Photo and video of the tour
Boys commence the school haka outside St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle Singing 'Honour the Dead' at the Menin Gate Last Post Ceremony at Ypres in Belgium, Wednesday 1st May whilst three of our senior boys lay a poppy and cross.
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Quick blog -
Saturday 4th May All over Rover! Saturday 4.15pm On the 24th day since leaving Dunedin with 57 of our young men, we return safely and in happy spirits with the 57 having had many experiences they will always remember. That's it - the end! |
Previous blog entries
Quick blog -
Friday 3rd May
Man's best invention is Air Conditioning - end of story!
ALL TIMES LOCAL
Keep up to date with the status of our flight home by clicking here. Flight number is SQ 297
4am (!!)
Yep, we are all getting up to start or journey home. Charles de Gaulle Airport here we come. See you Saturday afternoon.
Upates here may be sporadic for the next wee while. A full write up promised once we get home.
9.30am
Safely checked through Charles de Gaulle. If there is one thing to rattle an Englishman it is an officious Frenchman trying his hardest to be unhelpful. Anyway all looking good. Will try and update in Changi Airport Singapore.
6.30am (Friday 3rd May)
Safely at Changi Airport after a long 13 hour haul across Europe and Asia. The hardest landing any of us have known but those A380s are made pretty well. A lovely surprise for two boys on the trip Jacob Carruthers and Liam Sharples who each were given a birthday cake on board by the very friendly Singapore Airlines staff. They shared the delicious chocolate gateaux with mates and staff (!!) A few pictures posted on Day 22 - not the most exciting ones of the trip sorry :(
3.30pm
Safely back at Changi now. Three hour wait to board the 777 through to Christchurch. This will be the last entry of the blog until we are home in Dunedin! Tale a look at some of the photos from today's excursion in the heat and humidity of Singapore City. Day 23 here.
Quick blog -
Wednesday 1st May
A fitting end ....
7am
An appropriately grey day in northern France for some sombre reflection, walking around war graves showing the level of respect our boys no doubt will give.
The boys meet Ray at 8.20 with their bags and then the usual fun and tetris like precision of loading the coach begins. Hopefully away just after 9.
Will post some pictures later of our time visiting the war graves and the Menin Gate ceremony.
10pm
What an amazing day. the pictures and videos will hopefully do justice. The boys at the Menin Gate Last Post ceremony were treated to an occasion that they will always remember. Only that's not fair - they treated the hundreds gathered to an event they will always remember.
Hopefully the photos and videos do our final full day on tour justice.
Some ungodly hour
Photos and videos up on Day 21. Listen to how our boys voices have improved. Wonderful stuff.
Quick blog -
Tuesday 30th April
Au revoir to Paris
7.30am
Looks like we picked the best day to come and explore Paris yesterday. It's OK out there but not as good as yesterday greeted us.
Today we have split activities in the morning before rejoining as a group for the last rugby games this afternoon.
The boys have a choice of Mr Duffy and museums, Mrs Marr/Ms Gorman and shopping or Mr Hooper and sports shop on other side of town. There is also the chance for those who want a really decent sleep in to stay at the hotel. We meet back up at 1.30pm for departure to Racing Metro's ground.
10.30pm
Arrival back at hotel too late for the restaurant despite leaving one and half hours to travel just 19km. Paris traffic - our first major road nightmare of the trip (and hopefully last!)
A bit of the kiwi ingenuity meant a pizza shout for all the boys and staff from a local pizzeria. The picture on the chef's face when asked "quarante pizzas s'il vous plait". Absolutely priceless.
Quick blog -
Monday 29th April
Too much to see in one day
8am
A glorious blue sky day greets us here in Paris. We are leaving at 9 for a full day's sightseeing with a tour guide who looks exactly like Rene's wife off 'Allo 'Allo!
We want to do the Sacre Couer, the Arc de Triomphe, Notre Dame and then we are booked to go up the Eiffel Tower at 4pm.
What a great day ahead.
6pm
Just returned from a great day sightseeing. The Arc de Triomphe was temporarily closed this afternoon so we are going back after dinner to watch Paris by night. Fantastic!!
10.30pm
Back to the hotel after an excursion to the Arc de Triomphe with conditions to treasure. The setting sun, the Eiffel Tower being lit up,..... very lucky experience once again.
Quick blog -
Sunday 28th April
What a shame, Paris beckons once again!8am
A drying out day here in Dijon and better in Paris. Shortish journey today so the boys will have time to settle into Paris before a non-shopping excursion.
No boys are up yet. They certainly needed the sleep!
3pm
Safe arrival into Paris. We've had in incredible run of traffic so far this on the trip. Plan now is to catch the Metro to the Place de le Concorde and walk the Champs Elysses. Tomorrow we have a full day of sightseeing around Paris planned culminating in a visit up the Eiffel Tower at 4pm
8pm
All safely home and dinnered. A splendid three hours walking the Champs Elysses. The boys really do like Paris. We are really looking forward to the day's sightseeing tomorrow.
Quick blog -
Saturday 27th April
Lake Como, Swiss Alps, Gothard Tunnel, Lucerne and home of mustard all to come in one day ....
7am
Looks like a nice start here in Milan for what is going to be a long drive through to Dijon in central France.
Of all the days on tour the boys deserve a sleep in, but they are not getting one, this is it. However the next two days we can start relatively late.
10pm
Well obviously the comment above about nice day in Milan was judged through bleary-first-thing-in-the morning-eyes. It rained all day.
The boys as ever never whinged about a thing and made the most of the long 7 hour coach journey. We had three decent stops including one of one and half hours in Lucerne.
Sleep in for the boys tomorrow morning before we head out at 9.30am for a wander round the old part of Dijon. Leaving for Paris around 11.30am.
Quick blog -
Friday 26th April
End of a busy week ends on a busy day ....
8am
A relative sleep in for the boys on a cool and cloudy start here in Milan.
The boys are off into town at 9.20am local time for shopping and sightseeing. The sports boys then leaving for their game at midday for the hotel for a 2 hour drive east to Padova. The other boys will meander around Milan until late afternoon.
Hopefully the video of the boys haka from yesterday will be working.... just depends if it has managed to upload before all the boys get online and slow the internet down!
Midnight
Back from the rugby at Padova. Straight off to bed and then an early rise tomorrow. Everyone's had a terrific day. See the photos from Day 16.
Quick blog -
Thursday 25th April
ANZACs remembered in Milan ....
6.30am
ANZAC Day on this side of the world has dawned as good as we could have hoped for. Let's hope that it stays that way for Milan in particular. Our plan is to start our ceremony at around 4.30pm local time. The ceremony will consist of the following:-
Our school piper, Oli Cathro, to pipe the boys in followed by
- school song
- a reading by a life governor of our school, an ex army officer - spoken by 6 of our boys (Max Harvey, Christian Blackie, MIke Williams, Liam Sharples, Oscar Reid and Tim Chisholm)
- the lords prayer
- a NZ hymn called Honour the Dead
- Henry Alexander reads his own speech as the senior prefect on tour.
- NZ national anthem
- haka
- laying of poppies and crosses
3pm
Great journey through to Milan. Every bugger was trying to leave the city as it is a long weekend here. We are all on time to start our service at Milan War Cemetery at 4.30pm.
Will post some photos and stories as soon as possible once we get back.
6pm
Just got back from a very moving ceremony. Some photos posted now and more later .... the boys did everyone and themselves very proud.
Quick blog -
Wednesday 24th April
One week to go
6am
We are starting to rise for our second and last day of skiing. It is a STUNNER of a morning...
10pm
Safely in bed with repacked suitcases.Shopping now takes up a large proportion of the weight. Singapore Airlines - be prepared please! The boys are knackered but satisfied after a fantastic two days on the slopes. LOts of scenery shots today in the main section for Day 14. They do the sights and sounds Stubai Glacier resort scant justice, but they give a small flavour of the treat we have had.
Quick blog -
Tuesday 23rd April
Alpine living for the next three days ....
9pm
How unusual for a teacher .. almost lost for words to describe how good today was!
Judge for yourself by looking at the photos from Day 13. Our boys were very lucky today.
We have been reflecting that by end of this week our boys would have explored Salzburg, Milan, skied for two days, held an ANZAC service at A Commonwealth War Graves cemetery and played a game of sport against international opposition. They're very lucky and with the halfway point well behind us there is a sense these boys are having a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Quick blog -
Monday 22nd April
Alpine living for the next three days ....8am
A cloudy day greets us in Salzburg but many days have started like this on tour and always ended up sunny by mid to late morning.
We're off for breakfast now. If it's half as good as tea last night it'll be a great start to the day.
10pm
A great drive to Innsbruck after spending a good three hours wondering the streets (and shops!) of Salzburg. We arrived at 5pm in Innsbruck and have to say it's the least good accommodation so far. However, it's in a tremendous location and a very convenient one too. Wonderful mountain views and all the services you could ever wish for near to the hostel.
The internet is really, really slow so updates may be a wee bit sporadic over the next two three days :((
Quick blog -
Sunday 21st April
A sedate Sunday for the boys ...8am
What a difference an extra hour or two makes in bed. We are all much more wide awake with energy levels restored. Off to have a full continental breakfast followed by a stroll and explore round Stuttgart city.
Spectacular scenery promised on the 300km drive today. And ever slowly you can sense the building excitement of the boys looking forward to their skiing in two days time.
7pm
Arrival into the lovely Austrian city of Salzburg. We spent a good 2-3 hours in the Mercedes Museum in Stuttgart which the boys thoroughly enjoyed. A magnificent piece of architecture together with mind blowing exhibits and displays. Man, that company has some money to burn!
Plan is to give the boys a walk through the old part of the city tonight after dinner and then a relaxed start to the working week before we plan for two big days of skiing in Austria.
Quick blog -
Saturday 20th April
More thrills and spills ...7am
It dawns sunny and calm in Dortmund. We will soon be off to Phantasialand for a crack to see who can build the more adrenalin filled theme parks - the Brits or the Germans?
11pm
Only recently arrived at our stay in the lovely city of Stuttgart - well as lovely as a large city can look at night. A full day at Phantasialand Theme park which the boys enjoyed followed by a 4 hour drive.
The countryside has slowly become more interesting with hillier parts intersected by steep, vine filled valleys. Indeed any coiffures (correct spelling??!!) out there would enjoy this part of Germany.
We have an excellent coach driver who helped negotiate the winding inclines of suburban Stuttgart to drop us right outside the hostel. At least the boys are fast asleep already and have the opportunity to have a good sleep in tomorrow - 8.30am a sleep in on a Sunday morning! Must be a busy trip we're having.
Quick blog -
Friday 19th April
Three countries in one day for our boys
7am
A stunning day in Paris to greet us. We say goodbye and return in 11 days. It was a terrific two nights in the French capital. The boys are looking forward to the concert in Dortmund tonight.
Big travelling day. The biggest of the tour - 570km, but it will take less time than Dunedin to Christchurch.
11pm
..... well it should have taken less time than Dunedin to Christchurch but the density of cars and people in Europe mean that traffic jams are unavoidable. There were a couple of beauties around Paris and Dusseldorf. Certainly more than the 8 cars stuck at lights we get at home in Dunedin.
A day that threatened motorway mayhem turned into a splendid occasion for our boys and school. We arrived in Dortmund, quick eat and spruce up and then a wonderful choral recital with the local choir group with the mayor of Dortmund in attendance. See Day 9 photos and videos for more.
Quick blog -
Thursday 18th April
Parlez vous Anglais ... Je suis Nouvelle Zealande..7am
The day has dawned bright and cooler than yesterday. We will be leaving the hotel at around 9.30am and try to negotiate the Paris Metro. Time to see in 2 hours if all those French lessons at school actually sunk in.
5.30pm
A great day exploring Paris and enjoying the sights, smells and food. The boys have had a ball. It's amazing how our boys have been accustomed to pubic transport in these massive cities. London Tube, buses, trains, Eurostar and now the Paris Metro - NO PROBLEM!..
The best news of all - the Passport Quartet have been reunited with us in Paris exactly 24 hours after we had to leave them in London. Lots of things fell into place very quickly last night and this morning. Thanks to parents concerned, High Commission staff, etc,.... Mr Duffy and Ms Gorman were pleased to tell us everyone involved were extremely helpful. Phew! And never again....
Quick blog -
Wednesday 17th April
Goodbye UK, vive la France!
6.30am - Apologies for the lack of updates last night. Was invited to test out the local A&E facilities with Christian Blackie whose right hand did not look too flash after the game. After a wait that threatened to turn into hours we were out of the local hospital in just under two hours at 1am local time. Happy to report just bad swelling, no fracture!
It was a tremendous occasion for the boys and our school yesterday. The combination of the time at Windsor and the rugby, if not the result, meant that the phrase 'Once in a lifetime' never rang so true.
Will update further later on. Now for the fun and games of getting 60 boys to St Pancras for another international journey on the day a state funeral is held for a former British Prime Minister.
Update - 11pm
Interesting day.... to say the least.
Currently we have 4 of our group remaining in London to help secure some emergency passports for travel through to Europe and back home to NZ in 2 weeks. Yes the dreaded did happen. Two of our boys without passports as we left London this morning. Lost or stolen, it doesn't really matter, the thing to do is just to crack on and make the puzzle pieces that are needed to fall in place. After some frenetic calls to New Zealand House in London and home to NZ we are confident that the two boys and two teachers will rejoin us in Paris on Thursday afternoon.
Quick blog -
Tuesday 16th April
Grey and damp with warm Kiwi spirit
7am -
Not such a glorious day weather wise today so all the more reason to lift everyones' spirits with rousing musical renditions at St George's Chapel in Windsor.
More updates later.....
Quick blog -
Monday 15th April
Thrills and spills ....
7am -
It's a glorious day in London. The boys will really look froward to the day at Thorpe Park. Of course the teacher in charge will be far too busy to go on any rides during the day so the rumour that he is a complete scardy-cat about the rides is completely false.
6pm -
back at the hotel, negotiating the rush hour traffic home seemed at times almost as fear inducing as many of the rides today! The boys have had a lot of fun today and used every minute the park was open. Queues were pretty slack with maximum wait times of around 20 minutes. Of course being the day that the boys desperately needed some washing doing meant that a certain Mr Hooper had no choice but to find the nearest laundromat with Mrs Marr and Ms Gorman. Oh what a shame, it was going to be such a good day on all those rides... damn,,,.... oh well there's always next time!??!?!?
Quick blog -
Sunday 14th April
The power of one good sleep ...
8.00am - London
It's amazing what 10 hours of good sleep can do. We are all getting ready to head out to town explore the museums, shops, palaces,... The boys are determined to make the guards at St James Palace crack a laugh. Good luck lads.
First of all breakfast.
A good day here in London, bright sunshine and warm temperatures forecast.
6.00pm We've had a great day exploring London finishing off with a visit to the Science and Natural History museum. The sports retailers of London have had a good day from our boys.
Happy Birthday to Nick Henderson, celebrating his 16th birthday with a chocolate cake from the hotel in London and a song or two from his mates.
Quick blog -
Saturday 13th April
Mammoth flight, trains, tubes, buses and retail therapy all in one day...
5.30pm London
After a seemingly never ending 13 hour flight from Singapore we landed safely in London at 6am precisely. We were whisked away to our hotel without any troubles with immigration and not one single customs officer.
After fun and games sorting boys who were meeting up with families and friends we took the decision to head into town. We based ourselves around the south bank area of the Thames close to the London Eye. Some boys went on the eye. Others didn't. Some joined in with the street performers - Liam Sharples deserves an Oscar!
Quick blog -
Friday 12th April
Singapore Sling ... no way!
And how has Ms Gorman fluked her way to an exit row seat on the next leg all the way to London!!?!??
7am - For continental breakfast for our boys read: full English fry up help yourself as many times as you like!
Our boys can eat! All set to go to the terminal and the smoothest check-in in history ...
9.30am - coffee, tea, duty free. Our plane has just landed at the airport. Quick turnaround and then our turn!
5.30pm local time in SIngapore... landed safely and the boys are now wondering around relaxing and enjoying themselves for 4 hours before the long leg through to London. The boys ate and ate and ate and ate on the plane. The Singapore Airlines staff were excellent recognising the riot that would have ensued if the boys weren't allowed to help themselves!!
Quick blog -
Thursday 11th April
Chance to breathe.....!!A good journey up to the hotel in Christchurch. Boys well behaved, well fed in Ashburton thanks to Mr Mac and well fed at the hotel in Christchurch thanks to errhmm... Mr Mac!! The boys will be advised that ordering a McDonalds in France or Austria is like anywhere else. Ordering a croissant in a gorgeous patisserie in Paris is something completely different.
Anyway the boys are safely tucked in bed and an early rise at 6am for a check in around 7.45am at the
international terminal. No worries mate!
Thursday 11th April
Departure day .... London calling!!
Our adventure begins. The excitement of the build up almost over .. it all begins with a 6 hour coach trip to Christchurch. This will be our longest road trip of the entire tour!
No lost passports .... yet. And if there are any it's the fault of the teacher in charge! Thanks to the office ladies at Otago Boys who have put together the best system for storing the passports. Thanks guys!
Pretty good digs for the fist night on tour.....
Pre - departure notice
On the 11th April 2013, 57 boys and 9 adults will depart from Otago Boys' High School, Dunedin for an adventure of their lives.
Follow their exploits from London to Paris to Milan, the ski slopes of the Alps, singing at Windsor Castle, thrilling theme parks, the passion on the sports paddock to the solemnity of leading the daily ceremony at the Menin Gate.