The final year 10 camp for term 1 departed on Friday 26th March. Eighteen excited young men, 5 senior leaders plus 4 staff all determined to fit as much as possible into a week with a forecast promising quite a bit of rain.

Transfer of gear and supplies went smoothly, and we took advantage of a mild dry evening to visit the glow worm canyon before dessert. Saturday was overcast and threatening rain but we set off for a day walk into the East Branch and reached the picturesque Glacier Burn stream where several boys went for a swim. The rain set in on our return journey and kept up all the next day. The boys got involved in an indoor sports tournament, with healthy competition taking place in events such as table tennis, indoor bowls, finger snooker, and indoor rock climbing.

Monday night had looked like it would be the best night weatherwise for our overnight campout, so that day was spent in preparation with training in tent pitching, cooker use, and packing the appropriate gear. As the weather cleared mid-afternoon, we set out up the West Branch, making camp at the base of the Rob Roy stream. The boys made the most of the opportunity to cook for themselves and coped admirably with their independence. After breakfast on Tuesday we set off up the Rob Roy track which has recently reopened, and enjoyed lunch with extensive glacier views. We were lucky enough to be treated to a couple of small avalanches from our safe vantage point, but our effort to stimulate another one with a rousing rendition of the school song was unsuccessful.

Wednesday was kayaking day and turned out to be a fine warm autumn day perfect for the activity. The boys enjoyed the challenge of the rapids and even though several succumbed to the cold water at the notorious “man-eater” rock, all showed improvement during their river run. That evening we made a start on the packing up process and spent a final session on our “Inspired by Aspiring” creative writing exercise which will be followed up in English classes back at school.

An efficient clean up on Thursday morning meant that we were out at the waiting bus by 11am and home to Dunedin in good time. I want to thank all the boys for their full participation and positivity, the year 13 helpers for their excellent contribution, and all the staff who combined well to make this a successful camp.