Autor: Herr Kabisch

Family members:

New Zealand host families can vary greatly. Some families consist only of the parents and the child who is hosting you, while others have two or more siblings. It is also possible that another exchange student from a different country is staying with the same family at the same time.

Everyday life:

The day begins with breakfast, which everyone eats on their own. Then the students go to school while their parents go to work. At school, your exchange student will take you to your classroom, or you may even have lessons with them. During breaks, you can either stay with your exchange student or talk to the other New Zealand students. After school, you go home and do something with your family or meet up with friends. The students at Lynfield College either come with us, go home and do their homework, or go to work. Dinner is then eaten together. Afterwards, everyone retreats to their rooms and goes to bed at the appropriate time. Of course, we don’t have school at the weekend, and the host families often have an outing or something else planned for you. Otherwise, the daily routine is the same.

Personal experience:

My host family gave me a warm welcome and helped me settle in. We got to know each other well through lots of messages before I arrived in New Zealand, so we have no problems with each other and already know quite a bit about each other. Here’s an example of their hospitality: in the messages before my arrival, I learned that my exchange student’s father not only plays the guitar like me, but also builds guitars. When I arrived at my host family’s house, there was already an acoustic guitar he had built in my room, and he said I was welcome to play it. A few days later, I asked him if I could try one of his electric guitars. Not only did he agree, but he also allowed my friends, who had dropped by spontaneously and whom he didn’t know, to play his guitar.

Today was such a cool day! Our group visited the Waitomo Glowworm Caves and an rainforest with collapsed caves. We had to get up really early at six in the morning to pack our things and get ready. Everyone was still a bit tired, but you could already feel that everyone was in a good mood because we were all excited about the trip.

For breakfast, we had pancakes with syrup, so good! And it was Milos birthday today.

He turned 16, and of course, we all sang for him. It was really nice and made everyone smile, so we started the day with a good vibe.

After breakfast, we quickly packed our stuff and got on the bus. The ride took a while, but it didn’t feel that long. We talked, listened to music, laughed, and just chilled together. Some people even fell asleep because the bus was so comfortable. It was just such a relaxed and fun start to the day.

When we arrived, we first had some time to look around in the souvenir shop and the café. Some of us bought postcards or little souvenirs, and others got a cup of hot chocolate. After that, we went into the cave for our guided tour.

The tour guide told us to use our imagination and look for shapes in the rocks, like an organ, or even a kiwi bird doing bungee jumping. It was really fun trying to spot them. Then we got into a small boat, and suddenly everything was completely silent.

Above us were thousands of glowing blue lights, like a thousand liftle stars. It was so breathtaking, I’ll honestly never forget this moment.

Afterwards, we got back on the bus and drove a few minutes to our picnic spot. Soon we’ll continue our trip with a walk through the forest.

After our picnic, we went on a short walk through the forest, which took about 40 to 50 minutes. It was really relaxing, and the air was warm and a bit humid. On the way, we also walked through two small caves, which was pretty cool.

Our guide, Simon, showed us an edible plant and explained which leaves you could actually use as toilet paper in the wild, everyone thought that was super funny!

Afterwards, we got back on the bus and drove to Lynfield College, where our host students were already waiting for us. The rest of the afternoon everyone spent individually with their host families. It was the perfect way to end such an amazing week.

The day started with breakfast at 7:30 a.m. After that, we went on a hike to a waterfall. The path led over rocky ground and through low bushes, and the sound of the water could already be heard from a distance. At the bottom, fine mist rose into the air as the water crashed down onto the rocks. After the hike, we walked back and then drove up the mountain by car. From the top, there was a wide view over the landscape, with snow on the peak and a clear sky above. In the evening, we went bouldering. The climbing hall had many different routes, and everyone was focused on climbing. It was a full and varied day.

The morning of the 15.10.25 we had breakfast at 7:15 a.m. Simon made it for us like always. The food was really good
and everyone was happy but tired. But we were all excited for the trip!
At 8 a.m. we left our place to see Rotorua. First we went to the geothermal park. It was crazy to see the hot water and the steam everywhere! Then we went to the lake, the Government Gardens, the Redwood Forest and the Blue Lake. Everything looked so nice and we took a lot of pictures. And Simon toldus amazing new information.

Later we went to Wai-O-Tapu Thermal Wonderland. Wow, it was so cool! The colors were amazing, green, yellow, orange and blue. It smelled a bit funky, but it was super interesting. After that we drove to Taupo. The big lake looked beautiful with the volcanoes around it. We also stopped at Huka Falls. The water was so strong and blue, it looked awesome!

At 5:00 p.m. we arrived at Waimarino Village. Everyone was tired but really happy. It was such a fun and exciting day! I
think it was one of the best days of our trip!

Chorfahrt 2025

Das Chorlager des  Popchor „ImPuls“ vom 22.-24. Juni 2025 war ein tolles Erlebnis, das auf jeden Fall in Erinnerung bleibt. Der Chor des EHG besteht aus Sängerinnen der Klassenstufen 7-11 sowie unserer langjährig engagierten Chorleiterin Frau Hopf.

Der Chor hatte wieder dieselbe Unterkunft gebucht mit gemütlichen Zimmern und für die Proben Räumlichkeiten mit toller Akustik. Die Fahrt konnte mit Konzerteinnahmen und der Unterstützung des Fördervereins des EHG finanziert wurden.

Die Festigung der Lieder für die kommenden Konzerte stand in diesem Chorlager für alle besonders im Fokus. Der erste Abend startete mit einem Vorsingen. So konnten sich kennenlernen und durch Feedback helfen lassen, unsere Stimmen zu fördern. In den Proben haben sich alle Sängerinnen mit Bewegung aufgelockert, um eine entspannte Atmosphäre beim Singen zu erhalten. Der Chor entdeckte auch, was alles noch möglich sein kann, wenn gemeinsam an einem Ziel gearbeitet wird. Im Chorlager konnten mit Hilfe von Atemübungen und durch gewissenhaftes Einsingen alle ihre Technik verbessern.

 Nun freuen wir uns auf die anstehenden Konzerte und Songs unseres Popchors „ImPuls“.

Teamtag 7s

Einem Hilferuf der Klassenleitung folgend, unterstützte der Förderverein des EHG den Team- und Kommunikationsbildungstag der Kurzzeithelden am 12.06.2025, um die  Kommunikationskompetenz sowie den Klassenzusammenhalt der 7s zu stärken. 

In verschiedensten Übungen ging es um Vertrauen, Achtsamkeit, Zusammenhalt, Kommunikation und Respekt.  Die Klasse war mit Spaß und Eifer dabei und konnte viel Lehrreiches für ihren Schulalltag mitnehmen.

The morning of the 15.10.25 we started the day very early at 06:30 a.m. with a breakfast together. Our tour guide kindly provided food for all the students and the teachers and we had an amazing view of the sunrise over the sea.

After the group finished eating and putting all our bags in the bus, we hit the road at 07:30 a.m.
Past a long drive of 4.5 hours, at which we listened to music and were able to catch up in some sleep, we took a break and got coffee and a small snack. After driving another 2 hours we arrived at the Karangahake Gorge which is a former gold territory next to an amazing river. We got to explore the beautiful nature and eat lunch before we headed to our last break. We arrived at go-card racetrack in Totorua.

After spend about one hour watching the great view over volcanos, a pretty lake and hills from the gondolas and having much fun on the race track we left at 05:00 p.m. to get to our hostel.
After this long day with a total of a 6.5 hours bus ride and many stops with different adventures and impressions we had time to get dinner or cook something in be hostel kitchen.

Sie interessieren sich für den Übergang nach der vierten oder sechsten Klasse auf das EHG? Dann schauen Sie sich doch an, was unsere Leistungs- und Begabungsklasse ausmacht oder warum sich ein Wechsel nach der Jahrgangsstufe 7  eignet. 

Mehr Informationen zum Verfahren sowie die Chance an einem „Schnuppernachmittag“ teilzunehmen, sind hier aufgeführt:

Our day in Paihia started with a delicious breakfast together in the hostel, which was kindly provided by our driver Simon. Afterwards we headed out to the port to take the Ferry to Russels and explored the town. Then we visited the Waitangi Treaty Grounds, where New Zealand’s founding document was first signed between the British Crown and the Māori chiefs on 6 February 1840. At first we visited the Museum and learned about the history of the Waitangi Treaty. The Treaty made New Zealand officially part of the British Empire. However The treaty had two versions: English and Māori with different claims about sovereignty, which caused misunderstandings and conflict over land, authority and power.

After that, our tour guide Michelle showed us how to make “poi”, which are balls attached to cords used in traditional dancing. This was a really fun activity. We also got to see this traditional dancing and singing, called the “kapa haka”, performed by Māori. I think it was really impressive and a cultural experience for everyone.

Today the Waitangi Treaty affirms and protects Māori authority and rights and sets the framework a good relationship and governance between the Government of NZ and Māori. Therefore they are able to share their culture with us.

It was another great and memorable day for everybody

After an exciting weekend in which we got to see more of Auckland and go on trips with our exchange students, we had to say goodbye to them on the morning of the 13th of October. Everyone was eager to go on this week-long trip, but there were also some emotional goodbyes, as many had formed close friendships in just a week.
We departed around 9:30, marking the start of another adventure. On the bus ride to our first stop, Ruakākā, we listened to music. Once we arrived, Simon, our bus driver and tour guide, told us about the significance of the location. We also had our lunch break there and got to enjoy a beautiful view of the ocean and some islands close to the beach.
After that break, our journey continued to Whangārei Falls. It was an absolutely incredible view. We had a few minutes to take it in before it was time to leave again. On the bus ride to our next stop, we drove past hilly countryside with many cows and sheep.
Before arriving at our final destination, we had the opportunity to stop and look around one more place: Hikurangi. As Simon explained, this was the site of the final battle of the War of the North—Te Ruapekapeka—which took place in January of 1846. I was especially impressed to learn that this was the origin of the trench warfare later used in the First World War. Overall, I think we all learned a lot at this site.
Afterwards, we continued on our final bus ride to the hostel. When we arrived, we were all stunned by the view. It was right next to the beach, and from the kitchen, you had an amazing view of the ocean. The kitchen was also where most of us went first, as we were all very hungry. After dinner, some of us played games or explored the area, marking the end of another great day here in New Zealand.

Just like every other morning, this 12th of October began with breakfast with my host family, who have really grown close to my heart by now. Today, we just had the typical Cornflakes. We talked about what everyone had planned for the day, and I got to learn a lot about the daily life of my host family.

Since it’s Sunday and I’m staying with a Christian family, we went to church together. That was a completely new experience for me, because I don’t usually go to church. We sang a lot of songs, prayed, and at the end, there was food for everyone.

My host mother is a professional breakdancer and she had a performance in the city today. She planned to take me and Charleen (my German friend) along with her. So in the early afternoon, we made our way towards Auckland City. I was really looking forward to this trip, and you could already see the famous Sky Tower from a long distance. And just like so many times during the past week, I was once again overcome by that unbelievable feeling — I’m really on the other side of the world!

We parked in the middle of downtown. My host mom headed off to the location for her performance, and Charleen and I started to explore the city. Our first stop was the shopping mall “Westfield Newmarket.” I’ve noticed that there are an incredible number of shopping centers in Auckland — this must have been at least the fourth or fifth one I’ve come across in the past week. The Westfield Mall is a huge, five-story,: modern building with lots of different stores. But first, we grabbed something to eat, since the food here in New Zealand is really delicious and we were both very hungry. After that, we strolled through the various shops and had a few conversations with people along the way. I noticed again how incredibly friendly and interested people in New Zealand are. Later, we took a bus into the actual city center because we really wanted to see the Sky Tower up close. It’s unbelievably tall and stands like a pillar right in the middle of the city. In the hotel across the street, there’s a large souvenir shop with all kinds of items — especially noticeable are the kiwis, which you can buy in every imaginable form. I picked up a few souvenirs for home and a birthday present for my dad.

Since it had gotten quite late by then, we took the bus back, but the traffic in nighttime Auckland caused a few delays. Finally we made it to the meeting point we had arranged with our host parents, and we drove home. There, we had dinner with the whole family, and then one by one, we all went to bed.

And that’s how my weekend in Auckland came to an end!

(AW)