The Tokomairiro High School deputy head boy is still on top of the world after spending 17 days visiting the Himalayas and working with local villagers as part of the Youth to Everest programme, which gives young New Zealanders a glimpse into the lives of the Sherpas and Nepalese people.
The 17-year-old was one of 22 young people to visit the area and work with local people.
The group assembled in New Zealand, meeting up with their tour guide in Kathmandu.
In Nepal, they visited local schools and even conducted some English lessons while there.
The response of the young Nepalese people was something Byron said he would never forget.
"I now have a big respect for the small things in life," he said.
The villagers lived on next to nothing and yet still managed to keep smiling.
Their world was all they knew, he said, and despite it being harsh compared with the relative comforts of life in New Zealand, there were no complaints and everyone seemed happy.
Much of the trip was spent trekking up the lower part of the Himalayas, visiting villages and monasteries along the way.
While they did not attempt a climb, Mount Everest was clearly in their view all the time.
Byron said a special highlight was playing with the schoolchildren.
The group was touched by the seemingly genuine happiness of the people and had a new-found respect for the effort they put into simply subsisting.
Blue Mountain College pupil Emma Shaw (18) also attended the Youth to Everest trip.
