Ready for Christmas? Have you got capacity for just one more gift? Then why not support Pack the Bus, Wairarapa’s annual Christmas gift appeal which is once again revving up the engine to hit Wairarapa streets next week.

Pack the Bus is an annual Christmas gift drive sponsored by the three Wairarapa Councils, Tranzit, Mediaworks, Mitre 10 Masterton, and Property Brokers.

The bus will kick off its week-along journey through the region, picking up presents in Featherston and Martinborough on Monday 5 December.

It carries on to Greytown on Tuesday morning and ends the week in Masterton, after which its cargo will be bound for Wairarapa foodbanks and social agencies.

South Wairarapa District Council is supporting this great cause, with Council staff and elected members helping to “pack the bus” along the way.

“We know that the presents collected from our district make a big difference to many families and individuals this Christmas,” Chief Executive Harry Wilson said.

As is the usual custom, the bus also makes pitstops at local schools, where students often put their gift on the bus personally.

A major contribution is also made by Craggy Range, which has contributed hundreds of gifts each year.
South Wairarapa businesses and the public are asked to drop their gifts off at the Pack the Bus park-ups in the three towns, or at Property Brokers beforehand.

Social agencies this year have asked that our generous donors focus on children under the age of 16. Items in high demand are:

• Toys or gifts that are non-gender specific
• Block sets (such as Lego or other types of building blocks)
• Goggles/ swimming aids
• Toiletries, lotions (especially for teens)
• Beanies/hats (again popular with teens)
• Festive food items (non-perishable)

For more details on where you can catch up with Pack the Bus, see the schedule below, follow our Council Facebook page or go to www.swdc.govt.nz/pack-the-bus

You can also follow the bus as it moves through South Wairarapa and the rest of the Wairarapa on Mediaworks’ Pack the Bus Facebook Event page.

South Wairarapa Pack the Bus pick-up schedule