Collectively Chris Wynn (Clark 1988-92) and Cyn Smith have almost 30 years’ experience working in the remote surrounds of Tihoi Venture School. This year, they have been awarded an Independent Schools Honours Award for their commitment to outdoor education.
Chris and Cyn are co-directors of Tihoi Venture School, an 18-week outdoor residential programme for year 10 boys of St Paul’s Collegiate School. Each year they lead a highly organised team of 11 staff through two intakes of roughly 72 male students.
Under the watch of Chris and Cyn, more than 2500 boys have graduated from the programme after enduring a rigorous 18-weeks of outdoor, academic and social challenges.
Although Chris and Cyn have lived on site for 16 and 10 years respectively, the couple are far from bored. Each intake brings its own set of revelations, demands and enjoyment.
Chris says “students are always full of surprises” and that the small moments of students overcoming hurdles is what keeps Tihoi alive.
“I have one particular student who I am really proud of. William, he has Asperger and so when he didn’t agree with what was happening he voiced this with some very colourful language,” Chris explained.
“On his house tramp, at the very beginning of the intake, each staff member was given a full burst of what he was capable of. We were left thinking ‘This is going to be a long six months!’.”
With the encouragement of staff, students and William’s family and friends he completed the Tihoi experience and not only did he graduate from Tihoi, he went on to “become a leader, receiving his prefects badge in year 13.”
The 24 hour a day working environment of Tihoi doesn’t seem to wear the husband-wife duo down, they are more energetic and enthusiastic than ever. Cyn says living on site is a lifestyle that’s “all work or all play.”
In the past two years she has completed five half Iron Man events and one full distance on top of the day-to-day operation of Tihoi. In December she will complete the half Iron Man in Taupo.
“We live in an awesome part of New Zealand. While not having set time off when the students are at Tihoi we have the advantage of living on-site with our family who can join in on parts of the job,” Cyn said.
Chris is big on the action too. He has paddled the Huka Falls and he spends most of his free time hunting and flying his helicopter. His passion for the outdoors is something that stems from family.
“I gained most of my passion from my father and grandfather, we spent a lot of time out in the bush hunting or on the lakes fishing,” Chris said.
A lot of Chris’ other outdoor skills were learnt while working at Tihoi with John and Christine Furminger who employed him after his seventh form at St Paul’s.
“I enjoyed it so much I didn’t want to leave.”
Chris set two specific goals while on his 48-hour solo as a student at Tihoi. He wanted to become the director of Tihoi and get his helicopter license. Both dreams now a realisation.
Cyn started at Tihoi as a first year teacher in 1997, gaining her teachers registration. She then moved on to Colorado State University where her love for the outdoors grew significantly with lots of skiing, mountain biking in Utah and rock climbing. She returned to Tihoi in 2006 as director.
The duo’s experience at Tihoi and in the outdoors resulted in the programme used as an example of ‘best practice’ within New Zealand and internationally for outdoor adventure programmes. In 2007, Tihoi was recognised by Outdoors New Zealand as the best outdoor education facility in the county.
