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Photo by Sue Roberts-Blyth

Year 13 Geography Trip to Queenstown

Sue Roberts-Blyth —

Year 13 Geography students are working towards a Level 3 External on Cultural Processes, so on Sunday we departed for Queenstown to study the spatial and temporal impacts of tourism in the Lakes District.

Year 13 Geography students are working towards a Level 3 External on Cultural Processes, so on Sunday we departed for Queenstown to study the spatial and temporal impacts of tourism in the Lakes District. We enjoyed presentations from the District Council, the Queenstown Airport Corporation, the Arrowtown Museum, and Destination Queenstown, all of which were able to give us information on the environmental, economic, social and cultural impacts of both over-tourism and Covid-19. 

We also managed to squeeze in some bungy and zipline rides, eat some Fergburger, explore the Gibbston Trail, and scare ourselves at Fear Factory. We even managed a 1/2 hour trip to Kmart. 

 The evenings were taken up with some very intense table tennis competitions and for the less competitive, some star gazing. Heavy rain didn’t put us off - it provided the setting for a spectacular lightning storm over Lake Whakatipu. 

The students acquitted themselves with style and good manners; it was a pleasure to travel to with them. An enormous thank you to the two Mr Campbells (Mike and Ged) for their invaluable support.

We arrived back in Dunedin two hours before the Level 4 lockdown was announced, so we are all feeling thankful to have got the trip in just in time!