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New Zealand by Katelyn Power, New Zealand was heaps of fun; the worst part was having to wake up at 3:00am on the 16th to go to the airport. The trip meant a lot to me and it was great doing the ANZAC March and service at Te Atatu and the dawn service at Waikumete Cemetery. It was awesome catching up with my billet from when she was over here, and meeting a new family and having them welcome me into their home.
My favourite place I think was Rangitoto Island. This is a volcano. We caught a ferry from Auckland to the island. We headed for a long walk up the volcano (2 hours) it was a steep and sometimes difficult walk but was well worth it once we reached the top. The view was absolutely amazing. We sat and had lunch and then proceeded to climb the roof of a nearby shelter, only to find it was quit difficult to get back down. We then walked to the crater of the volcano. The walk down was a lot better, some people took a longer road but it was a lot less steep and not as muddy. When we got to the bottom we sat on the wharf for about an hour talking and mucking around. Then we caught the ferry back.
The thermal pools at Helensville were also really fun, they had a huge water slide and we would go down in massive groups holding onto each other and taking pictures going down. We went in theoutside pool and in the heated indoor pool, which was boiling. We had lunch hosted by Kaipara RSA womens section, and we practised marching. |
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New Zealand tour 2011 now where do I begin, it was THE most exciting trip I have ever been on, meeting new people and being billeted with total strangers which I must admit at first sounded a bit scary but was amazing. The trip started with a 3:00AM start for a 4:50AM flight which is REALLY early but that was ok because that meant we got to eat breakfast on the plane which was pretty cool. . . .Scramble eggs yummy.
I was told the place to go to when you go to New Zealand is the skyline gondola and luge in Rotoura, and whoever told me that was right because I think that was my favourite visit on the whole trip. We got to take a gondola up to the top of Mount Ngongotaha with some of the most breath taking views of Lake Rotoura although the smell wasn’t too good at times, you got used to it after a while. Once we were all settled and up the top it was time for the real fun to begin, the Luge ‘where once isn’t enough’. The luge is a three-wheel cart using a unique breaking and steering system giving the driver which was us full control of where to go. There was a choice of 3 tracks, the Scenic track, the intermediate track and the advanced track all of them over 1km long. My favourite track was the intermediate track because if you could get enough speed on your cart you could some great air on one of the jumps and there were some cool spirals and loops to go around as well which was fun too. The best thing was that we got to go back up on a chairlift and go back down 5 times. So of course a few others and myself went on every track and on the last time raced and although I didn’t come first it was a great experience. I could have stayed there all day it was sooo fun but we could because there was much more exciting things install for us during the rest of the day.
The main reason we were in New Zealand was to represent Australia on ANZAC day and I believe we did a great job. We marched (like soldiers) in the dawn service not to mention it was raining so we were all wet and icky, then had breakfast at the wonderful Glen Eden R.S.A ( Return Servicemen Association) and marched again from Te Atatu R.S.A to a community hall where we had a ceremony and the laying of the wreaths. After that we had a beautiful lunch at Te Atatu R.S.A followed by a full concert and Avondale R.S.A. Anzac day was a pretty full on day for and was very tiring but was a great experience and I would be happy to do it again.
Our last day in New Zealand the good because we went shopping but was sad because we knew we had to leave the next day. Going to the airport was really upsetting, everyone was crying, I wasn’t but I was upset because we had made all these new amazing friends and we had to leave them. If any of us had a choice we all would have stayed forever but we were all missing our families and couldn’t wait to see them. Before we got on the plane we got to go last minute shopping in duty free which gave some time to spend the last of my money which didn’t really work because I have $30 still. On the plane I watched I am number four along with two other girls sitting next to me, it was a really good movie, then dinner was served . . . . Honey baked ginger chicken with sticky date pudding it was delicious. They had to stop serving dinner half way through as there were strong winds and it was throwing the plane everywhere making the trip really bumpy, it was scary. When we finally landed in Australia it felt like forever before I saw my family having to go through security and customs, then waiting for you bag (mine was like the last one) but then walking down that ramp I felt famous there was balloons and flowers and clapping and crying parents. It was great to see my mum and dad, but having to say bye to the people I spent 2 weeks with was really hard but I managed with only a few tears slipping.
New Zealand for me was an almost life changing experience and I will definitely be going back and keeping the ANZAC spirit.
Jessica-Lee Foley |
New Zealand Tour 2011On the 2011 tour to New Zealand there were so many new opportunities that I got to experience. Although my favorite experience in New Zealand was the NZ wildlife park & trout springs in Rotorua because I was able to pat a little baby lion cub and watch the annual lion feeding where the lions roared and fought over the chunks of horse meat, I had heaps of fun going to other places such as: · The Agrodome in Rotorua where there was a sheep show and I saw a cow being milked and a sheep being sheered. · The Rangitoto Island & Motutapu where I went on a hiking trip with the rest of the tour up to the very top of a volcano to have lunch and saw the beautiful views of the ocean and the city including the sky tour. · The Hells Gate Geothermal Park in Rotorua, apart from the horrible smell of the sulfur I had fun and learnt many new things about different types of mud and how mud cleans and softens your skin · The skyline Luge in Rotorua was so much fun, racing my fellow tour members down three different tracks of the mountain in luge carts and got to take a chairlift back up to the top do it all again. · Camp Adair for a day of outdoor activities and even though it was freezing cold I still managed to enjoy the amazing high swing, super fox, raft building and air rifle shooting.
I also had fun and enjoyed staying with my two billets as they took me to shops and RSA clubs around different areas, and I loved tasting the traditional New Zealand ice cream ‘Hokey Pokey’ and soft drink ‘L & P’.
By far the most moving part of this whole trip was ANZAC Day, I have attended many ANZAC Day marches in Sydney but this was very different. In Sydney the crowds cheer as the soldiers march down George Street, in New Zealand it is a very somber march all you could hear was the sound of footsteps on the ground it was quite eerie. This is the real reason we were in New Zealand, to represent Australia and keep the Anzac spirit alive.
I would like to thank Canterbury Hurlstone Park RSL Youth Club and the New Zealand Reciprocal Tour Committee for giving me this wonderful opportunity, one that has enriched my life. I hope in the future many other Youth Club members are able to experience New Zealand the way we all did on the 2011 tour. Special thanks to Francesca who looked after us all so well as chaperone. Thanks Kristie Vranjkovic |
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Natasha Klansek- New Zealand Tour 2011 Report
On the 16th of April, as dawn was approaching the journey of a lifetime began for myself and 28 others from RSL Youth Clubs all around NSW as we set off on a two week tour of New Zealand. On our arrival into Auckland we were immediately welcomed by the generous hospitality of our billets who would become our family over the next few days.
During our amazing trip we visited some of the most beautiful places that the North Island had on offer. We ventured to some of the most popular tourist attractions including the volcano of Rangatoe, Camp Ader, Rotorua Zoo, Skyline Gondola and Luge, Hells gate, Agro dome and Piha- Lion Rock. All of these places were breath taking; leaving us with a sense of amazement.
The atmosphere amongst the group was filled with enjoyment and support and the tour activities contributed further to the formation of new friendships, both amongst tour members and our New Zealand friends who accompanied us on our daily adventures.
Aside from all the tourist activities and iconic sites visited as a group, I was fortunate enough to share a special evening out with my second billet family visiting the Auckland Sky Tower.
ANZAC Day will always be a memory of my trip that will stay with me forever. We attended a moving dawn service at Waikumete Cemetery, reflecting on the ANZAC Spirit and the camaraderie that both Australian and New Zealand soldiers forged during the Great War.
At some point during our whirlwind journey we discovered what the true meaning of mateship is, experiencing firsthand how easily the young ANZACS’ soldiers from our countries would have bonded together with our friends across the Tasman. The attitude of our Nations and our people are so similar, making friendships easy to develop.
During our time on the Reciprocal tour, we sang, danced and performed as a troupe and together we shared wonderful experiences. With each concert the sense of unity really enhanced the team morale that could be felt from every corner of the auditorium. Each time we sang the national anthems of both nations, we couldn’t help but shed a tear at the realisation of how far we had come as a group and but also how quickly our trip was coming to an end.
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NSW RSL Reciprocal Tour 2011
The reciprocal tour is an opportunity for our young people to represent their club, NSW, and Australia in New Zealand and to carry on the tradition of friendship and solidarity with New Zealanders that began in the trenches of Gallipoli during the First World War. We may be fierce rivals on the sporting field but we support each other in times of need. These connections are nurtured through the reciprocal tours and some of these new friendships will last a lifetime.
At 4.50am Saturday 16th April we arrived bleary eyed at Sydney airport to find 29 teenagers, four chaperones and assorted family waiting anxiously for the plane to New Zealand. For some of the children it was their first trip overseas and for a couple it was their first ever trip on a plane. One child learned the hard way not to take all her make-up and toiletries in her hand luggage and one of the boys left his passport on the plane and we had to make a mad dash back for it. Later we met our billeting families at Papatoetoe RSA, had some refreshments and performed the first of many concerts.
Each day brought new adventures and experiences which we were lucky enough to share with some of the young people who are hoping to visit Australia next year as well as a few of the group that came here in 2010. We climbed extinct volcanoes, conquered a fear of heights on the Super Fox and Giant Swing, beat the boys at raft building, patted Ella the lion cub, enjoyed the sights sounds and smells of Rotorua, played in the black sand at Piha, swam in pools as hot as a bath and other pools under a waterfall as cold as ice, visited a fire station and got “rescued from a burning building”, inspected helicopters and planes on the airforce base, learned how to abseil, body board and do archery in the cold and rain.
The most significant day on the tour would have to be ANZAC Day. It was wet and cold but that didn’t keep people away from the Dawn Service at Waikumete Cemetery. It was extremely moving and we should be so proud that we were invited to march at the head of the parade and to have our flag held aloft on one side of the Cenotaph with the New Zealand flag on the other side. It was a very moving experience and the children behaved in a quiet and respectful manner. They were a credit to their family and their club and I hope the day was as meaningful for them as it was for me.
The experiences and friendships will remain with us for years to come. I hope other families will consider being involved in the Reciprocal Tours by billeting our friends from New Zealand next year and/or applying for a place on the next tour if your child is eligible. To the families of the children who were on this tour, you should be very proud of your girls, they were extremely well behaved, threw themselves wholeheartedly into all the activities and got on with everyone. I was so glad I could share this experience with them.
Francesca Mooney – Assistant Chaperone |
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While on camp in New Zealand, we tried new outdoor activities like abseiling, body surfing and archery, we also challenged ourselves physically by climbing the most remarkable landforms like volcanoes and Lion Rock. As Australian tourists we struggled to keep up with the constantly changing weather of Auckland’s four seasons in one day. Of course we also shopped a little, we laughed, and we cried as we left on our way home.
I would also like to thank our tour managers and chaperones that accompanied us on our New Zealand tour; it was very reassuring for all of us to have their support and guidance while we were away from home.
I am so grateful to the RSL and RSA Reciprocal tour committee for providing us a valuable opportunity to travel to New Zealand on the adventure of a lifetime. I am thankful for the new friendships I’ve made, for the learning experiences and the fond memories created that will stay with me for the rest of my life. Above all I hope the reciprocal tour will continue to into the future giving future generations of New Zealand and Australian teens a chance to strengthen the friendship between our Nations in times of peace as well as war that initiated this exchange.
Sincerely Natasha Klansek |