So hope to see you at both venues!

And these words from Lola:

If I had limited time in New Zealand/Aotearoa/Land of the Long White Cloud, I would allow time to visit:-

~ If flying in or out of Auckland, allow a minimum of 3 days to go north to Paihia in

   the  Bay of Islands. Take one of the many cruises, including Russell. If you’ve

   got plenty of time take the bus trip to Cape Reinga. Takes all day. 

~ Matamata [refer map on website] - some excellent eating places.

                       Take bus trip to where some of “The Lord of the Rings” was filmed. 

~ Mt. Maunganui  [less than 1hr from Tatuanui] - one of our most popular beaches.

                      Great hot pools. 

~ Rotorua [1hr from Reunion] - major tourist centre

                      Rainbow and Fairy Springs - trout pools in natural bush settings.

                     Best thermal area Waiotapu, geyser plays at 10.00am daily, allow 1-2hrs

                     Tamaki Village for total Maori experience, book bus from City.

                     Good souvenir shopping.                          Hot pools. 

~ From here can head off around East Cape - allow 2 days minimum.

                     Slow roads in places. Fantastic scenery. A different pace and way of      

                     life. Not a lot of cafes. Lots of Maori settlements.See where “Whale

                     Rider” was filmed. 

~ End up in Gisborne - first place in the world to see the sun of the new day.

                     Great little museum. 

~ Down the coast to Hawkes Bay i.e. Napier and Hastings.

                      A day meandering around would do unless you’re a serious wine buff. 

~ On to Wellington - You need to be a good calm traveller to land at this airport on

                      anything but a fine day. Visit Te Papa Museum for all things NZ. 

~ South Island - Of course Nelson/Motueka - anywhere of significance to our

                       families. Refer some of the publications for sale at the Reunion.

                       Allow 2 days minimum. 

~ Marlborough Sounds are beautiful. You’ll be able to envisage where Captain

                        Horneman did his epic row to take a message to some-one  -  refer

                        Laura’s Journal.                             

                       This is a major wine growing area.           

 ~ Queenstown - Very picturesque, very tourist oriented. 2-3 days taking various

                         tours would give you a good insight. Can recommend the paddle

                         steamer on the Lake. Also, Skippers Canyon Tour.

~ If heading back to Auckland, Taupo is a good stopping place. From there go out

                         on a limb to the glow worm caves at Waitomo.

~ Coromandel Peninsula is also out on a limb. Beautiful beaches. Allow 3 days.

And Also:

TATUANUI is situated in the central North
lsland. lt is surrounded by very rich farmland
with the highest concentration of livestock per
hectare in the world. The Tatua Dairy Factory,
although one of the smallest, is one of the
wealthiest,and its shares are highly sought after.
The average dairy farm here sells for $7m.lt is also
a major hub of our horse racing industry, breeding
and training international winners.
The TATUANUI HALL is situated on the intersection of
SH27 and SH26 about 2 hours south of Auckland-It is 35 minutes from Hamilton, 10 minutes
from Matamata and Morrinsville, and 15 minutes from Te Aroha.
For our lntemational Family, Hamilton is the Airport where a lot of
cheap flights from Australia come into. Rotorua and Taupo,
both major tourist centres, are about one and a half hours away.
Unfortunately, the Ngarua Hall 5 minutes down the road,
where we had our 2002 Reunion, is no longer in use.

John Saxon 7 Nov 2012