Ten Year 10 students recently returned from a 5-day voyage aboard the Spirit of New Zealand.
The ship anchored across several locations in the pristine waters of Hauraki Gulf allowing all the students to take in the views you’d otherwise not see from land. Some unexpected luck we had included seeing six navy ships, an Australian submarine and the opportunity to swim with the dolphins we spotted.
Sancta Maria College was one of the four teams aboard the ship, competing for the Spirit trophy by completing tasks involving leadership, communication, problem-solving, debating and teamwork.
Everyday was full-on with all the activities we got to do which ranged from 6:30am swims, night watch, raft races, team-games, spirit singstar, climbing the mast and plenty more. We also learnt ship-handling skills through setting the sails every day which means we now have a basic knowledge of seamanship.
With the little downtime we had, we played on the guitar and ukelele that were on the ship and everyone sung along. One of the most valuable things most of us have taken away from this trip are the friendships we made that span across New Zealand; the North Island schools – Manawatu College, Bream Bay College and a South Island school – Burnside High School from Christchurch.
It was such an unforgettable journey, being exposed to so many different personalities, learning sailing skills and increasing our confidence. Personally I appreciated every moment we had on that ship and came back with a heart more open and a commitment to living life to the full.
Katrina Chan
