A small floral appreciation group has tackled organising a national annual meeting and, in a refreshing twist, has completed the task without using a computer.
The Waitahuna Fuchsia Group has five members spread from Lawrence to Balclutha, and has existed for about four years.
Elspeth Robinson, of Waitahuna, recruited a few friends and the group has been holding informal gatherings ever since.
''We don't have meetings as such. We're very informal and enjoy talking about fuchsias. We share our fuchsias with each other. We just have a lot of fun.''
Two years ago, the group successfully applied to host the 2013 annual meeting of the National Fuchsia Society of New Zealand in Waitahuna.
''We're computer-illiterate. They [society members] were so shocked that we would organise this without using a computer,'' Mrs Robinson said.
Registrations were posted in the mail and counted by hand.
Group member Fay Lowery said her daughter had designed and printed name tags for the annual meeting using her computer, but the members themselves had not used a computer.
Dorothy Coburn said the most challenging aspect of organising the meeting had not been the lack of technology, but was getting people to come to ''a little country town like Waitahuna'' as many had no idea where it was.
However, almost 80 people have registered for the annual meeting, to the delight of all five members.
Mrs Robinson said the group all shared a lifetime interest in gardening and enjoyed the challenge of growing fuchsias in South Otago.
She said anyone interested in joining their group was welcome to contact her or the other members.
The annual meeting will be held from March 1 to March 3 in Waitahuna, and will feature a bus tour to the nearby Mt Stuart wind farm, the Tuapeka Mouth Ferry and to Mrs Lowery's garden in Balclutha.
For the first time, it will also incorporate a photography competition for those attending, with two classes - one judging the best-grown fuchsia, the other judging the best photo.
''It will be a real country adventure, and a lot of fun,'' Mrs Lowery said.
