Articles by admin

May 2026

To send an email to an Interest Group Leader
Select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form.
It will be forwarded to them .

BOOK GROUP

This month we are reading ‘Unveiled’ by Theophila Pratt. This is a story of surviving Gloriavale. A powerful account of one young woman’s journey to overcome the trauma of the past and find her voice.
Ros

CYCLING GROUP

We usually have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd Monday and the last Friday but this month we fitted in a third ride. We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways around Christchurch and further afield. Most members have e-bikes. New members are always welcome.
On Friday 1 May we cycled from the Awatea Rd entrance to the Southern Motorway to Hornby and around Broomfield. Then we joined the South Express Cycleway through to Church Corner. From here we rode on the Nor’West Arc through to the Pioneer Centre then onto the Christchurch Adventure Park for coffee at their café. There were 13 of us on this ride.
On Monday 18 May the group cycled from the Awatea Rd entrance to the Southern Motorway to Lincoln on the Little River Rail Trail. In Lincoln they then explored some of the scenic cycle tracks through the wetlands and new suburbs. After coffee at The Pantry they cycled to Tai Tapu then onto Halswell. There were 8 members on the ride.
On Friday 29 May, 8 of us met at Grimseys Rd near the QEII roundabout and cycled towards Kaiapoi on the Northern Corridor Cycleway. Once we crossed the Waimak we rode along the track in the Regional Park and up on the stop banks taking time to ride out to where the Kaiapoi River meets the Waimak at Burke’s Point. We then rode into Kaiapoi for coffee at Paris for the Weekend Cafe. We noticed lots of new planting in red zone areas on our way back to the Main Nth Rd cycleway and Grimseys Rd. It was a beautiful sunny, still but fresh morning.
Mary

FAMILY HISTORY

Looking back at an old photo, trying to determine when and where it was taken, the possible cause of expressions of the subjects and who were the subjects was the focus of the May meeting, These can all add to the stories of our families and allow our descendants a glimpse of their ancestors.
Family History can be very interesting and if you would like to find out more about this group please contact Carole or Julia
We meet at 1.30pm on the third Tuesday of each month.

HISTORY GROUP

Continuing our on-line course on Australian History. This month unit 5: Exploration of the Continent.
Ros

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

At our May meeting we reviewed our recent photography experiences in taking photos of autumn colours including the challenges to find patterns in our own gardens and in public parks etc. Of interest were the shots of the reasonable sized group of quail in the botanic gardens including shots of their efforts in feeding off tall flower heads. We then photographed some unusually coloured leaves found in the botanic gardens, arranging them in different patterns. We also looked at photos taken while members were overseas.
Our June meeting will be on Friday 19 June at 10am at Eric and Judy’s when we will look at more ideas for photographing patterns around us.
Eric

SCRABBLE GROUP

We are pleased to say we have our full complement of 10 members again, with only one person expressing interest in joining our group at this time. We meet twice a month on the second and third Tuesday with the limitation of meeting in private homes, hence our numbers are limited to 10 people. Members of our group would willingly assist any other interested people to start up another Scrabble Group should there be sufficient interest. Contact a committee member or Judith, who is the Convenor of this Interest Group.
Judith

SINGING GROUP

Our enthusiastic group of singers meets every couple of weeks to sing known songs from across all genres, with new songs added here and there to keep our brains alive!
Please do come and add your voice to ours and feel the many benefits of singing together for pure joy ! No musical experience required, just you and your voice.
We would love you to come and see if this is for you, so give it a try, you’ll be made very welcome!
All song sheets provided at minimal cost. We meet at the Halswell Community Hall, 1st and 3rd Fridays each month, 2 to 3 pm.
Bronwen

• By admin
• Posted on June 5, 2026June 5, 2026

March 2026

To send an email to an Interest Group Leader
Select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form.
It will be forwarded to them .

See the Calendar for a full list of interest groups

BOOK GROUP
Our book this time is ’The Space Between’ by Lauren Keenan. Two women, two love stories, A world torn apart – A riveting novel set at the brink of the New Zealand wars. Ros

CYCLING GROUP
U3A Cycling March
We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd Monday and the last Friday.
We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways around Christchurch and further afield. The rides usually have 2 start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of the members. Most members have e-bikes. New members are always welcome.
On Monday 16 March we cycled from Halswell into the city centre on the Quarrymans Trail, through Hagley Park to Mona Vale then onwards to Sawyers Arms Rd on the Northern Line Cycleway. We then joined the Papanui Parallel Cycleway stopping for coffee at Meshinos Café in Rutland St. We continued on towards the city centre where we joined the Promenade back to the hospital and then onto Halswell. There were 10 of us, we enjoyed the ride and each other’s company over coffee.
Our ride on Friday 27 March was cancelled due to weather conditions.
Mary

FAMILY HISTORY GROUP
Do you have a story to tell, one that can be passed through the generations?
Our focus last month was our own childhood story, something which today’s youngsters would have difficulty comprehending. What no cell phones? No TV? Where was your computer?
Our next meeting with be on 21st April at 1.30pm. You are welcome to come along and see what we have to offer. Contact either Carole or Julia

HISTORY GROUP
This month we covered Unit 2 of Australia before 1788. Exploration of the unknown land of the South through the 15th to 18th Centuries and hence to the colonisation of New South Wales.
Ros

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
The U3A photography group will meet for its April meeting on Friday 17th April at 10am at 20a Victors Road. We generally meet on the third Friday of the month.
We plan to discuss recent photos especially any experimentation with depth of field, discuss any cell phone photography issues anyone has had and then we will look at autumn photography especially colours and patterns.

SINGING GROUP
So, we are trying again, with me (gulp!) at the helm. Like all of you in the group, and, I’m willing to bet, like a lot more in the rest of our U3A, I just love to sing! I have done since a child, and have been involved in all sorts of singing , city choirs, church choir, folk singing, preschool singing. With and without guitar ,and the last 15 years, with my ukulele. To get us going I will provide the songs and the song sheets will be emailed to you. You can then print off and keep them in a folder. There is no music to read, just songs that you’ll mostly know or will quickly learn. They’ll be easy to sing! You will have the opportunity to suggest songs and we’ll sing the ones we like and, learn some new ones!
So come along, on alternate Fridays, from 2 to 3 pm at the Halswell community hall. Starting Friday 17 April. Cost Only $3.00 ! I’m very happy to be contacted (text initially) if you have any questions See you all very soon
Bronwen Meek,
The singing group will meet on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month at 2.00 pm in the Halswell Community Hall, 450 Halswell Road.

THEATRE APPRECIATION GROUP
Theatre Appreciation Group meet on the Fourth Thursday of each month, 1.15pm at 22 Kekewai Place in Halswell. But also, we convene parties to local productions and coming up we will be attending Riccarton Players for ‘Romeo and Juliet’ on April 22nd and later in May Repertory’s ‘Animal Farm’.

• By admin
• Posted on April 13, 2026April 13, 2026

February 2026

BOOK GROUP
We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at 10:00am.
This month’s book is ‘Anansi’s Gold – The Man Who Swindled the World’ by Yepoka Yeebo.
An enthralling rags-to-riches story, a thrilling true-crime caper and a sharp indictment of a world that allows scammers like John Ackah Blay-Miezah – a charismatic conman – to thrive

CYCLING GROUP
Our first ride this month was cancelled due to wet weather.
On Friday 27th February we cycled on the Avon River Trail from Swanns Rd to North Beach for coffee at the Brighton Beach House cafe then back through New Brighton. It was lovely to see the progress made in the New Brighton mall area. There were 10 of us cycling and we also enjoyed seeing progress on the Avon River trail through the Red Zone.
We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd Monday and the last Friday.
We ride mainly on dedicated cycle-ways around Christchurch and further afield. The rides usually have 2 start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of the members. Most members have e-bikes. New members are always welcome.

FAMILY HISTORY
Currently we have space in this group for those wanting to know more about their family’s stories, wanting to write their own life story, maybe create a
Family Tree or to learn more about researching their genealogy.
If this is of interest to you or you want to find out more about this Interest Group please contact either Carole or Julia
Our meetings are held on the 3rd Tuesday of the month starting at 1.30 pm. The next meeting will be on 17th March- yes, St Patrick’s day!

GARDEN VISIT GROUP
Our garden group wasn’t able to go ahead last Tuesday because of the rain, so we shall do the same trip for our next gathering on the first Tuesday of next month – 7th April. Marilyn

HISTORY GROUP
The first module of our current course ‘Australian History – prior to Federation’
covered the Pre-History period. A time before documentation was available.
Australian prehistory dates back about 50,000 years before European colonisation of 1788
The unit discussed where the first Australians came from and how they lived in Australia, Topics discussed archaeology, Aboriginal stories, written observations and ethnographic descriptions by European observers.
Ros

• By admin
• Posted on March 7, 2026

January 2026

To send an email to an Interest Group Leader
Select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form.
It will be forwarded to them .

See the Calendar for a full list of interest groups

BOOK GROUP
We meet on the 2nd Monday of the month at 10:00am.
Our first meeting for 2026 is on 9th February and the book for that month is
‘Once There Were Wolves’ by Charlotte McConaghy. This is the unforgettable tale of a woman desperate to save the creatures she loves. Part thriller, part redemptive love story.
Ros

CURRENT AFFAIRS
Current Affairs Group will continue to meet on the 3rd Wednesday of each month – at 10.00am in the same room used by the U3A group – at the Halswell library/service centre Te Hapua .Email Graeme McNally- the coordinator- if you would like further information or to join the group “
Graeme

CYCLING GROUP
We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd Monday and the last Friday.
We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways around Christchurch and further afield. The rides usually have 2 start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of the members. Most members have e-bikes. New members are always welcome.
On Friday 30 January we cycled from Halswell to Lincoln on the Little River Rail Trail then on to Tai Tapu where we had coffee at The Store. From there we cycled down Old Tai Tapu Rd and did the loop around Raspberry Café (Cossars Rd-Otahuna Rd-Rhodes Rd) then along Old Tai Tapu Rd and back to Halswell. There were 10 of us and we cycled 40 kms. A very enjoyable ride to start 2026.
Mary

FAMILY HISTORY
Have you ever wondered who your ancestors were? Or thought about the times and conditions in which they lived? Maybe you want to write your own life story to leave to your family … or produce a family tree.
Our family history group could help you on this journey. You are welcome to come along to a meeting to further discover if this could be the group for you.
We meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 1.30 pm. Our first meeting for this year will be Tuesday February 17th at 1.30pm.
Carol and Julia

HISTORY GROUP
We meet on the 3rd Thursday at 10:00am.
Our first meeting for 2026 is on 19th February. This year we will be studying ‘Australian History: Prior to Federation’ This course focuses on the history of the continent up to 1900.
This 9-module online course is delivered by U3AOnline. Participants download the module for the month and discuss and share understandings.
The history course is accessed via the website U3Aonline.org.nz. This website is hosted by an Australian University and offers many online courses plus a monthly newsletter, a source of information called Gems and now a coffee club with links to interactive AI, games etc.
As a club we are a member of this organisation and hence all our members can access the current online course plus the other resources. Let me know if you want the login and password.
Ros

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
The U3A photography group will meet for its first meeting in 2026 on Friday 20th
February (3rd Friday of the month) at 10am at Eric and Judy’s home
We plan to discuss what photos we all have taken recently over the holiday period; discuss any photography issues anyone has had and then we will look at a few hints on good portrait photography.
Eric

SCRABBLE
Our December get together was a celebration of our wonderful friendship. We shared lunch, played a game or two of Scrabble and then, at afternoon tea, surprised Philippa as we celebrated her very special birthday. Our twice monthly meetings are now in full swing again, but we are sorry to say our membership is still closed due to the fact we meet in private homes with a limit of 10 people attending. Our group would happily help any others to start a second Scrabble group if there was sufficient interest.
Judith

SINGING GROUP
The Singing Group met three times before Christmas. They now need to plan the future. They need someone or a group to take over the organisation. Neither Ros or I are available to take that on. I would like those of you who are interested in continuing to meet at the end of the February meeting to sort a way forward.
Lynn

THEATRE APPRECIATION GROUP
Our regular monthly gatherings are on the 4th Thursday of each month, 1.15pm at David’s home. Having a subscription to National Theatre at Home means we can view plays from London, always worthwhile. But we also convene parties to community theatre productions and are looking forward to visits to Elmwood and Riccarton Players in April. For further information please contact David.

• By admin
• Posted on February 9, 2026February 9, 2026

November 2025

To send an email to an Interest Group Leader select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form. It will be forwarded to them .

See the Calendar for a full list of interest groups

BOOK GROUP
December book is ‘Prima Facie’ by Suzie Miller. This is a propulsive, raw look at the price victims pay for speaking out and the system that sets them up to fail.
Ros

CURRENT AFFAIRS
In 2026, the Current Affairs Group will continue to meet on the third Wednesday of each month (from February) at 10.00. Meetings will be held in the same room (Mohoao) as we have been using at the Halswell Library/Service centre Te Hapua.
Graeme

CYCLING GROUP
On Monday 17 November we rode from Halswell to Hornby, through Broomfield and then followed the South Express Cycleway to Hagley Park. We had coffee at Quad Eatery at the Arts Centre then back to Halswell on the Southern Motorway Cycleway. There were 11 of us.
On Friday 28 November 11 of us cycled from Halswell to Heathcote Valley. It was a beautiful morning, warm and pretty calm. We had coffee at the Upshot Café at the Riding School on Bridle Path Rd before cycling on to Ferrymead and back along the river.

FAMILY HISTORY
Wow! Well, I never! That is such a surprise! Who would have thought?
At our final meeting for the year members shared what had been the most interesting, surprising or unexpected discovery they had found in their research so far. It was amazing to hear of the discoveries made when learning
more of their past families.
Our next meeting will be on the third Tuesday afternoon in February, 2026 when you would be welcome to come along to find out more of what we do.
Carole and Julia

HISTORY GROUP
The decision for 2026 is to enrol in Australian History 1 Prior to federation up to 1900. This will be up on line in January to give 12 months to cover the material.
Ros

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
At our November meeting we reviewed recent photographs taken by group members particularly of the recent hail storm. We went for another wander around the garden to take some flower photographs and discussed how to use a new cell phone close up lens. We then reviewed aspects of planning photography for trips away and using the weather as a definite feature of a photo.
As for some of us, our movements during January and February had not yet been finalised, our first meeting next year will be late January or early February to be finalised later and will be at 10am at 20A Victors Road as usual.
Eric

SCRABBLE ‘plus’
Our Scrabble Group of 10 ladies continue to enjoy twice monthly games of Scrabble and our goal of Scrabble “Plus” is developing in leaps and bounds. In November we “frocked up” on Cup Day and celebrated with a fun afternoon of Scrabble, chatter and a few “bubbles”. We are planning to finish 2025 with a shared lunch on 9 December, meeting early so we can lunch before a couple of games of Scrabble and a celebration of our friendship.
Judith

THEATRE APPRECIATION GROUP
Just to let you know that our last meeting for the year was this Thursday at 1.15, usual venue. Some of us will be attending Rep’s production this Saturday but we’ll have to wait until next year to report on that obviously. I have been sent reviews of 9 to 5 at The Court so you can read what various people have said here.
Theatreview. Reviewed by Rose Muollo-Gray
Flat City Field Notes. Reviewed by Ruth Agnew
Backstage Christchurch. Reviewed by Kineta Knight
On the Boards. Reviewed by Belinda Cullen-Reid

URBAN EXPLORERS WALKING GROUP
There will be no walks in December or January, so the date of our next walk will be Thursday February 19th, 2026.
We appreciate the efforts of those who organise our monthly walks and would love to hear from others willing to do so as well – just let us know the area(s) and the preferred month(s) so that we can organise our program. Contact Elaine
New members are always welcome, too.
Elaine Bryson and Russell Simson

SINGING GROUP
The Singing Group will reconvene after the February 2026 General Meeting

• By admin
• Posted on December 9, 2025December 9, 2025

October 2025

To send an email to an Interest Group Leader select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form. It will be forwarded to them .

See the Calendar for a full list of interest groups

BOOK GROUP

The November book is ‘First Steps – How Walking Upright Made Us Human’ by Jeremy De Silva.  Funny, surprising, warm and compelling.
Ros

CYCLING GROUP

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3^rd Monday and the last Friday.
We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways. Each ride has 2 start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of the members. It seems to be working well. Most members have e-bikes.
New members are always welcome.
On Monday 20 October ten of us rode from the Evan Pass Rd car park out to Godley Head. It was a fine but windy morning with lovely views out over Sumner and Taylors Mistake. At the reserve we spent time reading the new DOC signage and checking out the coastal defence battery which is one of the top ten NZ coastal defence heritage sites. The Godley Battery consisted of three emplacements, constructed across the crest of the Godley Head, each with individual underground magazines. The gun emplacements feature murals by noted street artist Wongi Wilson, celebrating the men and women who served at the site. 
On Friday 31 October the group rode from Swanns Rd to South Shore. There were 7 members in the group and a nice sunny day, but the southerly was hard work at times.
Mary

Family History

Last month members viewed and discussed progress made with research and presentations of their families’ histories.  A beautifully drawn family tree, photographic records and even records from a WWII concentration camp were shown. 
This month will be our last meeting for the year. It has been a year of interesting discoveries and many surprises. 
If you would like further details of this group which meets on the afternoon of the third Tuesday of the month please contact either Carole or Julia

Garden Visit Group

This beautiful garden has taken 25yrs of the owner’s tender care and gardening expertise to sculpt in to an amazing experience with garden rooms, shady areas, something new at each turn and an assortment of plants. They willingly answered all questions and chatted with us for a while. The temperature did get up to 31degrees.
I could tell you more but perhaps you should go, each experience will be individual, and I think it well worth it.
In December we know everyone is busy rushing around, so we thought we should give you a chance to relax with friends.
So ON Tuesday December 2nd
AT Halswell Quarry
TIME 1pm
MEET near coffee cart.
Bring chairs, picnic blankets, poles for walking if you wish, sun hats and suntan lotion and come relax for an hour or two. Hopefully sitting in shaded area. Don’t forget your picnic too.
Coffee cart will be open and not only coffee but does muffins, toasties, burgers, cold drinks, shakes and ice-cream.
Look for the colourful umbrella.
Come earlier for a walk or stay for a stroll afterwards

History Group

We have completed the course ‘The Shaping of the Modern Mind’ which proved to be very interesting with much discussion and reflection. As this has given us a couple of months before the end of the year we decided on a short course for the month of November ’The Night Witches’, a profile of the women pilots and their role during World War 2 covering women from Russia, Germany, USA and England.
Ros

Photography Group

At our October meeting we looked at photographing the same objects in shade and sunlight comparing the different effects and results, taking photos of flowers plus we reviewed key aspects of composition in landscapes including the rule of thirds and utilizing leading lines.
Our November meeting, which will be the last for 2025, will be 10am on 21st November at 20A Victors Road, Hoon Hay.
Eric

Singing Group

The next session for the Singing Group is on 20 November at 1.30 pm in the usual room at Te Hāpua, the Halswell Library.
Please come with some songs you would like to sing during the session.
Also, there will be some discussion about how this group will run next year as this will be the last session for 2025.

• By admin
• Posted on November 9, 2025November 9, 2025

September 2025

To send an email to an Interest Group Leader select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form. It will be forwarded to them .

See the Calendar for a full list of interest groups

Book Discussion Group

Book this month is ‘All the Broken Places’ by John Boyne

Cycling

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3 rd Monday and the last Friday. We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways. Each ride has 2 start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of the members. It seems to be working well. Most members have ebikes.
New members are always welcome.
On Monday 15 September 10 of us cycled the MacLeans Island Forest Park track. It was a well maintained mountain bike track through forest and very different to our normal rides. It was a 16.5km loop from the car park and took approx. 1 hour of concentrated riding. We had coffee at the café there and some decided to do another loop before going home.
On Friday 26 September we decided to do a ‘Blossom’ ride. We cycled from Halswell along the Quarrymans Trail then turned onto the Nor’West Arc at Pioneer Centre and rode through to the University. From the University we cycled on the Uni-Cycle trail to Hagley Park. We saw some lovely blossom trees on the way but unfortunately a lot of the blossoms in Hagley Park had finished. 8 of us enjoyed our coffee break at the Quad Eatery in the Arts Centre before heading back along the Southern Motorway cycleway to Halswell.

Current Affairs Group

Just a reminder to all U3A members that this group meets at 10.00am on the 3 rd
Wednesday each month -in the same room as the U3A meetings.
The usual format is that a brief background paper on the topic is emailed to the
members -for them to read prior to the meeting. At the meeting there is a summary presentation of that note, a small number of brief you tube clips are shown and there is a discussion of the topic.
If you are interested in becoming a member (we have a few spaces) email Graeme McNally  

History

This month we will be studying the final unit 8 of the course ‘The Shaping of the Modern Mind’ ‘Where are we Now?”
Current knowledge emphasises how our beliefs are influenced by our upbringing in a particular culture. How does this bear on the tension between science and religion?
Where does that leave us today?

Family History

What stories have we heard from our families? Last month the group shared their memories of an ancestor they knew of through family stories or from their own research. These records then become part of our own family history.
This month, on 16th October, we will be sharing ideas on future topics as well as looking at some of our research.
If you are interested in joining this friendly group, please contact either
Carole Or Julia

Photography Group Report

At our September meeting we reviewed the taking of photographs in low light situations and went for a wander around the garden to undertake some flower photography deciding whether to focus on either a group of distinctive flowers with an out of focus background or to focus on just one bloom or part of it.
Our October meeting will be at 10am on 17 th October at 20A Victors Road when we plan to do some more photography of static objects, paying special attention to the direction of the natural sunlight.
Eric

Theatre Appreciation

Making up a party to attend Ovation Theatre’s “Godspell” on Friday 17th of this month. Will take names at our upcoming meeting on the 8thOctober.
David

• By admin
• Posted on October 8, 2025October 8, 2025

July 2025

To send an email to an Interest Group Leader select the group from the Interest group page and fill out the form. It will be forwarded to them

See the Calendar for a full list of interest groups

U3A Cycling July

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3^rd Monday and the last Friday.

We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways. Each ride has 2 start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of the members. It seems to be working well. Most members have e-bikes.

New members are always welcome.

On Monday 21 July we cycled from Grimseys Rd, near the QEII Drive roundabout, on the Northern Corridor cycleway to the Waimakariri Bridge. This was the second starting point. We then cycled on a dedicated cycleway beside Main North Rd into Kaiapoi stopping for coffee early, at Paris for the Weekend, as it was very chilly. We enjoyed sitting in the sun chatting for quite a while then headed back along the stop banks and Kaiapoi Island tracks to Waimakariri Bridge.

The second ride for July was going to be the same week so we decided to cycle a week later on 1 August.

Current Affairs Group

This group (usually about 25 attendees) continues to meet on the 3^rd Wednesday of each month at 10.00am to learn about and discuss a range of current issues.

In July we had a “virtual meeting” -members were provided with a brief note -together with embedded links to a small number of selected articles /You Tube videos- covering two topics relating to “Powering our Future” i.e. Small Nuclear Reactors and Fusion Power.

With the upcoming Local Government elections -our August meeting will focus on “Local Government -its future, its challenges and its issues”.

Family History

Our next meeting will be at 1.30pm on Tuesday 19^th August. 

This month we will be sharing memories of an ancestor we remember from our own lifetime before discussing progress (or lack of) with our own research.

If you are interested in coming to this group, please contact either Carole or Julia

Photography Group

The next U3A Photography Group meeting will be on Friday 15 August at 10am at 20A Victors Road, Hoon Hay. New members most welcome.

We will be looking at settings for low light situations, reviewing the use of different camera modes and furthering our discussions on outdoor photography.

• By admin
• Posted on August 10, 2025August 10, 2025