Huge SHOUTOUT TO our sponsors so far
O.T.B.T. ROTORUA
ULYSSES NZ LTD
THE AnP SHOWGROUNDS ROTORUA
BLUEBRIDGE FERRY SERVICE WELLINGTON/PICTON
AROMA CAFE ROTORUA
3D ART GALLERY ROTORUA
DANGEROUS CHOCOLATE
START IN INVERCARGILL
Meet at Lorneville Service Station STANDS UP 10am INVERCARGILL and join the Ulysses Motorbike Baton Relay which will be travelling through NZ.
This is a Nationwide OTBT and Ulysses Fundraising event to support the Cyclone Gabrielle Fund. Ending in Rotorua at the Village Green for the baton changeover. We will then do a short ride to our END destination at the AnP Showgrounds in Ngongotaha.
Presentation of funds and spot prizes will be in the pavilion at the AnP venue.
All riders are invited to join in the convoy along the way, you can do a short ride or a longer ride. Registrations can be made on the FB event or direct with TryBooking.
5 Nov 2023 1st Leg – Invercargill to Dunedin, to Oamaru (overnighter in Oamaru)
6 Nov 2023 2nd Leg – Sth Canterbury to Christchurch
(overnighter in CHCH)
7 Nov 2023 3rd Leg – Hokitika/Westport (overnighter)
8 Nov 2023 4th Leg – Blenheim (overnighter)
9 Nov 2023 5th Leg – FERRY CROSSING…
More details will be updated here for the North Island route. Be sure to click Interested or Going so that you are kept up-to-date!
All donations can be made through the link listed in this event.
Badges $14.00 and Metal Pins $10.00 can also be ordered
Prizes for those who register, Mystery Capsule
and other Spot Prizes from our amazing sponsors!
We want to support those still in need from the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Let’s Make This Fundraising Event THE ONE!!
FIRST OF ALL:
4th Nov 2023 – All branches do a fundraising event.
This can be what you want to do- a ride, a gala day, quiz night etc. The badges and pins should be on sale on the day as well. However, you don’t have to wait for your event to pre-sell the badges and pins. You can start now, buying & selling these 2 items
Branches buy x 100
Metal pins sell @ $10.00
Buy in $4.00 + $2.00 = $6.00 This is your rebate
Difference is $4.00 = This is the money you donate for the fundraiser
Stitched badge sell @ $14.00
Buy in $7.50 + $1.50 – $9.00 This is your rebate
Difference is $5.00 = This is the money you donate for the fundraiser
Deposit money into the nominated bank account (TBC) – details will be sent to the branch secretary.
Please write your branch name and what it is for as reference, coz that’s important so our treasurer doesn’t go bald…er
Each branch needs a stick like a ruler and you write on it, with a vivid.
Your Branch name and $ raised (just round it, not exact amount collected)
You put your stick into the baton, when it’s passed to you.
We also need photos of the amount and the passing of the baton up on a fb page so that ‘followers’ can keep guessing how much they think we will raise. (this gets the communities involved $1.00 a guess)
FACEBOOK PAGE – Tiny is sorting this out and information/link will be sent to you once that is done.
Okay, now this is the thing we need to know ASAP so that we can start the event. Many other riders from other groups and areas across NZ would also like to jump in on the ride and support. Hence the reason to know where you are riding and passing the baton, date and time. Also, in the evening, which town where the baton will stop.
5th Nov Baton Riders and bikers will leave Invercargill to Dunedin
Departing From:
Stands Up:
Arrive in Dunedin: ?
Place:
Stands Up:
Arrive in Oamaru: ?
Place:
Stands Up:
You get the idea.
The baton needs to be crossing on the 9th of November.
Is this enough time to get through the South Island?
Marlborough – Kelvin will need to connect with Wellington – Jim to receive the baton. Could you please confirm the dates that will work.
The baton needs to be in Rotorua on the 18th November where we will receive the baton, with all the branches sticks! inside it.
If we could all work together, that would be great. It is important to get the dates, stands up times back to me asap so that we can get the FB page up live.
Bearing in mind that there will be other bikers joining in so the ‘swarm’ may take a little longer to get to each destination.
Also, each area if stopping at a pub along the way, need to alert the proprietors
The places where you stop may also like to sell the badges and pins or offer something. Food for thought.
I reckon we can make this event huge and it will be lots of fun, coz that’s what riding with mates is all about.
I wait in anticipation for your return responses 
Now that the dust has settled and we’re going through the final ‘debrief’ stage, I thought I’d share this with you for discussion.
Sunday afternoon I was about to pack up the raffle barrel and looked inside to find it full of ticket stubs. Out of interest I squeezed my big mit in and grabbed a handful and out of curiosity had a look at the tickets. The top one was a single ticket from one member. The next 8 stubbs were from two members (4 stubs each) and the stubbs were all in number sequence, i.e. no mixing had occured.
I closed the hatch and spun it and again reached in and took a fist full only to find that most of the tickets (although a couple more members) were almost all numbers in sequence, i.e. XXX4 XXX5 XXX6 etc., again indicating bugger all mixing of ticket stubs had gone on.
What was also very evident is that those stubbs loaded into the barrel first and pushed towards the ends of the barrel to make room (it’s quite full with 2,500 stubbs) had a snowball’s chance in hell of being mixed evenly, or even more unlikely, migrating lengthways to lie under the hatch. If yours was loaded first, you weren’t ever going to get a chance of being drawn.
Basically, the stubbs loaded last, and in particular, book lots, and sitting under the hatch are really the only ones that have any chance of being picked at random and even then mixing didn’t appear that effective.
So, I was wondering if there is a better way?
Say we have 10 balls numbered 0 – 9 and we sell 2750 tickets.
Balls numbered 0, 1 and 2 would be placed in the barrel first and one ball drawn. That’s the first of 4 ticket numbers (thousands).
Balls numbered 0 – 7 the next to be loaded and the number drawn. That’s the 2nd of 4 numbers (hundreds).
For the 3rd and 4th ticket numbers, all balls would be loaded into the drum, spun, and drawn (tens and ones).
Much like lotto.
Anyway, just a thought ]]>
30th Mar 2023 – This week’s ride will be to The Wooden Farmer in Putaruru.
Ride safely within the road rules, ride your own ride within your comfort zone, with corner marking we’ll get to our destination safely and together. Riding in a staggered formation where possible at a safe following distance increases your visibility and available distance to stop-in so highly recommended – remember full tanks and empty bladders.
Please let us know if you have ideas for future activities. Mark & Wayne for the Monthly Metal Ride, Norm for the monthly dinners and myself for the TLR.
Cheers Mik
]]>Next on our agenda to get over the line will be the Lake Okataina, June Rally. We have bikers already paying for their weekend with the promise of another great rally that we are known for.
As we are doing something a little different with the WhoDunnIt, we would like all or most members to the meeting this Sunday 26th March at Copthorne 7pm.The theme is a ‘play’ where we need our members to take a part, costume and learn some lines. Each table will need two of our members at each table with six of our guests at each table.
Our meeting on Sunday we will let you choose which character (hmm maybe) you want to be and then you will be emailed your script.As there are a few components to pull together to make this work, we would appreciate your attendance.As Navman, Axle and Bearing are away in the South Island, they will be fined for not turning up =) ]]>
Hi Team Ulysses
We have put an idea in place to help others. In essence we want to move a ‘Ulysses baton around the country from branch to branch, fundraising for the Gabrielle Relief Fund.
Starting Point: Invercargill
Date: Saturday 4th November 2023
All branches participating will have an event in their own town/region. More than happy for branches to work together and have a joint event. But the event happens across the country on the 4th November nationwide.
Saturday 18th November 2023. This will be the date that the baton arrives in Rotorua.
1 – Southland Invercargill departs 5th Nov
2 – Otago Dunedin
3 – North Otago Oamaru
4 – Canterbury Christchurch
5 – Westland Hokitika
6 – Buller Westport
7 – Nelson
8 – Marlborough Blenheim
CROSS ON THE FERRY TO THE NORTH ISLAND 9th November 2023
9 – Wellington
10- Waiarapa Masterton
11- Kapiti Coast Levin
12- Manawatu Fielding
13- Taranaki New Plymouth
14- Taumaranui
15- Taupo
16- Waikato
17- Auckland Onehunga
18- Far North Whangarei
19- Auckland North Harbour
20- Waihi-Valley
21- Tauranga
22- Whakatane
23- Gisborne
24- Hawkes Bay
25- Rotorua – Bike ride down main street then a show at the village green/or the Racecourse (TBC) ROTORUA 18th November 2023.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Radio and TV – Hillary Barry, Seven Sharp
The start of the Baton will be in Invercargill and the ride will go through Ulysses branch regions.
Funds will be deposited into our Rotorua Ulysses Branch account throughout the baton’s journey and then go to an agreed facilitator.
THE BATON: We decided that the baton should have a thermometer on the outside so that we can colour in the $ value as the baton goes thru each branch. Inside the baton will be a ruler sized piece of wood or plastic, where the branch will write on how much money they raised and then put the ruler sized wood or plastic item, into the baton. These will travel in the baton.
Start off with: A nominated baton carrier; and that rider will lead through their town and present the baton to the next branch. The next branch will ride through their town, then ride to the next branch etc.
The map and route will need to be made public with times, so that locals can know where to go and support the ride as it travels the islands.
The baton will need to travel every day, irrespective of the weather. Once the planned route goes out, many other riders will also join in, to ride with the baton and we are sure that hot rodders will also join in.
We will set up a Registration page where we will have a tick box and will post out items
Registrations $25.00 per person
Metal Badges $4.00 purchase price SRP $10.00
Sewn on badge $7.50 purchase price SRP $14.00
Sweepstake $1.00 per vote, for the total amount of money raised
These will be posted to the person registered, before the event.
FOR EACH BRANCH –
YOUR FUNDRAISING EVENT 4th NOV 2023
We would like each branch to commit to a minimum of
100 x stitched badges
100 x metal badges
That you can sell on the day of your event. To get a sharp price we needed the volume. Given that there are over 4 million people in NZ, we figure selling a minimum of 100 of each would be doable to the public.
Nat Com Karen will find out about Ulysses bike flags.
There will be other bikers riding as well, so it would be good for our branding to have ourselves with clothes and or flags on, on the event and the hikoi.
Close off for registrations will be October 21st 2023
Branches need to pay into the Rotorua Ulysses bank account with their branch as a reference please.
Bank account to be advised.
FUN STUFF
SECRET CAPSULE – The plan is to get some donations for a super prize which will be inside the capsule. This will be opened on the 18th in Rotorua. Everyone who registers has a chance to win the contents of the capsule.
SWEEPSTAKE – Guess the amount donated. On social media platforms to keep engagement with the public we run a public guessing game, with those who have paid the dollar.
Gold coin donation per guess for how much money we will raise.
This is just extra money with no outlay. $5.00 gives you 5 guesses etc
We would need to have a public FB page with amounts suggested, and the dollar will be collected with the registration form. We can also take guess coins on the day of the fundraising event and add to the FB page.
It is important that we use social media platforms and TV to promote this event. It will be under the Ulysses Banner and we want to send positive vibes into our communities and also let others be aware of our amazing club!!
If you have any connections with the media, let me know it all helps the cause.
For the Far North, Steve, as discussed I can give you a hand with your event as I think we should have an overnighter there.
For all branches, once you have organised how the baton will travel from branch to branch, could you please let us know the intended start time on the 5th of November and where the evening stops will be. There are some hotels along the way that may want to offer accommodation etc if they know which way the pony express is going.
If you are still reading this, we need to firm up the intended route the baton will travel and would appreciate your input as to which way it travels.
Here is the start of our Nationwide event, let’s work together and make it a great one.
]]>Starting Point
Date: Saturday 4th November 2023
All branches participating will have an event in their own town/region. More than happy for branches to work together and have a joint event. But the event happens across the country on the 4th November nationwide, except for Rotorua.
Saturday 18th November 2023. This will be the date that the Rotorua branch has their event AND THE DATE the baton arrives in Rotorua.
1 – Southland Invercargill
2 – Otago Dunedin
3 – North Otago Oamaru
4 – Canterbury Christchurch
5 – Westland Hokitika
6 – Buller Westport
7 – Nelson
8 – Marlborough Blenheim
CROSS ON THE FERRY TO THE NORTH ISLAND 9th November 2023
9 – Wellington
10- Waiarapa Masterton
11- Kapiti Coast Levin
12- Manawatu Fielding
13- Taranaki New Plymouth
14- Taumaranui
15- Taupo
16- Waikato
17- Auckland Onehunga
18- Far North Whangarei
19- Auckland North Harbour
20- Waihi-Valley
21- Tauranga
22- Whakatane
23- Gisborne
24- Hawkes Bay
25- Rotorua – Bike show at the village green/or the Racecourse (TBC) ROTORUA 18th November 2023.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Radio and TV – Hillary Barry, Seven Sharp
The start of the Baton will be in Invercargill and the ride will go through Ulysses branch regions.
Funds will be deposited into our Rotorua Ulysses Branch account throughout the baton’s journey.
Funds to go to the Red Cross Appeal so that they are distributed across all affected areas.
THE BATON: We decided that the baton should have a thermometer on the outside so that we can colour in the $ value as the baton goes thru each branch. Inside the baton will be a ruler sized piece of something where the branch will write on how much money they raised and then put the ruler sized something into the baton.
Start off with: A nominated baton carrier; and that rider will lead through their town and present the baton to the next branch. The next branch will ride through their town, then ride to the next branch etc.
The map and route will need to be made public with times, so that locals can know where to go and support the ride as it travels the islands.
The baton will need to travel every day, irrespective of the weather. Once the planned route goes out, other riders will also join in to ride with the baton.
We will set up a Registration page
Registrations $25.00 per person – includes a wristband
Metal Badges $ TBC
Sewn on badge $15.00
Sweepstake $1.00 per vote, for the total amount of money raised
These will be posted to the person registered, before the event. We will have extra badges, sew n badges for sale on the day, but would prefer to be made to order.
Do we want Ulysses bikes with flags? There will be other bikers riding as well, so would be good for our branding to have ourselves with clothes/flags.
Close off for registrations will be October 21st 2023
Branches need to pay into the Rotorua Ulysses bank account with their branch as a reference please.
Bank account to be advised.
Sweepstake – Guess the amount donated. On social media platforms to keep engagement with the public we run a public guessing game, with those who have paid.
Gold coin donation per guess for how much money we will raise.
This is just extra money with no outlay. $5.00 gives you 5 guesses etc
We would need to have a public FB page with amounts suggested, and the dollar will be collected with the registration form.
We can still do on the day, sweepstake, as well.
It is important that we use social media platforms and TV to promote this event. It will be under the Ulysses Banner and we want to send positive vibes into our communities and also let others be aware of our amazing club!!
]]>
]]>He only wants 4 riders at any time, and allow 6-8 hours to do the course in one day. If there are 8 riders then it will be two dates and if it’s 12 he will do 3 dates for us.
So if you are interested and can commit to a weekday ride with Neil to do your Silver course, please reply asap so that I can send Neil the names of who are doing it.
If you can’t do a week day, then you will need to go to his website and book a date that suits you. He is booked up for most weekends for the next 2 months, hence why he is offering a week day for our branch.
Website: empoweredjourneys.co.nz
]]>Thank you all for your support in getting things organized from the AGM, rally and a place to hold meetings. Gordon, Jimmy, Colin and Paddy all put potential places forward and the committee has agreed to go with is
NEXT MEETING 26 February 2023
Copthorne
328 Fenton Street.
There is an area to the left of the foyer that we can use, which is where they have their lounge bar. We do not have to purchase anything and can take nibbles there, for the meetings. The bar will be open and if you want to go for a meal before the meeting, that is also an option available.
We want to establish a working relationship with the hotel, for when we host events, this can be our ‘go to’ for ease of offering other members – accommodation, food and beverages. But more on that later.
Back to the St Johns update. We have asked for a koha from members for a gift basket to present to St Johns. Gordon suggested a group get together at the building with the St Johns and some bikes. I have contacted Marie, and she will come back with a date and time to meet there. If we could get a few bikes, that would be great. At this stage it is looking to be a Saturday date. Will also ask the Daily Post to pop over and do a story of interest or the weekender.
Thanks again for everyone’s input, much appreciated.
See you this weekend either coffee group or 10 pin challenge this weekend starting at 11.30am – 1pm.
Don’t forget to bring a salad or sweets for the BBQ get together.
Rocco Pioneer
15 Alexander Road
Lake Tarawera
Let’s Ride!
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