b'But float building wasnt a path Peter expected to pursue.Thoughmostofthoseearlyfragilefloatsweredestroyedconstructed floats for a number of suburban Auckland parades, Afterleavingschool,thelifelongAucklanderfirstjoinedtheafter each parade, a few exceptions survived, such as Santa, theincludingtheBirkenheadChelseaSugarParade,Auckland Farmers Display Department where he developed a myriad ofFairy Queen and the River Belle. With these creations, PeterPride Parade, St Patricks Day Parade and several Americas construction and decorative skills that are a rarity today, such assays it was the Resene products they were coloured with thatCup parades. Some of the floats Peter has built have even signwriting, ticket writing and display building. Our department,allowed for their longevity. Certain props were kept for futuretravelled to Hamilton. at the time, was also responsible for the building of the Aucklandparades, such as the Easter Bunny, while other papier-mchToday, Peter has a massive 1,400m 2shop where his ideas are SantaParade,explainsPeter.Thiswasdoneinaseparateanimals could be reused on future floats after being repainted.brought to life but his floats have been built in many different warehouse in Te Papapa, and I spent many hours there learningIt wasnt until the early 80s that Peter was able to start usinglocations over the course of his careerideally, as close to the ropes from other Display Department team members. In daysmorerobustbuildingmethods,whenhebeganconstructingQueen Street as possible. Being close to the parade route makes gone by, I made floats with wooden frames that were covered infloats from plywood, polystyrene, polyurethane and fibreglassatraffic control easier on the day, Peter explains. Parade Day is wire netting and then coated in papier-mch before they werecombination he continues to use for contemporary floats today.always stressful, even after all these years. Waking up at 4am and painted. These were very vulnerable to weather and susceptibleA couple of good coats of Resene Lumbersider helps to preserveseeing the stars shining in a clear sky always comes as a relief.to bumps, so they were rarely reused. them in case of inclement weather, says Peter. In total, Peter estimates he has probably made around 500 I started using Resene paints on the parade about 30 yearsfloats, but some are more memorable than others. One float ago, he continues. I learnt a huge amount in those early years,that stands out for me was made about 30 years ago, Gullivers mainly by trial and error. The floats need to be big and bold, as theyTravels. It was 10 metres long and constructed with wood, wire pass by quickly and small details are lost. Bold colours are importantnetting and papier-mch and had a huge Gulliver lying the fulland thats where Resene paints come in, as they are essential tolength of the float.create impact. I think Resene paints are one of the most importantTwo more recent floats that he remembers fondly were a hippie ingredients for a successful float for Parade Day. van and a sizable dinosaur. The hippie van used many different While the Auckland Farmers Santa Parade may be the mostpaint colours and using Resene FX Metallic paint on the huge important annual event that Peter prepares for, he has alsodinosaur was also something I loved. The dinosaur has had many left, facing page and previous page: Peter Taylors fantastic floats march down Aucklands Queen Street during the annual Farmers Santa Parade. Peter has been building floats and displays since 1973 and Resene Lumbersider Low Sheen is his paint product of choice for its durability, brilliance and breadth of colour options. In recent years, Peter has also started to use a range of metallic colours in Resene FX Metallic paint. Images courtesy of Auckland Farmers Santa Parade.ReseneResene BronzeResolution BlueReseneResene TurboGuardsman Red22 blackwhitemag.com'