You never forget your first, so I wanted my first hide to be in a special place. I started by attending the knitting club during winter 2023. But as spring arrived, the knitters left and I needed a new reason to come. So I became a volunteer ! You can usually find me with a cup of tea in one hand, and my favorite cookie time ( the cookie-marshmallow-cookie sandwich) in the other.
Ideally come during opening hours, have a look in the op shop, enjoy a free hot drink and check out what activities are on. If it's closed, that's all good, you may enter the garden but not the house.
This cache has been placed with the agreement of the team. Although you shouldn't need their help to find it, they can show you where to purchase some treasures to swap.
Parking : there is free parking on Brisbane Street, pay attention to the signs, some are only for 15min. You can also park at the Queenstown Gardens for up to 4 hours.
Happiness House is a community based, non-profit organisation that provides services to the Whakatipu District.
We are a community centre, open Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm.
Happiness House provides a wide variety of services, from community activities and a place to connect, through to advocacy and support navigation. All held within a warm, welcoming, and inclusive homelike environment open to the whole Whakatipu community.
Some history
Happiness House Community Support Centre was created in the early 90's by local Wakatipu woman Pat Bird.
Pat identified a need for some kind of support for families and individuals that were being ‘left behind’ in a fast growing and quite isolated community.
While employed in the hospitality industry for several years, she continuously met with itinerant workers, youth and locals who had nowhere to go when not working.
The only alternative location to socialise at the time appeared to be the pubs and, in the late 80’s early 90’s believe it or not, there were only three of them in central Queenstown and not a healthy environment or option for some.
https://happinesshouse.org.nz/