Year 13 Geography travelled to Queenstown on Tuesday via a visit to Macraes Mine and a drive through to Hyde, Ranfurly and beyond.

It was an action-packed programme starting with the gondola and luge, followed by a talk about tourism impacts from  the Queenstown police and the day finishing with dinner and a look around Queenstown CBD. The weather was fresh with snow flurries!

On Wednesday we had a talk from Chris at the Frankton Airport outlining the exponential growth and resulting issues for expansion. The talk opened with the fact that there are more people alive today than all the people who have ever died! We then visited the Lakes District Museum in Arrowtown where Kelly the educator taught us about the history of tourism in Queenstown beginning with scenic horse and coach tours and mountaineering in long dresses and ending with the 3.3 million vistors to Queenstown in the last year!

We carried on to Millbrook Resort where Russell showed us around the very beautiful grounds, restaurants, golf course and spa. It was a fascinating insight into the luxury tourism market and industry. We relaxed at the Frankton Pizzeria over dinner, had a quick shopping experience at the Five Mile retail development and played an advanced version of celebrity charades.

Thursday morning saw the grand finale of the trip with our thrilling and insane jetboat ride across the lake to Frankton and up the Kawarau and Shotover Rivers with our guide Hamish. There was a bit of screaming but we all loved every minute.

Thanks to all the girls for making it such a memorable trip and to the teachers Ms Munro and Mrs Davidson for making it all happen. Thanks to all our guides and our hosts. Thanks to those who supported the Bake Sales for our trip and to Careers and the STAR Budget for their support. We have plenty to think about and to write in our external paper on Tourism Development in Queenstown on 19 Nov!