Voting is open for the 2024 Tremains Christmas Lights Trail through Tauranga and the Western Bay, with an “outstanding” 62 homes and businesses lit up with festive cheer.

They include Welcome Bay Vet Clinic, where an official handover of a Christmas tradition stretching back two decades has happened.

This year The Hits, the Weekend Sun and Tremains Real Estate have teamed up to make 2024′s lights trail better than ever before.

Participating addresses are spread from Waihī to Lower Kaimai to Paengaroa, and the homes will be lit up each evening from 8pm to 11am until December 17, when voting closes.

New owners of Welcome Bay Vet Clinic, Dr Hannah Bain and vet nurse Sarah Wilson, are determined to maintain the animal-centric light decorations that have been iconic in the community for the last two decades.

“That’s the main thing people ask about when they find out the business is changing hands,” said Bain. “Every single friend, family and client has immediately checked that we’ll still be doing the annual [Christmas light] display.”

Former owner Dr John Drummond said his first attempt about 20 years ago at constructing a dog pulling a cat on a sleigh, from aluminium rods and fairy lights, failed horribly.

“It was a mess,” said Drummond, who began the vet clinic light display for his community.

“There was too much detail in the design and the lights were all over the place, but the following year rope lights came out and we simplified the design. It was really good,” said Drummond.

“Then we learned how to do time switches to create motion and we were away.”

Drummond has fond memories of his now-adult son as a young fella dressing as Santa and standing out outside the clinic to hand out lollies to people following the city’s light trail.

Welcome Bay vet Clinic former owner Dr John Drummond said his first attempt at constructing a dog pulling a cat on a sleigh out of aluminium rods and fairy lights about 20 years ago failed horribly. Photo / David Hall.

“He would disappear into the minibuses from retirement villages and dish out the chewy toffees and we realised he needed a bag full of soft lollies too,” said Drummond.

“As a team, we love the Christmas lights and putting up decorations,” said Bain.

“John has been amazing because most of the lights are animals, like Santa Cat, and he’s designed them himself. He’s a very clever man.”

The boxes of decorations took up most of the attic space of the clinic, so residents will have noticed a growing display as each decoration is added. Bain describes it as a “project of stages’”.

This year was special because Drummond was passing on the legacy he created before he retires.

“We’re learning the ropes of how it’s all unravelled, placed and plugged in and then how to pack it all down again,” said Bain.

Entries ‘outstanding’

The display at 54 Sandhurst Drive for the 2024 Tremains Christmas Lights Trail.

Tremains Real Estate managing director Anton Jones said the public entries to this year’s trail were “outstanding”.

He said Tremains would host two special evening events in Christmas light hotspots with sausage sizzles, spot prizes, games and fun for the kids.

These would be held at Matepu Reserve in the Lakes on December 12 and in Pāpāmoa East’s Wairakei Avenue on December 13. Both events would run from 8pm-9.45pm.

He encouraged everyone to come along to an event or see the lights another night.

7 Rewarewa Place in Matua lit up for the 2024 Tremains Christmas Lights Trail.

People can vote for their favourite home until December 17. The trail winner will be announced on December 18.

People’s Choice awards will offer prizes for first, second and third place and Bethlehem Town Centre has donated prizes for light trail participants to win.

You can find the list of participating homes below as well as in the Weekend Sun, the Bay of Plenty Times and on The Hits website - where you can also download a list of addresses, find them on a map and vote for your favourites.

- Additional reporting Samantha Motion

2024 Tremains Christmas Lights Trail

Gate Pā

Greerton

Bellevue

Athenree

Hairini

Katikati

Lower Kaimai

Matua

Maungatapu

Mount Maunganui

Ohauiti

Ōmokoroa

Otūmoetai

Pāpāmoa

Pyes Pā/Lakes

Te Puke/Paengaroa

Waihī

Welcome Bay