Wellington High School – New Zealand Study Tour 2026

Monday, October 12 – Arrival in Wellington
We had a smooth trip from Sapporo to Wellington, flying through Narita and Auckland. There were no problems during our flights.
When we arrived at Wellington High School, we met Nico Yamamoto's host family in the school library. The weather was sunny and warm. It was a great start to our visit!
Tuesday, October 13 – Welcome to Wellington High School
Our first day at Wellington High School was cold, wet, and windy!
We started the day at the school's marae (Māori meeting place). We took part in a pōwhiri, a traditional Māori welcome ceremony. The ceremony was held entirely in Māori.
WHS students welcomed us with a Māori song, and Peter Sensei gave a short speech in Māori. We then sang the famous Japanese song Sukiyaki (「上を向いて歩こう」).
After the ceremony, we joined Japanese classes and played fun language games in English and Japanese. Students found that they had many things in common, including their favourite music, movies, anime, and pets.

Wednesday, October 14 – Learning About Different Cultures
We are starting to understand why Wellington is famous for its strong winds!
In the morning, we learned about Māori language and culture. We also joined an English class with international students from countries such as Indonesia, China, Pakistan, and South America. Their teacher was from Osaka!
Everyone enjoyed talking together and learning about each other's countries and cultures.
In the afternoon, we met Lorna, our former exchange student, and her Japanese class. Together, we visited Te Papa, New Zealand's national museum.
We saw many interesting displays about New Zealand's history, culture, animals, and Māori art. It was a great learning experience!

Thursday, October 15 – Māori Games and Mini Golf
Today, we learned more about Māori language and culture by playing traditional games and singing songs.
We learned “Tūtira Mai Ngā Iwi,” a famous Māori song about friendship, unity, and helping each other.
Later, everyone enjoyed playing indoor mini golf together. The course had many interesting designs based on famous places in Wellington and New Zealand movies, including The Hobbit.
It was another fun day of learning and spending time together!

Peter