The New Zealand Joint Study Tour of Catholic Diocesan Primary Schools has been successfully held from 15 June to 26 June (12 days). There are altogether 32 students and 4 teachers including Kowloon Bay St John The Baptist Catholic Primary School, Tai Kok Tsui Catholic Primary School (Hoi Fan Road), Sham Tseng Catholic Primary School and Shak Chung Shan Memorial Catholic Primary School.
Miss Wan from our school has brought eight Primary 5 students, including 5A(5) Jonathan Chong, 5A(18) Cherry Law, 5B(6) Angus Chan, 5B(18) Christy Lam, 5C(6) Vincy Chen, 5C(17) Karl Li, 5C(26) Hayson Wong and 5E(2) Carmen Fu to Auckland, New Zealand. The students have gained valuable experience living with homestay families from Liston College (boys) and St Dominic’s College (girls) and have lessons with their school buddies. Both schools are Catholic schools in West Auckland with a strong Catholic tradition. The staff and students are friendly and welcoming to our students.
Apart from learning, students have widened their horizons through the city tour. They visited Mt Eden which is formed from the crater of a volcano. They were deeply impressed by the 360 degree view of the Auckland City. Besides, students visited Auckland War Memorial Museum where they learnt more about the Moari culture, natural disasters and the history of New Zealand. In the Auckland Zoo, students visited different kinds of animals all over the world. The highlight was watching the kiwi bird, the icon of New Zealand. Students visited Honey Centre where they learnt about how bees work in a live beehive. In Sheep World, students enjoyed a step by step insight into how farmers in New Zealand farm their sheep, harvest them and use their wool. Students also had a walk in the kauri forest and learnt about the native kauri tree in Parry Kauri Park where they could look into the life-style of the early settlers.
In conclusion, after this fruitful trip, students have not only known more about the culture, the natural environment and the people in New Zealand but also have improved their English proficiency, especially in listening and speaking.
