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Claire Taylor - Spirit of New Zealand 
 

Spirit of New Zealand

Claire Taylor, Year 12 —

My name is Claire Taylor and in the holidays I had the privilege of attending a 10-day voyage on Spirit of New Zealand up in Auckland.

This entailed waking up every morning at 6:30 and taking a plunge into freezing cold ocean waters, cleaning the ship from top to bottom every day, as well as many other challenging and often, exhausting activities. Although I found the first few days extremely challenging due to homesickness, seasickness and simply feeling completely out of my depth, I grew to love waking up each day with 36 amazing young people and completing activities that not only challenged me physically but also mentally and emotionally. It was definitely the hardest experience of my life but I have gained so much resilience, empathy and knowledge and I am so happy I took this opportunity and truly made the most of it.

 Each day there was something new to experience including; hiking, rafting, swimming with dolphins, whale-watching, making the most amazing new friends, climbing to the top of the mast, and of course, sailing the main ship as well as small boats. My favourite part would definitely have to be jumping out of rafts to swim with the large pod of dolphins we saw on the fifth day. Those sorts of experiences are something that you can't get at home or in your everyday life! You have to step out of your comfort zone completely. 

It was absolutely life-changing getting to know and make friends with so many different people from all over New Zealand! I made friends from Mt Maunganui, Hamilton, Nelson, Auckland and even Invercargill. The friendships are so special and so rare because after 10 days of living together like sardines the bonds created just aren't the same as with the people back home, and I promise you will treasure them for a very long time. I have taken away so much from my experience and have realised so much about myself that I may not have otherwise discovered. I absolutely loved my time on Spirit of Adventure and would go back in a heartbeat if it meant reliving all my amazing experiences. If you get the opportunity to attend this amazing voyage then I urge you to go, no matter how scared or nervous you may be. It truly will turn out to be one of the best things you've ever done.