In mid-May students from both Level 2 Geography classes took a trip to Aoraki Mt Cook National Park.

The trip was centred around how growing tourism in the park has impacts for sustainability, and what the future holds for the park. Students collected data and information towards two NCEA internal standards, and are in the process of writing a report about their findings and what the future of the park is.

Whilst on the trip students learnt about sustainability and kaitiakitanga, worked in groups and were immersed in the unique alpine environment. They engaged in primary field research by asking tourists, business owners and hospitality staff about their experiences in the park, took measurements about climate and the ecology of the environment, learnt about the cultural history of the environment and the importance of Aoraki to Ngāi Tahu, heard talks from DoC rangers about conservation and the human impacts on the park, and learnt about a truly current issue whilst trying to come up with solutions for the future. For many students this consolidated the learning in class and gave them an opportunity to visit a very significant site, where they may have never been before.

For those who wanted to, an opportunity to participate in a popular tourist activity was presented, either a boat trip on Tasman Lake, or a ski plane ride to the Tasman Glacier. Both experiences were remarked as “an opportunity to never be forgotten!”

Rangiora High School Students did us proud on this trip and displayed all the school values of respect, contribute and aspire. They should be commended on their hard work!