TIDES

This site is still under construction.

Tides is a registered charitable trust, offering community based Rite of Passage outdoor events for girls becoming young women.

Tides works with 13 – 16 year old young women to empower their transition through puberty and into adulthood. We do this through outdoor experience, creative exploration personal development tools, conscious mentoring and ritual.

For the first time in 2008 Tides invited mothers to participate alongside their daughters in the event. This offers an opportunity to develop a deeper, more authentic relationship with their daughter.

We believe that conscious contemporary rites of passage for our young people can contribute to healthy transitions into adulthood – we want to provide something different than the current unconscious rites of passage in “kiwi” culture such as excessive risk taking, dysfunctional relationships, unsafe sexual exploration, drugs & alcohol abuse and dangerous driving.

Rites of passage as a developmental and transformation process assists self-development and fosters a sense of belonging; adolescents and adults become part of community life rather than persons alone, lacking support, sanction and purpose. We aim to support the key developmental tasks of belonging and identity. We aim to develop a sense of connection with self, nature and the sacred.

Tides offers 2 phases of participation.
1) When a girl first comes to Tides she goes through her Rites of Passage and leaves as a young woman.
2)To return as a young Leader, giving support to the new girls, taking on more responsibility and gaining skills in leadership and service.

Training Women

To insure that Tides is held by a strong group of supportive women we offer trainings for women interested in being involved. Our trainings provide women with the opportunity to learn more about Tides culture, code of ethics, explore the concepts of Rites of Passage and how these relate to personal development.
If you are interested in taking part in a Tides training
please contact us.
2010 Calendar of Events

Tides Training - January 15th - 17th 2010
Tides Rites of Passage - April 5th - 9th 2010

Tides Training - August 27th - 29th 2010

Tides Rites of Passage - September 27th - 1st October 2010

For further information please contact Gabby at -

Tides provide a unique opportunity to celebrate and honour the changes taking place as a girl is entering womanhood. A girl’s body develops into a women’s body whether she is emotionally prepared or not. This is a critical time to help her become conscious emotionally and physically, thus enabling the girl to develop healthy attitudes to her own cycles and rhythms and to discover her place in the wider community.A Rites of Passage provides a foundation for this transition.

For the first time last year Tides invited mothers to participate alongside their daughters in the event. This offers an opportunity to develop a deeper, more authentic relationship with their daughter.

At this stage our rites of passage events are held twice yearly during the first week of the spring and autumn school holidays.Our next Tides Rites of Passage event is September 28th - Oct 2nd 2009.

If you are interested in coming along or would like more information please contactGabby at

To insure that Tides is held by a strong group of supportive women we offer trainings for women interested in being involved. Our trainings provide women with the opportunity to learn more about Tides culture, code of ethics, explore the concepts of Rites of Passage and how these relate to personal development.
If you are interested in taking part in a Tides training
please contact Gabby at

Dates for our next training August 21st - 23rd 2009