Spirit of Adventure Report

May 30th, 2024, 6am, an early wake-up call to catch our flight and embark on a tall ship adventure. 

After flying to Auckland, nerves and excitement started to bubble as we took our shuttle to Princes Wharf. Smiles beamed across everyone’s faces as the Spirit of New Zealand ship came into view. Patiently, it floated in the harbour, waiting for the laughter and energy of 40 young trainees from four schools to fill it over the next five days. 

An abundance of chatter filled the air as we explored the 40-metre deck and left the comfort of technology and land behind. Speed dating/friendships, potato egg tower competitions, and night watch were all crammed into the first afternoon and early hours of the morning. Every day on the voyage was jam-packed from wake-up to goodnight.

Each morning, we had to do the dreaded 6:30 a.m. swim. Unsurprisingly, my Australian bones were not prepared for the shock of 15-degree water. My piercing scream would’ve undoubtedly awoken all boats within a 15-km radius every morning. The camaraderie and support from others, whether they were new friends or familiar faces, was undeniably a tremendous part of everyone's achieving their goals. This was a huge takeaway for me as it taught me the invaluable lesson of encouragement and the joy that can come from seeing others succeed. 

The days were long and tiring, the mornings cold, the sleep restless, but amongst the slight discomfort was the most fun and rewarding trip I could’ve ever imagined. Every day we learnt more about sailing and worked with everyone to ensure the ship ran efficiently. We got to climb onto the bowsprit and ensure the sails were secured. We headed ashore to different islands by rowing inflatable rafts. We witnessed new and current friends conquer their fears, from scaling 30 metres up the rigging and leaving the safe comfort of the deck behind to leaping off the boat using the rope swing. Jasmine even narrowly avoided plummeting back into the ship before plunging into the ocean! Post-dinner games were a great deal of fun each night. Taking out the win for the Singstar challenge was definitely a highlight, and Scarlett’s knowledge of ABBA and Queen songs was crucial to this win! After dinner, we got to hear the crew read a story, sometimes with the help of Grace acting as the voice of pigs, Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. Another highlight of each day was seeing the morning sunrise and evening sunsets and watching the galaxy and stars blink into our view each night. 

We entered many native New Zealand animal territories. Sightings of these beautiful creatures occurred throughout the trip and definitely allowed me to bring back incredible memories as souvenirs. The calm of the morning colours ceremony was swiftly interrupted upon the sighting of a lone seal swimming past the aft deck. Racing around the deck with others, trying to spot the dolphins that danced in the ship's wake, was so memorable. Seeing the distant blows of whales and their backs arching up over the tip of the wave's edges is also firmly cemented in my brain. 

The final day arrived with a sombre atmosphere; many songs were sung as we returned to the harbour! After stepping off the life changing voyage 894B I was able to take time to reflect about the profoundly-life changing experience I had encountered over the past five days.. Without even realising it, I stepped off the boat with a new energy, drive and motivation to achieve my goals. Summing up my experience of voyage 894B I would say the laughter, the adventures, the daytime naps, the new friendships and the breath-taking scenery will stay with me. Spirit of Adventure left me with a fresh perspective on life. The St Margaret's girls on the boat with me helped make this a brilliant experience; thank you, Mia, Jasmine, Amelia, Sophie, Grace, Chloe, Cam, Scarlett, Milla and Mrs Hartland.