Competition Winners Celebrate Christmas In Napier

Last year Napier City Council ran a “Sisters” competition where someone in New Zealand would win the chance to bring their Sister and Partner from somewhere in the world to their home. The winner was Lyndsey Starkey of Napier and her Sister and family have just visited them in Napier.

“What made their win so special is that the two Sisters are married to two Brothers!” said Mayor Barbara Arnott. “Both have children who barely knew each other and the whole family from the UK made the trip to re-unite here, their first time to visit New Zealand”.

Lyndsey, in a letter to the Mayor, outlined some of the highlights of the win. “We had an amazing time and everyone REALLY enjoyed it. We crammed in so many activities that the holiday seemed to go on for ages. We did run out of time and when they left the 'things to do' list still had a lot on it we hadn't managed to get to. Despite all the running around (we had a few days in Wellington and Rotorua too) we had a week to chill out at home over Christmas (and the weather was gorgeous!) and let the other half of the Starkey clan experience our usual laid-back lifestyle here in the Bay. They LOVED the place. During this holiday my sister, Sharon, and I realised that it was the longest time we had spent together in the last 34 years! It was lovely to get to know her again - and we found lots of uncanny similarities too! Terry and Mark seemed to pick up where they left off as well and provided lots of laughs with their stories!”

“We are delighted the visit went so well for them,” said Barbara “it is clear that they certainly made the most of what Napier and our wonderful lifestyle has to offer.”