Your teen can fly as an unaccompanied minor if they are under the age of 14, this will incur a handling fee and will see an airline staff member accompany them throughout their flying journey.

Once they land in Queenstown Airport, our Program Instructors will be there to pick them up and will drop them off on the final day of the program. If you are driving to Queenstown, you are welcome to drop your teen at the accommodation where our Program Instructors will meet them.

If you want to accompany your teen to Queenstown, you are more than welcome to, our Program Instructors will meet you all at the airport and transport your teen back to the accommodation. Please note, you will be required to organise your own transport and accommodation while your teen is on program. Flights and transport to/from Queenstown are not included in the program price and you will be required to arrange your own transport.

Transportation to/from Queenstown is not included.

Accommodation will be in a private establishment, and teens will be in private dorms of no more than four per room. Our program instructors will be with them at the accommodation.

Yes, they can. We encourage every student to build non-exclusive relationships and connections with the rest of the group so it will be important for your child to be open-minded in their approach to the social dynamic of the group if participating with a friend or sibling.

All accommodation, food, instructors, group equipment, technical gear, transport during program, activities and experiences are included. Please note, you will need to arrange transportation to/from Queenstown for your teen.

The program price is $2,900 per teen. We have a handful of scholarships available each year worth $500 that can be used towards your program price. It is common for your school or local charities to offer funding for development programs like this, so we encourage you to ask your school and your local community for funding opportunities.

All of the group gear is provided, however, your teen will need to bring their own hiking boots, backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, headlamp, and outdoor clothing. During the July school holidays, all ski/snowboard equipment will be provided. We can assist with rental equipment upon request.

Depending on the holiday program they join, they will do a range of different activities. For example, overnight hiking/camping, day hiking, rock climbing, via ferrata, canyoning, zip lining, river safety skills, cliff jumping and more.

Once you apply for the program, you can then apply for one of our scholarships. Please note we only have a handful of scholarships available each year valued at $500. This scholarship amount will be directly taken off your program price. We encourage you to ask your teens’ school if they have funding available for a program like this (it is common).

The overarching themes for these development programs are leadership, self-sufficiency and independence, and connection to self, others, and the environment. These themes will be woven through each activity and our highly skilled instructors will facilitate a meaningful and impactful progression through reflection, group discussions, adventure-based learning, games and journaling. Depending on the time of year, your teen will learn a variety of skills in bush navigation and survival, camp craft and river safety skills, rock climbing and belaying, kayaking, abseiling, knot tying, cooking in a kitchen and over an open fire, just to name a few!

Our instructors are highly skilled and experienced in managing group dynamics and behaviour, and will work hard with each teen and the group as a whole to create a positive team culture. If a student is behaving inappropriately or their actions jeopardise the emotional, mental or physical safety of themselves or others, our instructors will be supported by the Unearthed Education management team to facilitate a behaviour management plan that supports the student to change their behaviour. If the behaviour requirements are still not being met, the parent may be asked to assist Unearthed Education in removing their child from the program.

This is a device-free program. This means your teens' phone will be collected at the start of the program from our Program Instructors, and given back at the end of the program. Of course, if you need to contact your teen for any reason during the program, our Program Instructors are available 24/7.

We strongly believe that it’s healthy for everyone to have a break from their screens from time to time, especially teenagers. While they might find it difficult at first, we find that almost all of our students appreciate some breathing space from social media and by the end of their time with us, they feel reluctant to turn their phones back on again! Having a phone-free program will only deepen their connection to the group, the activities and the environment, and to the overall outcomes of this program.

No prior experience in the outdoors is required. If your teen has some experience in the outdoors already, that’s awesome. We have a wide range of students who join our Teen Development Programs, some who love the outdoors and have been tramping before, and some who are new to the outdoors. The Program Instructors will work closely with your teen to ensure they are challenged in the outdoors, this will see them adapt their guiding and instruction style to suit your teen's abilities. We do require that your teen is confident in the water.