End of Year Activities
Our International Students enjoying their end of year activities!!!
Lukas 2012 - 2013
Congratulations Lukas!
Take a look at Lukas' winning video which he entered in the Education NZ competition.
Lukas had a great time in Whangamata and New Zealand and he has recorded some of his experiences here.
His prize is a return trip to New Zealand and we look forward to seeing him once again.
My New Zealand
Niclas
One year as an international student in another country
I’m Niclas from Germany and I have spent one year at the Whangamata Area School in Whangamata.
When I chose to come to New Zealand, I knew it will be different to Germany, but I was still surprised how different it was. I was expecting the same life-style as in Germany, but it was totally different.
The school is smaller and the inter-action between teacher, student and student to student is more casual and relaxed than in Germany. Especially, as the students were very welcoming and friendly.
Most of the people choose to live in this town, because of its relaxed life-style and because of its beautiful beach.
If we had any problems during the year, we were always welcome to come, to one of our koru teachers or to our administrators.
The trip to Rotorua with Mr. Stewart and the other international students and the trip to the South Island with my family, were an experience which I will never forget. It was a `once a life´ experience.
Mr. Stewart (The Dean of the international Students) took us to Rotorua during the term holidays, it was an unforgettable experience. These trips were remarkable, with lots of fun, which I wouldn’t have experienced in Germany.
At last I want to thank my host family (Peter and Wendy) who made me feel like I would be a part of their family. Who organized a trip for me and who made many other things happen to make my year unforgettable.
All these experiences have helped me to grow as a person and I would recommend this type of gap year to anyone.
WHANGAMATA- thank you for the mean year!
Maximilian
I had a good year in New Zealand but what I really enjoyed were the trips around New Zealand. The trip to Rotorua was really good because I haven´t seen the town before and we did a lot of activities. We started off with going to the Agrodome and watched the sheep shearing show and we had a great Maori show with traditional Maori dinner in the evening.
Next day we drove around Rotorua and Mr. Stewart showed us the town.
After that we went up the gondola and did all the activities up there.
Later on we went to see another Maori show and saw an amazing part of the countryside in New Zealand.
That night we went to the hot pools and then to bed because we needed to wake up early in the morning because we were white water rafting in Rotorua. It was our last activity and it was the best one. After the white water rafting we went home. It was an amazing trip for all of us and definitely one of my favourites!
Josephine
I´m Josie Hansmann the city girl from
Germany in Whangamata a small town, where you hit the beach rather than the
shopping malls. The people are lovely-
relaxed and friendly. I attended
Whangamata Area School for 9 months and I loved it. The way that students and teachers interact
with each other is like a big family. If
I had a problem I could talk to every teacher and they would help me! The students are really friendly and
laid-back. In Whangamata everyone knows
everybody!
A trip that
I will never forget was the leadership trip to Murupara. We slept at a Marae, which was a great
experience. It was an interesting trip
with a lot of fun and experience that I would never have in Germany. Even Whangamata is such a small school in
contrast to other schools in New Zealand they still offer you a lot of options
of interesting subjects like Outdoor Education and Marine Studies. I benefitted so much from having one-on-one
ESOL classes. It was so much fun! I went on so many school trips and I got
integrated in to the group really easily, because we all had memories from these
trips. I enjoyed every single day in
Whangamata and I´m going to miss the town and especially the beach!
Aurora from Italy
Hi! My name is Aurora, I am an exchange student from Italy. I have taken part in the school life of Whangamata Area School since the 19th July 2010. Now, after four and a half months I can explain how school time goes in New Zealand.
When I arrived here I was really surprised about the atmosphere, the teachers were so friendly and always ready to give a hand, and this was not only during school time. Their purpose was not only to get good marks and preparing students ready for exams but also to be a part of their lives, allowing them the space to mature prior to entering university.
I was in Year 13 and I couldn’t believe that if someone in this year or the year below was having difficulty deciding what direction they wanted to take in the future there was always someone willing to help them. Possible university programmes were presented by local and distant universities so all the options possible were made known to students.
I will always be grateful for the helpful and friendly ladies in the front office. I often spent time in the office area waiting to meet either staff or people from the community. The ladies were always ready to give a hand or just offer a hot drink while I waited.
The really big surprise was the principal; he provided an hour of his time every week to listen to how things were going for all the exchange students.
I had a great time at Whangamata Area School, so different from the stressful life at my school in Milano!!
Sara from Italy
Before I came here I was so excited and at the same time very scared to leave my family and friends for such a long time. I didn’t actually know much about New Zealand, though I did know it would be different. In Italy I live in a pretty big city, so I found Whangamata very small and for this reason very different to what I was used to. I was worried about not having much fun in such a small town, but I was wrong! I am now glad that I came to Whangamata and attended Whangamata Area School. The group of students wasn’t a big one so it has been easy to fit in and become a part of their community.
I found the teachers at Whangamata Area School really friendly, caring for me and helping me become part of the school group. I was in the Year 12 part of the school but felt closer to the Year 13 students, I found these students amazing. My school in Italy has more “classical” subjects and is really focused on literature and writing, I do like this but am glad I have had the chance to experience other subjects. Being involved in subjects such as photography and art has made my stay more exciting. The teachers were great and made the subjects interesting and enjoyable.
I am now going to be leaving Whangamata very soon; I have just 2 days to go. Though I am really excited about seeing my family and friends back in Italy, I am also very sad to leave my family and friends here in Whangamata. My host family has been a real family for me; I call them mum, dad and brother. I now feel very close to them and have always felt at home with them, right from the first day I met them. It feels weird to be leaving because it seems like just yesterday when I came to Whangamata. I hope to come back one day and see you all again and you are all very very welcome at my home in Italy anytime.
Well its time to go now. I’d like to thank all of your for making me so happy and comfortable here.
I will miss you all
Sara
Patrick from Germany
I’m very happy that I came to Whangamata. The people are really nice and Whangamata Area School is much more fun than my school in Germany. New Zealand is a very nice country and Whangamata has a great beach!
All in all I have had a great time here and have learnt a lot about New Zealand. I am sure I will be back in a few years.
Patrick
