InterestGroups

August 2025

Book Discussion Group
The book for September is “All the Broken Pieces” by John Boyne. John Boyne is the author of “The Boy in Striped Pyjamas”
This is noted as an incredible feat of storytelling that revisits characters from the above book and particularly Gretel and what became of her.
John Boyne is the author of The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas

U3A Cycling August
We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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 Friday 1 August we cycled from Fitzgerald Ave to Scarborough on the Rapanui- Shag Rock cycleway and the Te Ara Ihutai Coastal Pathway. There were 10 of us. This was a bonus ride for August.
On Monday 18 August we rode from Lincoln to Motukarara Railway Station. There was low fog over the wetland which didn’t clear completely until we were back in Lincoln for coffee. There were 6 of us on this ride.
On Friday 29 August we cycled from Swans Rd to North Beach for coffee at the
Brighton Beach House then back through New Brighton. We enjoyed seeing the
progress on the Avon River Trail which is being upgraded ( a new bridge is in place due to open in September) and the new development in the New Brighton Mall area. It was a beautiful “almost spring day” which all of us enjoyed.

History
This month we will be reading unit 7 of ‘The Shaping of the Modern Mind
As we adjust to living in a global village, the meeting with other cultures and religions leads to new issues. This unit will focus first on the expansion of Western influence and then on its impact on religious belief.

Scrabble “Plus”
Our Scrabble Group meet twice a month, on the second and fourth Tuesdays. As we meet in private homes our numbers are limited to the 10 current attendees.
Depending on how many turn up, we generally play two games of three people at the dining table and up to four can play at the card table we all pitched in to purchase for $40. We have an agreed set of “rules” which help our games flow better. The table,4 Scrabble sets, dictionaries, etc, travel between the various hosts’ homes. It all seems to work seamlessly.
This is an easy group to manage as the group is so supportive of each other, offering to host when the list of upcoming dates is emailed to them and always ready to help each other out when unforeseen things happen. It is a privilege to be part of such a friendly group whose relationships have spilled over into every-day activities like lunching or spending time together, sharing books and movies we have enjoyed, as well as cards and board games. It’s more than “just Scrabble”.

Singing Group
If you would enjoy singing songs from the Beetles, ABBA, Leonard Cohen, Paul Simon and many other favourites please consider coming to our group. We are not a choir, just people who enjoy singing, which is very good for our mental and physical well-being.
Our next scheduled get together will be at Te Hāpua (Halswell Library), at 1.30 pm in the Piharau Room on the 18 September. Please bring a gold coin donation to cover the room hire. Just let me know if you would like to join us.
Lynne Bull

Photography Group Report
At our August meeting we looked at what to focus on in bird photography, settings for low light photography and how to take good photographs of mountains by remembering to use the rising sun, finding an interesting foreground such as a reflection, and the overall composition.

Family History

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 3rd 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 3rd 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 19th 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.

June 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

New Groups to be started as plans are sorted
Singing, Garden Visits, City Visits

U3A Cycling June

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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 16 June we cycled from Halswell to Northwood on the Quarryman’s Trail and The Northern Line. The second starting point was Mona Vale. There were 10 of us cycling and we had a pleasant stop at Gloria Jean Café in the Supa Centre at Northwood. On the return we came back to Mona Vale then through the University of

Canterbury on the Uni-Cycle trail, onto the Nor’West Arc to Middleton then the Southern Motorway trail for a short time then through Nga Puna Wai back to Halswell. It was a good outing.

Family history

Last month we learnt of the various occupations of some of our ancestors; cobbler, waterman, wagoner, gum digger were a few and so very different from similar occupations today. However, none of us found any slubber doffers, dog whippers or mule scavengers among them. 
 
There will be no meeting in July. 

If you are interested in joining this group please contact   Either Carole: Julia:

Photography Group

The next Photography Group meeting will be on Friday 18 July at 10am at 20A Victors Road, Hoon Hay. New members welcome.

We will be revising the set up for some new cameras, looking at easy steps in the use of different camera modes and commencing on outdoor photography.

More than just Scrabble  

The U3A Scrabble Group have become a tight knit group of supportive friends.  We have gained a lot more than the companionship of playing Scrabble together. Over the past months five of our members have found themselves in hospital and our lovely group have rallied around in support.  This has been an unexpected outcome of our group and is much more than I expected when I first joined.

As we meet in private homes our membership is closed to the 10 existing attendees.  If you too would like to enjoy the companionship, support and friendship of others through playing Scrabble, our group would happily help you get started – all that is needed is a boxed set or two of Scrabble, a couple of dictionaries, and around three or four people willing to play and host the group in their home.  Get in touch with Judith Densie via one of the committee members to get started.  Happy Scrabbling.

May 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

U3A Cycling May

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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 19 May we cycled from Halswell to the Heathcote Valley on the Quarryman’s Trail, around the river and on the Heathcote Expressway. We had alternative starting places at PMH and The Tannery. There were 15 of us and it was a beautiful autumn day. We enjoyed our coffee at Silos Café.
On Friday 30 May we cycled from Halswell to Rolleston via Lincoln on dedicated cycleways. It was a lovely ride with alternative starting points at Prebbleton and Lincoln. There were 14 of us and it was another beautiful autumn day until the southerly blew 

They all have a back story and that backstory relates to one of our ancestors. These articles remain treasured heirlooms held by this generation and it was very interesting to hear their backstories from varying corners of the globe.

The June meeting will find us looking at various occupations that our ancestors may have had, occupations that no longer exist or have changed dramatically over the years.
Our next meeting will be on 17th June at 1.30pm. If you are interested, in joining our meetings please contact either 
Carole & Julia

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

The photographers special interest group next meeting will be on Friday 20 June (Matariki) at 10am at 20a Victors Road Hoon Hay. We will be continuing on with discussions on getting going with new equipment and close up photography. Eric

Family History

March 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

BOOK GROUP
Our next book is ‘Meet Me at the Museum’ by Anne Youngson. A novel of self- discovery and second chances. Written entirely in letter form between two individuals.
Ros

CURRENT AFFAIRS GROUP
We have secured a presentation/discussion session with Andrei Moore -our local City Councillor.
However, because of Council commitments, he can only attend on the 4th Wednesday (instead of our usual 3rd Wednesday). As there is a small number of our regular members who can’t attend on that date, we will have a few places(up to 6) for other members of U3A.
Should you be interested in attending (first come first served) – contact Graeme McNally

CYCLING GROUP
We have two organised rides each month, on the 3rd Monday and the last Friday.
We ride mainly on dedicated cycleways. Each ride has two start points to accommodate distance and speed preferences of members. Most members have e-bikes. New members are always welcome.
On Monday 17th of march we cycled from Honby to Halswell, around Broomfield to Church Corner (South Express Cycleway) thento the Pioneer Centre (Nor’West Arc Cycleway) then to christchurch adventure Park where we had coffee. It was a hot NW day so lovely stop for our 8 members to enjoy a good chat. We headed back to Halswell on the Quarryman’s Trail.
On Friday the 28th of March we cycled from Halswell into the CBD (Quarryman’s trail) then to Mona Vale where we joined the Northern Line to Northlands. From there we cycled on the Papanui Parallel to Meshino’s where we had coffee. The 7 of us enjoyed our chat then continued onto Bealey Ave and the CBD. We followed the Promenade to the Boat Sheds then headed back to Halswell on the Southern Motorway cycleway.
As you can see we are on cylceways for almost all of every ride.

FAMILY HISTORY GROUP
Our last meeting, on the worst day of March weatherwise, was centered around the topic of what images should be included in our family histories and what images should be put into albums. Also discussed was the importance of sorting and labelling photos.
We meet on the third Tuesday of the month at 1.30pm.
If you would be interested in joining in our meetings contact either Carole at
or Julia

HISTORY GROUP
We will be studying Unit 3 of The Shaping of the Modern Mind – A New Heaven and a New Earth, covers the 17th Century and how Science proves to be immensely important

MOVIE GROUP
Usually about ten of us enjoy a movie at the Academy Gold Theatre in Colombo Mall every fourth Tuesday of the month. New faces are welcome! The choice of film is varied and often no choice as I just book whatever is showing on a Tuesday morning! No disasters yet as mostly the entertainment has been pleasing to all. Afterwards everyone is happy to share a coffee or eats at one of the cafes in the mall or we walk around to the Just Desserts in Wordsworth St for a change. We are a friendly group and please join us!!
Gill

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP
The photography Group had a good meeting on Friday 21st February when we discussed close-up photography and the use of extension rings to achieve the same result as a macro lens. Then we practised using various camera extension rings and exchanged experiences on their use.
We also tried a few close-up shots and discussed possible camera settings. At the next meeting we will continue with exploring close- up photography options and settings plus any other topics raised.
Because of Good Friday and ANZAC day are on Fridays in April, our next meeting will be Friday 2nd May at 10am at 20A Victors Road Hoon Hay. Additional members very welcome.
Eric

THEATRE APPRECIATION GROUP
Members of our group are looking forward to a visit to the latest Elmwood Players performance of ‘Hold the Arsenic’ later in April. We will then be booking seats for Repertory’s production of ‘Killer Boobs’ a month later. If any U3A members would like to join our party, please let me know. Note that our regular meetings are held on the fourth Thursday of each month at 1.15pm. Again let me know if you would like to be included.
David

February 2025

U3A Cycling February

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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 17 February we cycled to Lincoln from Halswell on the Little River Rail Trail and came back via Tai Tapu. 
On Friday 28 February we cycled from Swanns Rd to New Brighton on Te Ara Otakaro (Avon River Trail) and then continued around South Shore spit. We rode on some of the new ‘City to the Sea’ pathway and saw lots more areas being developed.
We had good weather on both days and had 7 and 11 riders respectively.
Mary

FAMILY HISTORY GROUP

Last month’s meeting found the group discussing useful sources of information when recording their families’ histories. This month our topic will be ”sorting which photos should be included’.  As always there followed an interesting time catching up with any new discoveries made by members and any mysteries that had been solved. 
If you are interested in joining this group, please contact either Carole or Julia

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

The first meeting of a small photography group was held on Friday 21st February and after introductions, coffee and discussions on topics of interest we looked at photographing flowers. We also discussed what cameras we each had and the downloading of photos onto computers.
We decided our next meeting would be on Friday 10th March at 10am, again at our place a 20A Victors Road, Hoon Hay when our main topic will be on close up photography. A few more members would be most welcome.
Eric

January 2025

TRAVEL GROUP

Is there anyone or group of members who would like to run this group for 2025?

URBAN EXPLORERS

At this stage, two members are prepared to run the Thursday Group, but they are unable to cover the Tuesday group. We are hoping a couple of members of that group will step up.

CYCLING GROUP  

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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. Most members have e-bikes. New members are always welcome.

On Friday 31 January we cycled from Halswell to Raspberry Café, Tai Tapu then around the block past Otahuna Lodge and Cossars Winery back to the café for coffee. Eleven of us met up for a pleasant chat over coffee outside.

Family History Group

This group meets on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 1.30pm. Our first meeting for this year will be on Tuesday 18th February.

We are interested in tracing our families’ ancestors, discovering their stories and something of the times in which they lived. 

If you are interested in finding out more about  this group please contact either Carole or Julia

PHOTOGRAPHY GROUP

Eric Livingston is keen to start a photography Group. If you are keen to participate, contact Lynne u3a.southwestchch@gmail.com

November 2024

BOOK GROUP

Book Group – current book is ’The ‘Mother’.  A thriller that is a compelling twisty pageturner.  

CYCLING GROUP U3A Cycling November

On Monday 18 November we rode along the Summit Rd east of the Sign of the Kiwi café to Mt Pleasant. There were 8 of us and it was the first time we had organised a ride along the Summit Rd. We had lovely views out over the city and the coastline. We had coffee at the Sign of the Kiwi café.

On Friday 29 November we met at the Roto Kohatu Reserve and rode through to Clearwater and the Groynes on the Otukaikino Trail and onto the Waimakariri River before joining the Northern Cycleway back to Belfast for coffee at Loef’s Bakery & Café.  We headed back to the Groynes along the Waimarie Cycleway and onto our cars. There were 9 members on this ride with an alternative start point being the Dog Park at the Groynes.

For December we are planning a potluck lunch for members of the cycling group.

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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.

FAMILY HISTORY GROUP

HISTORY

History Group is in recession until the new year

SCRABBLE GROUP

Thank goodness for the supportive group of Scrabble players we have developed into since we started.

Pre-Christmas we had two members in hospital and one whose elderly parent passed away.  Much aroha, virtual hugs and love are currently keeping us all going.

My thanks go to a wonderful group of people who make this all happen.  Merry Christmas everyone.  See you in 2025.  Judith  

TRAVEL GROUP

This group is no longer running unless there is someone else prepared to take it over. Thank you to Karen and Grant for running this group each year. They had to contend with lock downs over the Covid period when we not permitted to travel. Not an easy task when the group focused on the travels of the members.

URBAN EXPLORERS

Season’s Greetings to all.  The time has come for new leadership of the walking group.  I will not be continuing my role in Urban Explorers but will offer support to those who take over.  It is my suggestion that a committee be formed to spread the planning.  I have enjoyed our explorations of the city and surrounding areas – and learnt a lot!  Thank you for your support. Ngaire

October 2024

Book Group

The current book is ‘Miss Jane’. The story of the life of Jane Chisholm, born in early
twentieth-century rural Mississippi with a birth defect that will stand in the way of the central ‘uses’ for a woman in that time and place.
Ros

Current Affairs Group

No report this month

Cycling Group

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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 October five members rode from Halswell to the University then onto Northlands Mall and the Papanui Parallel cycleway where we stopped for coffee at Meshinos. After coffee we continued on into the CBD, along the Promenade and back to Halswell on the Quarryman’s Trail. It was a beautiful, mild day.

On Friday 25 October we rode from Halswell along the river to the Tannery for coffee at the Brewery Bar then into the CBD on the Heathcote Expressway across Hagley Park and back to Halswell on the South Express, Nor’West Arc and Quarrymans Trail/Southern Motorway cycleway. It was a lovely sunny day and very warm – perfect for being out on our bikes. There were 9 of us on this ride.

Family History Group

History Group

We have come to the end of “History of Ancient Egypt’ which proved a fascinating
insight in the beliefs and customs of the people. For 2025 the group has selected
‘The shaping of the modern mind’ course. I will enrol in this in December and our
first group meeting will be on 20th February 2025.
Ros

Scrabble Group

As the end of 2024 approaches our group has arranged to celebrate with a shared
lunch before our last meeting, early in December. This has been a very successful
year with great attendance at our twice monthly meetings.

As the current coordinator of the group I thank everyone for their support when
asked to volunteer to host our get togethers. It’s lovely to share everyone’s
company, along with special occasions like birthdays and the birth of mokopuna
(grandchildren), as well as the not so special moments like stolen cars and speeding
tickets when in a hurry to get to Scrabble!

I look forward to another year of friendship, support, fun and Scrabble in 2025.
Thanks everyone for contributing to a very successful Scrabble Group.
Judith

September 2024

BOOK GROUP

This month we are reading ’The Blackout Book Club’ by Amy Lynn Green. This is an engaging story that illustrates the power of books to unite and encourage us in trying times.

CURRENT AFFAIRS GROUP

This group meets monthly -3rd Wednesday at 10.00am -at the Halswell Library/Service Centre Te Hapua. We are a group of about 25 -30 regular and enthusiastic attendees, and we discuss/learn about a wide range of current affairs/current issues. In the last two months we have discussed “The Future of Transportation” and “Gene Engineering + Modification”. Most meetings comprise a combination of discussion and viewing/commenting on related video clips.
Our October topic will be “Electing a President in the USA” and in November we will venture into the city -walk around and discuss “What Should be Done to revive Cathedral Square”. An end of year lunch (probably at the Church Pub) will follow that meeting.

CYCLING GROUP

We have 2 organised rides each month, on the 3rd 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 16 September we cycled from Halswell to Rolleston via Lincoln on dedicated cycleways. It was a lovely ride with an alternative starting point at Lincoln.
There were 9 of us and it was the first time we had ridden the ‘Lincoln to Rolleston’ part.
We had a very enjoyable coffee stop at the Majestic Café at Rolleston Fields.
On Friday 27 September we met near the QEII roundabout and cycled on the Northern Corridor cycleway to Kaiapoi, meeting the second group at the Old Waimakariri Bridge car park. From Kaiapoi we rode along the Pegasus Bay Trail to Beach Rd then out to Kairaki Beach where there were lots of people whitebaiting. Then back to and along Beach Rd into Beach Grove subdivision through to Kaiapoi Domain and along the stop banks to our coffee stop at Paris for the Weekend café. We then opted to ride along the stop banks back to the Old Waimak Bridge car park. There were 12 of us cycling on a glorious sunny but cool morning. The total ride was 45km with the shorter option 26km.

FAMILY HISTORY

Our first names are SIT our last names are STAY!
During our September meeting we learned how our earliest ancestor arrived in New Zealand. During our October meeting we will hear the origins of an ancestral surname in our family tree.
We meet on the 3rd Tuesday of the month at 1.30pm.If you are interested in tracing your family history you are welcome to join us
http://www.u3aswchch.org.nz/genealogy/

HISTORY

We are on the final unit 7 of our History of Ancient Egypt course. The group will decide what we will take next and the dates for 2025.

MOVIE GROUP

We meet every fourth Tuesday morning to enjoy a variety of films, generally at The Academy Gold theatre in the Colombo Mall.
Notification for the following Tuesday is sent the Friday beforehand and plenty of time to decide whether to attend or not by Monday morning. Late bookings can be catered for – usually! Everyone pays for their seat on arrival at the Academy.
There are often a few doubts about a movie, but no one has been disappointed yet and something different may be a challenge perhaps.
Come and join us and we enjoy a coffee and chat afterwards, sometimes about the movie and sometimes not.

SCRABBLE GROUP

A group of strangers got together to play Scrabble when Nicky started the U3A Scrabble Interest Group several years ago. Some, like me, had not played Scrabble since the days of playing with their children. That group (now 10) are no longer strangers, but a group of supportive friends, willing to share and help each other out.
Our Scrabble group meets twice a month, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday afternoons. Group membership has been restricted to 10 because we meet in each other’s homes. We laugh, we challenge each other on the meaning of weird words, we solve the problems of the world over a cuppa, we criticise the inability of the modern youth to use correct grammar but try to stay away from controversial subjects like the presidential election in the USA.
You too, could have all of this. As a group of friends, we would be happy to help another group of strangers find what we have found in the way of fun and companionship.
On the U3A website, u3aswchch.org.nz, go to the “About Us” tab, Then select “Contact Us” – fill in the form indicating you are interested in playing Scrabble with a new group. Our click HERE to open the Scrabble form
A committee member will pass the message on to Judith Densie, as the current Convenor of Scrabble. Alternatively approach Judith at a U3A meeting