New Zealand Snow Trip - July 2025

During the recent school holidays, a group of 40 students from Year 11 and 12, along with 5 teachers, made their way to New Zealand for the school ski trip. We landed in Christchurch at the bright and early time of 12:00 am on Sunday morning, before making our way by bus for the next hour to the small but cozy town of Methven.

During this week, we experienced a wide variety of activities, including the Discovery Jet Boat (which took us through the Rakaia Gorge), the town of Methven, and Christchurch. We also explored the different types of shops in New Zealand compared to those in Australia, and, of course, the highlight of the trip was Mt. Hutt. 

Waking up every morning at 6:30 am for a 7:30 am leave, we spent five consecutive days up on the mountain, skiing or snowboarding, in a 2-hour lesson and free time. For some, the lesson helped them and utilised the experience they were gaining, and for others, they found the lesson as a nuisance and chose to do their own thing. But all was well as every single person gave it their best shot, some picking it up fast, others not so fast, and deciding to swap to the other choice to see if it worked better for them. But by the end of the trip, everyone had gone down at least one green run and could say that they thoroughly enjoyed it. Some even had enough guts to brace a black run (a really hard one) and props to them - Mr Hand, Grace Stackman, Ash Zimmerman, and even Will Tait, who had never boarded in his life before this trip!

By the end of the week, and for some it was the middle, there were bruises in every place, places that you didn’t think could be sore, were sore. But it was overall 100% worth it, and some have gained some interest in doing some snow season work after leaving school. 

The biggest congratulations and thanks to the teachers who made this trip possible, especially Mr Hand and Mr Humphries, but also Mr Tait, Mrs Robinson and of course KT (Ms Thomson). These amazing teachers ensured that we students had a great time and definitely made this trip one to remember and cherish for long after we leave. 

Last but not least, just one more celebration! While over in NZ, we were extremely lucky to celebrate two birthdays, Mr Hand and Lucie Holt, so Happy Birthday to them!

Thank you!