On Tuesday 3rd December 2024, 11 students from Year 11 & Year 12 took a wild two-week adventure to Cambodia, along with Ms Young, Mrs Porter, and our World Challenge expedition leader, JR. This was a super fun, adventurous, and bonding experience for everyone. We are all very sure that these memories will be treasured for years to come.

Before departing, we had to spend a little over a year fundraising, which we did in numerous creative ways as part of our learning and development journey before heading over to Cambodia.

Our first few days were spent travelling, it was fun but exhausting. Our first stop was a plane flight to Auckland, where we had about a four-hour layover at the airport. From there, we made our way on a 10-hour flight to Singapore, then finally our flight that took us to our first destination; Siem Riep.

In Siem Riep, we really immersed ourselves in Cambodia's new and colourful atmosphere. On our second day in-country, we went to the markets and bought quite a few souvenirs and gifts, many of us losing most of our spending money at these markets. JR and Ms Young helped teach us the art of bartering. This was a learning experience, and none of us grasped it immediately or perfectly, but if you ask anyone who went, I’m pretty sure that they’ll tell you that was the most fun part about the markets. Later that day we decided to spend some time playing mini-golf, and we took our first rides on tuk-tuks!  Ms Young challenged the group to a playful Amazing Race challenge.  We all had a blast racing around Siem Reap in our tuk-tuk, blasting the golf balls around a mini Angkor Wat golf course, and attempting a hole in one for a cold can of coke!  The winning Amazing Race team was shouted much needed cold drinks by the adults.

During the evening we went to the Phare Circus which holds the record for the longest-running circus. This was truly incredible and even had a pre-show where the students from the village dance school performed traditional Khmer dances.  After this we were given fans to beat the heat and guided into the main event this turned out to be a highlight of the trip for many.

The next day started with a cooking class, where we learned how to make Cambodia's signature dish Fish Amok along with banana pudding and salad. The best way to immerse yourself in a new culture is to embrace their traditional dishes, and we did just that! 

After our two days of sightseeing, we packed our bags and headed into the Cambodian jungle where we were guided by the wonderful Bunak. This was a three-day intrepid trek that was the height of some of our wildest adventures. Our first day was the toughest, we traveled the first three kilometers up the steepest part of the mountain. It was tiring, humid, and hot, but totally worth it.  At the top we were greeted with a cultural hand-crafted lunch made by the local women. We were extremely grateful to them for fuelling us over those three days. Despite many of us finding the heat, humidity, and the sun very harsh, everyone challenged themselves and pushed through it to create some of the best memories and conversations that will not soon be forgotten.  Arriving at our camp site we were so happy to see the tents already set up and we could just jump in and flop down onto our sleeping mattress!  The makeshift toilet and cool wash down at the river made us appreciate the little luxuries we had at home.

The next few days were even more adventurous, we visited many old temples, listened to stories of the rise and fall of the civilization that lived up there, and admired the colorful and creative storytelling and bonding within the group, including our tour guide. While the trek was difficult, it was very worth it.

Over the next week and a half, we continued to travel around Cambodia and experience everything it had to offer us, from the friendly and welcoming locals to its greatest attraction Angkor Wat. While our time there at the ancient temples was short, the architecture and history at the temples of Angkor Wat were bigger than the place itself. We even had fun interactions with the monkeys, which may or may not have scared some of us.

On this trip we all experienced new things and got to partake in activities many people do not get to be part of. This meant giving back to the earth and helping out with conservation efforts at an Elephant Sanctuary and a Sun Bear & Moon Bear Sanctuary.

 At the Elephant Sanctuary, we participated in everyday chores around the sanctuary to help with the elephants. What an amazing three days it was. We helped prepare and feed pumpkin and sugar cane to the elephants and monkeys, and helped clean up their living spaces - which was kind of gross, but worth it. It was so fun to get to know the personalities of each of the three elephants at the sanctuary. The buffet meals served at the sanctuary was one of our highlights, everything was vegan and absolutely delicious. Before we knew it, it was time to pack up and say goodbye to the elephants and our hosts, and moving on to our next destination; Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia . 

While in Phnom Penh, we went out and spent half a day helping at the Sun Bear and Moon Bear Sanctuary. There, we cleaned out cages and prepared enrichment toys for them. They were almost as cute as the elephants, but we didn’t get as close and personal with the Sun bears. We all learned so much about the conservation effort to protect the native animals at the sanctuary.

On our final day in Cambodia we spent some time learning about Cambodia's sad history at the Killing Fields and S-21 prison. Despite this being a very sombre and heavy day for most of us, it was an important part of our trip that enriched our understanding of Cambodia. To lift our spirits, we went to an large air conditioned mall for dinner, reflected on all the memories made ….. and did our final bit of shopping for souvenirs to bring home.

Suddenly before we knew it, our expedition in Cambodia was over, and we were on a bus to the airport for another 24 hours of travel back to New Zealand. While we could delve into all the little details of our journey back home, let's keep it short. We flew back into Singapore, where we spent a wild six-hour layover, then finally set sail for Auckland, and home to Dunedin.

Everyone was excited to see our families and our beds, but it was bittersweet. What was deemed a long two weeks suddenly felt so short, and more time there would have been amazing, but spending more time away from home felt exhausting. To come to the end of such a journey is a feeling not even words can describe. There were so many takeaways from this trip and many more memories made, and we are certain that it is something none of us will ever stop talking about.

We are forever grateful to everyone who made this possible: our families, friends, school community, Board members, PTSA, teachers, Ms Young, Mrs Porter, and JR.

Thank you from the World Challenge team 2024.