While the other Year 10 girls at OGHS travelled to different places in the South Island for their camps, some girls stayed behind in Dunedin and had a week at Otago Girls' doing various activities in the school-based camp.

Belly dancing, baking, ten-pin bowling, and mini golf, just a few of the fun activities we did during the week.

On the first day, we spent the morning doing book art with Ms. Law. We were given a huge book where we had to draw an outline of a design or a word on the side of the book. We then spent an hour or two folding pages while listening to the girls’ request of music. We ate our lunch, and then hurried towards Tula Dance Studio, where we were taught belly dancing by a talented ex-student. Belly dancing was the highlight of the day as everyone had fun learning the different moves and techniques of the dance. It was also really nice to see the Syrian girls show us some moves that they know. We all left the dance studio in a positive mood and feeling confident in our bodies.

On our second day, we took the vans out to Mosgiel and played some very ‘competitive’ mini golf, soaking in the rays as we worked our way around the complex course. We then headed over to Mosgiel Park and had lunch and hung out there for about an hour. After lunch, Mrs. Munro and Ms. Joyce drove us up to Taieri Lookout which looked down over the town. We sketched the beautiful scenery and ate chocolate-coated ice cream while mingling with the local wildlife, also known as chickens and roosters. Overall, it was a good day.

On the third day, we all met up at the gym and played some non-competitive badminton and danced to the beats. After that, were divided into two teams and played multi-sport, which consisted of hockey, basketball, dodgeball, soccer, and netball. It got pretty competitive at one point and fortunately ended in a draw. After that intense competition, we headed down to Bowline and played some lighthearted bowls. This was most people's highlight of the day, as we all had a good laugh and cheered on our friends through their gutter balls, and strikes!

On the fourth day, we all headed off to Tunnel Beach in the morning. We stumbled down the steep pathway across the cliff and made it down to a large island which was connected to the cliff side. The sun was glistening on the ocean which made for some amazing photo opportunities. We then walked down 75 steps, through the dark man-made tunnel and onto the hidden and private beach. It was a fun time until we had to head back up the long, steep track. Everyone groaned and complained as we started our trek up. After many stops to catch our breath, we finally made it back to the top, panting and sweating. We all piled into the vans and headed to the St Kilda Dinosaur park, munched our food and then headed off. Much to everyone's dismay, Miss Young decided another walk around Ross Creek was appropriate for the tired group of girls. We finally reached the creek and the teachers challenged us to walk across the rocks without getting our feet wet in the stream. Only three girls were up to the challenge and made it out alive! Back to the van we headed with our weak and tired legs, eagerly looking forward to a rest.

Our final day was spent in the Foods room baking and decorating gingerbread men followed by a pizza lunch. Overall, everyone has thoroughly enjoyed this week and we all had an incredible time. We would like to thank all the teachers that were involved in planning and managing all of us students throughout the week. This school-based camp was extremely fun and we will remember it for years to come.