SOLD: Beautiful Happyzine

On a beautiful weekend in mid-September, Recreate NZ took 9 youth living with disabilities to Mt Cheeseman in the Southern Alps for an adventure of a lifetime. The objective sounded simple enough: build a snow cave to sleep in overnight. In practice the task required leadership skills, teamwork, good communication and many hours of shovelling snow. This programme was the third instalment of Recreate’s Seeking Summits for 2013, following white water rafting in February and tramping in May.

The ethos of Seeking Summits is to bring together the most adventurous youth living with disabilities from Auckland and Christchurch, to conquer challenges and enjoy epic journeys.

Nine Recreate youth and staff flew down to Christchurch where they met with two South Island- based youth as well as outdoor providers Adventure Specialties. After a round of introductions and packing the bus with alpine gear, they drove to Mt. Cheeseman in the Craigieburn Range two hours from Christchurch. After settling in, Josh from Adventure Specialties led the group in alpine skills where they climbed 300m of goat track with ice axes. The session was a great starter for the crew to get a feel for the conditions and terrain. The leaders were very impressed with all the participants’ efforts with this physically demanding trek. After reaching one of the basins on Mt. Cheeseman, the group took in the amazing vista with a bluebird sky.

The next day the group learnt how to build a snow cave. With all the participants armed with snow shovels, everybody got stuck in over 5 hours and managed to layer the snow, pack it down, and then finally hollow out the cave. The task proved to be a very tangible way to instil a good work ethic, as it required envisioning what it would look like, developing efficient systems for shovelling and of course lots of hard labour and persistence. All the participants and leaders were completely satisfied with the completed snow cave, with four guys brave enough to sleep in it overnight.

The feedback Recreate has received has been overwhelming, as one parent has attested: “Thank you so much for all the work you and your team put into the snow caving trip. Sam had a great time. We arrived home yesterday from Europe and your trip was the first thing he wanted to talk about. He had a wonderful time so thank you for organizing such a special time for the guys.”

Recreate NZ, a registered charitable trust based in Auckland, designed this programme with the intention to provide an unforgettable experience for these young guys and to push the limits in a safe and fun environment. Recreate would like to give a big thank you to Frozen Funds for funding this programme and to the Adventure Specialties for making this possible.

For more photos, videos and stories of this programme, you can like Recreate NZ on facebook or visit www.recreate.org.nz

Tags: living with disabilities, Recreate NZ, Seeking Summits