Level 2 Outdoor Education

The level 2 ODE class went on a trip to the Central North Island from Monday the 31st May to Friday the 4th of June staying at the amazing Taylor Memorial Lodge just north of Ohakune. On the first day we went caving in the Okupata Caves, this was an awesome way to start the trip and set the standard for the outdoor pursuits to follow over the next 3 days. 

We climbed at the indoor climbing centre at Turangi as well as abseiled off the 14-meter high platform. The abseiling was extremely daunting and ended up being too much for some people, but I was so glad I had the opportunity to have a go at it. 

We also travelled to Kinloch on the edge of Lake Taupō. This was one of my personal highlights of the trip. The crag was a natural climb with rhyolite rock. This meant it had small finger pockets and different angles making it very different to indoor climbing. Some people found it easier to climb higher here as it was outside in fresh air. We also did an abseil here, which gave those people who didn’t complete the abseil at Turangi a chance to complete an abseil in the outdoors. Finally to round off the trip we did half of the Tongariro crossing. This was another great part of the trip. The weather was amazing for this day, with clear skies and little to no wind all day. The view at the top was so worth the climb, we could see Mt Taranaki, the Blue Lake and the Emerald Lakes. 

On behalf of ODE2 we would like to thank ‘big yaxey’ (Carrie Yaxley), ‘Mr Manuks’ (Howard Manins) and ‘super schuckas’ (Kent Pollard). 

Written by Max McHugo and Charlie Simpson - ODE2 students.