Languages Department - German Camp 2025

By Elaine Kelly | Posted: Thursday April 3, 2025

On Thursday and Friday eleven Senior languages students joined other Otago schools for an overnight stay at Camp Tirohanga on the Taieri.

Every year representatives from the Goethe Institute in Wellington and several native speaker teachers join this camp to help make this experience as authentic and language rich as possible. Students participate in several games and activities carefully designed to encourage them to speak as much German as they can. This is an invaluable confidence booster before students embark upon internal speaking standards for NCEA such as speech delivery and interactions with partners. 

This year, events included a Language and Culture Quiz, presenting a German song, several language games and activities, a German Cake competition as well as some outdoor activities based around football. We also had a visiting speaker to tell students how they can go about studying German at university and what opportunities are open to them in Germany. The Goethe Institute was kind enough to supply a few German-themed prizes and, of course, the German food was “ausgezeichnet” as ever! 

Although not typically German, lunch on the first day was an absolute hit. A huge thank-you goes to Huzur Kebab in George St who provided the Döner Kebap. Why kebabs at a German camp? Starting in the 1960’s the economic miracle in West Germany meant that they looked to overseas workers to fill the employment gaps. Many workers came from southern european countries such as Italy, Yugoslavia, Greece and Turkey looking for a more prosperous life. Now 2.85 million Germans of Turkish origin live in Germany, and they have brought their wonderful cuisine with them, making the Döner Kebap one of Germany’s most beloved street foods.

Dinner was a dish typical of Berlin - the currywurst. So popular is this dish that it even merited its own museum which unfortunately closed in 2018 but you can read all about it at this link. NZQA even included an article on the Currywurst museum in an NCEA exam a few years back! With top quality gelato from the German-owned Gelato Junkie in the Octagon, what teenager would not have been happy? The sausages for the currywurst and for the second days lunch came to us from Deep Creek Deli in North East Valley, yet another successful German-owned business.

Since it was almost Easter, it was a great time to let students rediscover their inner child with an Ostereiersuche before boarding the bus back to Dunedin. Students of German in Dunedin are very lucky to have this opportunity.

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