Saturday, 12 January 2013

Phase 1: Expeditions!


We left you last time with a mega Queenstown update, having finally arrived at Riverton on the 5th and hence moved into the next phase of the adventure – the official Venture itself.

When we arrived at the Riverton Racecourse, the Venturers and Leaders all met with each other and formed into their Expedition Units.  Many enjoyed putting a face to a name having chatted online previously during the build up. Excess gear, such as costumes for Phase Two, was stored away.  The extra room meant that, for once, repacking for expeditions didn’t require cramming and struggling with the travel bag to fit everything! The expedition groups then headed straight out to begin 5 days of adventure and new experiences.

The feedback from every single one of the expeditions has been overwhelmingly positive. The Contingent team spent the 5 days driving around the South Island trying to visit as many expeditions as possible. Right across the South Island, all the Venturers were having a ball and making the most of their time experiencing New Zealand. We personally managed to visit the Scuba Divers, Mountain Bikers, Kayakers, Central and Southern Adventurers, Sailers, Catlins Experience and Rural Living – the last of which was so good we decided to stay the night! All our visits were greeted with smiling faces, which was due to both the quality of the activities as well as the new friendships that were being formed.

All the other expeditions had a heap of things much to report on their return, with plenty of stories, photos and friends to share. No doubt you will hear about it on their return, if not on Facebook first! 

On Thursday, expeditions finished up and everyone returned to the Riverton Racecourse. Phase 2 of the Venture kicked off with a bang, with the Kiwi’s throwing a massive welcome back party! Over the next few days during Phase 2, Venturers have the opportunity to experience a wide range of activities both on and off site. There is also a whole heap of themed night activities which are sure to be a blast. Check back soon for more goss, as well one more mega photo upload!

But, if you can't wait for our next blog update, we do have a little something for you! Radio Southland, which a local community radio station, is broadcasting live from the Venture site from now until the 14th. The best part is, you can stream it live back home - just head over to http://player.wizz.co.nz/radiosouthland/. The Venturers themselves are actually running the station between 7am and 4pm AEST, so tune in and check it out!

Until then, stay classy Australia!

Kusi & Rob

Tuesday, 8 January 2013

PRE-TOUR PHOTOS!

Hey guys,

Thanks for all of your great feedback about the blog so far! We are so stoked you guys are enjoying it! And, because you asked for it, here a whole heap of photos from the Pre-Tour!

We'll keep posting more photos as we go, but if you want more jump over to the Kiwi's Flickr page for a whole heap more!

Currently the Aussie Contingent team is traveling around the South Island checking out all the different expeditions on offer. All of the expeditions we have visited so far have looked absolutely amazing! Check back soon for an Expeditions Update.

Ta ta for now,

Kusi and Rob

ex oh ex oh!

White Water Rafting

Our Massive NYE Party

Skyline Gondola & Luge

NYE Party

Lake Wakatipu

Lake Wakatipu

Tamaki Maori Experience

Lake Wakatipu

Chilling in Queenstown

Tamaki Maori Experience

Tamaki Maori Experience

Reavers Lodge in Queenstown

Tamaki Maori Experience

Tamaki Maori Experience

View from the Nevis Swing

Waitomo Glowworm Caves

Monday, 7 January 2013

OUR MEGA QUEENSTOWN UPDATE: Days 6, 7 & 8



Bleary eyed and certainly not bushy-tailed, we arrived in Queenstown on New Years Day. It was very different to Auckland, with poor weather and cold temperatures helping to blow away the effects of an all-nighter.  The sheer numbers of our Contingent meant that we were split across 7 flights throughout the day – the first leaving at 7am and then every hour after that until 1pm.  We spent the first day of 2013 based in the Queenstown Ice Rink, which was our lunch hub and allowed Venturers to head out into town. 



It took a little longer than planned to check into the accommodation as our rooms weren’t quite ready, but everyone was housed and happy in the end. The patience and cooperation of the whole group after a particularly long day was impressive.  After movies in both dining halls, it was off to bed to catch up on some sleep and get ready for an action-packed few days!

The morning of the 2nd marked the first chance to for Venturers to complete the optional activities, as well as the included pursuits offered by the Contingent.  Unfortunately the weather remained poor, and for safety reasons a couple of operators had to postpone activities to the following days.



All the activities were very well received.  Venturers had the opportunity to do Parasailing – being towed behind a boat 25m above the water; Mountain Biking – a day of extreme tracks and offroading; White Water Rafting – down grade 3 and 4 rapids; Jetboating – either the Shotover or Karawua Rivers; Nevis Swing – the biggest swing in the world, with an arc of 320m in a 220m canyon.  Others included the Treetop Zipline – flying foxes slung amongst the forest and across canyons; Cruise – a 90min ride on Queenstown’s Lake Wakatipu; and the Skyline Gondola and Luge – a cable car up to the top of the mountain, and buggy style karting down it.  The Rover-designed and Leader-run Amazing Race also provided lots of challenges and entertainment, with two teams collecting the prize of $200 per team, or $50 each!!  As well as all the above extreme adrenaline and adventure stunts, the Venturers were given free time to explore Queenstown across all of the days, with the freedom of the unstructured sightseeing being enjoyed by all the Venturers.  Many took the chance to check out other little activities and well as  to stock up on souvenirs. 

Regular Contingent meetings helped things run smoothly, and kept everyone up to date with the day-to-day arrangements.  Days were busy and fairly hectic, with kids coming and going between activities both on and offsite.  The weather improved dramatically on the 3rd, and we woke to a cracking day and a dusting of snow from the previous night.  This meant postponed activities could run, and the schedule tightened that little bit more!  Movie and games each night provided a nice social environment to cap off each day. 

Our special group of 50 went off to Milford Sound on the morning of the 4th, and had a spectacular day and night despite some inclement weather.  All were very grateful of the chance to visit one of the true great natural wonders of the world, and the photos are truly something.


It was awesome to see the reactions of all the Venturers as they saw more and more of the city and its surrounds.  The scenery and terrain is spectacular, and presented an unique contrast with the rolling green hills of the North Island.  Our accommodation at the ski lodges of Reavers and Pinewood was nestled at the foot of rugged mountains and still only 5 mins walk from the centre of the city.  Queenstown has provided a sensational base for the Contingent to unpack, wash and regroup.



It was also the ideal place to receive our Non-Pretour Venturers, who arrived on two planes on the day of the 4th. Most of them had the chance to squeeze in a quick visit in town, before heading off to our welcome event at the Queenstown Aquatic Centre.  We all rotated between the pool and slides; the grassy playing fields; and the indoor courts.  While all were good, the most popular station was dinner – which lived up to the promise as best meal of the trip. Served straight onto massive tables, the crackling pork, roasted lamb and jelly-bean-filled (Australian) pavlova went down a treat, and had all 500+ mouths quiet for once!!  The extra 100 members fitted in seamlessly, and we were a much bigger happy family once again!


The morning of the 5th went incredibly smoothly, with the contingent already briefed and ready to go the night before.  All 534 members had their rooms checked, bags loaded and were scanned onto one of 10 buses in under an hour, without so much as a raised voice.  Throw in the collection of lost property and the distribution of snacks, and the accommodation guys had never seen anything like it!  From there it was off to the Venture site at Riverton, with the three hour drive a mixture of wonder at the landscape and the need to grab sleep at any chance.  Arrival at Riverton was smooth, with check-in completed fairly quickly.  From there the Venturers went straight off into expedition groups, and all the excitement of Phase 1 of the Venture kicked in. It is from there that we will continue in the next edition of Kusi and Rob's Venture South Blog!!!

Until then, as we say to the kids: have fun and behave!

Rob and Kusi 



Thursday, 3 January 2013

Days 5 and 6: Auckland - again!


HELLLLLLOOOO AUSTRALIA!

We write to you from sunny Queenstown, after 2 days of fairly solid rain.  We woke this morning to clear blue skies and a light dusting of snow on the mountains in the Queenstown bowl.  The weather has been a welcome change and brightened our spirits, allowing all activities to progress as normal.

But first, back to NYE!  The 31st was a free day in Auckland, and the cracking weather meant Venturers spent the day sightseeing and cramming a lot in.  The Hobbit, filmed and made in New Zealand, was a popular choice, as was the 220m Auckland Tower.  Last minute purchases of costumes and gear left at home were completed, and focus soon turned to the party.

NYE itself was an amazing night.  The Uni Hall Dining Room was cleared and converted into Auckland’s premier nightclub, with one of the best DJs in the country.  The theme of Aussie Beach Park produced a range weird and wonderful outfits, with everyone embracing the spirit and having a good laugh along the way.  The countdown wound down pretty quickly, and before we knew it midnight was upon us.  As we said on the night – forget Sydney, Tokyo, Paris, London and New York – Auckland got it first and we made it the place to be!!!

The bump out of Auckland on NYD was a slick operation that went incredibly smoothly, even though the bus left at 4:30am. All the Venturers were patient and cooperative considering the situation, and we pay particular tribute to the Contingent Team and Leaders (Including yours truly!) that stayed up for 40+hours straight in order to make sure things went smoothly. We all arrived in Queenstown without incident, and after dinner we all went to bed early to be ready for activities the next day!

What would happen next?  Would everyone wake up in time? (mostly). Would the rain clear? (eventually).  Would everyone continue to have an absolute ball? (yes). Would Queenstown live up to the hype? (definitely!)……

…. Tune in next time for the complete update to bring you up to speed with the latest comings and goings!



Talk soon,

Rob and Kusi.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Sunday, 30 December 2012

Day 3 & 4: Rotorua!


Hiii Mummm,

Saturday the 29th was another busy day, with a range of activities spread across the day in order to cram as much as possible into our Rotorua visit.  A hearty contingent-provided breakfast was well-received by Venturers looking to fuel themselves up for a big day.

The early Rafting group were up and onto buses at 5:30am, before napping the two-hour drive to the rafting site.  By all accounts, the trip was an absolute blast and the ill effects of the early rise were quickly lost in the icy waters.  The second rafting group was similarly pumped afterwards, with all participants on a high after two hours of incredible high-grade rapids.

Hell’s Gate was another highlight, with many Venturers jumping straight into the geothermal mud pools and sulphur spas.  Plenty acted like African elephants and covered themselves from head to toe in the mud, which made for a top photo but a hell of a cleaning job.  More than one Venturer showered, changed and then found mud behind the ears and in the armpits a few hours later!  We'll warn you now: stock up on ammonia wash because the mud may wash out, but the sulphur smell is a complimentary souvenir that is particularly hard to get rid of!


Yesterday was also particularly warm, with hot temps and sunshine making us all feel quite at home.  Unfortunately not everyone was completely prepared (including some of the Contingent Team!) but all was well today with the lesson learnt and aloe vera cream applied.

In the evening, Groups A and B swapped over and experienced the Tamaki Maori Village and Agroventures.  Kids powered through Agro stunts again, trying out the Freefall (‘flying’ in a Jetstream) and the Swoop (a 50m swing) amongst other things.  We strapped a camera to our Fearless Leader Gary as he did the Jetboating, with very amusing results J.  Tamaki was also awesome, with the Traditional Maori Warfare greeting intimidating and memorable.  The Tamaki Bus Drivers are renowned in Rotorua, and we realised why after our 3rd lap of the same roundabout! The smells of the dining hall will be hard to live up to, although the Contingent is doing its best!




The rollout to Auckland began at 1:00pm NZ time, and we are now back in the Uni Accommodation for a rest and some laundry! Tomorrow is a free day, with sightseeing, banking and souveniring on the to-do list. New Year’s Day is also a big one with an early start, so everyone is going to be tucked up in bed by 7.30pm (and definitely not having a massive NYE party with one of NZ's premier DJ's).


In all seriousness, tomorrow night promises to be great, with the first theme of the trip swinging into action – bring on the Aussie Beach Party!

That's all for now!

Rob and Kusi.