Last week the Level 1 Outdoor Education class went on a four day taster journey with Jeff Chapman, Caitlin Soulsby and Cam Fraser. 

They learnt some history of our area, paddled waka across Porirua harbour, camped at Battle Hill, walked 20km up and over to Paekākāriki, then biked back to Mana College on the final day. It was a huge experience for all of the ākonga. 

Every student excelled on the trip and should be incredibly proud of the effort they put in and the mana they showed throughout the week. A big thanks goes to our external helpers Russ Parai, John Poppleton, Andy Hanara and Pamela Freeman for making the journey possible and memorable for everyone involved.

Here are some reflections from students involved with the trip;
"I liked pushing myself to my physical limit. Walking up all those stairs, my legs were burning but I was determined to carry on and I did. It gave me a big sense of achievement." - Henry Newbery
"The trip was awesome. The walk was cool being in the outdoors, stuck in the bush. We felt like a real team when we all worked together paddling the waka across the harbour. We had to avoid the Ongaonga bush which was both scary and funny at the same time. I think more people should go and have fun outdoors, you learn a lot." - Hohaia Ogilvy
"I liked all the different views we got to see of Kāpiti, the South Island, Mana and Porirua. It made me feel appreciative of where I come from and where I have grown up. It is a beautiful place and something we need to look after."- Emma Buckley