During term one, the UMS students (Y9 &10) took part in overnight camps at Ngatuhoa Lodge, in the Kaimais.

The objectives for the camps were to:

• Build strong relationships with staff and students at the beginning of the year.
• To develop independence and self-sufficiency.
• To build a Learning Community culture of trust, teamwork and expectations of excellence.

Sharing their experience 10AWA2 wrote:

Camp in 2021 was an amazing experience. It was one of the best times we have had as a learning community. We've met so many more people and connected with others that we may not have met at school.
Ngatuhoa was the perfect destination because it had a range of exciting and exuberant activities such as kayaking, swimming, tubing, abseiling, zip lining, sports games, burma trail, spotlight (nobody escaped Mrs Mackay!), confidence course and the spectacular waterfall walk. Not to mention the Y10 boys wrestling in the cabin, specifically at 1am.
It was so nice to be away from social media, internet service and our siblings.

Motu Learning Common students (Y9 & Y10) described their camp experiences with beautiful Haiku poems (below) and here is Brooke Barry Y10 summary of her camp experience.

On Wednesday 17 March, Wairākei ventured out to Ngatuhoa Lodge for 3 days and 2 nights. During camp Warākei students were pushed out of their comfort zone on various activities such as; flying fox, abseiling, kayaking, tubing and we also enjoyed a wonderful waterfall walk.

We all made new friends, experienced something we’ve never done before and had a fun time! We learnt how to cook and how to keep food warm or cold, as we had to provide for ourselves. We huddled in tents while the nights were cold and played in the sun while the days were warm. The Burma Trail was scary but staring at glowworms made it all better. Camp was an awesome experience and we never wanted it to end!

A super special thank you to the parent helpers - Nat, Chris, Brian, Aaron, Saada, Mark & Belinda and teachers who came with us and helped. This awesome experience wouldn’t have been possible without them. We all loved hanging out and getting to know them and appreciate all they did for us!