History of Tihoi

Tihoi Venture School was born, in 1979, out of the disused Tihoi timber mill.

The mill  workers'  houses were the first students accommodation and the mill club rooms the dining room. Classrooms, a main kitchen and an ablution facility were added. The site was perfect for the excellent rock climbing and tramping areas adjacent to the mill. Lake Taupo, just 30kms away, is ideal for sailing and kayaking, and local rivers and mountains only an hour away.

In 1991 a new classroom was added, along with a home for the library, a first aid clinic, an office and a staff workroom.

Between 2000 and 2005 Tihoi was redevelopment. Each old house was replaced with a new version built on the same site. Although modern, the new houses retain much of the austere nature of the old ones, boys still cook on woodburning  stoves, do not have refrigerators and houses contain only essential furniture. A new dining dining room complex has been built along with new staff houses and utility storage buildings.

In 2008 an extenisive landscaping and reforestation programme of the immediate Tihoi environment commenced, and in 2009 the construction of a High Ropes Challenge Course was completed and opened as an addition to the outdoor activities of the Thoi programme.

Thoi has had four sets of directors each making an impressive difference during their tenure at Tihoi. They are:

• Mike and Judy Shaw: 1978 – 1981 (Term 3)
  
• Brian and Jan Neville: 1981 (Term 4) – 1992
  
• John and Christine Furminger: 1992 – 2006
• Chris Wynn and Cyn Smith: 2006 -