On a windy morning early in the trip, the group assembled on the wall in a place set aside for them because of the masses of people.

The wall was extra busy because the visit coincided with China’s Golden Week holiday.

Watched by a host of intrigued people, and with television cameras and smartphone videos rolling, the group performed two traditional haka and a waiata from the Taranaki area.

The members were more than ready as they had been performing their annual Parihaka production several times at the college before the trip.

“It was incredible,” college head of Māori Paora Trim said.

Afterwards, the group spent a few hours walking the wall and getting a physical workout courtesy of the countless steps which were steep in parts.

The group performed either poi, haka or waiata at least twice a day at various locations throughout the trip, either impromptu or suggested by their hospitable guides.

One memorable performance was in a commercial area of Xi’an where a large crowd gathered and it was so popular that police were a bit worried about safety.

The group had a lot of other highlights ranging from homestays with Chinese families, travelling on a bullet train, wearing traditional costumes, partaking in a tea ceremony, going to the Rainbow Mountains, trying different food, buying snacks in supermarkets and speaking Māori in a country where Mandarin is the main language.

One thing they didn’t get to do was see the Terracotta Warriors because the public holiday made the site too busy with visitors.

For many, the trip was their first taste of international travel and sparked an interest in exploring other countries.

Trim was proud of the students and felt the trip had made a big impact on them.

“It was a life-changing experience without a shadow of a doubt.”

The group gave a shout-out to Air Chathams who went the extra mile with their flights in New Zealand and more.