Merry Makers and guests met for the monthly meeting on on March 2 at Jamesway Manor in Clifford. March birthdays were acknowledged for Ethel Whitehead, Edie Henry, and Leona Walls.
Edie Henry introduced guest speaker Rosemary Newman who shared highlights of her trip to New Zealand with her husband Blair Wightman. Her opening quiz acquainted everyone with the island situated 990 km from Australia.
The couple visited the south island to tour Christchurch where they saw the earthquake-damaged city.
Travelling by bicycle, they studied the spectacular countryside with its stunning picturesque scenery. The Alpine hike, grazing sheep, meagre gold rush town, and interesting whitebait omelette pushed them to explore the island on a heli hike. The helicopter landed on the top of the mountain and they followed the path to the sparkling lake. They experienced the next rising sun from the dizzying height of a hot air balloon. Heading east in an RV, they manoeuvred through a cave of a tunnel that took 15 years to complete. Kayaking 16 km in the Tasmania Sea, they were led to a 1,000 metre waterfall, reached the most southerly tip of the island, saw perfectly rounded boulders on the beach, and were half way to the south pole.
Rosemary wore souveniers of her trip – abalone shell earrings and a Moreno wool sweater with decorative paua shell buttons. Kathy Hendry thanked Rosemary for her presentation and turned the program over to Christina Herman who shared a couple Irish songs, poems, and jokes, finishing with an Irish blessing. Marion Wylie shared a story from The Voice regarding new church instructions in technological terms.
The ladies served sweet treats and Jello dessert cups along with cups of tea to finish the meeting.
The group may be heading to the Belmore Maple Syrup Festival in April.
