As I’m sure many of you have heard - or seen - Otago Girls' High School is facing some very amazing and very large renovations this year. One of these many renovations requires the removal of our vibrant wall dotted with multi-colored holds that hold more memories than scratches. This wall will later be moved to the sunny side of the gym. Our Climbing wall has been up for 25 years now, back when Mrs Davidson ran the Rock Climbing club. Now, in recent years, this club has flourished, and has been a growing sport in our school - much of this must be attributed to our amazing wall, it being one of the only school climbing walls in Dunedin. 

Please check out Mrs. Davidson's article, where she will likely share her favorite memories. While I personally don’t have just one favorite memory, I will always cherish the variety of students I encountered—those who became regulars and others who attended just once and then disappeared again. Speaking of our many climbers, here are some thoughts shared by others in our climbing community:

“One of my favourite memories of the climbing wall were our competitive, death-defying games of capture the flag where we came so close to landing on the roof” - Jasmine Potter

“That climbing wall was where I first learnt to brave the bitterness of cold at Otago Girls. I won’t miss that, but I’ll miss the view and satisfaction from the top.” - Eva Somerville

“I vividly remember getting to the top of the second wall for the first time because a friend had done it on his first try. I was so angry and determined that I did it after him” - three racoons in a trenchcoat

We spent the last two weeks of Term enjoying the last moments with this wonderful climbing wall. Last Monday, we enjoyed a fun mix of our Monday and Thursday groups, not just climbing but also messing around (thank you, Arlia and Julia, for the amazing photo opportunities) as we were not sure whether the weather would permit another climb the next week. It was an enjoyable little hour or two, involving many attempts to complete set climbs by myself and Mr Bleckinger, hanging and swinging on our ropes (safely, of course!), and more chill fun.

This last Monday was officially our last climbing session on the wall. Again, both our Monday and Thursday groups combined to enjoy the wall one last time. It was a very enjoyable - and a little chaotic - time. (Just imagine many juniors running around and climbing things, you’ll get the gist.) We kept it short and sweet, making sure everyone got at least one more climb in, similar to the week prior. We had quite a number of us show up, and it was really fun to have so many of us there. I even found it to be one of the most eventful of our many sessions this year. What a bittersweet excitement filled the air, mingling with the nostalgia of countless climbs and shared victories. Suddenly, the many turned into few, and then began our new job: taking down holds and ropes. 

Mr Bleckinger, along with a variety of coordinators and students, worked over the next few days going up and down the wall, taking out screws, tapes, and holds. This was a little tedious and a very cold job to do. We even discovered that there are three sizes of bolts up on our wall - one in imperial sizing, haha! While we couldn’t get everything, we got way more than we expected. Hurrah for Squidward! Finally, on Wednesday, Mr Bleckinger, Mrs Davidson, and I took down our ropes from the wall for the last time. 

While this may be an official end to an era, it makes room for a new and exciting adventure ahead. Our OGHS climbing wall has been a place of many firsts and I have loved seeing students of all ages come together in pursuit of new skills. Despite being one of the only schools in Dunedin to enjoy the privilege of its own climbing wall, we are looking forward to exploring the upgraded version! It's up in the air currently about when our next wall will be up, but hopefully it's soon. You won’t see the end of Otago Girls’ climbers just yet! 

Thank you to everyone who helped out, not only to prepare the wall for removal, but all the hard work, trips, coordination, and more throughout this year so far for our little climbing club and our climbing wall. Special thanks to Mr Bleckinger, who has put more effort into this than I think anyone gives full credit for. We really appreciate it!