We leave tomorrow for our training session in California. Have I packed yet? Nope! It is much more important to tell you guys about the incredible agenda that New Zealand Pony Club has lined up for us!
Our training session will be April 27-29 at the Wylie Family's Sandia Creek Ranch outside of San Diego, CA. We will ride their horses and will also get to go to Palm Springs and ride some of the Modern Pentathlon horses. While we're in San Diego we will be doing some team building activities- rumor has it that we'll be going sea kayaking in La Jolla!
We are scheduled to leave LAX late night on April 29. We fly into Brisbane (AUS) first, then into Christchurch, NZ, then finally into Welligton, NZ. The first week of our exchange was supposed to take place in Christchurch, which is on the South Island of NZ, but because of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that happened there in February we will be doing the entire exchange on the North Island.
Our first week will be spent at the Makahika Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Levin, about an hour and a half outside of Wellington. It looks like we'll be doing high ropes courses, hiking in the New Zealand "bush," climbing, abseiling (rapelling), and a high zip line called the "Flying Fox!" The whole exchange will be housed in a large lodge with bunk beds. Hopefully no one snores!
We will visit Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital which is New Zealand's vet school and looks to be the equine referall hospital on the North Island. We will get to meet their staff and tour the facility.
There is "horse trekking" from Makahika scheduled for late in the first week and Robyn and I are hoping that coaches and chaperones will be included on this excursion! (I had to "Google" "horse trekking" and it appears to be trail riding. Horse trekking sounds so much cooler though!)
We then go on to tour Nga Tawa School Equestrian facilities. The Nga Tawa School is an all girls school near Palmerston North. We will be assigned our team horses for the first competition, a gymkhana hosted by the Horowhenua Pony Club, and will then have a training session on the horses. At the gymkhana the teams will compete in games, show jumping and some flat classes.
The second week will be spent in Karapiro. We will be sightseeing around Hamilton and Cambridge. We then go on an overnight excursion to the Waitomo Caves in Rotorua. These are the Glowworm caves! While we're in the area we will learn about Maori culture.
Late in the second week we will draw horses for the Nation's Cup Show Jumping competition. We also get to visit a stud, and participate in a polo game! The Nation's Cup is on the 13th, followed by a formal dinner.
The last day we head to Auckland where we will be flying out of. We get back into LAX bright and early May 15- we technically get into LAX before we left because of the time zones!
It looks like an incredible itinerary and we're all looking forward to it!
Janna
Our training session will be April 27-29 at the Wylie Family's Sandia Creek Ranch outside of San Diego, CA. We will ride their horses and will also get to go to Palm Springs and ride some of the Modern Pentathlon horses. While we're in San Diego we will be doing some team building activities- rumor has it that we'll be going sea kayaking in La Jolla!
We are scheduled to leave LAX late night on April 29. We fly into Brisbane (AUS) first, then into Christchurch, NZ, then finally into Welligton, NZ. The first week of our exchange was supposed to take place in Christchurch, which is on the South Island of NZ, but because of the 6.3 magnitude earthquake that happened there in February we will be doing the entire exchange on the North Island.
Our first week will be spent at the Makahika Outdoor Pursuits Centre, Levin, about an hour and a half outside of Wellington. It looks like we'll be doing high ropes courses, hiking in the New Zealand "bush," climbing, abseiling (rapelling), and a high zip line called the "Flying Fox!" The whole exchange will be housed in a large lodge with bunk beds. Hopefully no one snores!
We will visit Massey University Veterinary Teaching Hospital which is New Zealand's vet school and looks to be the equine referall hospital on the North Island. We will get to meet their staff and tour the facility.
There is "horse trekking" from Makahika scheduled for late in the first week and Robyn and I are hoping that coaches and chaperones will be included on this excursion! (I had to "Google" "horse trekking" and it appears to be trail riding. Horse trekking sounds so much cooler though!)
We then go on to tour Nga Tawa School Equestrian facilities. The Nga Tawa School is an all girls school near Palmerston North. We will be assigned our team horses for the first competition, a gymkhana hosted by the Horowhenua Pony Club, and will then have a training session on the horses. At the gymkhana the teams will compete in games, show jumping and some flat classes.
The second week will be spent in Karapiro. We will be sightseeing around Hamilton and Cambridge. We then go on an overnight excursion to the Waitomo Caves in Rotorua. These are the Glowworm caves! While we're in the area we will learn about Maori culture.
Late in the second week we will draw horses for the Nation's Cup Show Jumping competition. We also get to visit a stud, and participate in a polo game! The Nation's Cup is on the 13th, followed by a formal dinner.
The last day we head to Auckland where we will be flying out of. We get back into LAX bright and early May 15- we technically get into LAX before we left because of the time zones!
It looks like an incredible itinerary and we're all looking forward to it!
Janna
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