because there is so much room for them to run around without getting in other people's way. The road is far from the reserve so it's safe for both the dogs and kids. Our dog loves the river and it's normally calm so perfect for the dogs to chase some sticks and swim in!

I took my daughter here a couple of weeks ago and she loved it. There is a really small section of the Gorge walk that you can do from here which only took us about 15 minutes which is great for preschoolers! After that we had a play at the park and it was an awesome family outing!

This is a great picnic spot, close to town so it's easy to pick up some food and walk to the lake. lay down a blanket or use one of the tables and enjoy the outdoors. Great for families and couples. After your picnic you can also take a stroll around the entire lake while watching the ducks swim.

One of the best parks in Palmerston North, there is a decent sized swimming pool, a great playground and a duck pond. Better yet it's all free! We quite often stop here for a picnic and the kids love it!

If you want a tried and true Kiwi holiday pack up the tent and spend a few nights at Vinegar Hill! Set up a tent, swim in the river, cook sausages on the BBQ and have a great time with the family! This is perfect for a budget family getaway and you will make memories that the kids will remmeber forever!

Buy some Easter eggs and have your very own Easter Egg Hunt at the Esplanade! Bring some sausages and use their BBQ facilities and make a day of it with the family, What could be better!

If you are looking for camping with a spot of luxury you need to visit this camping spot in Wanganui! Only 10 minutes from the city center this holiday park is complete with sauna, swimming pool, BBQ area, indoor dining room, tv lounge and there is also a beach and playground near by! This is great for families who want to get the camping expierence but still have the comforts of home close by!

A great place for a weekend getaway or an extended holiday, right by the beach and perfect for families. The park is complete with playground, skateboard rink, BBQ complex and swimming pool. A short drive from the center city with accomidation that will fit in with any budget.