A trip out to a historic bach at Waikuku last week was enjoyed by several Village Residents. The weather was stunning and we enjoyed listening to stories about the history of the bach. Sue and Charlie’s new puppy Clyde provided some entertainment and the BBQ was delicious.
Last week some of our residents went for an outing to The Groynes, where they enjoyed a cup of tea, feeding the ducks and reminiscing of the days when they had brought their families out for picnics.
It’s hard to imagine this today but some of our Thorrington residents enjoyed an outing to Sumner Beach recently, where they enjoyed walking along the beach, eating ice-cream and soaking in the sun.
A few weeks ago Katrina took some of our village residents on an outing to Birdlings Flat. They took flasks and enjoyed hot drinks, biscuits and the view. Some residents wandered down to the water’s edge and enjoyed looking at the tempestuous water.
Archer Tours trip to Violinos Music Farm just out of Ashburton was fantastic.
Ruth kept us entertained for four hours with stories and demonstrations of instruments and memorabilia. We were impressed that somehow, she got us all to play an instrument and make a lovely sound. There was so much to see inside and outside the house.
Unfortunately, it was raining some of the time so we were limited in how much time we spent outside (a good reason to go again) but we certainly filled in the time and enjoyed a lovely home-baked morning tea and yummy lunch.
We recommend you check it out – www.atviolinos.co.nz. You need to make an appointment to visit and can ring Ruth on 027 602 8239.
We had a lovely day travelling over the hill to Governors Bay to visit Ohinetahi – the beautiful home and gardens of Sir Miles Warren, which was gifted to the nation in 2012. It was lovely to meander and explore the extensive gardens and art, followed by a delicious home-made afternoon tea, finishing with a tour around the lower level of the homestead.
Last week some of our village residents went on a drive out to Waikuku to visit our Sales Manager Sue and her husband Charlie’s nearly 100 year old Bach. Charlie shared the history of the Bach and told stories of the shenanigans he used to get up to as a child. Some residents took a walk to the beach and then a good old kiwi BBQ was enjoyed.
Happy New Year everyone. Archer kicked off the New Year with a trip to Pleasant Point via Ashburton for ice-creams. Once at Pleasant Point it was a time of relaxation, bush walks, toasting marshmellows, making s’mores and enjoying a BBQ lunch. We hope you all had a safe and enjoyable Christmas and New Year and we look forward to seeing you during the year.
Archer Tours Mystery Trip is always a fun time with people trying to guess where we are heading off to.
This year our first stop was The Shirley Community Centre where Jane told us about the great things they are doing in the Shirley community which was very encouraging. Next stop Christchurch City Mission – what a wonderful organisation meeting needs of people in Christchurch – please consider giving them a donation towards their tireless work.
Lunch was at The George where we got well looked after and had a wee rest. We learnt about Belgium chocolate at de Spa Chocolatier and a few of us were tempted to purchase some goodies for later.
Our final stop was at the New Brighton Museum where Peggy gave us an interesting talk, we shared some of our memories of early New Brighton, enjoyed looking at the memorabilia and watching the slide show.
Archer Tours trip to Riccarton House included a lovely afternoon tea and a very interesting talk hearing stories about early European settlers of Canterbury, William and John Deans and John’s long distance love affair and eventual marriage to Jane.
After the tragic death of John, Jane decided to stay in Canterbury and look after the estate until her son John was old enough to take over.
It was lovely to see some of the timber from the property crafted into fittings for the house, be amongst trees between 400 and 600 years old and take a step back in time into the original cottage built in 1843.
It was an early start, but a few hearty souls braved the frosty conditions and hopped aboard the warm carriages of the Tranzalpine Train to enjoy the picturesque journey to Arthur’s Pass.
There wasn’t a lot of snow but the white frost, icy puddles and low-lying cloud against the snow-capped mountains made for some beautiful winter scenery.
Lunch was enjoyed in Arthur’s Pass followed by a drive to the Viaduct Lookout, then it was back to Christchurch in the Archer vans.
Overall, the general consensus was it was well worth the early start to the day and everyone slept well that night!
Archer tours recently paid a visit to the Northbrook Colonial Museum in Rangiora. The owner, retired dairy farmer, Richard Spark, kept everyone entertained by asking us to guess what various gadgets were used for. We were fascinated by the multitude displays of just about everything you can imagine from bygone years. There were lots of exclamations and excitement as various objects brought back treasured memories from decades ago. Richard prepared afternoon tea for everyone and lots of reminiscing continued over a cuppa.
Archer Tours recent trip to Akaroa was a fun-filled day with wonderful weather. It was lovely to take in the beautiful surroundings and engage in a bit of frivolity. Good behaviour was rewarded with ice-creams!
One lovely warm February day, Archer Tours took a trip out to the beach settlement of Waikuku, enjoying the ambiance of an original 1930’s bach and listening to Charlie sharing stories of the history of the bach and some of the shenanigans that went on there.
Following a good old kiwi BBQ and salad lunch, residents spent a few hours relaxing under the shade of the trees while some braved the hot sand and enjoyed a paddle and even a swim in the ocean – something some of them hadn’t done for years.
There was also a wee celebration for Sue (our Sales Manager) and Charlie as they look forward to their upcoming wedding.