ISENZ TRIP, APRIL 2014

Dates: Saturday April 19- Saturday May 03 (15 days. April School Holidays) Trip cost: $1995. This includes about $300 in group entry charges and activities.

Reserving places on the trip

1. Contact [email protected] 2. Complete and return the registration form on page 4. 3. Obtain school permission. (See form on page 6) 4. Get your legal parents to complete and return the parent permission on page 5. Make the trip payment no later than March 15. See instructions on page 7.

ISENZ trips are very popular. Student numbers are limited to 41. We have more students apply than we can take.

ISENZ, Eurovacances and WYS students have place priority until Saturday February 08. After then any international students may be offered places if available. All interested students should apply as soon as possible.

For organizational purposes all trip reservations need to be made by February 28. However, all places may be taken prior to that date but places may still be offered after that date if available. Students travel in12-seater minibuses with 10 or perhaps 11 students per van. All drivers are experienced and police vetted.

Interest in this trip is always high. Don’t delay in booking as you could miss out. Contact me on as soon as possible on [email protected]

Why Choose ISENZ trips?

ISENZ trips are by far the best value for money. We include:

 free supervised overnight accommodation in Wellington at the beginning and end of trip if essential for those connecting.  cabin accommodation (not tents) at all camping grounds.  all meals.  more than $300 in activities. (Some trip providers exclude the cost of activities from their price)  You can choose to do additional optional activities. Optional activities are an extra cost. However, you don’t need to do optional activities as a lot of activities are already included in the price. See below.  Other trips either provide less or cost substantially more 1 What is not covered in the trip price?

The price does not include the cost of travel to and from Wellington to make the connection.

Compare the cost with other trips

If you compare this price with other commercial prices you need to take into account the number of days, type of accommodation and the fact that this price includes about $300 in group activities and entry charges. Some commercial operators exclude all activities from their price, don’t provide all meals and only provide tent accommodation. With ISENZ you will be staying in cabins. Cabin accommodation is preferable as weather can be very changeable and tents are not good in wet weather. However, cabins do cost more and that affects the price.

Included activities

Many activities are included in the trip price. By paying for activities as a group ISENZ can get a group rate. The benefit is passed on to you as we can then do more activities.

Departure times:

Saturday April 19. 11.00 am from Wellington

Departure point/meeting place:

Downtown Backpackers opposite Wellington Railway Station and the Intercity and Naked bus terminals.

Getting to Wellington:

All students need to travel to Wellington to begin the trip, arriving at Downtown Backpackers later than 11.00 am on Saturday April 19. It can take over haIf an hour to get from the airport. If you need to come the previous day you will be accommodated by ISENZ in the Downtown Backpackers at no charge. I will be there to look after you. You need to let me know if accommodation is required in Wellington either at the beginning or end of the trip.

Students living outside the Wellington area need to get themselves to Wellington at their own expense. By booking flights early, you can get cheap flights to Wellington. If you book late you will pay much more. You must be at Wellington Downtown Backpackers by 11.00am on Saturday April 16 as we need to check in at the ferry terminus by 12.00pm. The crossing to Picton takes over 3 hours. The ferry passes through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds to Picton in the South Island.

2 Returning home

For the return flight you must NOT book out of Wellington before 7.30pm on Saturday May 03 as our ferry gets in at about 6.00 pm and it sometimes runs late. We will do airport drop-offs. If you need a night’s accommodation again in Wellington, just ask. It is provided by ISENZ free but you must request it. I need to book in advance.

Flight and bus bookings

ISENZ can book flight and bus tickets for you. We charge a $10 booking fee. It is easy to make mistakes if you do it yourself. That can be costly. If ISENZ does the booking, you can then pay for the cost of the connecting flight when you pay for the trip. Making one money transfer can also save bank transfer charges.

If ISENZ does the booking we always endeavour to get you the cheapest available seats on Air NZ at the time of booking. If you decide to book yourself remember the sooner you book, the cheaper flights will be.

Expressing interest

You can email me and ask me to hold a place. I will do so for 7 days but you must get your registration form to me by the end of that time. If you do not formally register your place may be offered to another person after seven days.

Registration:

Your place is only secure once you have completed the registration form and returned it to me. It is then secure until the payment date. Payment must be made by March 15. Registration can be done by you on line. It can be scanned and e-mailed to me. Your school international staff may do this for you. ISENZ, EV and WYS students need to register by February 03 to have priority. If you register after that date there may or may not be places available.

PLEASE ASK YOUR PARENTS TO COMPLETE AND RETURN THE PARENT PERMISSION FORM immediately. It is on page 5.

Students for whom there is no written parental approval will not be able to take part in optional activities in which I consider there is an element of risk.

See the Trip Registration form and Parent Permission form on the next two pages. These must be completed and returned. You do not have a secure place until you have returned the completed registration form. The Registration form is the most urgent form to complete.

3 ISENZ trip registration form

To secure a place on the trip this form must be returned to Russell Trethewey at [email protected] or mailed to ISENZ at PO Box 5329 Terrace End, Palmerston North.

Family name: ………………………….. Given name:……………………………

Date of birth:dd/mm/yy …../…./…… Male or Female? M / F………

Nationality: …………………. School: …………………………..

School contact person name…………………… mobile number:…………… Name of your organization: …………………………………….

Your NZ mobile phone number: ……………… Your E-mail address: (print clearly): Host family name(s): Host family address: phone number:

Vegetarian: YES or NO (circle one). List any other special dietary needs.

Legal Parent names, contact details in home country. Names: Phone: Email Address: Physical address:

Student Declaration: 1.Parent permission: I have my parents’ permission to take part in this trip: YES/NO (circle one)

2. School permission: I understand that I need school permission to take part in this trip. Get the school to complete their permission form on page 6… I have my school’s permission to take part in this trip: YES or NO You can register prior to obtaining school permission but must be sure to get permission from the school as soon as possible. 3. Optional activities I understand that I require written permission from my legal parents for all optional activities. The parent form on page 5 must be completed and returned. I have parent permission? YES or NO

Return to Russell Trethewey, ISENZ, PO Box 5329 Terrace End, Palmerston North or [email protected]

4 Parent-Agent Permission Form

Student name: ………………………… NZ School:……………………………. Date: dd/mm/yyyy……/…../…….. Students require the permission of a legal/ birth parent to take part in this trip and to take part in optional activities. All trip activities (both included and optional) are operated by highly trained and qualified professional personnel. They are commercially run tourist activities. Most trip activities involve the whole group and it is on this basis that we have been able to secure reduced rates.

Trip participation and included group activities I, ……………………………………(print legal/birth parent name(s)) give my/our son/ daughter permission to travel to the South Island with Russell Trethewey, the Director of ISENZ , and to participate in all the planned and included group activities.

Signature of parent giving approval: ……………………………. Name(s) of the legal parent(s):…………………………… Parents phone number:……………………….Country code:………Area Code: ………. Parents email address:………………… Physical address:…………………………………………………………………………..

2. Excluded Activity: I ask that my son/daughter does not participate in the following planned/ included or optional activity…………………………………………………….

3. Optional Additional activities:

I give permission for my son/daughter to take part in the following optional additional activity(ies) and I/We accept all risk and the additional cost involved

Additional activity 1……………………………….. (Please specify)

Additional activity 2………………………………….

Additional activity 3………………………………..

4. Serious breach of trip rules. I understand that if my son/ daughter must accept trip rules and could be removed from the trip if they break those rules. These rules primarily exclude the possession and consumption of drugs and alcohol and require genders being in their own rooms after the curfew time.

Signed: …………………………….Print name:…………………………Date:…/……/.

5 School Permission Form

Full Name of student:…………………………………………….

Name of school:………………………………………..

ISENZ trip name: 1. South Island trip, April 19- May 03, 2014 YES or NO (circle one)

2. North Island trip. (Sept. 27- Oct.11), 2014 YES or NO (circle one)

3. South Island trip 1. Nov. 08 – Nov. 22, 2014 YES or NO

4. South Island trip 2. Nov. 26- Dec. 10, 2014 YES or NO

5. Sydney. July 07-12 (subject to numbers), 2014 YES or NO

6. Sydney January 14-20, 2015 YES or NO

The school gives permission for the above student to join the ISENZ trip(s) as indicated above.

Print name of the person authorised to sign for the school:…………………………………

Signed by school person: ………………………………………..

Date:…../…../……..( dd/mm/yyyy)

School Contact email address:

School Contact phone number:

Note to school: Adult supervision on all trips is always 1:8 student or better. All adults are police vetted with full drivers licenses. Tours are led by Russell Trethewey, former Principal of Freyberg High school, 1991-2004. School rules apply on all trips.

6 PAYMENT INSTRUCTIONS and REFUND POLICY

Payment for the trip ($1995) is required no later than Friday March 15. Accommodation and ferry bookings all need to be paid for in advance and hence the need for payment by this date. Some ISENZ payments are non-refundable.

Payment is made to ISENZ (International Student Education NZ) Bank: BNZ, Bank of Branch: The Square, Palmerston North Account name: International Student Education New Zealand Ltd. (ISENZ) Account number: 02 0727 0008636 00 Swift Code: BKNZ NZ22 (BNZ Bank does NOT use an IBAN number)

Method of payment:

Payment is best made by electronic transfer direct from your parent’s bank into the ISENZ account: If remitting in this way a bank charge of $20 should be added as BNZ will deduct this at the NZ end. A credit card option is not available for payment.

Other payment options:

1. Your parents can remit payment to your personal NZ account if you have one and you can ask your bank to transfer the amount to the ISENZ account. 2. Your NZ bank to give you a bank cheque made out to ISENZ Ltd 3. Use a foreign credit card to make a bank cash withdrawal and then pay cash into the ISENZ account.

IDENTIFY YOUR PAYMENT: If transferring money electronically or by any other means, please make sure that the payment is identified with your name. That is the only way that I can tell that a payment came from you.

Refund policy:

1. Any person withdrawing prior to Thursday February 28 will receive a full refund of any money paid. 2. Students withdrawing after February 28 and before April 01will forfeit $500. The balance will be returned. 3. Students withdrawing on or after April 01 will forfeit 50% of the trip cost. 4. If for any reason the trip is cancelled by ISENZ a full refund will be made.

Russell Trethewey (Director ISENZ)

7 South Island Trip Itinerary Saturday, April 19 – Saturday, May 03, 2014

Saturday, April 19  Arrive in Wellington by 11.00am on Saturday. Students flying into Wellington will be met at Wellington Airport. Meet outside the Wellington Downtown Backpackers opposite the Railway station. Buses also drop off passengers at the Railway Station.  Lunch in Wellington is provided.  Take the ferry to Picton, travel across Cook Strait and through the beautiful Marlborough Sounds  The ferry departs at 1.00pm . We must check in by 12.00 pm.  Arrive at Picton at approximately 5.00pm  Stay overnight at the Blenheim Top10 Holiday Park. Phone 03 578 3667

Sunday, April 20  Depart Blenheim for Nelson.  Lunch at Nelson’s Tahunanui Beach  Travel to Takaka and Pohara in the Golden Bay/Abel Tasman National Park area  Stay at the Pohara Top 10 Holiday Park. Phone 03 525 9500

Monday, April 21  Remain in Pohara for two days.  Kayak in Golden Bay in the morning.  Take a guided walk up to the Rawhiti Caves near Takaka.

Tuesday, April 22  Travel to Westport through the Buller Gorge. Walk the Buller Swing Bridge. Stay overnight at the Seal Colony Holiday Park. 0508 937 876 or 03 789 8002

Wednesday, April 23  Travel down the beautiful West Coast of the South Island  Stop at the famous Punakaiki Pancake Rocks and Shanty Town (Gold Town)  Stop in Greymouth and Hokitika (famous for jade or pounamu)  Travel on to Franz Joseph Village  Stay at the Franz Joseph Top 10 Holiday Park. Phone 03 7520735

Thursday, April 24  Visit the Franz Joseph and Fox Glaciers.  Travel through dense rain forest to Haast then cross the Haast  Pass over the Southern Alps to the dry eastern side of the ranges. The scenic contrast between sides is remarkable

8  Continue on to Wanaka and stay there over-night at the Wanaka Top 10 Holiday Park. Phone 03 4437360

Friday April 25- Sunday April 27 inclusive  Visit Puzzling World in Wanaka  Travel on to Cronwell another old Gold-mining town at the junction of the Clyde and Kawerau rivers.  Pass through the Kawerau Gorge and visit the original AJ Hackett Bungy where bungy jumping all began.  Continue on to Queenstown where you will stay three nights. (Friday, Saturday and Sunday)  While in Queenstown we will stay at the Shotover Top 10 Holiday Park. Phone 03 442 9306

Planned activities in Queenstown include:  The Skyline gondola and luge  the Shotover jet boat ride and a visit to Minus Five  Visits to Arrowtown or Glenorchie at the Head of Lake Wakatipu are optional for those not doing other activities on Sunday. Sunday is the day for optional activities.

Monday, April 28  Travel on to Lake Te Anau.  Stop overnight at the Lakeview Holiday Park. Phone: 03 249 7457.  Travel on to Milford Sound in Fiordland through very rugged mountain country and the Homer tunnel. Scenery through the pass and in the Fiords is very spectacular. This is a World Heritage area.  Take a boat trip on Milford Sound to view Mitre Peak, seals, waterfalls and sometimes dolphins.  Return to Lake Te Anau in the evening.

Tuesday, April 29  Travel from Te Anau to Bluff, the southern tip of the South Island then on to Dunedin.  Spend night at Dunedin at the Dunedin Holiday park, 03 455 4690. Dunedin was the first Scottish settlement in NZ and the city still has a Scottish character.

Wednesday, April 30  Time in Dunedin.  Climb Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest street.  Travel north, see the famous Moeraki Boulders, the amazing little town of Oamaru  travel inland up the Waitaki Valley and through Canterbury planes to Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook.  Stay over-night at the Mount Cook Youth Hostel. Phone: 03 435 1820.

Thursday May 01

9  Visit the Hilary Centre at the Mt Cook Hermitage.  Travel from Mt. Cook to Christchurch passing Lake Pukaki again and Lake Tekapo  These are glacial lakes, renowned for their frequently turquoise colour.  Visit the centre of Christchurch and witness the earthquake destruction and a city being rebuilt. Over 70% of central city buildings had to be demolished.  Stay overnight at the Spencer Beach Holiday Park just north of Christchurch. Phone 03 329 8721

Friday, May 02  Travel on to Kaikoura.  Visit the young seals at Ohau Point.  There is an option that day to “Swim with the Dolphins” or to Whalewatch. With the dolphins you can go as a spectator or swimmer. Wet suits are provided to keep swimmers warm. If you don’t want to swim then you can still go as a watcher. The scene is spectacular.  Stay over night (Friday) at the Kaikoura Top 10 Holiday Park. 03 319 5362

Saturday, May 03  Pack and travel back to Picton up the beautiful Kaikoura coast line and on through Blenheim. Blenheim is a major wine producing centre famous for world trophy winning Sauvignon Blanc wines.  Take the afternoon ferry back to Wellington.  Drop off at about 6.00pm in Wellington at the Railway Station and airport.  ISENZ can assist with domestic and accommodation again if required.

Two vans will return to Palmerston and Wanganui Saturday evening. Times to be given later… but expect evening… as late as 9.00pm. The ferry arrives in Wellington at about 5.45- 6.00pm. It takes time to clear the ferry. Allow at least an hour to check in before a flight. Don’t book any flights before 7.30.

It may be necessary for some students flying out of Wellington to stay over night if there is no suitable evening connection to your home city/town. If so, accommodation will be arranged at the Downtown Backpackers opposite the Wellington Railway station. I will be there to supervise.

General Information

Bedding. You will need your own sleeping bag, pillow and at least 2 towels for personal use. Bed linen can be hired at camp sites, but if you choose this option you will need to be prepared to pay extra. Bedding hireage is generally $5-6 per day. It is better to buy a cheap sleeping bag if you cannot borrow one.

Clothing: You need warm clothing including a showerproof jacket and hat. Have at least two changes of clothing in case you get wet. Weather in April can be variable and cool. Bring sun glasses, sunblock cream, comfortable walking shoes (eg. Reeboks, Adidas, Nikes etc.) that will cope with light mountain 10 walks. Bring sandals and shorts for warm weather and jeans for cooler weather. Don’t forget your toiletries. Consider getting Sea-Leg tablets from a pharmacy if you are not a good traveller. The roads can be winding. Have a swimming suit and towel….. Sea and lake water temperatures will be getting lower by April, but we will have access to Saunas or heated pools at some holiday parks. You also need a swimming suit if you plan to swim with the dolphins. Wet suits are provided for dolphin swimming. You may want one change of good clothing for when we go to town or eat out.

Washing clothes. We provide soap powder and pegs. Washing machines and driers are available at camp sites. There is a camp ground charge for this….normally $3 or $4 for per wash and a similar amount for a drier.

Transport: We will be using four twelve seat mini buses and towing luggage trailer(s). You are limited to one bag plus a day pack. A suitcase is fine.

Passports, Money and Student IDs. Please bring a student ID card or your European ID card. This can save you on entry charges. Passports are generally not needed and so leave them in a secure place at home or with the school. You will need to carry money and your ID in a secure way. Money belts are good. Things can be stolen from camp sites or from vehicles and we want to avoid this if at all possible. Never leave valuables in an unattended vehicle. I nsurance cover. Your own insurances should cover loss and theft.

Supervision: Apart from me there will be 5 or 6 other adults accompanying the group ( assuming we have 41 students). We always have some adult women in this group.

Group Activities:

The trip price includes these group activities:

 Golden bay Kayaks  Guided visit to the Rawhiti limestone caves near Pohara  The Buller Gorge swing bridge  Seal Colony – Westport  Punakaiki Pancake Rocks  Shanty Town…. Gold mining  Fox Glacier  Franz Joseph Glacier  Puzzling world (Wanaka)  Sky-line Gondola and luge – Queenstown  Shotover jet boat ride

11  Milford Sound Boat Cruise- Fiordland  Minus Five in Queenstown  Film at the Hillary Centre at Mount Cook Village  Visit to Seal Colony near Kaikoura

Note: ISENZ reserves the right to replace any activity with another should weather or other unforeseen events prevent a planned activity from happening

Optional Activities:

In addition to the included activities students can opt for other activities when time is available. The trip price does not include the following and if you want to do these then there will be an additional personal cost payable at the event and you will require parental permission for these activities if there is an element of risk. The Parent Permission form must be completed. Many activities are weather dependent and so you cannot be sure that it will proceed right up until to time of the event. These activities do not have to be paid for in advance. Parental permission is required.

Quoted prices are 2013 prices.

 Bungy Jumping- Not approved by Eurovacances - $150- 260 depending on height  SkylineTandem Paragliding – Queenstown – $200  Canyoning- $185  Canyon Swing- $199(first) $39 (second)  White water rafting- allow $180  Swimming with the dolphins.- allow $155 for swimming and $80 for watching  Whale watch- allow $90  Flights over the Southern Alps and Lakes are generally over $200. Range $195-$595(age, route and flight time are all factors in the price)  A 20 minute Helicopter flight over Queenstown and is $210.  Horse-trecking- Queenstown- Lord OT Rings area- $130 two hours, $285 full day:  Four Wheel drive trip – Lord of the Rings Trails (allow $160 )  Four wheel drive- Skippers Canyon (allow $110-190)  Sky diving - $270(9000feet) $429 (15000feet). Video photographer $219_  Mountain biking Skippers Canyon-$100-$125

Student discounts are available on some of these activities.

Your Insurance Cover

Make sure you check to see what impact, if any, these activities have on your insurance cover. In NZ, all people including visitors and international students are covered by ACC for medical treatment and hospitalization resulting from accidents. … but only while in NZ.

12 All activities are run by experienced operators and risks are very low.

Meals – Everyone is expected to share in these responsibilities. Food is provided and so if you have special dietary needs then do let me know. Mattana, our chef, does all the shopping and manages the meal preparation and serving with student help. Every student will belong to a team. A different student team is on duty each day.

13