Grade 7 Tour 2015

Our Ashton stopover

Monday started very early, with us meeting at school at 06h00! After packing the bus, we left for the N1 trip via Carlitzdorp and a short stop at Ashton on the way. The first learning of the tour was a visit to the Withoek Boerdery in Calitzdorp, to a friend of Mr Botha. Here we visited his vineyard to watch the final grapes of the season being harvested, and then we went to the cellar for lunch.

Duron and Duncan at the cellar 

We then continued with our journey, arriving in Oudshoorn for our visit to The Cango Wildlife Ranch, and a chance to see several big cats and crocodiles as well. We really had fun in the children's park too! After about an hour and a half we continued to the ostrich farm where, after a talk about the history of the ostrich farming industry, we got to hug ostriches, stand on their eggs and ride on them! A lovely braai supper was provided by the farm management, and then we swam in their indoor pool. This was indeed a highlight of our tour because they have a long slide the children use to enter the pool! The evening ended with us going to our accommodation at Kleinplaas - we slept in separate self catering houses so the children felt very 'grownup'. 

Visiting the ostrich farm

Tuesday started very early again, and after a shower and clean up, we packed the bus and went back to the ostrich farm for breakfast. After an amazing breakfast we had the chance to visit the curio shop and buy presents for our families. The next trip was to the Cango Caves! In two separate groups we went into the caves for the Adventure Tour, attended a movie on the history of the caves and then were able to go to the curio shop at the caves. After both classes had finished, the bus travelled back to the ostrich farm for lunch. Then we were off again - this time to the Plett Puzzle Park and finally at about 7 in the evening, to our destination - Harkerville Forest Lodge, close to Plettenberg Bay. After supper we collapsed into bed, happy in our new home.

Visiting the elephants

Wednesday started with breakfast at the lodge and then the bus left for Monkeyland and the Birds of Eden. Both these visits were great.....we walked into aviaries and among the birds and monkeys which gave the children such a good perspective of their lives. Our next stop was the Knysna Elephant Park. For many this was a real highlight of the tour as we got to touch and feed these amazing animals after lunch. Later that afternoon we visited the Knysna Forest for the Eco-ED forest adventure and braai. The children learnt a lot about the Knysna forest and the animals living there, but also about leadership and trust, after having a chance to play the drums in unison! Our final task was the walk in the dark back to the bus, and then we travelled back to Harkerville and the comfort of our warm comfortable beds. 

Leroy with the barn owl

Riding on the tractor

Breakfast at Harkerville and another trip by bus started Thursday! The first visit was to Radical Raptors. It was amazing to see all these birds of prey, out of their cages, flying above our heads. We then went to spend a few hours at the Adventure Land Fun Park where the children and staff zoomed down long water slides, floated on plastic tyres and generally had great fun. Lunch followed, back at Harkerville Forest Lodge, and then we left for Featherbed Nature Reserve. This was another highlight as we went across the Kysna Lagoon in a ferry, were taken up the hill on a tractor and trailer, and then hiked back to the jetty through beautiful milkwood forests. Afterwards we caught the ferry back to Knysna and then the bus took us to the Plettenberg Bay Spur for our final supper of burgers and ice-creams. And, as  Thursday was Noah Petersen's birthday, we got to sing to him there too!

Noah's birthday cake

On Friday we were very tired! After working so hard all week and not getting to bed early enough, we really dragged ourselves to get up, have breakfast, pack up and get into the bus on time. As we waved Harkerville goodbye, there was much sadness as we had really loved our time there! Noah's Wolf Sanctuary was our first stop before the trek home: there we met the resident wolf packs, had time to feed the 'petting zoo' animals, and hear about how wolves live in the wild. Mossel Bay was the first stop to have lunch - a takeaway pie from Pick 'n Pay - and then our journey continued to Cape Town. Most of us slept all the way back to school, and after meeting our families, promptly went home to sleep too! What an amazing week together!

Waiting to enter the caves

Thank you to all the staff who organised and accompanied the children on the trip, and to the children who again proved that our school teaches something unique - every time we travel outside of the school, the public spontaneously tell us that our children are well behaved, have beautiful manners and ask really good questions. Thanks for continuing to 'Aim High'!

Visiting Monkeyland

At the puzzle park