New Zealand Sand Castle Competition

As Kiwis, frequenting the beach over summer is a given. It’s not a real summer until the gang has headed to the beach, picnic basket and sunscreen in tow - to enjoy the sun, surf and sand…castle competitions!

Returning for its third year, the annual Sand Castle Competition will take place at New Brighton Beach in Christchurch on Saturday February 8, 2014, at 9:30am with four categories – individual child, individual adult, family team or adult team categories. Keen sand sculptors of all ages and abilities are able to partake in the event.

Free to enter, the competition is an all-ages event with all locals eligible to enter in the family and individual categories. Online registration before the event is encouraged, but keen sculptors can also turn up on the day and enter. Each individual/team will be allocated their own roped-off plot to put their skills to the test.

This year, The Palms Shopping Centre is sponsoring the individual child category, aptly titled Kids-N-Kastles, which is open to children 12-years-old and under. There will be three categories that entrants can draw inspiration for their sculpture from: Kiwiana, creatures of the sea, and castles of your mind. A winner from each category will be chosen and receive a $50 voucher to spend at The Palms. There will also be one overall winner who will receive The Palms Kids-N-Kastles trophy and a bike from Kmart.

In addition to the Kids-N-Kastles competition, there will be a treasure hunt for 50 of the region’s most-enthusiastic under-12 diggers. In order to participate in the hunt, diggers must first gain a top-50 spot. The Palms will be giving 30 lucky kids the chance to enter; all they will need to do is fill in an entry form which can be found in-centre. More FM will also be giving 20 lucky kids the chance to enter. The Palms, along with competition partner More FM, will both draw lucky winners daily. All 50 diggers will win a prize. The Great Treasure Hunt will commence at 2.15pm, shortly before the main competition prize winners are announced at 2:45pm.

The Palms Marketing Manager, Debby Chiplin says this is one of her favourite events of the season. “The event is a summer-time favourite amongst children and adults in the community. Last year’s event saw 20,000 grace the shores of New Brighton Beach for the competition.”

“With families making up a large proportion of shoppers at The Palms, sponsoring the Sandcastle Castle Competition seemed a natural fit. Our category, Kids-N-Kastles will be a great opportunity for parents to get creative with their children and we encourage families to make the most of the good weather and get some practice in at our local beaches ahead of the event.”

With summer well and truly underway, and sandcastle sculpting skills at their peak, this is sure to be a great activity for all Cantabrians regardless of age and sculpting ability.