Our Year 10 Adventure Marlborough Students were lucky enough to spend four days with Whenua Iti Outdoors, challenging themselves and learning new skills together.

Located near Motueka, our days were jam packed with activities like caving, coasteering, high ropes courses and jumping to a trapeze. We built rafts, played human foosball and took part in many outdoor activities. However, it was when I reflected on the camp through our Marlborough Girls’ College values that I realised what powerful learning opportunities all of these experiences had been.

Manaakitanga was shown when we supported and cared for each other when we had to face personal challenges head on. Caving involved crawling through tight, dark spaces, and jumping to the trapeze from a height required a huge leap of faith. With supportive and compassionate words from our classmates, we could push through our fears, take a risk, and then feel the exhilaration that came with trying something that we thought was going to be impossible!

Kotahitanga was demonstrated when we had to work together to achieve a common goal. We built rafts, each of us bringing our skills to the activity. We shared our ideas, respectively listened to others, and compromised, so that we got the job done and completed the course. We were loud and proud when our teams worked together - although some of us did get a little wet!

Whanaungatanga was reflected throughout the whole camp as we strengthened our relationships with each other. For four days, we shared responsibilities to ensure everyone was fed, slept well, and had the right gear. We talked through our nerves, we expressed gratitude for support, and showed aroha towards our classmates. Whānaungatanga was the glue that held our group together to allow us to tackle our goals as a collective. It was important that everyone had a sense of belonging, we all knew that we had each others’ backs, and that everyone could have a sense of accomplishment.

Personally this camp pushed me well outside of my comfort zone at times, but I went with the mindset that I wanted to give everything a go. Some activities challenged me, but I said “Yes!” to every opportunity and because of this I have found a new strength inside of me. I also feel I’ve come back knowing my classmates that little bit more, and that we are stronger together. Our words of encouragement helped others achieve, and our communication and collaboration are what make us an awesome team.

Thank you so much to all the teachers for providing us with these opportunities. Everyone in the class had so much fun and we are so grateful for this awesome experience! I would definitely recommend this course to next year’s Year 10s!

By Georgette Herkt