In Gear | Rotary in Southern New Zealand In Gear - Issue 3 | Page 35

Trip of a lifetime on offer

District 9980ers are being invited to register their interest in visiting Sweden this August as part of a Rotary Friendship Exchange .
Programme co-ordinator , Lance Wensley , of the Rotary Club of Timaru , says the return visit , which follows February ’ s trip by a 12-strong group of Swedes , was planned for August 14 to 28 .
“ This should be a great experience for those who can participate – you can be assured of receiving wonderful hospitality ,” Lance says .
He paid tribute to the southern Rotarians who had made the Kiwi trip such a memorable one for the Swedish team : Krister ( team leader ) and Birgitta Lindkvist , from Agunnaryd , Christer and Gun Harplinger , Nils Ola and Eva Hessel and Birgitta and Sven-Göran Persson , all of Halmstad , Sven Åke and Kerstin Hedström , from Falkenberg , and Peråke and Lena Wiberg , of Ljungby .
The group visited , and were hosted by , the Rotary clubs of Timaru , Dunedin South , Invercargill Sunrise , Queenstown and Wanaka , together with the Rotary Club of Fiordland .
“ All of the Rotarians provided the guests generous hospitality , and , for their part , the Swedish team was an exceptionally friendly group .”
A logistical call , Lance says , made for one of the visit ’ s greatest social opportunities .
“ Because they drive on the right-hand side of the road , an early transportation decision was made to hire a 12-seater van to be driven by Rotarians from the successive host clubs . And , that required an accompanying car and an additional driver for each leg of their visit to carry the sixth couple .”
But that accommodation proved far from a hassle .
“ It actually provided a very special time for the car drivers , as there was much interchanging of information and one-on-one , in-depth conversations .”
He says the host clubs provided excellent , and highinterest , itineraries , ensuring there was a good mix of social interaction , club visits , barbecues and picnics , as well as sight-seeing .
“ We are really fortunate to have so many attractions in our district .”
The Swedish visitors enjoyed an itinerary traversing Kiwi icons , experiences and innovations , as well as scenic must-sees , including :
• Te Anau Maori Rock Art Centre
• Lake Wanaka Station
• The Moeraki Boulders
• The Cadbury World Tour
• Otago and Toitū Otago Settlers ’ museums
• The Taieri Gorge Railway
• The World ’ s Fastest Indian motorbike
• Bluff ’ s Te Rau Aroha Marae
• Invercargill ’ s Bill Richardson Transport World
• The Southern Scenic Route
• Milford Sound
• Glow worm caves
• The Arrowtown Chinese Settlement
• Gibbston Valley Wines
• Bungy jumping
• Ridgeline Adventures , Wanaka
• Mt Cook
The Swedish delegation was an absolute pleasure to host , Lance says .
“ They came well prepared with an excellent audiovisual presentation of their district , and made many new New Zealand friends – more than fulfilling the aim and spirit of Rotary Friendship Exchanges .”
To register your interest in taking part in a reciprocal visit to Sweden in August , please contact District 9980 ’ s Rotary Friendship Exchange co-ordinator :
Lance Wensley l T : 03 686 3266
Swedish Rotarians enjoy a taste of Kiwi hospitality in Timaru .