On Thursday, 30 July level 3 geography students departed for their three-day trip in Rotorua to further explore and develop their understanding of the development of tourism and the environmental, economic and social impacts.

Rotorua has developed into an international and domestic hot spot over the years, dating back to the early 1800’s with the use of Pink and White terraces. It has now developed into a place known famously for its Maori Culture, GeoThermal wonders and adventure thrills such as white water rafting, mountain biking and various other activities to fulfil the adrenaline junkies and thrill-seekers. We were all fortunate enough to experience this first hand through a variety of activities such as Zorb, Redwoods Tree Top Walk, Rotorua Museum, the Te Puia cultural site, Skyline Luge, Sky Swing and then everyone’s favourite, White Water Rafting the Kaituna River through Kaitiaki Adventures. On top of experiencing this, we had various educational talks from these tourism operators further progressing our understanding of the topic.

As a result of Covid-19, we experienced the immense impact Rotorua has felt from the lack of internationals with many of these attractions’ customers being 90% international tourists throughout a regular year. Rotorua is often overlooked as a tourism destination for kiwis as it is so popular amongst internationals that many have never been. With international travel gone for the foreseeable future, we have the perfect opportunity to explore our own country and help keep our tourism operators afloat.

A huge thanks to Mr Simpson, Miss Bakker and  Miss Mckenzie for organising and making the trip that much more enjoyable. Had it not been for them many of us would never have experienced one final school trip or many of the significant activities in the heart of NZ’s tourist hotspot.