2019 TGS SKI Tour

Overnight, the New Zealand clocks moved forward an hour as the country shifted into daylight savings, meaning that our 6:30am wake up was actually 5:30am :(  On the plus side, we were able to appreciate the morning sun and the gentle pink hues that illuminated Mt Hutt at daybreak. We headed into Christchurch, to partake in the much-anticipated activity: Go Karting. In pairs, the competitive tension ignited right away as teams strategised, in hushed determined tones, and after the warm up laps, the race was on! The karts zoomed around the tracks like angry wasps, buzzing and screeching as they hugged corners, edged out competitors and occasionally hit a barrier or two. It came down to the wire, with mandatory driver changes taking place with only minutes to spare, the clock was counting down, the sidelines were roaring with encouraging cheers and the pedal was to the metal. When the checkered flag flew, it was Team Yellow – Stephen and Nissanth – who came away the victor

An 8:30am departure meant a 15min sleep in this morning and judging by the early morning hush over Ski Time lodge, the kids were making the most of it. While our mountain time is over, activity time certainly isn’t, and today we had an adventure of a different kind. We swapped our ski boots and helmets for joggers and harnesses as we made our way to Adrenalin Forrest where the kids had a go at the high ropes obstacle courses. They faced many challenges as they moved further and further up into the trees but as they whizzed through the air on the zip lines their cheers reverberated through the foliage bringing smiles to all our faces. Lochlan  Kara  Christian, Cameron, Beth  Bobo Stephen, Sean, Nissanth  Nissanth Phoebe Hayden, Beth  From there we headed to the Canterbury Museum to explore three levels of history and culture which included exhibits on: Dinosaurs, Geology, Living Canterbury, Asian Arts, Birds, Antarctica and the

The temperature was just right, the breeze was kept at bay and the sun and clouds waltzed across the sky making for perfect snow conditions on our last mountain day. Even the Mt Hutt weather forecast declared it the "day to beat". What an incredible run we have been fortunate enough to have! Our very last lessons for the trip were at 9am and the kids made the most of their instructors, absorbing last minute tips and tricks to help them on their way. The Mt Hutt instructors have been fantastic, guiding and supporting the students in their skills and their confidence; one even telling Mr Ward what an amazing bunch of kids the TGS students are… and we whole-heartedly agree. After a picture and a collective ‘thank you’, the instructors left us to our own devices and the kids kept at the hill for the entire day, barely stopping to draw breath or take a drink. As the day drew to a close, it was time for the annual TGS Summer Run, a long standing tradition