Queenstown high school campers evacuated from remote school camp
Thursday, 5 December 2019
Four-wheel-drives and helicopters were used to bring 224 Queenstown students and staff home from their flooded, remote camp.
About 40 of the year 10 Wakatipu High School students were flown back to school from the camp on Thursday morning.
The rest had to walk about 6 kilometres through flood-damaged parts of the remote Branches Rd before being collected by four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Principal Steve Hall said the students were rescued thanks to a strong community effort.
**READ MORE:
* Queenstown students to be evacuated as wet weather cuts short 12-day camp
* Future changes possible for Queenstown's popular Branches camp
* Ongoing downpours put Central Otago and West Coast on flood watch
* Flights cancelled, heavy downpours lash parts of New Zealand**
'We have parents who work in tourism with helicopters and 4WDs who were happy to help us which was amazing.
'A great community response to an uncertain series of events is what we saw today, we are very grateful.'
The large-scale 4WD mission across the Branches and Skippers Canyon roads happened on day seven of a 12-day camp after the school put a call out for help to retrieve the students and teachers.
The students carried limited equipment from the camp out with them. The rest will be collected on Tuesday.
The students who were flown out by helicopter had either hiked to the remote 16-Mile Hut, which is inaccessible by road, or had medical reasons for being retrieved first.
Among them were Uzma Khan, Nicole Albertini and Sade Kaihe, all 15, who had been kayaking, overnight rafting and abseiling before the weather deteriorated.
They had to ration toilet paper, had limited food and played cards for three days before being taken home.
It was very mentally challenging, but fun to look back on, they said.
'We literally saw no sun – this is the first time we saw the sun in a week,' Uzma said.
Havie Panniar Selvam, 15, was looking forward to a shower, eating her mum's curry and having a big sleep, but she had loved the nighttime camp fires.
'We got to talk to different people and we took so many great pictures. I'm so happy,' she said.
Her mother, Sunitha Karunakaran said she had been very emotional over the last two days.
'I know New Zealand has health and safety and they look after all of that but I just want all the children to get home safely for Christmas,' she said.
Queenstown Lakes District Council spokesman Jack Barlow said contractor Downer did a full inspection of Skippers Rd on Thursday morning before the school group's exit from Branches Station.
The road was passable as usual but Branches Rd had been affected by flood damage, he said.
'Downer staff were able to make it as far as the boulders section of the road, which was flooded and not passable by vehicle.
'However, the school group has anticipated this and will be walking through this section to inbound vehicles on the far side.'
Only true 4WD vehicles should be used on the road as two-wheel-drives, lower 4WDs and all-wheel-drive vehicles were not suitable, he said.
There was a heightened risk of slips and people should avoid travelling in the area unless necessary.
The Branches camp is a tradition that has been going at Wakatipu High School for 52 years and is considered a character-building rite of passage into adulthood.
Key elements are the remoteness, lack of cellphone coverage and the fact the students live under canvas for two weeks.
The Branches Trust released a book earlier this year titled Long Drops & Hard Knocks to celebrate the five decades of camp memories.
Trust chairperson Louise Ward said the trust was formed in 2009 to subsidise the camp, which now costs just over $100,000 annually – up from $88,000 in 2016.
The trust contributed $40,000 towards a 2017 camp so parents only had to pay $350 per student.
'We also now have to pay experienced qualified tramping, rafting and kayaking guides.'