Year 13 Geography Trip

On Wednesday 22 August to Friday 24 August, the Year 13 Geography class embarked on a trip to Rotorua with the intention of learning more about the tourism industry and how it causes variations and impacts in both the development of the city, the economy, and the environment.

Our first stop was the Government Gardens where we were given a talk about the early history of the tourism in Rotorua as well as interesting information to use as evidence in our case study. Next we explored the CBD taking notes and pictures of different types of tourism elements before heading for our base at Keswick Camp.

The next day our first stop was Te Puia, where we were able to have a first hand experience with Maori cultural performances, and got a guided tour around the geothermal attractions such as the world famous Pohutu Geyser. Te Puia also offered us the opportunity to look at the artistic side of Maori culture which included bone and wood carvings, and we were able to go through the Kiwi House and ex

perience New Zealand’s iconic wildlife. After we had finished at Te Puia, we relaxed at Waikite Thermal Pools for a few hours before walking through the native forest along the Kaituna River which is home to many natural attractions such as caves and waterfalls.

On the last day we went to the Skyline Gondola where we went on the gondola and the luge to see the adventurous side of tourism that free and independent tourists (FIT’s) tend to go on. After this, it was time to head back to Palmy. This trip is both really fun and informative because we learnt so much about the tourism industry in Rotorua! A big thanks to Mrs Povey who helped Mr Dunbar run the trip.