Year 12 Geography Trip – Makarora

On Wednesday May 22nd, Ms Summerfield and Mr Gracey’s classes, along with Mr Parsons and Mr Major, headed up to the beautiful community of Makarora where we learned about the South Island High Country.

It wasn’t just the mystical presence of the one and only Mr Major that made 2024’s level two geography field trip one of a kind, but it sure did raise the metaphorical bar for next year.

We raced up to Wānaka on the first day (with a brief stop for lunch at Lake Dunstan) to our boat ride to Ruby Island, where Leon and his crew at Lake Wanaka Cruises talked to us about the formation of Lake Wānaka, the commercial uses of it, and how to burn down an island. Back in the town centre we were allowed some free time which people chose to spend in very different and sometimes strange ways. Some had their feet nibbled at by eels on the jetty, while others loaded up on sugar and caffeine for the rest of the trip. Arriving at Makarora to the last slivers of colour on the mountains, we unpacked and had an early night for the massive day ahead of us.

For Mr Gracey and three mentally unstable boys, Thursday morning started in the frosty beech forest as we attempted part of the Mt Shrimpton track. The more sensible lot, a mere 400 vertical metres below, were tucked up all snug in their beds relishing an extra hour or two of sleep. Before heading off waterfall hunting, Danyel from Wilkin River Jets talked to us about the commercial uses of the two main rivers in the area, how they interact with the awa, and why it is an important part of Makarora’s cultural and natural identity. With the sky a mesmerising deep blue, we stood in awe of the Thunder Creek and Fantail falls, even braving the racing rapids for a better view (and stone skimming spot). To finish the morning, we smashed the pace of the “DOC time” up to the Haast Pass lookout, where a scenic view was patiently waiting and after a quick stop at the DOC centre to write notes about the history of Makarora, we finally had some lunch and time to ourselves. Just before sunset, we rushed out to the Makarora river to try not to stall the van in some extremely large puddles, skim some stones and maybe, just maybe, some more learning. This all led up to the main event, Mr Major’s quiz night, where we were asked increasingly more and more random questions like “How many times did we stop at a traffic light after leaving Dunedin?” and “How many trees did we drive past from Cromwell to Wanaka?”. For the final round, we were all FORCED to either balance on our heads for 5 seconds, eat two dry weetbix, or clip five pins to our ears and tongues and recite the alphabet backwards. 

For a group of sleep deprived and cranky teenagers, we managed to pack up at a surprising speed. The main activity on our list today was to visit the Goldfields Mining Centre just out of Cromwell, where we got a first hand experience of looking for the elusive substance. While one group sifted through a never ending pile of silty gravel, the other clambered up past the Chinese village replica to the sluicing gun where they attempted to demolish a creek bed with the highly pressurised water. For lunch in Alexandra, everyone jumped at the chance to get something to eat that wasn’t toast or noodle related, with one so eager he ordered his 15 minutes in advance.