Welly Rocks

Pictures of meet up

2009-04-27T19:44:00.002+12:00

On a lovely Saturday we had another meet up in Macs brewery and this time we welcomed 3 new migrants. Most of the people who attended the meet did not see the fantastic win of the local rugby heroes. This was only because of the lively conversations and when we left it was nearly midnight.

Welly Rocks Meet Up Next - Saturday 25th April 2009

2009-04-20T18:31:00.000+12:00

The next Welly Rocks Meet up will be on Saturday 25 April 2009 and has a special subject: Rugby. It is the day that the local Wellington team The Hurricanes play against The Brumbies from Canberra, Australia in the Super 14 competition.

We will gather around 4.30 p.m. in Mac's Brewery to welcome newcomers in Wellington and enjoy this spacious and nicely situated bar close to the Te Papa museum.

The game starts at 07.35 p.m. and there are big screens to watch the game in the bar. Alternatively, for those who will be heading towards the stadium, you can always kick off with a few rounds of drinks at Mac's. It is also a perfect opportunity to find out what the rules of rugby are if you are not familiar with the game.

Cheers

Marco and Sham

28 March meet up and pictures

2009-03-29T09:53:00.007+13:00

The first event in autumn was a success again and not only because of the weather. We welcomed 7 people who just arrived in Wellington and while enjoying the drinks and the food we shared information around several subjects like job hunting, the city and hobbies.The next meet up will probably being held at the end of April and if someone has got an idea around venue please drop us an email (info@wellyrocks.com).

Meet up Saturday 28 March 2009

2009-03-21T19:06:00.002+13:00

Hello all

On Saturday 28 March from 13.30 pm onwards there will be the second Welly Rocks meet up of 2009. This time it will be in Macs Brewery, so close to Te Papa for those who want to visit the museum as well. It is a great opportunity to meet each other and welcome migrants who recently arrived in Wellington.
Feel free to bring family or friends so they can meet other migrants and have a nice Saturday afternoon.

Hilly & Marco
Welly Rocks - Your stepstone into Wellingtonwww.wellyrocks.com

YES Picnic time 31 January 2009

2009-01-31T07:21:00.002+13:00

Hello everyone

The weather forecast for today (31 January 2009) looks perfect so the picnic will go ahead in Wilton Bush.

Hope to see you in a couple of hours.

Cheers

Hilly and Marco

Picnic 31 January 2009

2009-01-22T20:44:00.002+13:00

Hello everyone

The last Welly Rocks meet up event was a picnic in Otari's Wilton Bush and we had a great time and perfect weather conditions. As January is a month with a lot of new migrants arriving it is time for an outdoor event again. A picnic is a real kiwi tradition in summertime and therefore to welcome the newcombers but also to meet people you have not seen for a while it will be another picnic in Otari Wilton's Bush.
The picnic will be held on 31 January from noon onwards (weather permitting) in the Troup Picinic Area of Otari Wilton's Bush, a great place to meet, play or have a walk through the parc/bush. On Saturday morning 31 January a note will be put on this tread so you can check if the picinic will go ahead.
There is a barbeque area so if you want to have a bbq, bring some coins with you and enjoy the barbie and a drink.

See you next week

Hilly and Marco

the perfect weather conditions for a picnic

2008-11-30T15:23:00.003+13:00

And again we had a spring picnic in Wilton Otari Bush. Last year the weather was perfect but yesterday it was maybe even better. Imgaine how summer will be!!
We welcomed four new families of which one arrived 5 days ago and we are already looking forward to the next meet up because we know that there are new migrant arriving within the next couple of weeks.
December will be busy with all kind of Christmas functions so probably at the end of January will be the next meet up.

Cheers

Hilly and Marco

Weather forecast looks perfect

2008-11-28T16:40:00.001+13:00

Hello all

The picnic will be held tomorrow because the weather forecast looks perfect.
19 degreees and sun, what else do you want.

See you tomorrow.

Hilly and Marco

Picnic Time ! 29 November Otari's Wilton Bush

2008-11-03T13:37:00.010+13:00

Hi All !!

During our last meeting at Speight's Ale House we already discussed the next event. As some of you may remember last spring we had a picnic in Otari's Wilton Bush and we had a great time and how lovely the weather was !! We think it is time for an outdoor event again and although it is not summer yet we know the weather can be really nice this time of year so we give it a try !

The picnic will be held on 29 November from noon onwards (weather permitting) in the Troup Picnic Area of Otari's Wilton Bush, a great place to meet, play or have a walk. On Saturday morning 29 November a note will be put on the weblog so you can check if the picnic will go ahead. If the weather is really bad we will postpone the event till the next Saturday.

Come and join us !! and bring your snacks, finger food, drinks and other goodies with you and as always this is a perfect opportunity to meet other migrants and share ideas or information.

Hope to seeing you all !

Marco and Hilly

28 September and pictures

2008-09-29T19:50:00.003+13:00

Thanks for coming along at our meet up in the Speights Ale House and it was great to welcome a couple of new faces on this beautiful spring day. Because the Botanical Gardens celebrated the yearly Tulip Day it was a bit busy on Tinakori Road, but still a lot of you could make it. The meet up was a less Soccer Meet Up as planned and in the end only four went to the stadium. We do hope they enjoyed the match and as the Wellington Phoenix won with 2-1 it must have been a great atmosphere.
Unfortunately, our specials guest, the journalist of Radio New Zealand could not make it at the last moment but he already mentioned that he want to come along for our next meet up.

Anyway as we said, it was a great meet up again! Hope to seeing you all at the next event !Cheers,

Hilly & Marco

additional information 28 September meet up

2008-09-13T10:41:00.002+12:00

Hi All

We have been approached by Tim Graham, a journalist/reporter of Radio New Zealand News. While Tim was surfing the web he came across Welly Rocks and its activities and became interested in this social network group.
On Friday 12 September Hilly and Marco had a meeting with Tim and discussed what he wants to do. As a result of our very pleasant meeting we have invited him to attend our next meet up on Sunday 28 September in the Speights bar, which is on the same day the Wellington Phoenix play against Sydney FC. For those who are interested in watching the game in the stadium, a perfect place to gather. Tim would like to interview some of the Welly Rocks members. In general the questions will involve your immigration to NZ and Wellington in particular and the Welly Rocks meet ups. The interviews won't take long and will be broadcasted on National Radio in the program's " Morning Report" from 6am-9am or " Check Point" from 5pm-7pm. This will confirmed by Tim at a later stage.
For Welly Rocks this is a recognition of bringing (new) migrants together and a wonderful opportunity to promote the social meet ups. So we would like to remind you on the next meet up on Sunday 28 September at 2.30 pm in Speight's Ale House in Thorndon, everybody welcome, even when you're not a football fan !

Soccer Meet Up Sunday 28 September

2008-08-24T11:42:00.007+12:00

Hi All,

As you may know, Wellington has is own Soccer Club called ' Wellington Phoenix'. One of the upcoming big matches is on Sunday 28 September when the Wellington Phoenix will play Sydney FC in the A-league competition game in the Westpac Stadium in Wellington. Welly Rocks will organise a meet up around this event. For those who are not familiar with soccer, there will be other Welly Rocks members who can explain the rules.

The location for this meeting is The Speight's Ale House on Tinakori Road in Thorndon, Wellington from 2.30 pm onwards. For those who want to go to the stadium to watch the game you can head to the stadium around 4 pm having enough time to buy tickets and watch the game. For those who are not interested in watching the game, you can stay and continue your conversation with a glass of wine, beer or cup of tea/coffee.

If you are keen to join us, please drop us an email on info@wellyrocks.com

The social event will be around soccer but will also give recently arrived migrants to meet other 'new Wellingtonians' who are a bit longer in the city.

There will also be a special guest and we are looking forward to seeing you all.

Cheers,

Marco & Hilly

Pictures from the mid winter meet up in the Hummingbird

2008-08-04T13:25:00.004+12:00

Hello all

This beautiful winter day the sun didn't only shine (finally) outside but also inside the Hummingbird. We thought the atmosphere was great and it was nice to see everybody chatting and enjoying themselves! It was good to see so many familiar faces and also welcoming new ones ! We received very positive feedback about the location "the Hummingbird" from several attendants so we will keep this in mind. If anybody has a suggestion about a location you think it's worth trying for a meet up, we are more than happy to know, so please drop us an email.

Hope to seeing you all at the next event !

Cheers,

Marco and Hilly

Midwinter Meet Up Sunday 3 august

2008-06-25T13:57:00.010+12:00

Dear All,

Winter has arrived and it would be nice to have a Midwinter meet up on Sunday 3 August in the heart of Wellington CBD. We will meet up at 2.30pm in the Hummingbird which is number 22 Courtenay Place.

http://www.wotzon.com/profilepage.html?comp_id=1002129&CatID=2

This is a nice winter location and everyone will enjoy the warm atmosphere in there. It has a reputation as a Jazz lounge but that is normally a lot later in the evening so those who choose to stay can take the odd photograph if they want.

It is also New Zealand Film festival and a perfect opportunity to make it a special day out in Wellington (www.nzff.co.nz).

A reply at info@wellyrocks.com would be much appreciated if you would like to join us.

Bring your friends, colleagues and neighbours and looking forward to seeing you all at the Hummingbird.

Marco and Hilly

Pictures from All Blacks - Ireland game

2008-06-09T20:42:00.004+12:00

On Saturday 7 June 2008 we had a meet up in The Speight’s Ale House which started at 3.30 pm with a presentation from a former rugby player. The presentation was around the All Blacks but also around the basic rules of rugby. We saw a special videoclip of the Haka and at the end of the presentation everyone learned something around rugby they did not know before. Later that evening we watched the game and understood a bit more of the tactics which was the aim of this presentation for most of the people who attended this meet up. The atmosphere in the pub was really good and besides enjoying the game there was enough time to chat with each other and share information. Till next time and a few pictures for those who couldn’t make it due to other commitments.

Hilly and Marco

Rugby Meet Up 7 June

2008-05-07T13:36:00.003+12:00

Hello (new)migrants to the Wellington area.

As you probably know, rugby is the number 1 sport in New Zealand. One of the upcoming big matches will be played on Saturday 7 June when the All Blacks will play Ireland in the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Welly Rocks has organised a meet up for everyone who is interested in rugby or who wants to watch the game with people who are rugby fans or not so familiar with rugby.

Marco has been in contact with a New Zealander, an all time rugby player who is keen to come to our meet up before the game to give us his views on the game as well as telling a bit about the background of rugby in New Zealand.

The location of this meeting is The Speight’s Ale House on Tinakori Road in Thorndon Wellington where we gather at 3 pm. After his story, people have time enough to go the stadium if they have got tickets and for those who don’t have tickets we can stay and watch the game in The Speight’s Ale House.
Because it will be busy in most of the bars the owner of the bar would like to know how many people will turn up and if there are people who want to have dinner or something else to eat after the presentation. So please drop us an email on info@wellyrocks.com or reply in this thread.

You can check the menu on www.shepherds.co.nz

It is a great opportunity for everyone to catch up or meet recent arrived migrants in Wellington.

Looking forward to meet you.

Hilly and Marco

Meet Up - Friday 2 May at 5pm

2008-04-14T10:25:00.007+12:00

Hi All,

On Friday 2 May from 5pm onwards we will have a Welly Rocks meet up in the Jimmy's Cafe( the St James Theatre, Courtenay Place). Wouldn't it be nice to have a drink and a snack together at the start of the weekend !!
Feel free to bring family, friends, neighbours and colleagues so they can meet other migrants, especially when they are new to the city!

Looking forward to see you all,

Marco and Hilly

A very nice and sunny picnic

2008-03-17T18:55:00.007+13:00

Hello all

It was a lovely and sunny afternoon in the Botanical Gardens, last Saturday.

We welcomed a few new people in Wellington and they enjoyed the lovely weather as much as the Welly Rocks members who are a bit longer in the greater Wellington area. Different issues were discussed and before we knew it was time to say goodbye.

Hope to see you all at the next event!

Cheers

Marco and Hilly

Quiz Night 11 March

2008-02-28T10:59:00.001+13:00

Hi All,

Sheila Messer is organizing a Quiz Night

Date And Time:
Tuesday, March 11
Quiz night starts at 7:30PM but come at 6:30-7PM to
order dinner, drinks or just visit before the event
starts.

Place:
Bristol
131 - 133 Cuba St
More info at:
http://www.hotelbristol.co.nz/new_quiz.php

Cost:
It’s free except for your drinks & food and we might
win a $100 bar tab.

RSVP:
Please let me know if you can come as I should let the
Bristol know if we have a large number of people going
Max team size is 8 though so if we have lots of ppl we
can make multiple teams.
My email is sheila_messer@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Sheila Messer

Picnic - Saturday 15 March at 12.30 pm

2008-02-14T10:27:00.017+13:00

Hi all,

This great summer inspired us to organise for the next Welly Rocks meeting another picnic. This time in the Botanical Gardens at the Children`s Play Area on Saturday 15 March from 12.30 pm onwards. This is also a nice opportunity for mums&dads and kids to join in ! Depending on the weather conditions please check the website in the morning on March the 15th if the picnic will go on. When the weather is too bad for a picnic we will meet the same day (15March) also from 12.30 pm in the Speights Ale house "The Shepherd`s Arms" in Thorndon: http://www.shepherds.co.nz/

Map of the Botancial Gardens http://www.wellington.govt.nz/services/gardens/botanicgardens/pdfs/botanicmap.pdf

Let`s hope the sun will shine!

Looking forward to see you all!

Cheers,

Marco and Hilly

Anita's farewell

2008-02-04T22:27:00.000+13:00

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon we had the first Welly Rocks meeting of 2008. Around 30 people turned up and it was great to meet a couple of new faces. Today was the last time Anita was around as she is heading off to Blenheim for a two year wine course. That's why Hilly Lutter and Marco van Hofwegen, who are going to to look after Welly Rocks, had not organised anything special but the sun. Blenheim had the most sun hours in 2007, but Wellington is doing very well in 2008 and hopefully the next meeting will be as beautiful as today.

Go Wellington!!!!!

Hilly & Marco

Reminder - Sunday 3 February 2008

2008-01-28T19:42:00.000+13:00

Hi all,

It is great that Marco planned a meet up on Sunday 3 February from 12:30pm, since I am back in town and eager to meet you again and especially to welcome newcomers to the city.

Hopefully the summer will hold on for a little while, so we can enjoy the sun on the terrace of Mac's Brewery. For me it will be the last Welly Rocks for a while since I will be living outside Wellington, but luckily I found two volunteers to keep Wellington Rocking for us immigrants: Hilly Lutter and Marco van Hofwegen, who can be contacted via this website or on info@wellyrocks.com

See you next Sunday!

Anita

first Welly Rocks of 2008

2008-01-12T20:06:00.000+13:00

Hello all

On Sunday 3 February from 12.30 pm onwards we will have the first Welly Rocks meet up of 2008.
This time it will be in Mac's Brewery, so close to Te Papa for those who want to visit the museum as well. It is a great opportunity to meet each other and welcome migrants who recently arrived in Wellington.

Feel free to bring family or friends so they can meet other migrants and have a nice Sunday afternoon.

Marco van Hofwegen(partner of Anita)

Season's Greetings

2007-12-14T11:53:00.000+13:00

And some more pictures of the Xmas Party in the Jimmy on 13 December:
http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t3/wellyrocks/Welly%20Rocks%20Xmas%20131207/?

Xmas Party - Thursday 13 December

2007-11-28T20:31:00.000+13:00

Since we are getting closer to the end of the year - you can notice this when the days are getting longer and longer and because Santa Claus arrived in town last week, I would like to suggest a Xmas Party on

Thursday 13 December 2007 from 5:00pm in The Jimmy Cafe (St James Theatre)

I have chosen this evening because the choir Nota Bene will be singing Christmas Carols and thus we can get in the right Xmas mood. However, for this event there is only limited space available and since The Jimmy will order some food for attendants (around $10 a head) I would like to know who is interested in this, before I make a final booking.
Please let me know by Monday 3 December noon on anita@wellyrocks.com if you would like to join and of course feel free to bring relatives from overseas, other family/friends, neighbours or who else might be interested, but please provide me with the number of people.

Cheers

Anita

Wasn't it a lovely afternoon?

2007-11-18T10:08:00.000+13:00

It was great meeting a few new people in Wellington again and seeing a lot of familiar faces as well during a sunny afternoon in Wilton-Otari's Bush.

Since we are heading to Xmas now, the next meeting will have a Xmas flavour to it. You can already pencil in Thursday 13 December from 5pm in your calendar - details to follow soonest.

For more pictures of Saturday afternoon see: http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t3/wellyrocks/Welly%20Rocks%20171107/

And for pictures by Rod Badcock :

http://picasaweb.google.com/rod.badcock/Wellyrocks171107

Picnic - Saturday 17 November 2007 at noon

2007-10-28T19:22:00.000+13:00

The weather will not get any better than this blue sky and nice sun - so, yes, the picnic is ON today.
See you soon!
Anita

Our last meeting in the Jimmy on Friday 19 October was quiet, mainly because of the long Labour weekend, but again we could welcome new people to Wellington. This time Sheila and Aron form the USA who had just arrived two days before. However, the success of Welly Rocks is not dependent on the amount of people attending alone, but also on the contacts/friendships that are made/intensified. In that respect it again was a successful meeting in my opinion.

But now the weather seems to be improving and some of you might remember the very successful picnic meeting at the beginning of this year in Otari Wilton's Bush. And although it is not summer yet (today it felt like summer to me) I want to plan a picnic meeting again. Anyone up for this idea?

Please let me know, because when enough of you are enthousiastic about it, I want to plan this on Saturday 17 November in Otari Wilton's Bush at the Troup Picnic Area from noon onwards, weather permitting. If it is really bad we could postpone to the next Saturday.

Cheers,
Anita

For directions see:
http://www.wellington.govt.nz/maps/pdfs/otari-forest-tracks.pdf

Meet Up - Friday 19 October 2007 at 5pm

2007-10-11T20:43:00.000+13:00

Since the last successful evening in the Jimmy on a Friday in August, I thought it would be nice to have another relaxed after work meeting there just before the long Labour Weekend. You can find the Jimmy Cafe in the Westpac St James Theatre on Courtenay Place (opposite the Reading Cinema complex).

So, if you would like to relax a bit with a nice bunch of people come along on Friday 19 October from 5pm

Drinks are cheap ($4 on selected drinks) and you will get a 10% discount card to use for all the other drinks and food (until the end of the year)

And as always, feel free to bring along your friends - especially when they are new to the city.

See you,
Anita van Hofwegen

Rugby - Sunday 7 October 8:00am

2007-10-02T20:06:00.000+13:00

Hello All,

On Sunday 7 October at 8:00am (NZ time) the quarter final between the All Blacks and France will be played in Cardiff.
The Speights Ale House at Tinakori Road will be open from 07:00am (also serving breakfast) and I think this is a fantastic opportunity for all of us to catch up again and to meet some other (new) Wellingtonians.

If you would like to join me - please flick me an e-mail at wellyrocks@gmail.com by Saturday noon at the latest with the amount of people (you can bring your friends), so I can inform the people at the pub about numbers. (And don't forget to practise the national anthem - the NZ-one!!!! in both languages).

This is the place: http://www.shepherds.co.nz/

And to get into the mood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pB7EcZDqXc or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PD1_puuceg0

See you,
Marco (OH of Anita)

UPDATE - Welly Rocks on Friday 24 August 2007

2007-08-15T19:35:00.000+12:00

A few of the very regular Welly Rocks attendees recently asked me ‘when is there another Welly Rocks Meeting?’

So this must mean that it is time to Rock Welly again!

What about Happy Hour at Jimmy Café (at the Westpac St James Theatre) on Friday 24 August 2007 from 5:00pm.
Happy Hour is from 5:00-6:30pm and what is available:
Mac's Gold or Light / Housewine (Five Flax) / House bubbly (Lindauer Brut) only $4.00 each.
And when you come along this Friday you will receive a voucher for 10% discount on all other drinks and snacks.

Since I am quite busy lately I would like to make this a regular monthly Friday afternoon event and plan other – more special – events on an irregular basis. One of the themes I would like to add is culture, mainly Maori culture, because I feel that we – as new immigrants – still have a lot to learn.

So, just come along and spread the word!

Anita

Welly Rocks in Winter - 8 July 2007

2007-07-08T19:34:00.000+12:00

We planned to spend the afternoon around the fireplace in Mac's Brewery. The fireplace was not working though because of the lovely sun that was out all day!! What a winter we have until now in Wellington - enjoying every bit of it.

During the afternoon around 40 people joined the 'party' and a lot of new contacts/friends were made. To give a glimpse of the atmosphere see attached pictures (sorry for the quality - have now cleaned the lens of my camera)

The plan is to have another meeting somewhere in August - so keep an eye out for additional information.

http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t3/wellyrocks/Welly%20Rocks%20in%20Winter%208%20July%202007/?

I hope everyone enjoyed this lazy afternoon and see you all soon,
Anita

Sunday 8 July - Welly Rocks Again!!

2007-07-01T16:18:00.000+12:00

Time flies when you are having fun in Wellington.

However, new immigrants still arrive everyday in this bustling city; so, it is time for another Welly Rocks Meeting.

This will be a good opportunity for recently arrived new immigrants to get to know some people and the place itself, but of course it is also a perfect moment for those who are already longer in Wellington to meet and share the latest information (gossip).

This time there is not a "special theme", apart from having a good time in front of the fire place in Mac's Brewery on

Sunday 8 July from 2 pm onwards

So if you want to join, please drop me an e-mail on anita@wellyrocks.com. If you know any other newcomers, please invite them along, but it would be nice to let me know, so I know how many people to expect. Also when you are active on other forums, please feel free to pass on the message. The more the merrier………..

See you,
Anita

PS For cheap parking see: http://www.wellingtonnz.com/KNOW/WeekendParkingforthoseintheKNOW.htm

Rugby rules !?

2007-04-14T16:59:00.000+12:00

On a beautiful Friday the 13th! we were with around 30 people during Happy Hour at the Jimmy Cafe (Westpac St James Theatre) to learn about the rules of rugby.

Jimmy, thanks for the hospitality!

During an hour's performance, Dave - a real Kiwi bloke - tried to make the game sound sensible to us and I guess he succeeded well. The applause he received after his talk said more than a thousand words.

We now know more about the history of the game, the shape of the ball (http://www.rugbyfootballhistory.com/ball.htm), - the scrum - the rucks - the competitions (http://www.super14.com/), etc.

And we could enjoy much more the game of the Hurricanes against the Cheetahs afterwards in the Mac's. We have screamed our lungs out with every try 'our boys' in yellow scored on the paddock. http://www.hurricanes.co.nz/

To see some pictures from our get-together, see:

http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t3/wellyrocks/Welly%20Rocks%20Meets%20Rugby/?action=viewwidgets

Cheers,

Anita

Welly Rocks Meets Rugby - 13 April

2007-03-31T20:44:00.000+12:00

The next Welly Rocks Meet up will be on 13 April and has as special subject: Rugby.

We have found a real Hurricanes enthusiast who will explain the rules of this fascinating game to us.

We will gather around 5 pm in Jimmy's Cafe on Courtenay Place (next to the Westpac St James Theatre) where we can enjoy Happy Hour from 5 - 6:30 pm. The talk will be from around 5:30 - 6:00, so be in time!!

To be able to watch the match on a big screen we will head to Mac's Brewery to be there before the kick off at 07:30.

Since I have to make special arrangements in the Jimmy's Cafe I would really need to know who will be joining us here - so, please drop me a line at wellyrocks@gmail.com

Cheers,

Anita

Welly Rocks Meets Rugby?

2007-03-27T21:20:00.000+12:00

I have decided on the next date for a Welly Rocks Meet Up - this will be on:

Friday 13th April after work - from 5:00/5:30 somewhere in town

The theme will be Rugby, since the match The Hurricanes - Cheetahs will be played in the Westpac Stadium in Wellington.

Further details around venue etc. will follow shortly - I am working on several options at the moment, so hopefully everything will work out fine. So put in your diary : Friday 13 April Evening!!!!!!

Catch you later!
Anita

WELCOME

2007-03-10T20:14:00.000+13:00

This is the new place to put any news, announcements, pictures etc. around Welly Rocks - your stepstone to better integration in Wellington.

I will try to put on some more news later as well as some pictures.

Hopefully you like it and see you soon.

Anita

http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t3/wellyrocks/