Here are some reflections from students that went on the Year 10 Marae trips last week.

"I loved getting to know classmates more, I think this trip was perfect for making me even more comfortable in this class".

"I really just enjoyed the whole thing. For possibly the first time in my life, I didn't feel like an outsider but was instead a part of something, a salmon in the run, and it was horribly comforting."

"I did feel prepared for my stay because I knew that I had the support of my friends and class no matter what happened".

"On the marae I learnt many new things like how to weave, how to make musical instruments from clay and also many fun new games. Also we all learnt about the history of the Maori and we learnt new interesting stories about a variety of things."

"The best things about my stay were the sense of community that the marae had".

"Doing my mihi was actually pretty fun, everyone was so encouraging. The whole thing is really fun and memorable and this truly will be one of the highlights of your Year 10 life".

"I thought I would have a boring trip where I just waste my time but instead I had fun playing Maori games such as pena and penei, pu and e te rakiraki. I got to learn about Maori mythology, Ranginui and Papatuanuku's children. It was very warm in the Marae and I had a great sleep".

"Overall it was a great getaway in which I enjoyed getting out of the classroom, spending moretime with my friends, and extending my learning of a different culture".

"It was really cool to experience people sharing where they are from in Maori and we were lucky enough to also hear it in Chinese, Malaysian and Syrian which was awesome".