By Pearl Overhill
Year 13

On our Outdoor Ed mountain biking trip to Taupō, we completed the Great Lakes Trail. It was a lot of fun and hard work, and we had beautiful weather. I was very lucky to be able to experience the trail and it allowed me to appreciate the beauty of Aotearoa.

Although the trip was challenging, I had such an amazing time building relationships with my friends and the instructor who took us. It was great having Bigfoot with us for the ride as it meant we were able to gain expert experience on biking and also gain valuable facts about the trail itself.

I really enjoyed learning new tips and tricks in relation to mountain biking and I enjoyed getting to experience mountain biking on an actual trail. It was such an experience camping out at Kawakawa Bay right out in the bush, having to boil water and navigate my way around camping in the pitch black!

Overall, this trip was such an experience that allowed me to see a different side to New Zealand, I would definitely recommend completing Outdoor Ed in order to experience this trip.