The team from Wah Yan College pick up their tickets to Mauritius.The event, organised by Hong Kong Education City and sponsored by the Urban Renewal Authority, had "conservation and revitalisation" as its theme. The students formed five-man field teams with support groups of three or four members.
Given a series of tips about cultural sites the support teams helped direct the field teams to their targets.
With a start time of 10.30am, the teams set off from New Town Plaza in Sha Tin with the aim of reaching True Light Middle School in Tai Hang by 2.30pm. To help with their journeys of discovery, each team received HK$500 and travelling by taxi was not allowed.
The field teams had to register at check points at the cultural sights along the way and perform tasks to earn points. Victory went to the team with the most points collected in the shortest time.
This year Wah Yan College, Kowloon, were the victors. They won five air tickets to Mauritius for their efforts.
Team captain and Form Six student Tsui Wai-lok said: "It was demanding physically and mentally. We ran all the way and had to adjust our routes when performing the tasks. We're very happy with the result.
"We prepared for the event by doing research on Urban Renewal Authority projects to try to anticipate potential check points. We were sure the Central market would be a check point. On the previous Sunday, the team travelled from Central to Tai Hang in preparation."
That planning paid off as the market was one of the designated check points.
Teammate Christopher Fung Sau-long said the team consisted of members from the geology and conservatory club and the orienteering club.
"Students from both clubs enjoy orienteering activities so Amazing City was exactly the kind of competition that we're interested in. It was a great experience for all of us," he said.
Ho Yu College and Primary School took home five laptop computers for their second-place showing.
Team captain Wong Chi-yin said: "It was a lot of fun but many of our members suffered cramps because of the heavy running. The team are all in Form Six but because it's fun we will try to be at next year's event despite having to take our A-levels."
Ng Mei-mei, executive director of Hong Kong Education City, was impressed with the competition's growth in the past year. "Last year only 10 teams competed. This year we had more sponsors and were able to cater to more than 70 teams."
Ng said she was surprised by how young people had embraced the heritage of Hong Kong. "The students have a passion for preserving culture. The event gave them a chance to look at the issues from a different perspective while finding a balance between conservation and redevelopment."