More than two years of meticulous planning and an "avalanche" of fundraising are about to have their reward for more than 40 Kaitaia College students, who are preparing to embark on a four-week tour of Europe.
They leave Kaitaia at 3am on Saturday, and are due to arrive in Rome 42 hours later. Their itinerary includes Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Hungary, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Singapore.
Principal and tour leader Jack Saxon said two destinations would be particular focal points.
"In Dalmatia our students will be able to connect intimately on a whakapapa level, while Passchendaele will give the opportunity to pay homage to those men and women from Te Hiku who sacrificed their lives to secure the opportunities we have today," he said.
Drago Yelavich had worked with the group to develop a waiata that would be performed while visiting some of the Dalmatian villages that the students were connected to.
More than $65,000 had been fundraised for the trip. Mr Saxon and fellow leadership group members John and Mareea Paitai praised the whanau and the wider community for the pivotal role they had played in making the dream a reality.
