Go to the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award website and follow the instructions relevant to you
Follow the instructions on the Book Now page – still need more information? Please give us a call on 09 444 1446
Practice & Qualifying bookings typically close two weeks before every event, to allow us time to finalise student numbers and instructors, book campsites, and send paperwork to all participants. Training bookings close one week before the event. The specific booking deadline is listed against each event on the calendar.
Sometimes bookings close with some spaces still available on an event, in which case we may be able to allow you to join the group late. Contact the DOE Coordinator
If you have a group of students organised and want dates that are not already on our calendar, contact us using the form below with the name of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Hillary Award event(s) along with proposed dates. Typically, our minimum number is 7 students, but please feel free to Contact the DOE Coordinator. There are ways around this like finding more members, making it a public event, or splitting the extra costs between current group members.
The only way to ensure that both you and your friend are on the same trip is by booking and completing payment. This is because all spaces are automatically assigned once payment is made.
Login to your myBigfoot profile and click ‘My Bookings’. This will show you details of each event you have booked on. If you believe you have booked on an event but it doesn’t show up here, let us know using the form below as soon as possible to check with us.
Typically, no. If you are looking for alternative dates, please Contact the DOE Coordinator.
Yes, all the components of the level are compulsory, and you need to do the events in this order: Training – Practice Journey – Qualifying Expedition – there are no exceptions. It is recommended that for Bigfoot Adventures Practice and Qualifying Journeys, you attend our in-person trainings, as these typically provide more training than an online course will. In addition, you can only complete online training once during your award journey, so if you have done online training at Bronze, you must attend a physical training at Silver & Gold. For more information, you can find the exact guidelines here.
Please note that your Award Leader has the final say in whether experience from Scouting, Guiding, Cadets etc. can be considered ‘training’. Please ask them to approve this. Our preference is that you attend our training to ensure you are at the same level as your peers on our journeys – this is especially important if you are part of a partnership school group.
No, the training is held either in a classroom setting (Bronze) or at an outdoor venue (Gold). At Silver level, you will spend your morning completing classroom-based activities, and the entire afternoon outside. All our trainings are for one day each, so you get to go home for the night.
In general, no. Your peers on these events will be attempting their qualifying journey, so it would be unfair to them for you to be using the journey as a practice event. In reverse, it is difficult for us to accommodate qualifying participants on our practice journeys, especially as the requirements generally do not meet the qualifying guidelines. If you have unique circumstances preventing you from attending the correct level journey for your needs, please Contact the DOE Coordinator and we will try to arrange a suitable alternative.
Make sure you bring something you like! You will learn all about tramping food in your training. Complex carbohydrates and proteins are important and high value quick snacks such as nuts and dried fruits provide stable energy for your muscles. We do not recommend freeze dried food on any of our journeys. If you get stuck, check out the Mountain Safety Council website or Adventurous Journey Information Booklet which is supplied when you book and in our info packs two weeks prior to the event.
Our gear list is in our Adventurous Journey Information Booklet which is supplied when you book and in our info packs 2 weeks prior to the event.
You can complete your gear hire at the time of booking. If you have already booked but didn’t add gear hire, you can log in up to a week before your event to add gear hire to your booking. If you missed this deadline, Contact the DOE Coordinator with your requirements. Please note late or offline gear hire will attract a higher fee.
There are two categories of gear you can hire from us.
The first is personal gear hire. This is the cost per item, per person, per trip;
- Bedroll – $5
- Thermal top – $5
- Thermal bottom – $5
- Rain Jacket – $15
- Waterproof Overtrousers – $10
- Compass – $10
- Tramping Pack – $35
- Small Cooking Pot – $5
The second category is group gear. This is the price per person split between 3 as all these items are designed to be shared;
- Tent – $10
- Camp Stove & Gas – $10
- Large Cooking Pot – $5
If you are looking for something that isn’t on this list, we recommend Living Simply.
Our journeys are delivered in a range of locations, with transport provided for travel outside of the greater Auckland area, as part of the cost of joining. Any programmes delivered in the mainland Auckland area generally do not include transport, and this includes all programmes delivered in Auckland regional parks.
You will be notified upon confirmation of the event, of locations where we will be collecting participants from; based on where most participants attend school or usually reside. Pickup at the completion of events is always supervised by an instructor – the young people are never left alone to wait without a Bigfoot team member present.
Contact the DOE Coordinator and we will help you out! Alternatively, please give us a call on 09 444 1446.
