The third and final activity, sailing, was bound to be good.  

As Room 17 came off the bus we were greeted with small dinghies and the instructors, Katie and Simon. As we put down our bags and were called to attention, we were told the safety rules and protocols of sailing - 1) No throwing stones, 2) Knees above the water, no deeper and 3) Keep your buoyancy aid on at all times.

We were then shown how to rig and derig a boat. Splitting into groups of three, we got to work. Every now and then Katie would call us in to explain the next step, like how to set up the sail and how to tack.

Soon we were out in the water, sailing to a yellow can and back. We did this twice before we stopped for lunch. Simon made us all have at least four turns before we could stop. Only a few people stopped on their fourth while others kept going.

As the activity came to an end, Simon told us to ALL get in our boats (we had never gone past one person in a boat). As everyone got going it was lots of fun, with yelling and screaming and a touch of all-out mayhem. As everyone got near the finish, my team capsized and were thrown into the water where even all the cold water couldn’t stop us laughing.

All in all it was a great day for everyone. Even if there was not a lot of wind, I can safely speak for everyone in Otahuna House when I say we had tons of fun and would do it again any time.

Connor, Room 17