First Step Outdoors

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First Step Outdoors

Outdoor Adventure and Education

16/12/2024

Well that's a wrap for the year! A super busy year with lots of adventures with lots of amazing people.

We are now on our summer break and would like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and we look forward to lots more adventures in the new year!

Meri Kirihimete from Kate and all the team at First Step Outdoors.

04/12/2024

A massive thank you for all the generous donations for our 2025 GIRL POWA events through our givealittte page. With your support we will get more teen girls out and enjoying the great outdoors. If you would like to support us over the festive season we will be publishing lots of posts to help you!!

Thanks also to the wonderful Te Awamutu Courier for once again supporting our mahi. They are a real champion of the community and local businesses. They could do with the support of the community right now to ensure they have a future. Head over to their page and see how you could help.

Community is awesome and it's great to celebrate our successes and be able to reach out - and not just on Facebook which is not used by lots of members of our community!!

01/12/2024

We have some great news to share! We have been successful in our application for funding for our 2025 GIRL POWA programme from Sport New Zealand’s Tū Manawa fund, supported by Sport Waikato. This generous funding will help ensure we can run our 2025 programme. Alongside the awesome donations received through our givealittle campaign, we can reach out to more female rangatahi and do our very best to make sure no one misses out.

Sport Waikato Sport New Zealand

21/11/2024

Another beautiful day on the Maunga! How lucky are we to have such a fantastic place of work Pirongia Forest Park Lodge!

This was us earlier in the week getting ready for a day of activities with Patricia Avenue School. We implemented some adapted activities to ensure as many students as possible to could take part. Great team work and lots of learning for us all!

20/11/2024

We are very excited to show you our award! Isn't she lovely!!

RECREATION AOTEAROA - TE WHAI ORANGA TE TOHU - WHAKAAWEAWE KAUPAPA / OUTSTANDING EVENT / PROGRAMME AWARD 2024.

Thank you to everyone who has supported our GIRL POWA programme. We really are passionate about getting our young women and girls into the great outdoors. Hopefully in winning the award we can continue to spread the word and get more people on board with this important mahi!

Thank you again to Recreation Aotearoa - Te Whai Oranga for the award and to Sport New Zealand for funding GIRL POWA through the Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund administered by Sport Waikato

17/11/2024

Another adventure funded by Sport New Zealand He puna korikori through Recreation Aotearoa - Te Whai Oranga
We're glad we can give these amazing rangatahi a cool outdoor experience. Thanks to our funders!!

15/11/2024

We are beyond excited to announce that GIRL POWA WON THE RECREATION AOTEAROA - TE WHAI ORANGA TE TOHU - WHAKAAWEAWE KAUPAPA / OUTSTANDING EVENT / PROGRAMME AWARD at last night's award ceremony.

The Award "recognises the significant contribution that events and programmes make to outdoor recreation and adventure activities in New Zealand."

A massive shout out to the POWA women and girls who came along on the GIRL POWA adventures with us. And of course a huge thank you to Sport New Zealand Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa fund administered by Sport Waikato for part funding the programme.

Winning this award confirms our commitment to GIRL POWA. Seeing the girls grow in confidence as they get outdoors and have some fun, at a time in their lives when they are facing many pressures and challenges, is hugely rewarding.

But sourcing funding to ensure GIRL POWA continues and can be accessible to all rangatahi remains a huge challenge.

If you want to support this award winning (!) programme in any way we would love to hear from you!

We will also be launching a give a little campaign, so anyone who supports this kaupapa can help ensure the future of GIRL POWA. Details to follow.

11/11/2024

Another group of young rangatahi have got to enjoy a day of activities Thanks to He puna korikori fund, Sport New Zealand and Recreation Aotearoa - Te Whai Oranga . Boys from Te Awamutu Intermediate School enjoyed a day of climbing and ziplining with us today. Kia kaha boys, great job.

10/11/2024

The only animals we allowed on the High ropes this weekend. Hope you had a gggggrrrrrrrreat time boys! Awesome weekend at the The Great Kiwi Summer Festival and the rain stayed away!

09/11/2024

Having a blast at The Great Kiwi Summer Festival come and see us for a special deal. $20 for half hour of high ropes heaven.

07/11/2024

Don't forget The Great Kiwi Summer Festival is on this weekend - it's nearly sold out! Come have a go on the High Ropes!

Hope to see you there!

We will be at the fabulous Great Kiwi Summer Festival at Lake Karapiro this weekend, 9-10th November.

If you have ever been to the Lake and seen the High Ropes and wanted to have a try now is your chance! We will be running 30 minute Try Out sessions on the High Ropes over the weekend. Each try out session costs $25 pp and gives you the opportunity to challenge yourself and see the Lake from new heights!

Its a really fun adventure and we will be there to support you all the way.

Get a bird's eye view of the festival!

You can book and pay for your High Ropes session on the day. T&Cs apply.

But you will need a festival entry ticket which are selling out fast. Head over to page or visit their website at https://www.greatkiwisummer.co.nz/ for all the info and to find out about all the other amazing exhibitors and adventures you can try out over the weekend.

We hope to see you there!

06/11/2024

Free event tomorrow at Seddon Park! See the World Cup Trophy and welcome the WHITE FERNS home.

Plus, sausage sizzle, activities and giveaways!

We will be at the fabulous Great Kiwi Summer Festival at Lake Karapiro this weekend, 9-10th November.If you have ever be...

05/11/2024

01/11/2024

To our friends celebrating - Happy Diwali

31/10/2024

GIRL POWA 2025

We have 3 exciting GIRL POWA adventures planned for 2025. These were the activities that the girls told us they wanted - so get the dates in your diary!

The activities are for a teen girl (aged 12 -19 years) and an accompanying female adult (aged 20 years plus).

We are currently looking for funding for these events and more details will follow.

Hope you can join us!

23/10/2024

We loved working with the Kawaka Outdoor Education students at Pirongia School Teaching them to abseil, they also had a go at some orienteering. Great work team!

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http://www.firststepoutdoors.com/

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Morena! After a great summer break, we are gearing up to a new year full of Adventures. Bookings for our 2025 GIRL POWA and POWA events will be opening soon. Get these dates in your diaries! GIRL POWA Our GIRL POWA adventures offer a fantastic opportunity for our teen girls to get out and adventure with their mum, sister, nana, friend, cousin. The funded teen ticket means 2 of you get to adventure for the price of 1 (1 teen 12-18 years and 1 adult 19 years plus - females only.) Motivate and inspire each other, set your own boundaries with a fun group of liked minded women and girls - builds confidence and self esteem and show our girls that outdoor adventures are not just for boys. POWA - Women only Adventures With our 2025 POWA to the Summit, Mount Pirongia Tramp already fully booked, our next women only event is the Adventure Day at Pirongia Forest Park Lodge. There will be new challenges, friendship and lots of fun. Take some time out for you! Get out into nature and give yourself a challenge! We will provide you with a lovely lunch and make sure you have a blast! For more information visit our website at www.firststepoutdoors.com Our GIRL POWA events are part funded by Sport New Zealand's Tu Manawa Active Aotearoa Fund, administered by Sport Waikato

A massive thank you for all the generous donations for our 2025 GIRL POWA events through our givealittte page. With your support we will get more teen girls out and enjoying the great outdoors. If you would like to support us over the festive season we will be publishing lots of posts to help you!! Thanks also to the wonderful Te Awamutu Courier for once again supporting our mahi. They are a real champion of the community and local businesses. They could do with the support of the community right now to ensure they have a future. Head over to their page and see how you could help. Community is awesome and it's great to celebrate our successes and be able to reach out - and not just on Facebook which is not used by lots of members of our community!!

To our friends celebrating - Happy Diwali

The Great Kiwi Summer Festival returns to Lake Karapiro 9 – 10 November 2024. The Great Kiwi Summer Festival brings together a variety of events to provide 2-days of family fun and entertainment on the shores of Lake Karapiro in Cambridge on 9 - 10 November. This year the festival will feature the Shaw's Illuminate Light and Sound Show, Cambridge Hunting and Fishing Outdoor Expo, Waterworld, Armistice in Cambridge and Franklin Park Freestyle Dreams presented by Fieldline. There is really something for everyone. First Step Outdoors will be there offering mini seesions on the awesome High Ropes for $25pp. Tickets are selling fast and @greatkiwisummerfestival have given us a pass to giveaway. Valued at $25 the pass admits one vehicle and its passengers for one day of the festival. T &Cs apply. To enter comment High Ropes below and your name will be in our draw to win the free pass.

Last week Mark Mandeno from Adventure Works and Kate delivered an Inclusive Practices workshop at the NZOIA symposium. They were also part of the team of experts that worked with Sport NZ, Recreation Aotearoa and EONZ to create a guidance that ensures disabled tamariki and rangatahi aren't missing out on the many benefits of being active outdoors. The new guide supports outdoor providers and educators to make outdoor experiences more inclusive and accessible. We are proud to be part of this initiative and to be working to improve inclusion and accessibility in the outdoor sctor in NZ.

Join us on a fun and fabulous Women Only Bush Walk along the Kahikatea Tree track in Pirongia Forest Park. This stunning walk takes you to the tallest native tree in New Zealand, an impressive 66.5metres tall. Meet like-minded women and soak up the benefits of being in the great outdoors. Bookings now open.