I was lucky to secure a week at Hillary Outdoors in February to 'shadow' instructors to learn how they teach leadership and outdoor skills to students. Monday was spent with Year 9 girls from Cambridge High, and Tuesday navigating, scrambling and using rope skills in the Mangetepopo Stream with Palmerston North Boys High Year 12's.
Tuesday I joined another team from PNBH on their three-day expedition. The group got to plan their own expedition, and had available to them any of the pursuits taught at the centre; rock climbing, kayaking, caving, rafting. They decided to focus their attention solely on summiting Mt Ruapehu with a camp on the Summit Plateau. They succeeded.
Seb made the point to the guys that we were both passengers - this was their trip to manage.
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| PNBH Year 12 crew with instructor Seb |
The boys divided up the tasks of navigation, time-keeping and leading, and worked really well as a team. It was great to see how different personalities and strengths come to the fore when in a new environment. Some already had well developed outdoors skills.
We left from Iwikau Village late morning and followed the general route of the ski lifts through Whakapapa Skifield, stopping to eat our lunch on the steps of the new Knoll Ridge Cafe. We helped ourselves to the water here - possibly the last for a while.
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| Cathedral Rocks |
The boys found a great camping spot just over the saddle between Glacier Knob and Tukino Peak with great views toward Cathedral Rocks to the south-east.
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| Summit plateau camp |
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| How to cook dinner in the mountains with instructor Seb |
Some of the guys couldn't soak up enough knowledge.
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| Abseil practice |
Most of the guys hadn't spent time in the mountains, and had certainly not enjoyed a sunset like this before.
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| Looking to Mt Taranaki for the sunset |
The early start was delayed as the boys missed their alarm clock (think late night talking) but we got to the Mangatoetoenui Glacier in time for a superb sunrise.
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| Sunrise at the Mangatoetoenui Glacier |
And views to the east over the Kaimanawa Mountains.
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| Thinking - beats the classroom maybe |
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| Whangaehu River and the Kaimanawa Range |
From the Mangatoetoenui Glacier we headed for the summit of Dome (2,672m).
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| Crater Lake from Dome |
And on to summit Paretetaitonga (2,751m) and Glacier knob (2,642m), returning to our camp for a late breakfast.
We then headed to Tukino Peak (2,720m) and Te Heuheu (2,732m).
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| Waihohonu Ridge |
Of course the Hillary Outdoors instructors wouldn't let a group past the falls without a dip so we all enjoyed a cold but needed clean under the magic falls.
It was a quick 40 minute walk to the van on Friday morning and back to the centre for a detailed debrief of the week with the boys and then departure to Masterton for me.
The full album is at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/133363633@N06/albums/72157713100599142
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