My top 10 movies of 2009

Here it is folks, my top 10 movies of 2009. These are movies that were released this year that I have seen


1. Star Trek

2. Avatar

3. 2012

4. Up

5. Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

6. Angels & Demons

7. Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian

8. Monsters vs. Aliens

9. Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs

10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

No more Santa Cave after 90 years

As you may have already heard the Santa Cave in the Farmers department store is closing after 90 years. This is because Farmers are moving to their brand new building at The Plaza next year. The Santa Cave is an institution in Palmerston North as it has been around for so long. Both my parents went to it as children, I went to it as a child, and I have taken my own daughter to the cave – that’s three generations of my family that have been to this Santa Cave as children! So today three generations of my family visited the Santa Cave for most probably the very last time. The cave hasn’t really changed at all throughout my lifetime and I’ve been happy with that. It’s good that it has stayed the same (and it has only cost 50 cents each to get in for as long as I can remember).

The building was originally Collinson & Cunninghame and this is what I remember it as when I was a child. In 1983 Farmers took over the building and decided to keep the Santa Cave more or less exactly the same as it was. But now that Farmers is moving next year the Santa Cave is no more. I’m not sure what is going to happen to the building. But all is not lost. The Santa Cave is moving to Te Manawa – Manawatu’s Museum. This will be a great new home for it and I hope they keep it as close to how it is now as possible.

So make sure you go to the Santa Cave in the Farmers with your kids before Christmas as it may be your last opportunity to see it as it is. Photos and a couple of video clips from today will be posted on my Facebook profile soon.