House
Proud - MARCH 2018 ISSUE -
IN THIS ISSUE:
• REGIONAL ROUNDUP
• S TA F F U P D AT E S
• FAMIL S
• C E L E B R AT I O N S
MOD’S FOREWORD So here we are nearly a quarter of the way through 2018 already and what an amazing start! I have spent the last couple of weeks around the country either in stores catching up with teams or at Regionals with the OO’s and universally it feels like we are all having lots of enquiry and some great sales too! The new focus on cruise has gone well and our regionalised marketing has really seemed to hit the spot. I know the Marketing, Product, Cruise and Adventure teams here are really putting in the hours to get great offers into the market for you and supporting the sales requests as well. I am focused on planning for Awards next weekend and being of Irish stock looking forward to St Patrick’s Day as well! The set up for the day looks great
IN THIS ISSUE:
Remember to look after each other on the night, we will have lots of great food to sample and of course bring your dancing shoes! Thanks for all your hard work looking after our customers, I never take it for granted. Your passion and commitment makes all the difference. Travel safe and see you in Wellington. Cheers MOD
03 REGIONAL ROUNDUP
10 FAMIL S
0 6 G I V I N G B A C K TO T H E C O M M U N I T Y
1 1 W H AT A H OT T I E
0 7 S TA F F U P D AT E S
1 2 C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S & C E L E B R AT I O N S
09 WORK ANNIVERSARIES -2-
and I know we are all up for a bit of celebration, fun and just catching up with each other. Wellington is always a great location and we have a few surprises in store to make sure it’s a great day.
Cover photo by Jasmine Waheed on Unsplash / Page 2 photo by Tai Jyun Chang on Unsplash.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP H OT M O R R I N SV I L L E W I N S L O C A L A WA R D
B I RT H D AYS We recently had some special birthday celebrations for our stores…
HOT Morrinsville recently won the Gull Customer Service award for Morrinsville, at this year’s Matamata-Piako District Business Awards. The awards were held at the Te Aroha Events Centre. The other finalists in the category included Unichem, Hutchies, Morrinsville i-Site and AA Service. HOT Morrinsville were acknowledged for their exceptional care and attention when it came to meeting the needs of their customers. When receiving the award at the event, Carol paid
HOBSONVILLE OPENS ITS DOORS! Buzz (aka Mike Thomson) the new OO at Hobsonville celebrated the store opening with a HOT launch Party recently, sponsored by Air New Zealand and local brewery Little Creatures - who provided all the beer. There was a great turnout from the community, local business owners, industry, VIP’s, friends and family. Buzz gave away a huge gift basket full of presents donated by suppliers, and had the honour of cutting the cake.
tribute to the team. “The best holidays are created together,” said owner-operators Kate Smyth and Carol Sutton. “We have a vastly experienced and knowledgeable team who go the extra mile for their clients.”
HOT KAPITI TURNS 25 On 8th February HOT Kapiti celebrated 25 years of business in the community. The team invited customers to call in for a piece of cake during the day.
HOT Morrinsville was also a finalist in the Bayleys Business Excellence category, for Morrinsville, at the business awards. The community presence they have is a credit to the amazing team on board.
BOTANY JUNCTION TURNS 10 Congratulations to Karen and Katrina who celebrated 10 years of their partnership together at Botany Junction. Both Karen and Katrina were well known within the industry themselves before merging and becoming a successful partnership.
BIRTHDAYS FOR ALBANY AND GREYMOUTH On the 1st of March both Albany and Greymouth celebrated their birthdays too, Albany turning 10 years old, and Greymouth turning 30! -3-
REGIONAL ROUNDUP CLIA INDUSTRY AWARDS HOT WALKS AWAY WITH NUMEROUS CRUISE AWARDS HOT had an amazing night at the CLIA awards in Sydney recently. House of Travel and HOOT Cruises were super proud to have six finalists this year. HOT Orewa and HOT Papamoa agency of year, HOOT Cruises OTA of the year, Dennis Payne Consultant of the year, HOT Orewa agency promotion of the year, and Kay Paulsen - Hoot Cruises, Rising Star New Zealand. Huge congratulations to HOT Orewa who took out the Silver Agency of the Year Award, plus recognition for our two new Cruise Masters for 2017 Fraser Cann - HOOT Cruises and Tracey-Lee Lombard HOT Cruises product.
SCENIC NIGHT OF STARS AWARDS
HOOT CELEBRATES CHINESE NEW YEAR. At the recent Scenic Night of the Stars awards in Sydney, House of Travel picked up two awards for the best Scenic Sales in New Zealand - HOT Te Awamutu receiving 2nd place and HOT Howick receiving 3rd place. The winner on the night
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was Midday Travel, one of GTN’s agents. Jeff Leckey mentions that Scenic has a new GM who is very excited about what we are doing in NZ. Well done team!
A rare opportunity for some of the home based HOOT Cruise team members to get together, celebrating Chinese New Year at Din Tai Fung in Sydney with an amazing Chinese banquet.
REGIONAL ROUNDUP STEPHEN PARSONS INTRODUCES A ONE-STOP-SHOP SERVICE Stephen Parsons HOT is the first agency in the Manawatu region in 20 years to install a Travelex foreign exchange kiosk on the premises. The kiosk opened for business last October. Steve explains that he’s installed the Travelex kiosk to make customers’ travel preparations easier. When they leave the purchase of overseas currency too late, their first option isn’t
HOT PARNELL PROMOTES EARLY BIRD
always available. “Our one-stop shop, staffed by experienced consultants, will simplify travel negotiations and make it a breeze for our customers,” He welcomes anyone to House of Travel who wants to make a foreign currency transaction or convert overseas funds back into New Zealand dollars.
HOT Parnell with their annual ritual of displaying Men in Beefeaters on Parnell Road in November for Early Bird. There were lots of smiles and toots!
Grant Smith mayor of Palmerston North congratulates Steve Parsons on the new Travelex Foreign currency installation in-store. October 2017.
JESSICA FROM ORBIT D U N E D I N TA K E S O N A I R N Z CHALLENGE
Air New Zealand gave Jessica Garden a challenge for the year to sell 10 long haul Business Class or Premium tickets and 12 short haul which she successfully did within the time frame. The reward was a lap in the Porsche Highlands Taxi with three extra seats. Before the Porsche taxi ride, all competitors went on the go karts to have a race off for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. The top 3 finishes were also allowed a lap in the Porsche. It was a great day out - thanks to Air New Zealand.
Photo by Andre Benz on Unsplash.
E AST E R W E E K E N D 201 8 GOOD F R IDAY 30 TH MARCH EASTER MON DAY 2 ND APRI L DAYLIGHT SAVINGS ENDS SUNDAY 1 ST APRIL 2AM Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash.
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G I V I N G BAC K TO T H E C O M M U N I T Y
JENNY CREATES A TRIP OF A LIFETIME
Photo by Duncan Brown/Hawke’s Bay Today
One teenager from a Hastings family is about to embark on a trip of a lifetime thanks in part to Jenny Nilsson and her team. Tyler Holdsworth, 18, who has Timothy Syndrome (a severe cardiac arrhythmia), is only one of 20 people in the world with this condition and is also the oldest, most children don’t live through childhood. Tyler also suffers from Long QT Syndrome which effects the electrical activity of the heart but has from the age of 13 months had a pacemaker and implanted defibrillator to jump start his heart if it stops. Brenda Holdsworth, his grandmother, has taken care of Tyler and his sister since his
mother passed away when he was just 6 years old. Through fundraising efforts with a Givealittle Page, Havelock North High School holding a mufti day and Brenda’s own savings, she visited Jenny Nilsson House of Travel to purchase a ticket to L.A. but was brought to tears when Jenny told her the tickets to L.A. had been taken care of. The extra money will give Tyler an even better experience at Disneyland, which is at the top of his list. Jenny wanted to help the Holdsworths after hearing about Tyler and thought any assistance she could bring them would make their trip more enjoyable.
STEPHEN PARSONS SPREADS CHRISTMAS CHEER IN THE UK
GUESS THE JETPLANES!
Stephen Parsons helped bring some Christmas cheer when he was left with unused tickets to the hit musical Wicked, at London’s West End.
House of Travel Kapiti Coast recently held a ‘guess the number of jetplanes competition for customers and members of the public. The lucky winner went home with a jar full of 250+ yummy jetplanes and all entry fees were donated to Mary Potter Hospice.
A Manawatu school tour changed its itinerary at the last minute, and as the tickets couldn’t be refunded, he offered them to the group’s tour company Contiki, which helped organise a fundraiser for the Rainbow Trust.
just a marvellous thing to have happened.” Contiki general manager in sales Scott Cleaver is pleased so many lives have been positively affected by the kind gesture. “It’s a wonderful result and brought so much joy to so many people,” he said.
The great initiative from Steve meant that money was raised to help 74 seriously ill youngsters make it home for Christmas.
Jenny originally met Tyler in 2014 through Koru Care and also helped fund to get his teeth fixed due to his condition. Congratulations to Jenny on bringing positivity and assistance to a special member of the community.
HB CHARITY LUNCH
“It’s a momentum that happened all of its own… I was trying to make tickets available for someone in need, and all of a sudden it’s turned into some great value for some kiddies in the UK. It was
HOT WHANGAREI FUNDRAISE FOR HOSPICE HOT Whangarei has just taken part in a Hospice Charity Fundraising Evening featuring Guest Speaker Gilbert Enoka (Mental Skills Coach for the All Blacks). It was a fantastic night which raised an amazing amount of money in support of our
“I believe we are all part of a great community and if we can all just give a little, it can make everything a lot better.” - Jenny Nilsson
The House of Travel Hawkes Bay stores recently organised a charity walk-around and lunch on board the Norwegian Jewel. With the help of NCL and the staff at HOT, Jenny and Dave took 30 clients on board, who each donated $150 per person for the experience. Everyone enjoyed a 1.5 hour walk
around the ship experiencing all the facilities the ship has to offer, then enjoying a 3-course lunch in one of the many restaurants. All proceeds were donated to Hospice Hawkes Bay with Jenny topping it up. A total of $5000 was raised on the day!
local Hospice. We had a group of 19 attend from our office, Gaynor and Danielle from HOT Holdings, Jared from Air New Zealand, and Scott, Marija and Damon from The Travel Corporation.
L to R: Nathalie van Dort (Cranford Hospice), Wendy Collins (NCL Sydney), Jenny Nilsson (HOT Hastings), Chris d’Anvers (NCL NZ) and Dave Leary (HOT Havelock North). -6-
S TA F F U P D AT E S / M E E T M E
Carla McKinnon
Nicola Turner
What do you enjoy the most about being an Owner Operator?
Years at HOT: 4 weeks
Trainee Owner Operator
Hmmm – hard question… it’s so new! I love that I have the opportunity to look at this position with fresh eyes and help inspire the team in new and creative ways. It’s about creating an amazing environment with a team of ‘travel nuts’ sharing our love for everything travel in an industry with infinite possibilities!
What’s your background with HOT? HOT Wanganui is where it all started for me and I’ve done a full circle! A fresh-faced naïve 21-year-old me began the journey back in 2004 as a consultant. I later spent over seven years with Orbit Wellington starting in an International Corporate position, helping me to get to the Top 12 twice, before moving to Domestic Manager. Fast forward five years and here we are!
Where is your favourite holiday destination? I’m actually struggling with this question – how do I limit it to one destination?? It’s a toughie – but Vietnam would be up there as ‘one’ of the top! I LOVE this place and always get really excited when a customer wants advice on going there. It’s a definite must for anyone’s ‘book-it’ list!
Learning & Development Manager Northern
I started my career right from the bottom as a junior in a retail office answering phones, making coffee and selling bus tickets. I learnt on the job and made my way up through the ranks to senior travel consultant before heading off to the UK for my big OE. Like a lot of Kiwis, I got myself a bar job before joining Trafalgar Tours for seasonal work in their departure centre - meeting and greeting passengers before they headed off on their British or Europe bound tours. When that came to an end I was offered a job in their travel agency and my OE turned into 5 years. I spent a bit of time travelling before returning to New Zealand and decided to try something different so started teaching tourism and travel, having both worked in private and public sectors. With my retail and teaching background, moving to HOT as L&D Manager just seemed the right thing to do. Outside of work I’m a mum to two boys, so involved with the PTA, on the Board of Trustees as well as a side-line cheerleader on the soccer field and BMX track. I enjoy arts and crafts, love a bit of retail therapy and a flat white.
Describe your role at HOT in 5 words: Training and Development of Retail.
Emma Eder
Longhaul Reservations Team I am new to House of Travel but have always been in the Travel and Tourism industry. I studied at Sir George Seymour and went on to work at the Christchurch Airport for seven years. I have been lucky enough to travel to destinations such as Thailand, Dubai, Croatia, Italy, Spain, USA and Australia and I am looking forward to the next adventures coming my way!
Shannon O’Brien
HOT Product Australia I am one of the newest members to join the Australia Team. Having completed a certificate in Travel and Tourism and working in retail travel for a few years, I have made the move over to wholesale and am very excited to be a part of the Product Team! I love Australia as a destination, how it has something for everyone and is so easy to get to from New Zealand. I have been to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, the Whitsundays and Tropical North Queensland. I look forward to extending my knowledge on Australia.
What were you like in high school? Very social…
What’s something many people don’t know about you? At Bride of the Year show I was nominated “Mrs Personality”.
What did you want to be when you grew up? Primary school teacher.
17th march 2018
2017 awards WE are TSB ARENA / QUEENS WHARF / WELLINGTON
explorers powered by
people
inspiring travel
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S TA F F U P D AT E S / B O N V OYA G E
WE SAY GOODBYE TO AN ICONIC MEMBER OF THE TRAVEL INDUSTRY
HOT BROWNS BAY SAY GOODBYE TO GEOFF HEBDITCH Many of you will know him as he has been a HOTTIE for over 16 years. He has been such a great Browns Bay team member, loyal to the HOT brand, and a great bloke with a wicked sense of humour. His plans are to travel as much as he can, starting off with a job as a deck hand on a narrowboat in the UK. All the best for your retirement Geoff, you will be missed!
Betty Wakelin, affectionately known as ‘Mrs Travel Te Awamutu’, retired in December 2017. A Te Awamutu resident for 46 years, she raised a family before entering the travel world in the late 80s. Betty started off managing a local travel agency with one staff, two phones and no fax machine. These were the days of travel manuals and hand-written tickets. Betty built up the business and in 2002 the store rebranded to House of Travel, with Betty as the Owner Operator. In 2010, Betty then aged 70, sold the business to Kate Smyth and Carol Sutton. This didn’t slow Betty down though, she was still very much involved and loved helping customers book their dream holidays. Betty and husband John have retired to Tauranga. Among other things Betty is looking to turn her attention to volunteer work and “sorting out my photos”. But she won’t be stopping travel altogether. She is leading a tour group to Sydney and South Australia in April, while Norway is still on her bucket list!
RUTH BIDS FAREWELL TO ORBIT DUNEDIN Ruth Findlay retired on January 26 after 20 years to the day on the job. Celebrating with colleagues, former and current, and friends, stories were told and tears were shed…we will miss her!
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WORK ANNIVERSARIES
CULLAM MURCHISON 20 YEARS
H OT LT D A U C K L A N D We celebrated another milestone in the business with Cullam Murchison achieving 20 years with House of Travel in February. Cullam as you will all know heads up the Air Team in HOT Product and is responsible for our commercial partnerships with the airlines, as well as the overall operation of the air division - although Lisa, Kylie, Tim and Vanessa may say otherwise! A few stories were shared around his competitive nature, support of the Crusaders despite being born in Palmerston North and of course his passion for golf! Cullam has made and continues to make a massive contribution to the commercial success of the HOT Group - well done on your first 20 years!
REBECCA F OA K E S 20 YEARS
H OT LT D A U C K L A N D On the 5th of January Rebecca achieved an amazing milestone of 20 years working for HOT. Back in 1998 Rebecca started out quoting in HOT fares, within a short time she was recognised as being a star performer and successfully applied for the Qantas HOT implant role which after a number of years in existence, was transitioned back to QF. We of course quickly made sure we retained Rebecca’s expertise within the quoting team. We’re wrapped to still have her as a key part of our team and to be able to celebrate this occasion with her. Congrats Rebecca – you’re a star!
J A N I N E K E YS 15 YEARS
H OT P RO D U C T A U C K L A N D Janine started back in 2003 as a very quiet shy travel graduate in the finals team in Christchurch. She has had about six different roles during her time in Christchurch. In 2015, Janine decided to take on a new challenge and applied for the South Pacific Team Leader role in Auckland. She is enjoying the change and challenge. She is passionate about travel and the customer and we are very lucky to have her. A huge congrats to Janine on her 15yrs! This is a great achievement. -9-
FAMIL S
Bali
September 2017
Georgia McMullan, Margaret Douglas from Longhaul Res and Kate Lawton from Asia Product recently returned from a great famil in Bali and shared their experiences. We were lucky to go to Bali in September last year for a one week famil. One of the highlights was going to Ubud - such a different experience to the typical beaches in Bali, it’s green and beautiful with lots of local arts and crafts shops. Another highlight was going over to Nusa Lembongan and spending a day at Bali Hai. Although we didn’t stay overnight we saw the lumbungs and would definitely recommend an overnight trip to anybody who has the chance. There is so much to do over on the island and the perfect break from the hustle and bustle of the main island.
relaxing with calm and pristine beaches, a great area for families and those wanting to get away. Bali is such a fascinating destination for all ages. It’s landscape ranges from beautiful beaches along the coast, to rice terraces, to the thick tropical rainforest in the centre of the island. There is also a huge range of activities available from diving, surfing, trekking, wildlife viewing, water parks, cooking classes, learning the local arts and crafts, haggling with the locals when shopping or just relaxing with a Balinese massage - the list is endless. We would strongly recommend splitting your stay between the busy Kuta/Legian/ Seminyak area, Nusa Dua and Ubud to experience the different atmospheres, with accommodation options to cater for all clients.
Nusa Dua was beautiful and
USA
June & November 2017
WASHINGTON DC Rebecca Lucas and Hayley Duff were lucky enough to head to Washington DC and New York in November. Washington DC is such a cool city with so much to do. We checked out a few of the Smithsonian museums including the National Air and Space Museum, which was awesome! They have plenty of exhibits, many of which were interactive so a great option for kids. We also checked out the Natural History museum which had a huge gem collection including the Hope Diamond. We headed to the Newseum which is a museum dedicated to the news, they had a really interesting FBI exhibit there, as well as a news
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room where you could become a reporter. We took the hop on hop off trolley bus to all the main sights including the White House, Lincoln Memorial a tour over to Arlington Cemetery. We had some fun checking out Madame Tussaud’s in Washington where they have a wax figure of all of the US presidents as well as a replica of the oval office where you can have your picture taken at the President’s desk.
looking back across the water to Manhattan. We squeezed in time to see a show, The Book of Mormon which was such a laugh – definitely a show to see if you are in New York. It was so much fun to see the bright lights of Times Square, it has a really cool atmosphere at night! You can easily spend at least a week in New York to really explore and experience everything the city has to offer!
NEW YORK We had three full days in New York which included some hotel inspections, as well as visiting the One World Tower, Empire State and Top of the Rock at the Rockafeller Centre, the 9/11 Museum, Statue of Liberty, the hop-on-hop-off and also jumped on an electric trishaw for a sightseeing trip around Central Park. The park was so pretty with all the beautiful Autumn colours. We used the ferry portion of the hop-on-hop-off to head over to Brooklyn and had some time to explore the funky warehouses converted into restaurants and shops, also grabbing a bite for lunch. The views were awesome
ROCKY MOUNTAINEER Hayley Duff was also fortunate enough to travel on the Rocky Mountaineer. I travelled on the first departure of the season so all of the lakes were still frozen over, it was very pretty. We had a couple of nights pre-journey in Vancouver where we experienced some day
tours including travelling up to Whistler, Grouse Mountain and Capilano, and also a foodie tour through Granville Island market which was amazing. The Rocky Mountaineer was such an amazing experience, we did the Journey through the Clouds route which took us from Vancouver through to Kamloops were we overnighted then headed onto Jasper the next morning. Gold leaf was an amazing experience with gourmet food cooked on the carriage for you, and a huge glass dome carriage to view the amazing scenery. We headed from Jasper through to Calgary by bus with Brewsters and overnighted in Lake Louise and Banff on the way, with lots of sightseeing stops including the Columbia Icefields and lots of waterfalls and look outs. We also headed up the Banff gondola which gave amazing views of the area.
FAMIL S SAN FRANCISCO As part of a HOT famil in June last year, Rebecca Lucas and Hannah Lurajud visited San Francisco after a Californian Parlor Cars Tour which included Amtrak rail from Anaheim. This was a great way to see the coastline for those that don’t want to drive, and offers some beautiful scenery. We saw a few hotels and visited Alcatraz (a must-do) with the 72 hour hop-on-hop-off. SF Adventure Tours also took us on a half-day tour around the city. Eric is the owner operator and has a wealth of knowledge. His tours are great in that he can personalise them, so if there’s something you really want to see, he’ll try to include it. We really wanted to see the Painted Ladies so he made sure to include a stop here for us.
the bridge to Sausalito (where we hired bikes and cycled over the bridge). It’s a lovely little community with tree-lined streets that have plenty of restaurants and shops to wander through. You can easily spend a day here. We headed back across the bay by ferry which is really cheap and you can take your bikes back over too! Overall it was such a fun famil with an awesome group! We had lots of laughs along the way.
W H AT A H O T T I E
Steve Edwards
Business Development Manager House of Travel across the Waikato Steve is a new kid on the block with House of Travel, after a long stint in journalism. I came on board as sales executive and am now Business Development Manager for House of Travel across the Waikato, covering the ever-expanding empire of owneroperators Kate Smyth and Carol Sutton which now includes Cambridge, Hamilton City, Matamata, Morrinsville and Te Awamutu. No day is ever the same in the land of milk and honey, with my role encompassing advertising, marketing, campaigns, promotions, events and sponsorship at branch and group level, while also working with the warm and wonderful national marketing team. Basically lazy and lacking friends, I am a committed independent traveller who for 25 years had a “work 11 months/travel the 12th” ethic – much to the delight of Kate/Carol & Co!
What is the funniest or strangest thing that has happened to you at work?
On another day some of us used the hop-on-hop-off to head over
A taxi driver took it all in his stride as the owner-operators and I headed back to our hotel after the national awards in full Kiss make-up carrying jumbo inflatable lettering marking House of Travel’s 30th birthday.
What is your all-time favourite destination? Cuba, Iceland, Monaco, Morocco, Corfu, Turkey – based on James Bond films (seriously!).
If you were on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring? Sky TV; a still/micro-brewery; and (subject to change) the smoking hot Russian curling competitor at the Winter Olympics.
What is your favourite car karaoke song? To Her Door – Paul Kelly.
Photo by Eric Ward on Unsplash.
NEW ENGLAND Courtney Cairns from the Product Longhaul Reservations team travelled to New England with United Airlines to discover New England. This was an eventful famil, visiting five states in eight days but this really highlighted how easy it is to do a self-drive and explore this wonderful region. Starting and ending in Boston is a great gateway to this area. We experienced some amazing little towns and sightseeing but a real highlight would be doing a lobster tour in Maine, and then staying at a charming typical New England resort in Kennebunkport. Every town we visited in every state was so different and sometimes I felt like I wasn’t even in the USA, especially when we were travelling through Manchester, Essex and Gloucester! I would recommend researching the different areas as New
England is such a vast area, from tours around the mansions in Rhode Island to the Cog Railway in Mt Washington. You don’t want to miss out on anything.
If you were 80 years old, what one piece of advice would you tell your grandchildren? Don’t listen to your grandparents. Seize the day!
Also Fall Foliage begins in late September which New England is famous for so if you’re going then, be sure to book early as this is their high season.
Maine lobster traps / Photo by Matt McNulty on Unsplash.
Who do you want to find out more about? Send us your nomination of who should feature in the next ‘What a HOTTIE’! Email houseproud@hot.co.nz with the heading ‘What a HOTTIE’. - 11 -
C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S & C E L E B R AT I O N S
M E L I S S A M AY (NEE BANNISTER) - H OT F E R RY M E A D -
L E E Z A E L L I OT T ( N E E YO U N G ) - H OT T H E C R O S S I N G -
H E L E N BA R LOW - H OT U P P E R R I C C A RTO N
CAITLIN BROOKLAND - H OT L A K E R S -
Congratulations to Melissa & Dave May, married on 10th February at Orton Bradley Park.
Leeza worked in the HOT Product Longhaul Team for three years before moving to HOT Papamoa for a year, then on to HOT The Crossing in January. Leeza tied the knot with her partner Andy on Friday 9th February at the Red Barn in Matamata.
Helen was involved in a serious car accident in October last year and had three months off work concentrating on her recovery. House of Travel Christchurch (thanks to Prue) did a whip round for her and gave her a very generous cheque at Christmas to put towards her wedding. Helen would like to say a big thank you to everyone for their generosity and that it was the perfect day!
Caitlin celebrated her special day on the 6th of January at the River Ridge Retreat in the Catlins Southland, marrying the man of her dreams, Ethan. Congrats Caitlin, who was a truly stunning bride.
O R B I T WO R L D T R AV E L D U N E D I N Celebrated three staff weddings over the last few months‌
W E G OT
N ATA S H A WAT S O N (NEE CURRIE)
SARAH DUDER (NEE CRUM)
KYLIE THOMAS (NEE SUTHERLAND)
Natasha married Robert Watson on 24th November 2017 at Olveston Historic Home in Dunedin.
Sarah married Steve Duder on 6th January 2018 at the Lady Thorn Rhododendron Dell, Careys Bay, Dunedin.
Kylie married Jake Thomas on 16th February 2018 at Grand View Gardens Outram.
MARRIED
Photo by Steve Halama on Unsplash.
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C O N G R AT U L AT I O N S & C E L E B R AT I O N S
E N G AG E M E N TS
K Y L I E PA U L I N G - H OT R I C H M O N D My partner Russ tricked me on 20 January with a helicopter flight over the Abel Tasman, where we then landed on the top of Mt Campbell in Kahurangi National park and he got down on one knee!
C O U RT N E Y C A I R N S - P R O D U C TLO N G H AU L R E S E RVAT I O N S Courtney got engaged to James Hawkins while on holiday in Hawai‘i last year. James proposed while they were swimming at Lanakai beach, thankfully he didn’t lose the ring in the water!
Photo by Akshar Dave on Unsplash.
BABIES
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ALANA ALDRIDGE - H OT H I G H S T L A N E S -
K E L LY G A I N S F O R D - H OT M E R I V A L E -
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Sam and Lucy Hepburn from HOT Masterton welcomed Alfie into their family on 26 January. Congratulations team Hepburn!
Alana Aldridge had baby Leo on the 21st January weighing in at 7 pounds. He arrived three weeks early, the day after she finished work! Hope Mum and bubs are getting some rest now.
Kelly Gainsford from HOT Merivale with baby Gus who arrived on 14th January!
Meet Felix and Archie who are our newest team members, Stacey Burrell’s furbabies. They are loving settling into their new home in Invercargill along with Stacey and Scott – it’s like they’ve always been here. We welcome you to the HOT family.
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