NZ Railways Staff Welfare Trust

The Queenstown ski season 2024 ballot has now been drawn and all applicants advised of the outcome. Check your inbox for details.

If you missed out, what's left over and any cancellations will be available for booking as per the usual booking rules on our website 6 months in advance.

Have a great weekend everyone.

An exciting little project in sunny Carters Beach (Westport) - stand by for an "after" picture in due course....

EDITED: WE'RE BACK ONLINE, THANKS EVERYONE!

Dear members, our website went down over the weekend but we are working on it and hope to have it back up and running shortly.

Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your patience.

Emergency Management

Following on from the cyclone, and a recent health incident involving a member who was travelling solo, we are now asking members to enter the details of an emergency contact, when booking a holiday home online.

Just another step to keep our member whānau safe.

AUCKLAND UPDATE

Due to the damage our site sustained from Cyclone Gabrielle and a couple of other subsequent severe rain events in Auckland, our project will now not be completed by the end of this year as promised.

We are working with the Auckland Council/Healthy Waters to reconfigure the drainage on our property so that we don't have this problem again in future. We'd rather get it sorted properly now, before we seal the driveway, than have problems down the track and have to cancel people's bookings.

That means that while the units themselves may look almost-finished if you do a drive-by, the driveway drainage works will prevent us from opening until sometime in early 2024.

If you have an event coming up in the next 6 months, please make other arrangements. This includes the Pink concert in March! We do not want to make any promises, in case we cannot meet them.

Thanks for your patience and understanding. This has been a challenging project with plenty of obstacles but it will be worth it in the end!

LOST PROPERTY

Our caretaker found this in Wellington Unit 3 behind the dresser in August 2023. We tried emailing the last few members who had stayed there but it was none of theirs.

Can you help us find the owner?

𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 - 𝐃𝐔𝐍𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐍

Thanks to this month’s guest reviewer Amit from Hutt Workshops.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?
The Staff Welfare Trust has two standalone units in Dunedin. My wife and I stayed in Unit 2. This unit has two levels, with a kitchen, dining area, lounge and laundry on the first level, along with an outdoor space and car port. There are three bedrooms and a bathroom on the second level – one bedroom with a double bed, one with a bunk bed and one with two single beds. It is suitable for a family or group of six members. It is not suitable for disabled people as all the bedrooms are on Level 2 and you have to climb a few steps to get into the unit.

I really appreciated the safety culture of the unit’s caretaker, as there several Post-It notes in the unit, such as on the top of the staircase on the second level.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝?
The unit is located in Dunedin’s city centre – just a 400 metre walk from the Octagon. There is a wide variety of choice for food, with several restaurants and cafes within walking distance.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚?
There are several attractions in the city, as well as day trips from Dunedin.

Highlights for me in Dunedin were Tunnel Hill Beach, Port Chalmers, St. Clair Beach and Baldwin Street. The views from High Cliff Road of the Otago Peninsula were stunning. I would strongly recommend visiting Sandfly Bay. The aviary in the Botanical Gardens was really nice, with several colourful birds and nice walks within the garden. I also enjoyed walking the Street Art Trail and walking to Signal Hill Lookout.

We spent two days in the Catlins region where there are about 15 places to visit – the highlights of our stay in the Catlins were Nugget Point Lighthouse, Purakaunui waterfall and Florence Hill Lookout.

I also recommend a day trip to Oamaru via the scenic road to Karitane.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞?
I would give 4.5 stars out of 5 for this holiday home. There is also beautiful views of Victorian-style houses and historical buildings in the surrounding area.

Couple of discounts that we've had sent through to us - limited time only (30 Oct to 12 Nov). Please read the fine print.

𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐄𝐑 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖: 𝐎𝐇𝐎𝐏𝐄

Thanks to this month’s guest reviewer, Tony Donovan (Track Inspector).

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞?

The Ōhope accommodation is a stand-alone building with four bedrooms and one bathroom. It has a toilet outside too. The outdoor space is excellent, with a massive deck, big backyard and a gate leading out to a short walk down to the sea. It is suitable for a family – my oldest boy was visiting from Australia, and my wife and I took him and his two kids along. We had heaps of room.

𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝?

This holiday home is located in town on the main street of Ōhope. There’s a Four Square and bottle store about 50m away, and about half a kilometre down the road there’s several eateries. The ocean is really close – about a two-minute walk.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐞𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐨 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐚?

It is the perfect spot to just chill by the sea and beach – it’s very much a chill-out area. We had barbecues and got fish and chips with my parents visiting from Tauranga. One of our favourite places to eat was the Whakatāne Fish and Game Club. It’s on the wharf and the kids could look at all the boats as we were eating.

𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐡𝐨𝐦𝐞?

I would give this holiday home a 5/5. It’s a great getaway if you want to chill out and see the ocean sights. There’s no hustle and bustle.

The Queenstown 2024 ski season holiday home ballot is now open for applications. Please fill out the form on your online dashboards before 30 November if you wish to enter. All groups are eligible and will be drawn at the same time.

The form and all details are on your member dashboards at www.nzrwelfare.co.nz.

Would you love to take a walk on this beach every morning?

The Welfare Trust is seeking expressions of interest from members only for the role of residential custodian at its property in Orewa, from late February 2024. The custodian lives onsite (and pays an agreed market rent) and is responsible for maintaining the property, and looking after members.

The role is part-time (20 hours per week) and ideally suits a retired individual or couple. Would not be suitable for someone who is working elsewhere. Some gardening/basic maintenance skills required. Must love people and chatting to members from all walks of life.

If you are interested in learning more, please email [email protected] for a full job description.

Could Hanmer Springs get any more awesome??!

New $3.3m water slides to open at Hanmer Springs Two new $3.2 million hydro slides are about to open at Canterbury's Hanmer Springs pools, with some flashy features.

If you see a few minor additions around the place - a kitchen rangehood here, a bathroom extraction fan there - that's because we've been busy working towards our goal to get all of our houses to the Residential Tenancies (Healthy Homes Standards) Regulations 2019 by next year.

Technically we are not landlords so it's not a legal requirement but the Board has made it our goal to meet them anyway, so that we are making our homes healthy for our members. And we're 97% of the way there as of today!

(This is a new rangehood that's gone in at Queenstown this week.).

Chimney removed and roof replaced at Greytown long term unit and Unit 2 this week. Much better than the rusty old one!

Another member with some tough stuff on their plate has just been advised that after a nomination from a colleague, they've been granted a free week in one of our holiday homes!

If someone in your team is having a hard time, please consider nominating them for our next accommodation grant - closing 31 October, and every quarter there-after.

Sometimes a kind gesture from a friend, and a holiday, can make all the difference.

* For Group A members only

Have you been meaning to book a Molemap? Early detection is your best chance against melanoma so this is your reminder to GET IT DONE.

Our membership discount of 20% off at Molemap ends on 6th October. The more people that use the code, the more chance we have of having it extended (watch this space!).

Promo code is on our website at www.nzrwelfare.co.nz in the member log-in area.

Need new carpet at home? Don't forget about the Trust's deal with North-Island-wide company Flooring Design, who give our members a whopping 20% off the RRP of all carpets and hard flooring!

Details of this discount, and all of our other retail discounts, are on our website at www.nzrwelfare.co.nz.

The next school holidays are only a couple of weeks away - if you want to take your kids or grandies away, we still have the following availability:

-Gisborne - first weekend (22nd to 25th Sept) or from the 2nd Oct onwards.

-Greytown - first weekend (22nd to 24th Sept) only.

-Kaikoura - 24th to 30th Sept.

-Nelson - 23rd to 28th Sept, or 5th to 8th Oct.

-Orewa - 22nd to 28th Sept, or 5th to 8th Oct.

-Paihia - 22nd to 30th Sept, or 30th Sept to 8th Oct.

-Queenstown - 22nd Sept to 1st Oct.

-Rotorua - 30th Sept to 8th Oct.

-Taupo - 24th to 26th Sept only.

-Westport - 22nd to 27th Sept only.

Get online to www.nzrwelfare.co.nz to book!

We are very sorry to let you know that we lost one of our Welfare Trust staff whānau last week. Kerry, our lovely live-in caretaker from Queenstown, passed away after some health troubles.

Members who have met Kerry over the years will agree that she was a beautiful person inside and out. She was warm and kind and caring. She loved to garden and spent many hours both in her own garden, as well as making the gardens around the units look nice for members. She even established a communal herb and vege garden for members to help themselves from and she got a lot of joy out of that.

Kerry has been our caretaker in Queenstown since late 2019. Her husband Steve will continue her duties until further notice.

Farewell dear Kerry, thank you for everything you did for our members, you will be sadly missed. Poroporoaki e hoa.

I got a lovely email from the caretaker in Ohope this week saying that the house had been left in the cleanest condition she'd ever seen it and the member deserved an award. I immediately emailed the member to thank her for being such a good sort and got the below reply:

"We had a fabulous holiday. Location perfect spot right next to the beach. The home is big with lots of room to move without getting under anyone’s feet so to speak.

My step mum who is recovering from breast cancer said it helped her healing immensely. She thoroughly enjoyed the relaxing atmosphere. She also said this was the best holiday anyone had ever taken her on. She wants to go back! I was originally going to take her to Fiji but she wasn’t digging it so Ōhope was last minute plan and it worked out perfectly😊.

We also had beautiful winter weather. We got to sit down at the beach with a book in hand taking in the views.

I am like that where ever I go always make sure to leave my accommodation in better shape then when I arrived.

I will be rebooking in the near future."

Thanks dear member, you really made my day.