Ulysses Club Taranaki is a social motorbike club with members from across the region. It is one of 26 branches of Ulysses NZ.
“In 2025, we were exceptionally proud to host the event at the Paritutu Bowling Club in New Plymouth.
“The club hosts regular social rides around the province, along with overnight trips further afield. For example, on our last overnighter, we stopped for lunch in Mangatainoka and had a very social night at Lake Ferry in southern Wairarapa before heading home the next day,” said Harry Bayliss, Treasurer.
Each year, a different Ulysses NZ branch runs the National Rally and AGM.
“In 2025, we were exceptionally proud to host the event at the Paritutu Bowling Club in New Plymouth.
“As often happens, many people couldn’t confirm their attendance until the last minute. So we had to cashflow the venue, tables and chairs, and the band without knowing whether we would have the attendees to pay for it all. As Treasurer, I was anxious for some time,” said Harry.
“Receiving a 3K Toi Foundation grant gave us the confidence and certainty to book those essential elements.”
The club decided on an event theme of Surf Highway 45.
“We decorated the venue and held a Saturday social ride along back roads, including Surf Highway 45, with a lunch stop at the Manaia Pub, which provided excellent food and top-class service,” said Harry.
“In the end, almost 190 people attended from all over Aotearoa, as well as couples from Australia and South Africa. We aimed to host a well-organised, fun-filled gathering reinforcing the fact that Taranaki is a great place to live and to visit. The positive feedback confirmed we’d achieved our goal.
“I want to take the opportunity to thank the Toi Foundation for their generous support. The event brought our members together with the proud feeling that ‘we did okay’ hosting such a successful gathering.”
