Year 9 Homeroom 9FH set off for Wellington on Wednesday 27th June for their annual, three day Amazing Race Mathematics trip.

The race started off at the top of Mt Victoria and the students orienteered their way down to Te Papa. Then it was off to Pukeahu - National War Memorial Park where they took part in the last post ceremony after travelling through the streets of Belgium to Gallipoli, adding to their learning around WW1.

Day two saw the group head to the train station to complete puzzles. Then it was off to parliament to hang out with David Parker. One of the requirements of the trip for the students was to get a photo of their ‘mathscott’ with someone famous. Well done to the two teams who got this snap!

The rest of the day's activities had the students using buses, level two NCEA mathematics - nodes and taking lots of photos of real life examples of geometric shapes. Then it was down to the waterfront to wait for the ferry. The water was so clear the students were lying all over the wharf leaning over, spotting starfish. They were surprised by a big stingray swimming past. Then it was onto the east west ferry with a couple of Titanic impersonations and some singing and dancing on the top. They were having so much fun that they didn’t even realise the learning and growing that was going on!

Day three started off with a Chinese whispers type maths activity. One team member had to run to the other end of the block and memorise individual shapes. Where they were on the grid, what the shape looked like and which way around it was. Then they had to run back and tell team member number two who had to go inside and tell team member three, who placed it on their blank grid. There were 30 shapes to remember. Today was all about strategy!

The second activity was a real challenge. The teams had to pick up items that were deemed ‘toxic waste’ and put them in the bucket. This meant they could not touch them with their hands. Instead they had a stretchy band with long pieces of string attached. They had to work together to stretch the band over the item, lift it and put it in the bucket. A huge amount of teamwork needed!

The students returned home full of great experiences and life time memories. A huge thank you to the amazing senior students Massie Harvey, Tabitha Anderson, Connor Thwaites, Pachience Fenn, Brooke Whittaker, Casey Swasbrook and Leighton Briggs, and to the wonderful staff, Os, Kylie, Miss Frith and Mrs Belk. Without you the trip would not be the success it is!