Rebecca Vella-King (18), of Logan Park High School, and Hamish Darling (15), of John McGlashan College, returned home this week after the inaugural Young Blake Expedition to the Kermadec Islands, 1000km northeast of New Zealand.
The pair were among 30 teenage leaders selected to take part in the 12-day journey on HMNZS Canterbury, continuing explorer Sir Peter Blake's legacy of inspiring the next generation of leaders, adventurers and environmentalists.
The teenagers helped scientists with shark tagging, dolphin DNA sampling and foliage collection on the Department of Conservation-managed nature reserve.
"The trip was about following Sir Peter's values of promoting leadership and environmental awareness through adventure and his love of sailing," Rebecca said.
"It would be good if people of our generation also take a more active role in protecting these special areas."
The 13 volcanic islands which made up the Kermadecs were "very different" to New Zealand, Hamish said.
"There are no roads or infrastructure, except for a couple of huts.
"There was a lot of nikau palm and pohutakawa forest. It was very tropical; like a mixture of Tonga and New Zealand," he said.
"We had to learn techniques how to lead a group of leaders, which was quite hard, because we were all leaders. But to co-operate and become a good team and be a good leader you have to follow sometimes." The trip had its downsides.
"It was pretty rough on the way up there," Rebecca admitted.
"I didn't handle it as well as I had hoped and got pretty seasick."
The Young Blake Expedition was launched last December to mark the 10th anniversary of Sir Peter Blake's shooting death on the Amazon River.
The expedition aimed to continue his legacy by inspiring the next generation of New Zealand leaders, adventurers and environmentalists, Sir Peter Blake Trust chief executive Shelley Campbell said.
