Duke of Edinburgh

Duke of Ed New Zealand Expedition

Duke of Ed 2017, Silver Trip to New Zealand was certainly life changing. The Expedition tested my faith and opened my eyes to appreciate God's creation in a different country.

This Duke of Ed expedition on paper seemed like a huge challenge for myself personally but when we really got to experience the activities it was definitely heavily faith tested. Skiing on NZ mountains was a challenging experience for me and helped me build character. For me it was a lesson that everyone needs to realise their panic zone and try to get into their growth zone where they can do an activity without putting others in danger and themselves.

We skied in both the North and South Islands. During the trip I slowly built up my confidence and when we went to the South Island and skied on Mt Hutt I managed to ski down the difficult blue runs and I exited out a Black run which to my surprise I would have never seen myself do. I pushed myself to enter the growth zone and enjoyed the whole experience. I'd like to encourage everyone that when times get tough, it's okay to turn away when it can be dangerous for you, but don't ever give up. Thank you for listening.

Joel Julien

Year 10 student