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.