Alfred Cathro Yr 13 was selected for a 10 day sailing Voyage.

The following is Alfred's account of the adventure:
Along with thirty four other students from around New Zealand, I embarked on the Spirit of New Zealand on the 23rd of June. We left on The Ten Day Youth Development Voyage (as the trip is called) on the 24th of June, from Auckland and spent the ten days sailing around the Hauraki Gulf, including out to Great Barrier Island. 

I was encouraged to go on The Spirit of Adventure by a family friend who said it was a great experience, and when I asked Mr Parsons (teacher) about the possibility of going on the ship, he went out of his way to help me go on it. I heard the fancy title (Ten Day Youth Development Voyage) and thought it was just a title, but I was proved wrong. 

The Spirit of New Zealand helped improve my teamwork (which is necessary when helping others to raise a sail), leadership skills (if you were in charge of raising a sail, you had to step back and confidently tell others what to do), communication skills and helped me to relate to others. 

 All of the crew were incredibly friendly and very happy to help you with anything, and they did their utmost to include all the trainees in every possible decision. 

I thoroughly enjoyed my time on The Spirit of New Zealand, and my highlights were sailing to Great Barrier Island, honing my navigation skills, seeing Dolphins, climbing the mast and Trainee Day (the final day of the Voyage, when the 35 trainees get to take control of the ship). 

I highly recommend the trip, and encourage all students to think about going on it, as I will certainly be looking to go back. 

The generosity of Rotary, The John Crawford Memorial Trust, Logan Park's Student Council and Logan Park High School made going on this trip a lot easier and I would like to thank all of them for their kind contribution.