On Wednesday, the 26th of July, the Year 12/13 Tourism class set off for an exciting trip to Tekapo, to learn about the Tourism Industry. We all buckled up and away we went.

Our first destination, The Dark Sky Project, we learnt about astronomy, and about the Māori history of the stars. We also discussed the Tourism Industry and the dynamics in the business.

Next up, we drove to Air Safaris, where we learnt about their family owned business and we even got to see the Air-Van and the Air-Caravan up close! This was very exciting, especially for the class members who want to become pilots! 

Our last stop before lunch was Peppers Bluewater Resort. We got a tour of the different types of rooms available. We then went back to the restaurant to enjoy some yummy treats which was a nice surprise. The Operational Manager told us about how she ended up managing at Peppers Bluewater Resort. Her career pathway was interesting and inspiring. 

Our last stop of the day was Tekapo Springs where Billy from Scotland and also the manager gave us a quick tour and talked about the business side and the surrounding area. Here he discussed that having a range of skills was crucial to a business, as at times, staff needed to be flexible in what area they had to work in, depending on the time of season and visitor numbers. Shortly after we separated into our activities. The majority of us tried ice skating, while the others went to the hot pools. Thankfully we didn’t have too many falls on the ice!

Over the course of the day we learnt a lot around the roles that the  tourism industry has to offer and the places you can go for your career. We also were made aware of the fickle nature of tourism due to seasons and domestic vs international travellers. 

Thank you to Mrs Robinson and Ms McMurray for taking us to Tekapo and exposing us to an industry that is on our doorstep.