New Zealand Expedition December 2020

The 2020 Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Program/Outdoor Ed New Zealand Multi Activity Expedition is now open for registration.

The Trip itinerary includes highlights such as:

Four days of hiking in the Classic Young/Wilkins Valley with an exciting Alpine crossing
Canyoning, Climbing and White-water Kayaking in World Class sites on the South Island
Two days of optional adventures or leisure around Queenstown

Bushwalking experience is recommended but can easily be developed during the 2020 school year through our Duke of Ed program.

Trip Cost – Approximately $2450
Dates – Wednesday 4 to Monday 16 December (please be flexible one day either side until flights have been booked)

The Trip has a maximum capacity of 18 students. We currently have expressions of interest from 30 students. Parents and students are advised that this trip is biennial and in previous years the trip has filled within weeks of being open.

Further details about the Trip can be found in the documents below. Parents/Guardians are asked to complete the attached consent form and return it to the Senior School Office or Outdoor Ed Office as soon as possible. To see a video of the 2018 trip, please click visit https://youtu.be/d5RsNLNwo84

If you have any queries about the Trip, then please contact me via Email.

Westventure 2020

All Year 10 students in 2020 participate in this 12 day residential Outdoor Education program in their House Groups. This program is unique to Westminster School and forms a lasting memory and learning experience for the students involved. An information pack was emailed to all parents of students involved last week. The consent forms are due back at school by Friday 9 November.

As part of the lead up, all Year 9 students will be involved in sail/kayak training in Week 8 and First Aid training in Week 9.

2020 Westventure Information and Consent Form (PDF / 1.78 MB)

Year 9 Aquatics Day and First Aid Course

As part of their preparation for Westventure all Year 9 students are involved in an Aquatics Day held at Brighton Seacliff Yacht Club and the Swimming Pool at Westminster. During the sessions the students familiarise themselves with the equipment they use while on camp, as well as learn the basic skills involved with kayaking, sailing and aquatic safety. The dates for the aquatic days this year are below.

All students will complete a Provide First Aid Course on Monday 9 and Tuesday 10 December to provide them with important self-reliant emergency response skills.

Class 9.1 Mon 2 December
Class 9.2 Tues 3 December
Class 9.3 Wed 4 December
Class 9.4 Thurs 5 December

Gordon Begg
Head of Outdoor Education