Student educational activities

Planning guide

A typical school visit to Highwic sees your students greeted at the gate by our education staff, then depending on your timings students can have morning tea before eithe rin the garden or the Billiard House before they come into the house.

After an interactive introduction to Highwic and the Buckland family, the students go into their groups for the first of two activities that all the students get to experience.

Each activity lasts about 30 minutes and includes a self-guided house hunt searching for artefacts in the house, and hands on 'housework' in our 1883 kitchen, where students experience butter making and doing the laundry by hand if it isn’t raining. The students have about 30 minutes for each activity before they rotate to the next.

After your visit, you are welcome to use the grounds for lunch or if it is available the Billiard House.

We recommend allowing about an hour and a half for your visit to Highwic.

What it costs

Free for 

• Primary, Intermediate, and Secondary School Students (under 18).
• Home school groups with a 'Certificate of Exemption' from the MOE (students under 18).
• One teacher per class - free. 
• Supervising adults/parent helpers a maximum of four per class/group. 

All other adults and students over 18 will be charged $10.00 per person.

Maximum one class - of approximately 20 students.

Includes:

1. Interactive introduction with a visitor host (~20 minutes).
2. Hands on activities – 'housework' (~30 minutes).
3. Self-guided house hunt 9~30 minutes).

Recommended visit time is 10.30 am to 12 pm, but programme times can be adjusted to suit your particular travel arrangements etc.

Although free, a koha is appreciated - caring for heritage is expensive and ongoing.

General Information

We have indoor facilities for morning tea and lunch but cannot guarantee that this will always be available. This space must be left clean and tidy after use.

Please do not bring pre-school age children on any school visit.

Cancellation less than a week before the visit will incur a cancellation fee of $75 unless the cancellation is due to a change in the current Covid alert levels.

Reservation Request

To make a booking or for any questions, please call or email Highwic on (09) 524 5729 or email highwiceducation@heritage.org.nz.