topaz conference 2009
I was invited to the Topaz Company Conference this year which was held in Taupo. This is an interesting situation because I don’t actually work for Topaz. This is the company I currently contract through. It was very nice of them to invite us. Not only that, but it’s a family thing so all family members are also welcome to attend.
We were put up at the Bayview Wairakei Resort which is right opposite the Wairakei Golf Course. We drove up on Friday afternoon and arrived about 7:30pm. We had the evening to ourselves as there were no events scheduled until Saturday. Of course there was the gathering at the bar on Friday where berverages were available.
Saturday morning had us scheduled for a team building event. There were four activities. We were split into fours teams with a even spread of kiddies and adults. Our self proclaimed team leader was a 6 year old girl who did an excellent job of . . . advising . . . the rest of us on best method practices :)
With the team building over we were left to our own devices for the afternoon. Again, an excellent way to run a conference. It’s about meeting people you work with and their families, rather than boring company things that can be better handled at work. After food, Carissa and I went to visit one of her Uncles who owns a hair salon in Taupo. Uncle Tuka and his wife Auntie Dawn. A man who is full of energy. The banter between Tuka and Dawn was absolutely hilarious. I think everyone should be like this. We stayed longer than intended but the tea and biccies were good.
Saturday evening saw the main event. Activities and a feed at the Prawn Farm. Most people stuck to the prawn fishing. There were some huge prawns caught. Richard Fowler’s family pulled up two 30cm fellas! As per usual, Carissa caught four with very little effort and I caught a big fat zero :(
There were presentations just before dinner, but the bar was open so it was a very jovial atmosphere. The food was great. Prawns were overflowing. I loved it!
It was a great event which I think other companies should embrace. It was also good to see the ABs scrape by with a win thanks in large to Dan Carter’s return. Good to see him back, but a bit sad that a nations confidence in their national rugby team relies on a single individual.
Sunday was travel day. First, a morning swim before breakfast. They keep the pools between 35 and 38 degrees celcius. Perfect when the outside temperature is more like 5 degrees. Showered, packed, feed we headed into Taupo for some shopping. We had some time to kill before Carissa flew to Auckland to pick up Tyler. I was driving back to Wellington to pick them up from the Airport. It was good to have a break from Tyler, but I think a week is too long and we missed him heaps.
