Year 12 Outdoor Education
After a year full of disruption and cancellations due to COVID-19, the Level 2 Outdoor Education class was able to complete back to back assessments for Risk Management and the Evaluation of Leadership Strategies while in the Alpine environment of the Central Plateau and during a three-day Whanganui River Journey.
The students gave up the first three days of their Term 3 break to travel to Ohakune where they completed the Zweiholen Cave in Waitomo, rock climbing in Ohakune, and white water rafting on the Tongariro River. Following this, students went without power, running water and cell-phone coverage for 3 days while canoeing 95km from Whakahoro to Pipiriki Landing in the Whanganui National Park. As one of New Zealand’s renowned ‘Great Walks’ it was a fantastic and challenging experience of remote living.
The class was able to explore some of the stunning waterfalls and scenery of the Whanganui Rainforest, including lunch on the Bridge to Nowhere settlement. Food was sourced and cooked by the students on their portable gas cookers as they stayed in modest DOC huts in the remote wilderness, which created a challenging environment for students to enjoy a true outdoor experience and apply a meaningful outdoor context to their NCEA assessments.
Daniel Rattray
Physical Education Department
Year 13 Outdoor Education
It has been a disrupted year and for Outdoor Education students the COVID-19 lockdowns have seen trips postponed, cut short and cancelled with a frustrating frequency.
It was therefore imperative that we made the most of our final opportunity of the year to get away as a group with a target on our final assessment for the year.
This assessment requires students to be critical around how they can use New Zealand's unique environment as a strategy for lifelong physical activity and it saw us travel to a very sunny Waihi beach for two days of surfing, hiking and swimming.
The group did fantastically well with everyone managing to get the basics of surfing and all accepting the challenge of the day two hike.
I wish this group the very best and trust that they have enjoyed the challenges and adventures of their time in our Outdoor Education program.
Robert Paterson
Physical Education Department
