The Obstacle Course 

By Jenny P-T

I sprinted up the lush green hill, others in front and behind. We made our way to the deck where we dumped our bags and headed to the meeting area. All of the Year 6s went up onto the platform area and lounged around in front of their lined up group down below. It was rather noisy. People were chatting to one another and the leaders were doing their role call.  All of a sudden, “May I have your attention please.” That was Mr Thorn. He explained about Tirohanga and shared some important, but boring rules that everyone knew. After that was the fun part; the activities.

Group 12 was organised into two groups for the obstacle course. All, except the leaders got to choose. When it was my turn I ran on upturned seats, stumbled over a squishy balancing beam, tripped over a too small trampoline, got caught in a massive net, bounced five times on a way too small moon-hopper, hit a tennis ball with a hockey stick around cones, caught tennis balls and threw a ball in a bucket.

After everyone had completed the course we had to do it with dress ups on. Well, everyone except me did it. I was the poor person who had to collect them. All I dad to do was sprint and collect the dress ups for each group, and then bring it back. It sounds easy enough until you realise that you have to do it what felt like a million times.

To finish the activity, we had an awesome game of tug of war.

Orienteering

By Harper C

My group scatters along the bright green grass like ant finding food. We sprint up the pine-coned hill keeping our eyes peeled for orienteering markers. The map is black and grey like old movies. My eyes are stuck to the map, because I want to find the orange and white marker. Soon, we’re up by the bivy building. We go around the outside of the map, like we are circling our prey. Finally, we end up near one of the corners of Tirohanga where we find a ten pointer. Our smiles look like they’re going to burst, but then we’re serious again.

Running down the hill it looks like my ankles have twisted. We have a giggle.

Finally we make it to the old wooden cabins. “I found it!” yells out one of my team members. He had owls like a huge owl. We run over to Mrs Casey to hand in our score.
“45,” I tell the team. We all high five like we had just won the world cup.

Bivy Building

By Hunter C

Clambering up the steep dirt hill, it feels like I am going in slow motion. We make it to the bivy building with Ms Moore where we are organised into groups of bivy builders. Birds chirp as we gather material for our bivy. We lean big sticks against a high and fat tree. Minutes go by and our hut gets closer and closer to finishing. Pine needles are shoved between the sticks, creating a blanket like cover.

Once time was up it was time for the WATER TEST. We tightly squeeze into our bivy and pine needles faintly rain down on me. 1 drop, 2 big drops, 3, 4, 5, 6, now 10 massive drops. I get drenched. Not very water proof I think to myself.

Scrambling back down the still steep hill for morning tea was a blast. I rethink in my wet and dirty head about my last time bivy building.

Morning tea was like a petrol station - it gets you running again. Mrs McRae led us slowly up a steep staircase, like a soldier into battle, to look for any living thing we could find. Suddenly a plain black fantail glides in front of our eyes. “There’s one, there’s one,” everyone shouts with buzzing excitement. The fantail perches on deadly straight branch and stares at us.