On Wednesday the 5th of December the Year 6 class went rafting from Lee Stream to the Outram Bridge.

We arrived at school early and had to change into our wetsuits before we left, as it was quite wet outside. Once we were ready Mr Thorn told us which car we would be travelling in and got a free lift to the Outram Glen.

At Outram Glen we put on our windproof jackets, life jackets and helmets before walking for about 20 minutes up the track towards Lee Stream. Lots of us got quite hot while we were walking. After about 20-25 minutes we heard the jetboat and we knew we were close by. The jet-boat ride which was only short but it was lots of fun.

Once we got to the meeting point it was time for our BBQ lunch, even though it was only about 11:30 am. Soon we were having our life -jackets checked to make sure we were all secure and listening to a long chat about how to hold the oar and how to raft safely. Once in the raft (which had 8 - 12 people in it) we started to paddle. We learnt about all the signs, how to paddle backwards and how to spin back into control. Once we learnt how to do it safely we continued forwards towards the rushing rapid, which swept us down the gushing rapid. Nobody fell in, which was a relief. I pushed the paddle in the water, continually, to try and make my boat go faster. My boat was called The Vikings. Aria’s boat was called The Banana Boat. There was also a green boat which we called Booger, and a boat called Slow Spokes, as they were always at the back of the pack.

There was so much splashing going on during our journey down the Taieri River, it was like a war zone and I was always in the middle of the fight. After we got to the bridge, which the guides called troll bridge, we were allowed to have a swim in the river and get cleaned up before we went back to school.

We got back to school earlier than expected, so when we got back we played in the Owhiro Centre until our parents came and picked us up.

By Caleb Ung and Aria Wilson