On a sunny Thursday morning the Year 7 and 8’s headed out to the Opua marina to embark on the R.Tucker Thompson.

After our safety briefing we hoisted the sails in a girls versus boys race, with the girls out muscling the boys.

Our fear of heights were tested when we had the choice to put on a harness and climb the mast to the top. If we made it to the top we were met by a crew member who made us climb across the wing of the mast out over the edge of the boat. This was pretty nerve racking… but the majority of us succeeded and were rewarded with a braided, rope bracelet.

When we were out in the bay we disembarked onto a dinghy to have morning tea out on Roberton Island. We also had some competitive games of tug-of-war while we were there and we had a steep climb up to the top to see the view of the bay- it was stunning!

What everyone enjoyed the most was the rope swing off the boat and into the water! The water was freezing but that didn’t stop us from jumping in over and over again!

By Rania

On Thursday, the year seven and eights embarked on a day trip aboard the R Tucker Thompson as part of the William Pike Challenge. The students got to complete challenges such as climbing ropes and raising sails. The students were able to go ashore, play games and explore.

By Jack