Pukehina Potaes Play Golf

Monday April the 16th saw an eclectic collection of 18 joyful Red Hatters descend on the Te Puke Gold Club. A putting challenge was the order of the day, and we were faced with 10 holes...each sporting festive purple balloons attached to their pins.



















Two teams put their skills to work, and it soon became obvious that some gals had never held a golf club in their lives. However the enthusiasm they approached the game with made up for any lack of expertise, and by the end of the session they proved to be just as skilled as the more experienced golfers.



A total of four gals mananged a hole in one...Our trusty Queen, Lyn Barbour, Barbara (Lady Barberry), Barb Sundgren (Lady Leadfoot) and Sandy Wong (Lady Wong), and they received a sumpuous assortment of Easter Eggs for their efforts.




A red ribbon had also been placed behind one of the chairs, and the unsuspecting recipient became the grateful receiver of a stunning red boa.

A delicious lunch and a few wines were greatly appreciated after all the activity, and after a good old chinwag, the gals gradually dispersed to their respective homes. Thanks to all those who made this outing such a pleasure.











Those attending :
Lynn Barbour - Baroness Bligh
Vonnie Smith (a visitor from England)
Wendy Scott - Lady Guinnivere
Barb Sundgren - Lady Leadfoot
Sandy Wong - Lady Wong
Barbara? - Lady Barberry
Shirley McKinnon
Alice Bloomfield
Pat Cameron
Toni Wildon
Jo Claude
Kaye Neill
Marg Stewart
Janet Andrew
Val Rodgers
Heather Quax
??

Red Hot Lavas take on the Luge

March Meeting came around quickly and the Red Hot Lavas boarded the Skyline Skyrides to spend a fun day luging, lunching and laughing.

Once again we were the 'main attraction' for a bunch of Asian tourists, and several of them joined us for a mass camera clicking group shot.



What an inspiration our dear 89 year old Lady Flowing Waters is. Three times down the luge she tore, while some of us 'youngsters' only managed it twice!

















We welcomed several new members to our happy group, along with some visitors from The Regal Rainbow Court in Taupo.

The Luge instructor was heard to comment, "What's a Bunch of Grapes doing racing down the luge?"

After enjoying a delicious lunch at the cafe...everyone of us agreed this had been another wonderful day out and we look forward to returning some time in the future.

Those present were :

Patricia Buffery - Queen Grenouille

Ann Aigner - Lady Velvet

Ynys Fraser - Lady Flowing Water

Carol Gillice - Lady Stitchberry

Rosemarie Lyons - Lady Godiva

Pam Macdougall - Lady Dougallberry

Alison McLean - Baroness Bibi

Pat Price - Baroness de Brassiere

Maria Quigg - Lady Dutchie

Margaret Vooght - Duchess Tui Blossom

And 2 visitors from Taupo

Red Hot Lavas "Save The Children"

On February the 25th, the Rotorua branch of "Save the Children" held their annual fundraising garden party to which we were invited.

The event was held at the home of Jo La Grouw at Kawaha Point Rd and 5 Pukehina Potaes, along with 8 Red Hot Lava gals attended. Some of the Rotorua hatters were wearing 'other hats' that day, but we all soon settled in under a large shady tree right in front of the entertainment area.

A lovely spread of food was devoured, along with teas and coffee...with the novelty of the day being a new favourite...whipped cream banana icecreams. Yummy!!!
There were lots of entertainers, demonstrations and stalls to check out and of course there were lots of people 'checking' us out too!

It was a lovely fun day out and I'm sure a good boost to a very worthy cause.
Report courtesy of Lady Dutchie.

Red Hot Lavas February Outing

Our February meeting was at the Tarawera landing and on arrival at the lake, the first adventure on the agenda was to checkout the fish trap on the Te Wairoa stream. Fortunately, dear Lady Troutbeck has ties with the Fish and Game Society, so was able to give us quite a few interesting facts on trout breeding.



Next we found ourselves a nice grassy area on the lakes edge to set up our table and chairs. The trees received appropriate decorations in the form of red balloons and we were ready for action.

A few of the ladies removed their red hats and plunged into the cool water for a refreshing swim. Our Queen even daring to swim out to the 200m buoy and back! (Maybe the frog in her is closer to the surface than we thought!)














The swim was followed by a shared picnic, along with a few bubbles. Lady Logo had arranged some games which had us all in fits of laughter, with the Crafty Countess being the eventual winner of the day.
After relaxing in the sun for a while longer, we all agreed it had been another wonderful day out.

Thank you email female for supplying this report.













Those in attendance :
Patricia Buffery - Queen Grenouille
Carol Gillice - Lady Stitchberry
Francesca Hawkes-Buchanan - Lady Logo
Pat Price - Baroness de Brassiere
Maria Quigg - Lady Dutchie
Val Reid - Lady Rowena Ragwort
Barbara Sims - Lady Troutbeck
Heather Wilson - Crafty Countess
Norine Willers - yet to be named

Pukehina Potaes Invade Sky City

Tuesday December 5th saw a busload of boisterous Pukehina Potaes on their way to the big smoke to celebrate the upcoming festive season. Sky City was hosting a "Super Special" day, with suitable discounts for those of more senior years, and we decided to take advantage of this offer.

The majority of ladies left the Pukehina Fire Station at some ungodly hour of the morning, picking up the Whakamarama gals on the way. First up was a stop in Ngatea at the Copper Kettle to put a lining on our stomachs in readiness for the big adventure. Our bus driver was fortunately a man of humour and did not fight too hard when a very becoming red and purple boa was draped around his neck. (We didn't want him to feel the odd man out!)

Arriving at Sky City around 10.30am, we were greeted by our hosts Georgia, Paula and Andrew, who escorted us to a "Play" area...a small intimate area of the casino where trained dealers taught us the rudiments of Blackjack and Roulette. This room was already buzzing with an enthusiastic group of Auckland Red Hatters, who greeted us and welcomed us into their fold. As a thank you to our dear Queen, we presented her with a bright purple and red boa as well, along with some 'spending' money for the pokies.

The group then gathered in the Fortuna restaurant for a magnificent spread, along with wine and chuckles. This was followed by a tour of the inside workings of the casino, where some of us were tempted to bungy over the side. Just tempted mind you... Others preferred to cruise around the main floor of the casino, checking out the 'real' gamblers.

A concert at the Atrium bar was next on the agenda and we were treated to an extremely talented line-up of artists who's sole purpose was to entertain us. They seemed to enjoy the sea of red hats in their audience. All too soon the concert was over, and we staggered off toward the awaiting bus. Several Asian tourists took a fancy to our posh gear, and we were waylaid for several tourist type photos on the way. They delighted in having turns wearing our hats and we could see that this would be one of the highlights of their New Zealand trip!

Our bus driver was on standby outside the building and soon we were all loaded on ready to pop the corks on the wine which had been resting quietly, awaiting our return. A fun filled trip back home followed, and all agreed it was a trip that could very well be repeated in the following year.

Those in attendance were :

Lyn Barbour - Baroness Bligh

Anna Halcombe - Lady Buckett (without a hole)Gloria Jones - Baroness Von SnapperKitty Higgins - yet to be titled

Sandy Wong - yet to be titled

Hella Riebeck - Herzogin Violet

Dot Mark - Countess Dorothea La Marque

Jan Salmon - Dot's friend from Hamilton

Pat Cameron - title?

Wendy Scott - Lady Guinnivere

Vivianne Baldwin - Lady Baillie

Adrienne Cleaver - Adrienne de Cleavage

Jo Williams - recently arrived from Otorohonga

Barbara Mohi - title?

Marg Stewart - title?

Jacqui from Whakamarama

Sally Aukuha - Her Highness Hillbilly (aka email femail)

Rosemary van Dam - title?

Barb Sundgren - Lady Leadfoot of Lala Land

Wendy - on the bus to visit her daughter in Auckland

Red Hot Lavas Christmas Indulgence

On Tuesday December 12th 2006, the Red Hot Lavas in Rotorua had their final Red Hat meeting for the year. Dear Lady Dutchie picks up the story...

"After a busy day with the pressures and rush of Christmas upon us all...a group of us arranged to meet at "Siroccos" for drinks, followed by dessert, coffee and of course lots of Red Hat chat and laughter."

Mmmmmm...pudding!!!

Photos show some of the gastronomical splendors including Moira and Betty's Chocolate Delights, Margaret and her glorious Cheesecake and Queen G and Lady Dutchie showing off their mouth-watering works of art.
"The desserts were magnificent - great enormous colourful artistic dreamy creations, with undoubtedly the most highly calorific value ever heard of...but who cared...it was our Christmas party after all and we were out to have FUN!!!"

"After plenty of wines, lattes and mochaccinos to wash away all the sweet desserts and cream...we ambled (and in some cases staggered) across the road to the cinema, where we viewed a screening of "The Nativity". What a superb movie, and perfect to see at this time of the year. A lovely evening and a great note to end our year on. We wish you all a Merry Hatmas and a bright, happy and healthy 2007."

Those present were :
Patricia Buffery - Queen Grenouille
Ynys Fraser - Lady Flowing Waters
Moira Noffke - Marchioness Mudpool
Pat Price - Baroness de Brassiere
Maria Quigg - Lady Dutchie
Betty Taylor - Duchess Dolittle
Sue van Dorsser - Lady D'Ath Blackberry
Margaret Voogt - Duchess Tui Blossom
Jaap van Dorsser

Thanks go to Lady Dutchie (email Female) for supplying the facts for this report. Wish I could have been there...makes my mouth water when I look at those desserts!

Red Hot Lavas Reduation Ceremony

On November 7th 2006, a Reduation Ceremony was held for Lady Dougallberry...welcoming her to her 'Coming of Age'. It was held in the home of our esteemed Queen Grenouille. The day was a miserably wet Melbourne Cup day, resulting in the ceremony being held indoors, but it did not detract from the excitement and fun of welcoming a new Red Hatter to the fold.





Lady Dougallberry first walked the Pink Petal Path, agreeing to the Red Hat Vows, as asked by her sister Red Hatters. She was then draped in purple and a splendid red/pink combination mortar board, complete with purple tassel, was carefully placed on her head.





A scroll with her vows was placed in her hands as her fellow Red Hatters sang the usual Birthday Hymn. Lady Dougallberry was then lead under the arch of Red Hats to the celebratory cake. She proceeded to open her gifts while her sisters partook of tea, cake and biscuits.

Those present were -

Patricia Buffery - Queen Grenouille

Flo Armstrong - Lady Clownmore Flora

Ynys Fraser - Lady Flowing Water

Carol Gillice - Lady Stitchberry

Francesca Hawkes-Buchanan - Lady Logo

Pam MacDougal - Lady Dougallberry (aka Counter of the Coins)

Jean McGaffin

Moira Noffke - Marchioness Mudpool

Heather Perry - Madam Hoppity Plonk

Pat Price - Baroness de Brassiere

Maria Quigg - Lady Dutchie (aka The email Female)

Sue van Dorsser - Lady D'Ath Blackberry

Also present were a few visitors from the USA...one of whom was also a Red Hatter.