COLC Activities, Learning by Doing

Horse riding on Friday

2009-07-06T18:32:00.004+12:00

Our activity group went Horse riding on Friday July 3rd. It's a 20 minute

drive to Rangihau Ranch. Then, in the stable we were all given instructions

(in slow clear English!) before we were allowed to get on the horses and

set off slowly. We rode for 1.5 hours. We saw new-born lambs on our way to

the top of the hill. Then we had a beautiful view of the Mercury Bay

Estuary. After that we rode down through a Kiwifruit orchard to the Coroglen

River. It was a wonderful afternoon

Japanese night

2009-07-06T13:19:00.005+12:00

Open Night is different every week. Last Wednesday our Japanese students volunteered to make dinner for everyone. It was chaos in the kitchen, but they produced a delicious dinner - curry udon, yummy sushi, and a fine green salad. Every student came to enjoy the Japanese food - now they're trying to decide who will cook for the next few weeks - there are 11 nationalities at school at the moment! It might be Saudi night soon!

Rotorua Trip

2009-06-24T17:19:00.003+12:00

The next few posts on this blog are all from a trip we took to Rotorua a few weeks ago. The Activities department organized the trip and any interested students could join. My wife Robyn, and I went as group leaders and we had8 students with us and we really had a blast. Check out some of the photos of what we managed to do in just 2 days.

This photo shows the students who were on the trip, outside the Backpacker that we stayed at. Across the back is; Heiko, Nicole, Laura, Josefina, Patrizia, and in front is Tomoki, Marlene and Kazuki.

White Water Rafting

2009-06-24T16:57:00.003+12:00

Our first activity on the Saturday morning was white water rafting on the Kaituna River. This is a short trip but it is grade 5 which means some pretty serious rapids. The trip ends with a drop over a 7 meter waterfall which is said to be the highest commercially ratfed waterfall anywhere in the world. This trip was great fun and really set the stage for what was to become a grteat weekend.

The Luge

2009-06-24T10:16:00.002+12:00

Saturday afternoon was bitterly cold but we still headed off to the Gondolas and went up Mt Ngongotaha. The view over the city and the lake was great, and the luge rides were tremendous fun. Josefina would have had more fun if she had worked out how to use the brakes!!! But it was cold up there and eventually the weather chased us, one by one, off the luge track and into the cafe, where it was much warmer.

Tamaki Tours

2009-06-24T09:41:00.004+12:00

On the Saturday evening we all went out to the Tamaki Brothers Maori Villiage to enjoy first hand, a Maori cultural experience. This evening included a traditional challenge and welcome, some time in the villiage and then a wonderful cultural performance of Maori song and dance, followed by a hangi, which is a meal prepared in the traditional cooking method of hot stones in an earth oven. There were more songs and fun afterwards as you can see!! Nicole was happy to join the group on stage and show us what she had learned during the evening.

Waiotapu

2009-06-24T09:16:00.003+12:00

Sunday morning was a visit to the Waiotapu Thermal Valley. This is just one of several places around Rotorua where you can see the region's unique thermal activity. There is lots of steam, hot water, boiling mud and amazing colours all in a natural setting. We really enjoyed our visit there on a cold winter morning

Rainbow Springs

2009-06-24T08:51:00.004+12:00

Rotorua is world famous for it's trout fishing and at Rainbow Springs you can get a really close look at some of the biggest rainbow trout you will ever see. These fish are free to come and go from this reserve out into the lake if they want to.

At this site we also visited the 'Kiwi Encounter' where we were able to look around a facility that is used to hatch and raise kiwi chicks, which are then released into the wild as part of New Zealand's Kiwi Protection Program

Agrodome

2009-06-24T08:29:00.003+12:00

The final stop on our Rotorua trip was at the Agridome. This is like and on stage farming demonstration where you can learn a little bit about New Zealand's sheep farming industry. They show you lots of well behaved sheep, some very smart sheep dogs, and a sheep shearing exhibition. There was even a cow and a couple of ducks on stage too.

Swiss Night

2009-06-18T11:36:00.004+12:00

We do a lot of different things on our regular Wednesday "Open Night". Last night our Swiss students made dinner - a delicious Swiss dinner - Alpenmacaroni - a new dish for all the non-Swiss. Thanks Delia and Chantal - that was a great effort. Last week was Korean night - who knows what next week will be - Chinese night, Saudi night, Italian night, Japanese night ....?

The rest of the evening was "talking English" night of course - and everybody enjoyed that!

Black Water Rafting

2009-06-16T20:30:00.003+12:00

As an alternative to our usual daily activity program we are starting to organize and run some weekend trips for interested groups of students to popular tourist destinations where we can find exciting things to see and do. One such recent trip was to go to Hamilton to watch a big rugby game, and then to travel a little further south to the Waitomo Caves where we took part in a Black Water Rafting trip

There had been lots of rain and the water levels in the cave were fairly high but this just made the whole adventure more exciting. It was also a bit cold but thick wetsuits during the trip and hot soup straight afterwards made it all alright.

We couldn't take too many photos right inside the cave but these ones will give you some idea of what this trip was like.

At the Rugby

2009-06-16T19:33:00.004+12:00

Several students had asked me to organize a trip so they could see a top level rugby game while they were here in New Zealand. Rugby is a pretty big part of NZ culture so we thought a visit to a serious game would be a good idea.

We decided to go to Hamilton to see the 'Chiefs' play a major 'Super 14' game. As you can see it was a cold night and we even got a nice heavy shower of rain to remind us that rugby really is a winter sport.

Most of the students quickly learned to cheer at the right time and for the right team and we all had a pretty good time. Some of those with us that night continued to follow the Chiefs for the rest of their season and some even started to learn a bit about the game. I was impressed!!!

Laura's Birthday

2009-04-30T15:54:00.003+12:00

Sometimes, activities are just "special"

Laura turned 21 on a cold and wet afternoon, and despite the conditions, along with Yashika we decided to climb Castle Rock. Half way up the rain stopped and by the time we reached the top there was a wet freshness about everything and we were above the clouds.

The birthday cake tasted great and it was just one of those special occasions that you remember for a long time.

Happy 21st Laura

Open Night

2009-04-30T15:32:00.003+12:00

Wednesday nights are always fun with many different social events put on to prove that you can have a great time in Whitianga in the evenings.
We often have Theme Evenings when a group of students will cook food from their culture to share with everyone else.

These photos are from one such night recently when Josefina from Argentina, and Jose from Spain combined to produce a "Latin Evening for us. As usual the food was great and everyone had a fantastic time.

Boogie Boarding. April '09

2009-04-21T10:25:00.004+12:00

Buffalo Beach in Whitianga is a safe family beach not really known for its surf. But a few times every year the waves roll in and create a great opportunity for fantastic fun just a few minutes from the schools front door. Such was the case last Friday when we canceled the scheduled activity so we could take advantage of the great conditions for boogie boarding.

Here are some photos from that afternoon.

Wonderful Day on the Hahei Explorer

2009-03-26T20:10:00.003+13:00

Some of our best weather comes in the autumn, and we are certainly getting wonderful days this March.
Just a few days ago I took Naho, Laura, Ping, Koy, Nashiko and Andrea for a trip around the coastline between Cathedral Cove and Hot Water Beach, on the Hahei Explorer.
Great students and great fun!!

As you can see it was still warm enough for everyone to have a swim afterwards.

Banana Boat

2009-03-26T20:04:00.003+13:00

We had a fantastic group of students out on the banana boat last week. They had so much fun. Here are just a few shots of some of the action and one of the whole group at the end of a great day.

The Big Jump

2009-03-26T19:49:00.004+13:00

Part of every Banana Boat activity is a visit to a little cave between Cooks Beach and Lonely Bay. This cave is known as Cooks Blowhole. As you can see from the photos there is a ledge about 3 or 4 meters above the water level which the very brave can climb up to, and jump off!!! It is a lot higher when you are standing up there than it looks from down below. As usual we had plenty of hardy students willing to give it a go.

Fishing From the Rocks

2009-03-15T10:21:00.002+13:00

Although we sometimes go fishing from a boat, we also often go rock fishing. This involves choosing a place along the coast, and there are many to pick from, that suits the days weather and sea conditions. We then cast our lines from the rocks out into the deeper water and wait and hope. Here you can see the waiting and some proof of the results. This is Marius with his kahawai.

Kiwi Cooking

2009-03-15T10:14:00.002+13:00

Every now and then we have an afternoon of kiwi cooking. The office staff really like this activity because they get to sample all the goodies that the activities students cook.
In this photo our activities teacher Ann (2nd from right), is explaining something to Marius, Noemi and Stefanie.

The Lost Spring

2009-03-10T08:31:00.003+13:00

This is a new activity for us here at COLC, and it is also a brand new attraction for Whitianga.

This pool complex set in really extraordinary grounds and gardens is a real surprise. Once inside you would never guess you were right in the middle of our little town.

These photos show just a little of the tropical surrounds and also show our group of students enjoying the wonderful warm water.

The man in the black tee shirt in the last photo is the developer behind this project and he kindly spent spent some time with us, explaining the story this new complex, and also the history of the hot water it uses.

Orchard Visit

2009-03-10T08:17:00.003+13:00

Summer is a great time to visit Mark and Vicki and their wonderful garden and orchard. As well as lots of interesting information about NZ trees and growing conditions, there is always lots of delicious fresh fruit and vegetables to sample.

They also have a small Kauri nursery that we look at and learn about. Here they grow Kauri trees from locally collected seed.

This is a great activity that the students enjoy.

These photos are of a great group we took there in February.

Summer Activities

2009-02-10T16:37:00.001+13:00

Summertime activities are always lots of fun. Here is a selection of just some of the things we have been up to this summer.

Cave Cruzer and Waitaia Walk

2009-02-10T16:14:00.005+13:00

This activity combines a beautiful Bush Walk, with a Boat Ride into the Waitaia Cave and a trip across Mercury Bay. One group walks in while the other goes on the boat from Whitianga. After the first cave visit the boat pulls in close to the shore at Waitaia Beach and the 2 groups swap over.

Here is a selection of photos from both the walk and the boat trip.

These first photos show Rudi, and then Claudia, crossing the new bridge.

Then we see Fabian and Valerie walking along the beach.

The other group were already waiting for us when we arrived.

The next shot is of the Cave Cruzer boat and the final one is taken inside Waitaia Cave looking out.

High Zone

2009-02-10T16:06:00.004+13:00

We recently took another group of students to High Zone. This is a great place for beating that fear of heights. It might look like fun from the ground but it takes a lot of courage when you are up there.

Fishing on the "Wild Goose"

2009-02-10T15:25:00.003+13:00

Fishing is always a popular activity. We had a really nice afternoon out on the water in January and catching a few fish was just a bonus.

These photos show Astrid with activities teacher Ann, Corina and Alexis, (looking very excited), and Ikho.

Body Boarding January 2009

2009-01-08T18:08:00.004+13:00

Body boarding or Boogie Boarding as we like to call it is always one of our most popular summertime activities. These photos were taken today (Jan 8th) at Simpson's Beach.

From the top they show: Andrea and Selina, Stefanie, Activities teacher Bernice with Seung, Ryo, and Andrea again.

Scuba Diving Experience

2009-01-06T14:33:00.004+13:00

A few times each summer a lucky group of students gets the opportunity to try scuba diving as part of our activity program. This Activity is run over 2 days and uses the expertise of a local professional dive company to provide one on one tuition.
Day 1 is in the pool where students become familiar with the equipment and gain a little confidence underwater while in a very safe environment.
Day 2 is the real thing. We normally will take a boat trip out into the Bay and each student gets the chance to dive with their instructor and experience the truly unique world that lies beneath the surface.

This activity is not for everyone but is a wonderful opportunity for those who are willing to try.

These photos are from a Dive Experience activity that we did just before the end of school in December 2008

December 08

2008-12-13T14:37:00.006+13:00

Here are just a few photos taken around the school during events we had on in early December. There was a Spanish dinner one evening, which we asked all the students to dress up for, and there are also some shots here from a Maori Cultural Activity that is brand new to our activity program.

Windsurfing, 5th Nov

2008-11-07T15:31:00.003+13:00

These 2 photos show first learning on the simulator on land, and then just how it is done out on the water.

Candle Making Nov 5th

2008-11-07T15:12:00.004+13:00

Students with Lutz in his studio in the Bush

3rd Nov 2008. Kauri Trees

2008-11-07T14:29:00.006+13:00

Activities this week has included a walk in to the Kauri Trees on the 309 Road. Here are some photos from that activitiy.

After seeing the Kauris we often visit the Waiau Waterfalls

The Pinnacles Walk. 18th Oct

2008-10-22T10:49:00.003+13:00

Last weekend, Sandy from the office, took a group 11 people for an overnight hike up to the Pinnacles Hut. This is a very well known Coromandel walk that involves some challenging uphill sections. Virtually every step from the car park to the Hut is a step up!! But it is all worthwhile because the views up there are absolutely spectacular. There was a great mix of New Zealanders and overseas students on the trip and everyone had a great time.

These photos show the people who took part and also some of the wonderful terrain they hiked through.

Wednesday Morning

2008-09-24T16:29:00.007+12:00

Each Wednesday morning between 11:00 and 12:00 there is a "whole of school" activity that all students take part in. It is often singing, but sometimes drama, games or other things are tried. This week, Kathy, one of our office staff took a Line Dancing class.
It looked like everyone was having a great time. Here are some photos from this morning.

First Surf Course

2008-09-24T11:44:00.003+12:00

These 2 photos are the brave students who have just completed the first surf course of this summer. There will be several more courses run as the summer continues.

Recent Photos

2008-09-24T11:21:00.003+12:00

Ultimate Challenge on Friday Sept 19th.
These shots show Ahmed, Men and Jose on the high climbing wall.

Driving Creek Railway

2008-09-23T16:44:00.002+12:00

This is a very popular tourist attraction situated about 45 minutes away from Whitianga at the historic town of Coromandel. This amazing little narrow gauge railway windes up through the bush clad hillside overlooking the coast. The train, the tracks, the bridges and tunnels were all built on site by the dedicated team of enthusiasts who run the place. It is owned by a well known potter Barry Brickell who started building the railway in 1975 to bring clay for his pottery and timber for the kiln, down off the hill. He began to take people for rides to supplement the income of his property and now in the summer up to 500 people a day take the trip to the top station which is called the "Eyefull Tower"

Target Shooting

2008-09-23T16:37:00.001+12:00

Real shooting. Real shot guns. What we do is clay target shooting or what is sometimes called skeet shooting. This is another one of those activities that people normally get to try for the frist time when they are here at COLC. The 'clay' disc-like targets are fired out of a machine and they fly through the air presenting moving targets for the shooters to try to hit. The targets can fly towards you or away from you, and from high up or low down. There are lots of different skills needed to succeed at this sport.

Golf

2008-09-23T16:30:00.000+12:00

Don't let anybody tell you that learning to play golf is easy. But it is fun. This activity gives everybody an opportunity to try out a game that can be challenging and frustrating. It is a popular activity, normally full of laughter, and most students agree it was harder to do than they thought. The Mercury Bay Golf and Country Club is close to the school and provides excellent facilities for us to enjoy our golfing experience.

Arabecue

2008-08-28T10:37:00.003+12:00

Every Wednesday we have “Open Night” at school. This week our Saudi students prepared a great BBQ for all the students. They bought the food from the local butcher and supermarket, and spent several hours in the kitchen at school making salads and several delicious Saudi dishes. They had to learn to use a gas barbecue, and they were very successful.

Other students looked surprised to see the Saudi men working in the kitchen, but when the dinner was presented, everyone enjoyed it very much. After dinner they danced and partied for a couple of hours.

High Zone

2008-08-13T11:44:00.003+12:00

This is an exciting high ropes confidence course situated just a short distance from Whitianga. The students face a range of challenges, and all of them are at least 12 metres up in the air. Experienced operators and safety harnesses make this a perfectly safe activity but one that will always strike a little fear into everyone, and a lot of fear into some. The tasks aren't too difficult, but sometimes finding the courage to "just do it" is.

Waiau Water Works

2008-08-12T16:13:00.000+12:00

This is a cool place!! It is over on the western side of the peninsula, near Coromandel Town. It is an area of native bush and gardens with a small river running through it. It has been developed into a sort of park, great for family outings and picnics. There are lots of fun things to to for kids and adults alike, and lots of amazing and interesting 'water driven' sculptures and activities.
We often have a BBQ or a picnic there, and there is a great swimming hole in the river. In the summer most of the students that I take there end up getting wet!!

Beach Walks

2008-07-22T12:18:00.003+12:00

There are so many beautiful beaches within a short drive of Whitianga. So naturally visiting these beaches forms a large part of our activity program, especially in the summer time. Here is a selection of photos from just some of the best places, can you guess which beaches these photos were taken at?

The Ultimate Challenge

2008-07-21T16:26:00.000+12:00

This is a great activity that always pushes someone in the group just a little further than they thought they could go.
We travel to Pauanui which is almost an hour away. That makes it one of the longest trips we do for regular activities..
The Ultimate Challenge is often used for corporate 'Team Building' and is set right in and around some big pine trees. The obstacle course and climbing ropes take you to a platform high up in the trees, and from there to the finish is a 250 meter long 'flying fox'. Lots of fun, and everyone can do it.... if you are brave enough.

Hot Water Beach

2008-07-03T19:16:00.004+12:00

This is another of the very popular tourist attractions that is so close to our school. Hot Water Beach is only half an hour away, and here, at low tide the hot water just bubbles up out of the sand. We simply did a hole in the sand to form our own hot pool and then lie back and soak up the warmth and the beauty of the place. If it gets too hot for you a quick dip in the sea will cool you off, and then its back into the warm pool.

Fishing

2008-07-03T19:04:00.003+12:00

When you come to coastal New Zealand one thing you must do is eat fresh fish that you have caught yourself. Our activities gives you several options for fishing on and around beautiful Mercury Bay. Whether it be surfcasting from the beach, rock fishing at Otama, or an afternoon out with Captain Pugwash in his boat 'The Wild Goose'..... we will take you to the fish, you just have to catch them.

Bonecarving

2008-07-03T18:55:00.003+12:00

Bonecarving has long been one of our most popular activities, with many students going several times and becoming very good at it. There are several designs to choose from, most of which come from New Zealand's Maori culture. With a little bit of care and a lot of patience almost everyone can produce a carving they can be proud of, and something that will always remind them of their time in Whitianga.

Croquet

2008-07-01T19:41:00.004+12:00

Not to be confused with cricket which is another quite different game we play here in New Zealand. We play our croquet in a lovely local park where we set up a course and hit balls around with large wooden mallets. Sounds crazy but it is really good fun. The rules are easy to learn and we usually end up having a competition that everyone wants to win.

Mini Golf

2008-07-01T11:13:00.003+12:00

Mini golf is always fun where ever you play it, but here in Whitianga we have a brand new course and it is great. These photos are right up to date, taken at activities recently and they show some of the students that are here right now enjoying a Whitianga winter.

Windsurfing

2008-06-24T12:39:00.004+12:00

This challenging Activity is taught right here in Whitianga on Buffalo Beach. Our operators have a simulator which allows students to learn the basic skills on dry land. This makes it all a little easier once you get on the water. There are several different sizes and types of windsurfers and so students will be matched with a rig that suits them best. The instruction continues out on the water and most students are able to sail at least in a straight line on their first day. There is a safety boat on hand all the time and this is used to return the windsurfers to the best place for catching the wind. Everyone gets wet on windsurfing days

Ikebana

2008-06-16T10:23:00.000+12:00

The Japanese art of flower arranging. Ikebana is one of several craft activities that we do at the local Art School known as "Art People". A local Japanese lady takes this class, and the students are given a basic understanding of how to put simple flower arrangements together. The ideas are developed during the session and the the results are surprisingly good. Everyone comes away with a better appreciation of flowers and of shape and form.

Banana Boat

2008-06-16T10:07:00.002+12:00

This is a local tourist adventure ride which operates from Buffalo Beach during the summer. There are several options we can choose depending on how daring the students are. These range from a quiet trip round the coast to Cathedral Cove, right up to the "Hellbender" ride during which everyone is guaranteed to get very wet. We normally take a volleyball or a rugby ball onto the beach to have some extra fun between rides.

Aikido

2008-06-13T11:35:00.005+12:00

Aikido is a non competitive Japanese marshal art. In this area we are lucky enough to have a highly trained instructor and a beautiful dome shaped Dojo in a lovely native bush setting. This activity consists of an introduction to Aikido and some basic training along with plenty of practical self defense techniques. As well as learning the Aikido, this is a beautiful place to visit.

Horse Riding

2008-05-08T20:06:00.000+12:00

Horse Riding at Rangihau Ranch is a favourite activity with almost all of our students. There you will be matched with a horse the right size for you, and taken on a leisurely ride through the beautiful local farmland. Basic riding instruction is given and the horses are quiet and easy to handle.
On a nice day the views are stunning as the trek normally takes us high into the hills from where we can look right out across the valley that runs down to Whitianga some 10 km away.

309 Kauri Trees

2008-05-08T19:42:00.000+12:00

Over 100 years ago the whole of the Coromandel Peninsula was covered by vast Kauri forests. These Kauris are the largest trees in the wonderful New Zealand native bush. The biggest of them were up to 7 mt in diameter and may have been over 3000 years old. However a sustained Kauri logging industry by early settlers saw almost all of these trees cut down. The beautiful golden timber was valuable especially for boat building and today is prized for furniture making, although all our remaining Kauri are now protected.

Luckily, not too far from Whitianga on the old 309 Road to Coromandel Town there is a small grove of these great trees still standing. These mature trees are some 600 years old, and while they can still get a lot bigger they do give us a good indication of how this area must have looked 120 years ago.

Archery

2008-05-08T19:32:00.000+12:00

Archery is just one of the activities that many of our students experience, often for the very first time, when they are with us. We get some expert tuition and many of the students are surprisingly good once they have had a little practice. There are several targets and bows of different strengths to suit everybody.

We normally will have a small competition at archery and often we will end up with the boys versus the girls which is always fun.

Cave Cruzer

2008-05-05T17:44:00.000+12:00

The Cave Cruzer is a commercial boat trip that operates out of Whitianga. Our normal trip with these guys is to head across to the northern side of Mercucy Bay and into the Waitaia Cave. This is a large cave that the boat can easily enter. It is a musical trip and the tour operator plays several different instruments inside the cave where they really sound great.

When numbers allow we will split the group, and half will take the boat while the rest take a bush hike in to a nearby beach. The two groups then swap over on the beach and both get to enjoy the whole experience.

Cathedral Cove

2008-05-05T17:16:00.000+12:00

Cathedral Cove is on the eastern side of the peninsula close to Hahei. It is one of our most popular tourist attractions and in the summer can be visited by up to 7000 people a week. Our activities groups will often do the 40 minute walk in to this beautiful spot for a swim and a picnic. We also sometimes visit it during boat trips we do, and sometime even kayak in. Cathedral Cove is not far from Whitianga and is one of those places every student should visit while they are with us. A majestic cave joins two beautiful beaches and it is not uncommon to see couples choosing this place to get married

In this group of photos we have included one of 14 people sitting on the ledge above the beach. Can anyone name all 14 people?? and who took the photo??

Farm Visit

2008-04-29T11:40:00.000+12:00

This is a local sheep and beef farm which we visit. Always a lot of fun, and the students are able to interact with the animals as well as see sheep shearing, sheep dogs working and other seasonal farm activity.
Jeanie always produces a wonderful afternoon tea for us with cheese and pickles she has made from their own farm produce.
The photo with the goat was taken by Marcelle and won a recent Photo Competition here at the school