Get2Go 2012 –Calling All Teens Keen to Vie for NZ’s Premier Outdoor Adventure Title

The hunt is on for the New Zealand’s most adventurous teenagers.

The Sir Edmund Hillary Outdoor Pursuits Centre of New Zealand (OPC), with support from Youthtown, is calling for Year 9 and 10 students nationwide to test themselves in a range of challenging wilderness adventures.

The competition, now in its seventh year, is New Zealand’s premier adventure sport event for this age group (mostly 13 and 14 year olds). Teams of eight, representing their schools, get stuck into a range of fun but testing challenges, including orienteering, kayaking, problem solving, rock climbing and mountain biking, in an Amazing Race-style competition, equivalent to the Hillary Challenge for senior secondary students. They need no special outdoor experience to enter – just a give-it-a-go attitude.

The competition has two stages: 12 one-day regional heats; and a gruelling five-day final. Only the best teams from each region will be selected to compete in the fiercely competitive final. Whangarei High School took the ultimate title last year after a gruelling five-day final at the OPC base on Great Barrier Island.

“Our main aim is to get these kids having fun in the outdoors,” says OPC events manager Darren Ashmore. “But the event is also designed to encourage those students who might not normally get involved in sports to have a go. We want to give students of all abilities a taste of the rewards that come from teamwork, leadership, problem solving, physical activity and the outdoors.

“The students get to use all sorts of physical and mental skills, and get guidance from some of the best instructors in the business. But most of all they get to enjoy throwing themselves into new challenges.”

The competition runs over three months with regional events in the following locations:

July 26 – Nelson/Tasman/Westport
July 31 – Canterbury/Northern Aoraki/West Coast
Aug 2 – Otago/Southland/Southern Aoraki
Aug 7 – Northland
Aug 9 – Waitakere/North Harbour
Aug 14 – Hawkes Bay
Aug 16 – Auckland/Counties Manukau
Aug 21 – Waikato
Aug 22 – Taranaki
Aug 28 – Wellington/Wairarapa
Aug 30 – Manawatu/Whangarei
Sept 11 – Bay of Plenty
The above events will decide which teams advance to the finals in December. The locations of the four challenges on the day – rock climbing, kayaking, and mountain biking and orienteering – will be kept secret until the day, to give each team the fairest possible chance.

The regional event will be run in conjunction with local sports and outdoor clubs. “This has the added bonus of introducing the students to the opportunities on their doorsteps,” says Darren Ashmore. “In past years, students have used the event as a launch pad to get involved in these clubs and sports, which is awesome.”