Hoffman's Dam - Video

This is the whole Senior Outdoor Education class on a circuit of Hoffmans Dam in Naseby. Ably assisted by Craig and Nevis.

Naseby 19th - 21st June

The beginning of the Naseby experience. The trip began with a session at the International Curling Stadium. We watched a video and then were shown the skills required to participate in this sport. This included wearing the appropriate clothing (warm) due to the very low temperature on the ice also we had wear special rubber covers over our shoes to prevent us from falling over. The girls worked out very quickly how to complete the skills the mastering of them was significantly more difficult.

08/06/2011 Mountain biking

At Lunchtime we all meet to check our bikes and load them on the trailer. After school we finally drove to Jubilee park where we meet our guide and his dog Nevis. He always ran around us and wanted us to drive faster or to throw a stick for him. At the beginning we did a slow bike race and learned how to drive around small corners. Then we got to the real trail. At the beginning there was already a small hill and we also had to drive down some steps. The rest of the trail was easier. Some of us drove the trail 3 times before we had to load the trailer again and wait for the taxi to bring us back to school. While we were waiting we played our favorite game Ninja again. It was an awesome day!!! We had so much fun!!!

01/06/11 sandymount

We started our walking trip out to the peninsula/sandymount well prepared and with lots of motivation and snacks.
It was a lovely,windy day and because of that we had a great view all around the peninsula.
From the car park we left the van and started or walk up the hill. We visited two viewing decks, one at Lovers Leap and the Chasm.
The view was amazing but we had to be careful because the cliffs were really steep and so we always stayed on the track and in the safety barriers.We also had a real outdoor education experience: walking in the mudd :)
We had so much fun that the 1 1/2 hour walk seemed like a 30 min walk.
We really enjoyed it.








Leonie and Olivia

Port Chalmers Quarry 25th May

Rock Climbing use of equipment and protection

Canadian Canoeing 4/5/11

On this lovely cold wet Dunedin day we went out to the Harbour with Steve and Callum and learnt about Canoeing and how to paddle together and work with each other. Luckily these Canoes are very stable and on the cold day no one feel out. We learnt different paddling strokes such as: draw, pry, j - stroke, and obviously how to paddle. Also we learnt the different parts of the paddle such as the grip, throat, shaft and the blade it was an awesome afternoon and we all had a great time.

3.5.11 Warrington

On the 3rd of may at 8:30 we boarded the mini van and drove to Warrington (a small place by the sea around 30 minutes away from Dunedin.) When we got to our destination we were greeted by a group of university students who would be our leaders for the day. After setting some ground rules we got into some team activities. These activities challenged us to step out of our comfort zone and, more times then not, look a little silly. We did exercises where we would have to completely trust our partners because we might of been blind folded, or being lifted over an 'electric fence'. As the day went on, we got better at working as a team to solve the problems we faced. Fletch even put her life in our hands by falling off a table for us to catch. (We did catch her, don't worry). The leaders were all really encouraging and friendly. We got the chance at lunch time to sit down and have a chat and get to know them. Our day came to and end at 2:30 and were thankful for the opportunity to meet new people, go to a new place, and have a very eventful and enjoyable day. :)

Abseiling 30/03

On Wednesday the 30. of March we left school at about 2.30 to go to the Quarry of Port Chalmers to go Abseiling. There was an instructor who showed us how to set up and run an Abseil. After that we mixed up in groups of 4, 2 were at the bottom and 2 went to the top. The people at the top brought their ropes and carabineers and set it up. Then one of them started to go down and one person at the bottom was their back-up. At about 5 pm we returned to school.

Tunnel Beach 23/3/11

Seeing tunnel beach was amazing it is extraordinary what is around Dunedin and so very close. The weather started off very bitter and cold and then it changed when we got down to the beach the sun came out and it was like any other good Friday we normally have. We all enjoyed the walk there and we saw some amazing things and what the waves do over time to the rocks. The people who had never seen the tunnel there were amazed by how well it was built and when you got down to the beach it was an amazing site to see. Rachael and Sally got stuck on a rock when the water was coming in it was very funny we got wet feet. The walk back up to the top was steep but didn't take very long it actually took us 12 minutes. It was another eye opener to what is around Dunedin. The video is of the tunnel with some nice commentary from Natalie and Rachael.

Surfing on St. Clair Beach! 23/02/11

The sky was clear, the day a bit hot (for Dunedin) - and we were heading in a our small Bus/big Van towards St. Clair Beach; all of us were excited and to be honest a bit nervous about our first Surf Lesson, but after only 15 minutes of perfect timing - yes, I (florentina) was ON time - we arrived at the Esplanade where we got provided with Neoprene Suits (you have to find the right size first - and then put it on the right way around; which seemed to be quite difficult as some of us put it on INSIDE OUT !) and a big, spungy board, with which you can hardly hurt yourself and float easily on the waves.

After half an hour we went down onto the beach, the tide being semi-out. We did warm up exercises as well as lying on the board in the right spot ("face the black dot in the middle of the board! So your feet dangle off the end of the board") and then to JUMP UP, which was the biggest challenge for most of us - because of missing balance and the new, tight feeling of all the neoprene fabric around us;
THEN WE HIT THE WAVES! and had an awesome time, trying to catch as many as possible.
first WAITING FOR THE WHITE STUFF TO COME CLOSER
then TURNING AROUND YOUR BOARD, so it is facing the beach (some got washed off intending to do so)
PUSHING, CRAWLING AND FREESTYLING (with your arms) so you gain speed
and finally SURFING THE WAVE, JUMPING UP ONTO YOUR BOARD
and KEEPING BALANCE !! bending your knees, and falling off the surf board backwards, just like a starfish.
It was REALLY WORTH IT, falling off a hundred times, and always being watched after by some surf instructors - they were busy getting us onto the right waves.


WE HAD THE MOST AWESOME SURF - perfect for learning
AN AMAZING OUTDOOR EDVANTURE
x o x

Pineapple Track, 16th february

After school on the 16th february went to the starting point of the Pineapple Track. After a steep beginning through the bush we came out onto a grassy area. There we walked along Dunedin’s Skyline with magnificent views of the city. At the top we made some group photos and had a little rest. The Pineapple Track’s name comes from people who left their pineapple tins there at the top of the hill. Then we continued our walk on the Flagstaff. The walk was about 5 km long and took as about 2 hours.

Rock Climbing at Long Beach! 09/02/11

On our first Wednesday of outdoor education we went rock climbing at Long Beach. We had amazing weather and a lot of fun. Our instructor Dave, taught us how to belay properly which was really cool. We were out there for an 1 and 1/2 hours. The view at the top of the rocks was amazing; you could see a lot of the beach. Tintin was the first to the top of the rocks to look over the other side. Rock climbing on rocks not on a wall in a room was a totally different experience because people had to trust in each other and you learnt that you have to use your legs way more than pulling up with your fingers. This was a great start to our outdoor education experiences!!

Snorkeling! 16/03/11

Today we went down to Dive Otago to have a go at snorkeling! Our instructor gave us some flippers and a mask, and we were set to go. We started off by learning how to get into the water (a great place to start). We slid in one by one, into the cold water and swam to the shallow end. When everyone was ready, we practiced getting use to breathing under water. We would go under the water, take a deep breath and remove our snorkel. When the water had gone into our snorkel, we would put it back in our mouth and blow all the water out the top. This took a bit of practice, but we soon got the hang of it, and were doing it while swimming in deep water. When everyone was feeling confident, we started going deeper where we had to equalize (pop our ears so they didn't hurt). We played a few games at the bottom of the pool, but everyone was getting to cold so we cut the lesson short. Over all it was a great afternoon and we learnt a lot about snorkeling!!

Surfing at St Clair 02/03/11

Urban camping 09/03/11

One of our funniest adventures was the overnight in our school area.But it was not only assembling our tents but also cooking for our guests (each of us a guest).At first it sound like it is safer in the school than in the bush,but really is it more dangerous in town because some people cross the school when they go back to their homes after a night boozing.After school we met at 2.30 to do our shopping for our three meals.After we finished our successful shopping in New World we returned to school and constructed our tents.We also got a instruction how to use the gas cooker so we started to cook our meal.For our entré we prepare dips with crackers,vegetables and cheese with grapes,..This was followed by our main course which was Paella with cous cous,Sausages,chicken,Noodles,...To complete our meal we had dessert which consisted of cous-cous pudding and berries; chocolate cake with chocolate sauce, finished off by chocolate pudding.

After eating so much we watched a film ("The River Wild") which was very exciting.

Then we made ourselves ready to sleep but a large moth made a few girls "SCREAM!!" and others laughed and took fotos :)

But after while the conversations ceased and everybody was falling asleep.

In the morning we had a great breakfast and than we dissassemble our tents.
And when the school started in the morning nobody could see that we had an overnight there.
It was such a great experience!!!!