It was delightful to have 10 RYE students and their 2 guides visit our club last Thursday night. They are on their South Island tour and are all being hosted for the year in the Auckland and Northern parts of NZ.
It was a warm and sunny evening, and we decided to have a BBQ meal at the Papanui Bush. This turned out to be the perfect event as many of the students hadn’t experienced a NZ BBQ as they have only been in the country since July.
Denis McMurtrie had organised for them to plant a Totara tree and had them all sign their names on the cardboard protector which goes around the tree. Many had never planted a tree, and Denis took them on a short tour of the Papanui Bush to explain the history, plants and the extent of the project.
We were also joined by our local Councillor, Victoria Henstock, who talked with the students and mingled with the crowd.
It was also a great opportunity for a new family from China to come along and meet with the students which was well received by one of the RYE students from China who enjoyed talking to them in her native language.
After the meal we were treated to a presentation from the students in one of the rooms at Braintree and then 5 of our members took the students to their homes for the night. They were so grateful to have a comfortable bed for the night, catch up on some washing and many hosts took them on a tour of the city with one taking them for a swim in the sea!
The RYE programme is one of Rotary’s best youth programmes giving students a taste of international travel, developing independence, confidence, learning a new language and global networking opportunities.
