For the first half of the term Rūma Rima spent a lot of time working in an imagined context. We imagined we were holiday goers enjoying a deluxe cruise in the Pacific. All was blissful until we hit a horrific storm. The cruise ship unfortunately did not make it through the storm but luckily the passengers were able to board a life raft and make their way to a deserted island. Having survived the sinking of the cruise ship the real challenge lay ahead, how do we survive as a group of mostly strangers in this unfamiliar place? It was nine ‘drama’ filled days until the survivors were rescued. Naturally the media were dying to get interviews from each of the survivors. Here is some of what they had to say…

Interviewer: How did you survive for nine days on the Island?

We gathered food from the coconut and tropical trees and we used the water from the waterfall, and when there were problems we all chipped in and worked as a team. Surviving on the island wasn't easy because there were big challenges like walking up to the waterfall, and some people tried to steal things, but we survived nonetheless.

Jojo

It wasn't easy at first. We worked together to find food and wood for the shelter. We found berries, coconuts and sticks from trees for a fire. We used the fire to cook lots of food.

Charlotte

So when the cruise ship sank we accidentally found ourselves on the island we spent 9 days on. We gathered berries and found a river as a water source. We also saw something that I don't want to talk about. The shelters we built had to be remade because they had many leaks on the stormy nights.

Knox

Surviving on the island was challenging but after 3 days it got fun and lovely. We loved swimming in the water everyday. We would go in the water and play together. It's so nice and cool. Some days we would fight but we always sorted out our problems. We were a little sad that we had to leave!

Eloise

It wasn’t easy at first but we worked together to gather food, water and wood to create a fire to cook food on. We built a massive shelter out of all the boat's wood and the wood that we chopped down from the trees. We had an agreement so we could work as a team with complete strangers.

Ella

Surviving on the island was fantastical yet challenging. At first we weren't a very good team but as we carried on with our lives and made shelter we learnt to work together. Then we became a loving family and with all our hope we got rescued and here we are telling a story.

Maddy

Surviving on the island was fun. It took a while to find resources like food such as berries, coconuts, water and wood. We had to find more wood for building shelters and we had to find all the other materials too. It was hard at first because we had no idea where we were and did not know what to do.

Taylor

We survived by collecting food like coconuts and berries. Even though it wasn't easy, we had taken some resources off the boat before it sank. The smell of smoke from the campfire is still stuck in my nose from the nine days on the island. When we first came to the island we made a set of rules so we didn't go crazy.

Mia-lee

I survived on the island by eating berries and building huts to survive the cold night and harsh storms. The berries were sustainable until they were all gone! It was hard to get along with strangers but we got through eventually.

Tom

Interviewer: What challenges did you face? How did you overcome them?

It was very scary at first, we didn’t know if we were going to be saved or not. You think ‘you might die out here’…but we all looked out for each other and everyone was ok.

Aiden M

Yes, there were many challenges. Like missing family and friends for 9 days and some people were so scared they didn't even talk!

The first thing I did was to become familiar with the island and people by knowing everybody's names and walking around the island.

Poneyatuct

One of the bigger challenges was the debate on whether we should make 2 small boats and use the rest of the wood to make the hut or use all the wood to improve our shelter. Some thought that we would be found soon and should enjoy the last time that we have on the island in luxury. But others wanted to explore and they thought that we were not going to be saved. So we decided to have a vote. 8 votes to 7 went to building the luxury hut so we all helped on the build.

Aidan

Interviewer: How has this experience changed you?

Living on the island was hard. When I compare it to other challenges I’ll face in my life, nothing will be as difficult. I will be much more able to overcome my fears, that's if I still have any. Also I will probably not go on many more ships in my lifetime.
Katherine

I learned to take risks, find edible wild berries, how the fire triangle worked, and how to find my way in the bush. I am more confident cooking wild animals on a fire in the wild too.

Survivor of the island Sari