Having had to cancel last year's Year 13 Geography trip to Rotorua, it was a huge relief to see 71 students and six staff board the Pavlovich coaches on 5 August for their three day adventure!
While the weather wasn't very kind to us, we managed to juggle things around so that the most anticipated activities (luging and Velocity Valley adventure activities) did take place in sunshine.Students were studying the development of tourism in Rotorua. We were able to visit the site where it all started - the village of Te Wairoa where early tourists came to visit the Pink and White Terraces, but now known as Buried Village (having been smothered in the 1886 eruption). Te Puia geothermal area showed off Rotorua's unique features, including geysers and mudpools as well as the Carving and Weaving schools.
The luge and Velocity Valley represented examples of secondary attractions designed to keep the tourists returning to the region. The shrieks of those on the Swoop as they plummeted from 75m still reverberates!
There's nothing like sharing a bunkroom or mucking in to wash dishes to help build camaraderie among students. Avondale College students, showing our values of Respect and Atawhai, made the trip a huge success for all involved. Teachers enjoyed the good humour and positive attitudes exhibited by students on the trip and look forward to discussing the learning opportunities experienced, once everyone is back at school.
Ms Gill Hanna, Director of Social Science
