On Thursday 17th August our visitors arrived from our sister city of Narita, Japan for the annual Narita Exchange.

The group of 86 arrived at the College on Thursday at 9pm where their host families were eagerly waiting their arrival after having their flight delayed due to bad weather in Auckland.

The party  were officially welcomed into Manawatu College on Friday by a full school powhiri in the Hall.  Following the powhiri, our visitors participated in various activities with our students, while the adults of the tour party went to visit the mayor, Michael Feyen.   The group reconvened at the Foxton RSA for lunch before heading into Foxton town for some sightseeing and activities.  

On Saturday our visitors enjoyed free time with their host families and got to see a bit of everything.  On Saturday evening there was a farewell party at the College which included cultural presentations from our guests as well as a gift exchange and dinner.  

At 8am on Sunday our guests set off for home.  It was another very successful exchange and the tradition is still very much alive, with Manawatu College planning to visit Narita in 2018.

A huge thanks to Mr Kevin Brown and Nathan Webb for organising the exchange, and to all of the families who hosted our visitors.