Inquiry Trip #1 to Ōtepoti - Dunedin

The Inquiry trip to Dunedin happened in Week 2 of this term. 40 excited students piled into vans and cars and made the journey down to Dunedin.

Along the way there were stops at Caroline Bay, Oāmaru and the Moeraki Boulders before cruising into Dunedin Holiday Park. After setting up rooms and doing a quick explore it was time for dinner, and a game of Creep Up Granny at the park before bed time.

Day two saw the sun shining brightly after some rain the night before. On today's agenda was a trip to outer space via the Planetarium at Tūhara Museum and then out in the wilderness of Orokonui Sanctuary. Both of these two places had many highlights for the students; including seeing Matariki in the night sky and a Tuatara. The evening activity was Moana Pool where lots of fun was had. Just how many Te Kura Mareko Casebrook students can we fit in the hydroslides before being told off? The answer was 11. 😀

The third day greeted us with another epic packed timetable. We had a slower start to the day with some students heading to the dairy to get a breakfast ice cream before we went to Otago University where we split into two groups; half of us doing a chemistry lesson in the laboratory while the other half did a tour around the university before swapping over. This included the Six60 house, some lecture theatres and the library.

Time flew past and before we knew it we were heading back to camp for some kai and a bit of downtime before going to the Otago Early Settlers Museum. This was one of the highlights for most of our group and we could have spent hours here; but time was running out and we still had to head to Baldwin Street. It was here that Mr Stribling created the first ever "Fastest Run Up Baldwin Street Challenge." The record holder at this point in time is Malachi. Unfortunately, Tunnel Beach was closed due to slips so we cruised back to camp to get ready for dinner.

Our last full day in Dunedin, and it was one we all loved. Taking in the beauty of the butterfly house at Tuhara and then being allowed to explore the Science exhibition and the rest of the museum. Time flew past and before we knew it, it was time to head to Lanarch's Castle. We were taken on a tour of the castle and learnt all about the scandalous past of the original owners and how it came to be. When the tour was over there was time to explore the gardens and burn off some energy before dinner at Cobb 'n Co that night.

That brings our Inquiry trip to an epic end. On the way home we pulled into Riverstone Castle and marvelled at that, before some lunch in Timaru and then finally back at Te Kura Mareko Casebrook Intermediate.

A huge thank you to James, Shane & Richard (the parents who came), Mr Stribling and Miss Wilkinson (the teachers) and Miss Kerr for organising.

We hope the next trip has an awesome time too!