Phew - what a busy day! 52 eager, energetic, and enthusiastic year 7 and 8 students from Aurora College visited the Lakes District Museum to gain knowledge about the gold rush.

These students were keen to learn about the history of the Central Otago Goldfields and particularly about the Chinese Miners. We did four different activities to help students collect information for their classroom social studies work which included:

A historic walk of Arrowtown where students visited the miners cottages, the old Gaol, St Patrick's Church, and Saint Mary Mackillop's cottage. This walk helped students understand the living conditions for the European settlers on the goldfields.

Handling artefacts and exploring the museum. Students were allowed to handle a moa bone, an adze, a pounamu mere, old mining and farming tools, and a little box brownie! Handling the artefacts and exploring the museum made students realize the different uses different groups of people have had for this region, and also how these different groups lived in Arrowtown.

A tour of the Chinese settlement really showed students how difficult life was for this settlers. The huts were basic and made out of schist rock and tin roofs, and the settlers had to deal with Europeans racist treatment towards them.

Gold panning finished off the days activities! Some students were lucky enough to find gold, they must have been really patient to preserver - finding gold is really difficult!

What was your favourite part about your visit to Arrowtown?

What was something new and interesting you learned?

Why did the Chinese settlers come to New Zealand?

How did the European settlers treat the Chinese settlers?

Do you think living during the gold rush might have been difficult? Why?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!

Thanks for visiting Aurora College - we hope you had a safe trip back to Invercargill!

To finish off a Geography field trip to Queenstown, year 13 Tokomairiro students visited the Lakes District Museum for our development of tourism university style presentation.

Key highlights of the presentation for these students included:

Realizing the extent of glaciation in the Wakatipu region. We had periods of glaciation (cooling) and interglaciation (warming) 550,000 and 18,000 years ago which shaped and carved our landscape to make it the beautiful environment it is today.

Early activities and attractions which included all the trappings and finery of cakes stands, french horns, and full length crinoline skirts (even for climbing Ben Lomond).

The amazing variety of attractions and activities Queenstown provides to encourage increasing visitors throughout the year. Attractions such as the Arrowtown Autumn Festival, Wineries, Golf, Cycling, Adventure tourism, Gay Ski Week, Jazz fest - the list is never ending!

As always, our presentation was accompanied with worksheets opportunities to complete maps to show the developement of tourism over the past 100 years!

Do you think Destination Queenstown is marketing Queenstown effectively? Why? Why not?

What other destinations (international and domestic) does Queenstown have to compete against?

Did you find the presentation useful?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!

We hope you have a safe drive back home Tokomairiro!

What a fun, high energy day! Year 7 and 8 students from St Mary's school in Mosgiel visited the Lakes District Museum as part of their camp, and they were full of beans! 2 days of skiing previously didn't stop these students from eagerly learning about Arrowtown history and asking fantastic questions.

The students were booked in for a full day primary programme which included:

• A scary 1880's lesson with grumpy Miss Grey
• A museum visit which included handling artefacts such as a moa bone and a pounamu mere.
• A Historic Walk of Arrowtown where students visited the miners cottages, the Old Gaol, and St Patrick's church
• A tour of the Chinese settlement
• And of course GOLD PANNING!

Students discovered how difficult learning, living, and working conditions were for these early settlers. They also learned about interesting characters from Arrowtown history such as Jack Tewa (discoverer of gold in the Arrow river), Ah Lum (the Chinese settler who spoke both Chinese and English), George Henry Romans (the Arrowtown baker who had 11 children!).

What was the highlight of your visit?

Do you gold panning is easy or hard? Why?

Do you think the Chinese settlers were treated fairly? Why?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!

Thanks for visiting St Mary's Mosgiel!

Three schools visited on Tuesday the 19th of August - one of these schools was Maniototo Area School. Wendy our Educator ran a full day programme with this year 5 and 6 students, who visited the museum to understand how the local landscape has affected the way people have used the land; to know some of the special features about our landscape, and to learn about 'good sorts' in our history.

These students had already previously learned about gold mining in the Maniototo, so a visit to Queenstown and the Lakes District Museum was the perfect opportunity to build on their local knowledge!

Their visit included:

• A museum visit which included handling artefacts (this linked with the learning goal of how the local landscape has affected the way people use the land)
• A historic walk of Arrowtown (this linked with uses of the land as well as 'good sorts' in our history such as Saint Mary MacKillop).
• Tour of the Chinese settlement (Which again linked with both uses of the land and 'good sorts' in our history - Ah Lum is a great example!).

Maniototo Area School also booked into our year 5 and 6  Geography programme - this involved a presentation about the development of tourism in this region since the 1800's. Students were provided with worksheets to help them understand the key points about the tourism process - this was a perfect link to focusing on how how the local landscape has affected how people use the land as our rivers, canyons, and mountains provide us the perfect landscape for offering adventure activities!

What was something new or interesting you learned during your visit?

What was your favourite part of your visit?

Have you tried any of Queenstown's exciting adventure activities? Tell us about your experience!

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below.

Thanks for visiting Maniototo Area School!

Fiordland College visited the Lakes District Museum, late in the afternoon yesterday after we had already had 2 other schools visit the museum. What a busy day!

Fiordland College made a day trip to Queenstown for their senior Geography students, and had included our Tourism presentation as part of their field trip. Part of the students day trip also included a visit to the local Police station to listen to a constable speak about the social effects of tourism on Queenstown, this was arranged through the Lakes District Museum and is a service we provide to help give students a comprehensive view of the development of tourism in Queenstown as well as its effects.(If you are interested in including a police talk alongside our Tourism presentation just email: [email protected])

The students were very impressed with the Police talk, which gave a great overview of the typical crimes and offenses committed by tourists in Queenstown. Students then made their way to the Museum, for our Tourism presentation. I spoke with students about how tourism developed in this area, as this region was originally focused on agriculture and mining. Maps were used to help students understand the temporal and spatial variations that have occurred in this region over the past 100 years.

What are some of the positive effects of tourism on Queenstown?

What are some of the negative effects of tourism in Queenstown?

Why did tourists originally begin visiting Queenstown in the 1800's?

Why do you think tourists visit the Queenstown area today?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!

Thanks for visiting Fiordland College - we hope you had a safe trip back home!

Yesterday, year 4 - 8 students from St Joseph's school Queenstown, visited the Lakes District Museum to learn about Wakatipu War Heroes!

Split into 3 groups, students visited during the morning and the afternoon to listen to a talk about the qualities of being hero and then to learn about our own history of war heroes in this region. Soldiers and Nurses were discussed as well as living conditions in the trenches. At the end of the talk students were able to view some WWI artefacts which included a helmet and trench art - a very unique opportunity as these artefacts will be on display in our own WWI exhibition later this year! (WWI and the Wakatipu opens the 20th of October, with LEOTC programmes available for students to book into).

After listening to the talk, students then walked up to our war memorial on Soldiers Hill with our educator Denise. At the war memorial students used critical thinking and discussion to discover why memorials are built and why the Arrowtown war memorial has been built high up on a hill that overlooks the town. Students also had the opportunity to view the Turkish field gun which is on display beside the war memorial, which was a great discussion point for learning about how changing technologies affected the equipment used during the war.

Why do we build war memorials?

What did you most enjoy during your visit?

How are you going to try honour our Wakatipu war heroes back in the classroom?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!

Thanks for visiting St Joseph's!

What a week we have had at the Lakes District Museum & Gallery! August has certainly been busy with bookings, and the remainder of the term has mostly been booked out too! Queen's High School visited this morning, for our Geography presentation which is proving to be popular with year 13 Geographers in Southland, Otago, and lower parts of Canterbury!

The development of tourism in Queenstown was discussed during the presentation as well as our increasing tourist numbers. Our visitor numbers are so high that trans-Tasman flights between Queenstown and Australia have now increased, with 50 direct flights operating weekly during the ski season!

With the continual growth in tourists, Queenstown has now started focusing on sustainable tourism and marketing itself as a four season destination. The Resources Management Act has been useful in protecting our natural and cultural sites in the Wakatipu region, as accommodating tourists can be a balancing act when you are trying to protect your environment and history as well create opportunities for new business developments.

Do you think the Wakatipu region has achieved a balance yet with protecting our culture and environment as well as accommodating tourists? Why?

What activities and attractions does Queenstown offer to try target a wide range of tourists?

Why does Queenstown try to target a wide range of tourists?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!

Thanks for visiting Queens High School!

Wednesday was a very busy day as Denise, our education officer, ran our our geography presentation for Opihi College students whilst I worked with St Mary's school from Milton.

16 year 13 students were hosted in our cozy conference room to learn about spatial and temporal changes in the Queenstown area due to tourism. Students were each given booklets to help take notes, whilst the teacher was provided with a post visit resource which included answers/notes to accompany the presentation.

Denise is a Geography expert as she has spent quite a few years teaching senior Geography at High School. The Opihi students were very lucky to have her run the session!

Did you find the visit useful?

What did you most enjoy about the presentation?

What exciting tourist activities have you done during your visit to Queenstown?

Keep warm Opihi College and we hope you come back and visit us again!

St Mary's School came and visited the museum yesterday as part of the activities planned for their camp. Their camp was planned for during winter so that the students could go skiing, but for a rest day during their ski week they thought visiting the museum would be a great idea!

The year 5 and 6 students booked in for a full day primary programme which included:

• An 1800's lesson with the terrifying Miss Grey. Students practiced their handwriting on slate boards and learned how different schools were over a 100 years ago.
• A museum visit which included handling artefacts. Everyone enjoyed handling the pounamu mere, and the moa bone whilst they discovered the multitude of reasons why different groups of people came to the Wakatipu.
• Gold panning! Even though it has been very cold all week, we were able to catch some afternoon sun for the gold panning session where students discovered different panning techniques as well as finding gold!
• A historic walk of Arrowtown, where students heard the story of the great escaped from the Old Gaol as well as visiting Saint Mary MacKillops school house. Visiting historic buildings of Arrowtown helped everyone understand how difficult life during the 1800's could be.
• A tour of the Chinese settlement was the last activity of the day. Exploring the stone huts, and learning about Chinese culture helped these students understand why the Chinese settlers came to the central Otago goldfields.

What was your favourite part of the visit?

Do you think life today is easier compared to over 100 years ago? Why?

What was something interesting you learned during you visit?

Thanks for visiting St Mary's - we hope you come back again next year!

Another good southland School from Gore didn't let snowy conditions deter them from visiting the Lakes District Museum this morning. With the sun shining this afternoon, you would never believe that we could see snow flurries through the museum conference room windows this morning.

The year 13 students listened in to our University style presentation on the development of tourism in Queenstown and the Lakes District. A highlight of the talk for the students was learning about the different adventure based activities which have developed in the last 30 or so years. Technology has made a huge impact on tourism in Queenstown. Not only with the internet which provides better access to information and bookings, but also the improvements in technology has impacted with machinery to help create some of our fantastic adventure based tourist attractions. Attractions such as jet boating, bungy jumping, canyon swing, and heli-skiing, would not be available if it was not for the advancements in technology!

What else has impacted the development of tourism in Queenstown?

What else could potentially affect the tourism industry in Queenstown and worldwide?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit to the Lakes District Museum below!

I hope you had a safe trip back to Gore St Peter's!

The mountains in the Lakes District look fantastic with the snow we keep getting in the region, but it does make driving conditions pretty tricky. Fortunately James Hargest College from Invercargill are pretty used to chilly weather!

Yesterday afternoon we used the St John's Presbyterian Church Hall for our Geography presentation, as the group of year 13 students was a rather large booking. The facilities at the Church hall were modern, warm, and comfortable. A welcome respite from the cold weather outside.

Students found the events and festivals that Queenstown offers throughout the year an interesting practice to encourage visitors into the area throughout the different seasons. Our peak tourist seasons are usually winter and summer, with spring and autumn as our shoulder seasons.

Do you think this is an effective way to get tourists to visit Queenstown?

What are some negative effects of tourism on Queenstown?

Did you find the presentation useful?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below!

Thanks James Hargest, have a safe trip home!

We value your opinion at the Lakes District Museum, and always find it valuable when teachers and students provide us feedback about their experience with our HandsonHistory Education Programme.

We have always made paper copies of our evaluation forms available to teachers and students through our post-visit resources. However, we understand how busy it can get in the classroom, so we have decided to make our evaluation forms available through our website too. Now, everything you would like to say about our programme is just a click away with only 10 easy questions!

Primary and secondary students, click this link if you would like to place feedback about our programme.

Teachers, click this link if you would like to place feedback too!

On Friday the 8th of August, we had the exhibition opening for Shadows of Shoah. This eagerly anticipated evening was a rewarding experience for those who braved the snow and tricky driving conditions.

The artist Perry Trotter spoke at the evening, as well as The Mayor of the Lakes District. Daniel Gold, a Holocaust child survivor, also spoke at the event. To listen to Daniel Gold speak about his experiences and to then have the opportunity to view the Shadows of Shoah exhibition, truly made the event a once in a life time opportunity.

I encourage teachers to book you year 7 - 13 students to come and view this exhibition - this is something you do not want to miss!

Teaching resources to accompany this exhibition are available through our website and are free to download - please click this link

Or you can contact the Lakes District Education Programme for further information on the exhibition or to make a booking.

Ph: 03 442 0317

Email: [email protected]

The exhibition is available from the 8th August until the 12th of October 2014.

Gusty gales and a forecast of snow couldn't keep the Southland Girls  High School Geographers away! The crown range had issued warnings for vehicles to carry snow chains, but Arrowtown appeared to be an eye in the storm with relatively calm weather compared to other areas in the Lakes District.

These keen students visited the Lakes District Museum to hear our geography presentation about Tourism in Queenstown. The topic covered issues such as how tourism has developed, attractions in the region, the negative and positive effects of tourism, and what the future of tourism will be like in Queenstown. As always the adventure tourism activities offered in Queenstown were a highlight for the students, as well as looking at old photographs of early tourists from the 1800's.

Did you find the visit valuable for your studies?

What attractions in Queenstown appeal to you the most?

Do you think it is worthwhile that Queenstown tries to market itself as a 4 season destination?

Answer my questions and comment about your visit below.

Thanks girls - enjoy the rest of your visit here in Queenstown!