Fieldays fun for kids

Splish, splosh, the sound of children running around in their gumboots and looking for their next target – puddles to jump in as they laugh with delight.

Simple pleasures keep children entertained at the annual Fieldays event at Mystery Creek.

The free Bunnings green and red blow-up hammers are always a big hit – literally – according to Hamilton mother Kristina Laird.

Laird took her two children, Brianna, 8 and Cohen, 6, to Fieldays last year.

The children enjoyed the giveaways the most, as well as activities such as fighting on a beam at a pipes exhibit, complete with large boxing gloves, Laird said.

Brianna knows what her favourite moment was. “Meeting Josh Emett,” she said with excitement.

Waikato born and internationally acclaimed chef Josh Emett showed off his cooking skills in the Kiwi’s Best Kitchen at Fieldays last year. Budding chef Brianna enjoyed the show and the chance encounter.

Cohen said he enjoyed “fighting with Brianna [on the beam pipe] and playing with dogs.”

For parents taking their children to this year’s event, Laird recommends going to the food hall before buying lunch, as they have a lot of giveaways.

Laird and her husband Kelly attended Fieldays when they were children, so they enjoyed taking their son and daughter along last year.

Hamilton mother Monique Lootsma who once worked for Genesis Energy in its stall at Fieldays, has also been going to the annual event since she was a child.

“It was somewhat of an unofficial tradition to take a cheeky day off school,” Lootsma said.

Now a mother to Nadia, 3, she has started a new tradition of taking her daughter every year since she was born in 2012.

Lootsma and her daughter have many favourites every year. “The rubber duck race, Rosie the Cow show, looking at fire trucks and ambulances, digger agility competition, dog trials, looking at the various animals and patting some, watch Moto X, get picture printed on Fonterra glass and try lots of samples of food,” Lootsma said.

She is looking forward to attending again this year. It’s a fun day out where she often meets up with friends and it has great shopping. “It’s a good place to look into various large purchases too – car, home improvements etc.”

Mystery Creek heritage co-ordinator Alan Reilly said this year the Heritage Village and the National Dairy Museum will be open for families to enjoy.

The Heritage Village is a collection of historic buildings, each containing displays and activities. The buildings making up the Heritage Village include a school house, a blacksmith’s, a jail, a church, Waikato’s first hospital and a garage – all set around two small lakes.

“These buildings will be open for exploration and will contain a variety of puzzles, competitions, and hands on activities aimed at helping children and their families find out more about their agricultural heritage,” Reilly said.

The Waikato Vintage Tractor group will be displaying their machinery in the heritage area. They will be giving rides and doing demonstrations. On the Saturday, actors dressed in Victorian costume will be based at the village.There will be an app-based heritage trial which is a free download from app stores, that will provide further levels of information, content and activities, Reilly said.

Looking forward to taking her kids again this year is Melissa Ridley, mother to Corbyn, 7 and Brayden 2.

“My kids loved it last year. I think there is heaps to do for the whole family. [Corbyn] enjoyed walking around getting all the free things that they were giving out. Everyone was really nice to the kids as well.”

Although they enjoyed themselves, she felt more food needed to be on offer at more locations. Ridley took food for her children as her youngest had to eat gluten-free at the time.

Ridley said the event is pram-friendly, which was great for when her youngest was tired.

Kyra Irons, mother to Oliver, 4, Meliah, 2 and Hugo, 7 months, agreed that the event was pram-accessible.She attended the event last year with her oldest children, while pregnant with Hugo. It was her first time attending the event and both she and the children enjoyed seeing the tractors and hopping into one.

She would love to see an area for children to pat farm animals at future Fieldays events.

All parents dressed their children in their Fieldays attire of warm clothes and the essential gumboots – for jumping in puddles of course.