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DoE Gold Practice Journey
Duration: Three days / two nights
The final frontier, Gold DoE brings together all your hard work, persistence and dedication from Bronze adventures and Silver journeys. Tapping into your adventurous DoE spirit on a whole new level, it will be up to you and your teammates to plan and lead an extended expedition in its entirety. Are you ready for the challenge?
The stepping-stone to the gold qualifying journey, the Gold practice DoE journey is a three-day, two-night adventure in New Zealand. Bound to push you further than ever before with new challenges and terrain at every turn, the Gold practice journey tests all the DoE knowledge you’ve acquired so far. Your adventurous journey experience from Bronze and Silver will be like second nature to you, so expect these to shine through. But the new Gold training skills will need flexing, so don’t miss this opportunity. Tune in, stay focused, and you’ll be well on your way to becoming a confident adventurer and ready for your final Duke of Edinburgh expedition.
The result of hard work, persistence and dedication. Welcome to the final and best chapter of The Duke of Edinburgh Award. Participants will plan and lead the expedition in its entirety. Take on the role of leadership and responsibility to get out on adventures at a whole new level.
16+ years old
Pre-requisites: Silver Qualifier
Dates and locations: You choose
Transport mode: Tramp, Kayak, SuP or Packrafting
Other Gold DoE Adventurous Journeys
Occasionally, a significant gold expedition or exploration involving extra innovation, creativity and challenge may take place. In such circumstances, the advice and agreement of a Group’s or Unit’s Operating Authority is required to proceed. The only additional stipulation is that all participants must be aged 18 or over. It is also the case that significant Adventurous Journeys - such as scaling a Himalayan peak - would require the advice and assistance, usually at cost, of an external provider such as a reliable expedition company.
Social Nature Movement provides Adventurous Journeys by Tramping, Sea Kayaking, Stand up Paddle (SuP) boarding and Packrafting.
If tramping, journeys must be on formed tracks and those tracks should be in-line with the Department of Conservations (DoC) Walking track categories: Bronze = ‘easy’, Silver = ‘ intermediate’, Gold = ‘advanced’. ‘expert’ at SNM's and DoE's discretion.
Examples of Gold explorations and expeditions for DoE
• Exploring the natural world: glaciation, erosion, geology, coastal
studies, river valleys, plant studies, bird studies or animal studies,
insect studies
• Exploring historic land use: prehistoric man, historical periods
• Exploring human impact: visitor pressure in national parks,
pollution monitoring, surveys of numbers of walkers in remote areas
• Carrying out health surveys or health education in remote areas
• Completing a demanding journey by foot, cycle or canoe/ kayak
• Investigating group dynamics in challenging conditions
• Kayaking the entire navigable stretch of a river
• Extensive sail across an ocean
• Climbing an Alpine, Himalayan or other high mountainous peak
• Cycling from one end of a country to another or from coast to coast
Where necessary, two DoE levels can be on the same journey, provided each participant meets the minimum requirement for the higher Award level.
All Duke of Ed practice and qualifying journeys at all levels should be on tracks that have not been used for a previous journey.
How to sign off completed Gold Adventurous Journeys using ORB
Firstly access the Online Record Book (ORB), here
Then, follow the sign-off information, here
Apply for NCEA credits while doing your Gold Duke of Edinburgh Award
GOLD AWARD - NZQA Unit Standards Level 3
• Communicate with people from other cultures – 2 credits (1304, v.9)
• Speak to a known audience in a predictable situation – 3 credits (1307, v.8)
• Read texts to research information – 4 credits (2990, v.7)
• Contribute within a team or group which has an objective – 3 credits (9681, v.7)
• Give feedback on performance in the workplace – 3 credits (9705, v.7)
• Listen actively to gain information in an interactive situation – 3 credits (11097, v.5)
Check out our booking tab, click the book now button or fill an enquiry here.
Duration: Three days / two nights
Itineraries
Environmental care
Water Code (DOC),
The spirit and content of the High Country Recreational Users Code.
Leadership
Control and responsibility,
Search and rescue structure and practices [land or marine]
Trip Planning
Planning a trip of three or more nights’ duration, to include some areas above bushline,
Safety Management and Expedition forms,
Understanding weather maps.
Clothing
Clothing and foot wear for snow conditions.
Equipment
Equipment for snow country,
Packing for longer expeditions and snow country,
Use of mountain radios.
Stoves and fuels
Lighting a stove in adverse weather conditions,
Lighting an emergency fire.
Food
The importance of adequate eating on arduous expeditions; know food to include, and choose emergency rations,
Cooking in adverse weather conditions (snow, rain).
Campcraft
Camping in exposed areas above bushline and in snow.
Map reading
Further training and practice in advanced map work appropriate to the journey to be undertaken.
Compass use
Finding location using 3 bearings,
Understanding of direction finding at night.
Route finding
Using animal tracks in the bush,
Travel above bushline on tussock, screes and snow.
Water safety
Advanced mutual support crossing methods,
How to recover if swept away.
Survival / loss of route
An overnight camp in an improvised shelter.
Outdoor first aid
CPR – adult, child, infant,
Recognition and treatment of dehydration, muscle cramps, heat exhaustion, heatstroke, hypothermia, frostnip,
Common patient carries eg, two and four hand seat, use of sleeping mats,
The evacuation of patients with serious injuries
Explorations
Observation, survey and recording techniques applicable to final venture,
Use of related equipment.
Whenever you want! We just need 4+ participants, then we can go at a date of your choosing!
Yes! It is becoming a popular option. There are pro's and con's to both, but combining them means a longer immersion in nature, half the amount of logistics and you get it over and done with in one go.
It is a combination of instructor and student. The instructor will teach you as much as they can to set you up for independent succes and autonomy come your qualifying journey.
SNM offers tramping, sea kayaking, stand up paddle boarding and packrafting.
To some extent, yes, but all DoE Gold Adventurous Journeys must be approved by DoE NZ Head Office.
SNM staff carry cellphones and emergency communication devices where it is often (but not always) possible to connect.
We select the best staff for the job based on their skills, knolwedge and experiences. They will be an SNM staff member or we will bring in support from equally competent contractors. Sometimes we also bring in (semi)celebrity guests!
Clothing and Equipment list for the Duke of Edinburgh Award
Clothing
- Thermal bottom leggings (polypropylene),
- Shorts
- Pants
- Swimwear
- Socks
- Thin merino shirt / thermal (polypropylene) shirt x 2
- Fleece jumper x1
- Woolen jumper x1
- Insulation jumper x1 (fleece, down, synthetic)
- Wind and Rain-proof Jacket
- Sunhat
- Warm beanie
- Neck warmer / scarf
- Warm gloves
- Wind and Waterproof Jacket
- Wind and Waterproof Pants
Equipment
- Compass
- Map
- Jandals
- Closed-toe footwear
- Sunglasses
- Toiletries
- Personal medication
- First Aid kit
- Water bottle,
- Head torch,
- Sleeping bag
- Sleeping bag liner
- Sleeping mat
- Matches/lighter
- Cooker and fuel
- Cutlery
- Watch
- Binoculars
- Knife / multi tool / swiss army knife
- Tent / Shelter / Fly / Bivouac
- Walking poles
- Day pack / mission bag
- Waterproof pack liner
- Pack rain cover
- Backpack to put all of the above in
All of the above is available to rent / hire or buy
Includes:
One staff
Staff carry:
First Aid Kit
Personal Locator Beacon (PLB)
Emergency shelter
Repair kit