Four decades and thousands of toys
Motueka’s Livia Bontekoe knows how to squeeze every last bit of fun out of the toy library’s offerings. The four-year-old was one of dozens of children to attend the organisation’s 40th birthday party on Saturday. Photo: Elise Vollweiler.
The Motueka District Toy Library is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, and toy librarian Laura Lattimer says that the organisation is still going strong.
Dozens of toy library families, both past and present, gathered at neighbouring Memorial Park on Saturday to enjoy the toys and indulge in a piece of cake to commemorate the organisation’s four decades in Motueka.
The toy library itself is located behind the cricket clubrooms and beside SeniorNet, at 44 Pah St.
With about 1500 toys to choose from, members can hire items for a small fee, returning them a fortnight later to select the next bundle of distraction and entertainment for the small people in their households.
The toys include puzzles, ride-on bikes and scooters, musical instruments, Duplo, Sylvanian Families, train sets, superheroes and many hundreds more.
The toy library has about 140 member families, and this number has held steady for many years, Laura says.
The charitable organisation also has a strong and active committee, with plenty of fresh ideas and enthusiasm.
“It feels like there’s a nice toy library family behind it all,” she says. “It’s just a joy.”
The toy library’s major fundraiser is its hugely popular annual garden trail, which is coming up on 19 and 20 October.
This year’s trail has a bumper line-up of 20 gardens from around the district, with some old favourites and plenty of new offerings.
Tickets are $30 per person and are now on sale at Motueka’s Mitre 10, Whitwells, Potters Patch and The Plant Barn, Tessa Mae’s in Māpua or online here.
The Toy Library is open Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am-11am, and Saturdays from 10am-12pm. For more information, check out their Facebook page.