Whaia te taumata, or pursue the highest peaks, is the motto of Cromwell College and this time next week, it will be a reality for nine of its pupils.
They have spent a year planning, organising most things themselves, and on Wednesday will be taking off bound for Mt Everest.
''Plenty of work has gone into it but it is such a big opportunity for us in Cromwell to be able to send nine students over there, linked in with the Duke of Ed [Duke of Edinburgh awards], and for them to have something completely different.
''It will be a life-changing trip and it will give them a perspective that will help them out in their own lives. It will build resilience and character,'' college principal Mason Stretch said.
Team leader Dave Borrie (17), Leroy Bird (17), Jonathan Streeter (17) Hugh Cocks (17), Will Harrison (17), Will Douglas (17), Bryn Gibson (16), Liam Crum (16), Elsa Mannering (15), Mr Stretch, Elsa's mother Pauline Murphy and team manager and guide Kim Logan will touch down in Kathmandu, Nepal, next Friday.
But it is not just about mountain-climbing.
On the fourth day of their trek, after acclimatising to the altitude at Namche, the Sherpa capital of the Everest area, they will reach Phortse.
Phortse is a small village with a primary school, a Hillary Himalayan Trust school, at which the team plans to spend half a day.
As part of their fundraising for this trip, they have raised an extra $2000 for the school. Each of the pupils will be teaching the 35 Nepalese pupils something about New Zealand or Cromwell and Mr Stretch says they may even perform the school haka, as well as give gifts such as rugby balls. A Christchurch company has donated 65 merino wool singlets which they will give to the pupils and their families.
From the school they will continue their ascent, climbing into the Gokyo Valley before crossing the Cho La Pass, 5420m above sea level, the highest point in their trek.
That will take them into the main valley, the Khumba, and straight to Mt Everest base camp which they plan to reach on May 8.
The other pupils are working towards for their silver Duke of Edinburgh awards.
Although the pupils this week said they were excited and a bit nervous about the trip, Mr Stretch said it still seemed a bit surreal, except for the recent vaccinations the group had had.
''We've been vaccinated to bits.''
The pupils played down their fitness levels and any training they may have been doing, saying they had only been for a few runs, but Mr Stretch said they had all passed a fitness test.
They are also all seasoned trampers, in New Zealand at least.
''It will just be a lot higher,'' Mr Stretch said.
The group will carry less gear than they would if tramping in this country, off-loading their extra things on to the six porters they have hired.
Completing the expedition team will be three Sherpas.
In total, they will be climbing just over 2500m.
''So fitness is not of concern. It's the altitude and it's how they cope emotionally and mentally with things, but they will be fine.
''They are very determined and very self-assured.''
The expedition was originally the idea of Mr Logan, a mountaineer who had a son at the college. He had mentioned it to Mr Stretch and said he thought it would be something suitable for a group of high school pupils to do.
Getting from idea to reality was another story, albeit a relatively unstressful one, Mr Stretch said.
The pupils, who had had the job of organising all aspects of the trip, needed to raise about $71,000.
Since July last year, they have raised almost half that amount, with two of the highlights being evening events with guest speakers including mountaineer Guy Cotter, of Wanaka, Sir Hillary's son Peter, a mountaineer in his own right, and Apa Sherpa, who has climbed to the top of the mountain 21 times - more than anyone else. To raise the rest of the money, the pupils picked up summer and after-school jobs where possible, trying their hands at everything from babysitting to waiting tables to cleaning up after the opening of the Highlands Motorsport Park.
The reason that it had been relatively unstressful was because of the ''amazing'' group of parents, Mr Stretch said.
''Our parents have been ridiculously supportive,'' pupil Will Douglas said.
Not only have they been supporting their children in planning and organising, they have also helped with fundraising.
The group has received a lot of support and sponsorship from Cromwell businesses, for which they said they were also very grateful.
They would miss two weeks of school but had arranged to do assessments earlier, Mr Stretch said.
He said they also intended to repay their community by holding another event after they return, on May 15, during which they will make a presentation about their trip.
From next week, people can keep up to date with the expedition's progress via their blog: cromwellcollegeebc2013.blogspot.com.
At a glance
The expedition. -
• April 24, leave New Zealand.
• April 26, arrive Kathmandu, Nepal.
• May 8, reach Everest Base camp.
• May 17, arrive home.
• Nine pupils, three adults.
• Away for 24 days, trekking for 17.
