As part of our learning this year under the theme of Whakatiputipu (Growing Together), we are looking at the aspect of kaitiakitanga which is a New Zealand Māori term used for the concept of guardianship, for the sky, the sea, and the land.  As part of this learning, the Senior Syndicate has gone on a trip to Mangemangeroa Reserve to learn about our local area and how we can protect, preserve and enable it to thrive. 

Please see below for what our students thought about the trip:

Mangemangeroa Reserve
We were going on a trip today. I saw the clouds up in the sky and I was worried it was going to rain. We reached Mangemangeroa Reserve and I was shocked because this was the place I'd been to many times in my childhood. We called it the bushwalk. Me and my family have done the walk so many times before. The walk is 2 hours long and it’s really fun but I didn’t realise the trip was here! So I definitely knew the whole walk, I could have done it by myself but teachers don’t trust me.
We walked down the big hill and I saw lots of people from our school called Point View School. When we started walking down the hill we had to climb over this fence, luckily it had steps “Phew!” Once we got over the fence we walked down the steps and I wasn't that tired but other people were huffing and puffing a lot. When I saw the mangroves I started drawing them on my paper.
I heard the birds chirping and the trees snapping. I started hearing the people gasping as we walked up the stairs. My legs were broken and dead and they were basically paralysed. I heard so many cracks in my back and legs. I was starting to hear the ocean waves crashing against the rocks and sand and I also heard a crack in my arm (it happens all the time).
Drawing the mangroves was my favourite part of the day. I love drawing and it was quiet and peaceful. I could hear the crashing waves clearly.

By Harmanpreet Singh

Room 24

When I looked up I saw hundreds of stairs leading to a rest stop. It felt as if I was right at the bottom. I was on the wooden boardwalk and saw the beautiful sight of mangroves. As I was looking around I saw some magnificent silver ferns scattered across the path. I had some muddy pathways and also steep stairs slowing me down when I was walking up the hill.
As I was barely walking up the stairs, I was thinking “When will I reach the top…….?” I was looking for the correct leaves for the scavenger hunt and I kept on thinking why is the scavenger hunt so difficult. When we got to Summerville Intermediate School we all said “When will the school bus come pick us up?”
As we continued to walk up the hill, I felt agony go up my legs as I stood still having a stroke. While climbing up, my body felt like I was having a meltdown as I ran to the barn. When I was back at home, my body was exhausted but now I'm relieved because it's all over.

By Shawn He

Room 23

I looked down at my muddy feet and saw a long and old boardwalk. I looked in front of me and saw the mangroves in the muddy water - that was so disgusting! I could see the blue sky and the green ferns shining in the sunlight.

I thought that it would be so amazing if we were in the jungle and we could see the monkeys and the cool and strange looking mushrooms and the pretty butterflies. I would like to see some more leaves in different colours but they were only green although that was cool too. The mangrove roots were sitting in the mud, my friends said it was so interesting they grew in the mud and I agreed.

I heard the wind rustling and the people walking on the steps. The children were laughing and chattering, even moaning too. Birds were singing like usual and dogs were barking which means they are so excited for no reason. I heard the children’s white board clicking against their pencil and I heard the raindrops dropping on the ground. Lastly, I heard rain jackets making weird noises.

I feel a bit cold but really hot and also I was really excited because we were almost finished with our very long trip and I could finally eat my lunch. We were walking so very much.

I felt really tired and proud because I walked so much and now I know I can do anything.

By Ariana Joshi

Room 19

When I went to Mangemangeroa Reserve with my class I saw that there were buildings and houses with lots of sticks and trees around them. l also saw mushrooms and the clouds in the sky. There were mangroves and lots of plants, there was bark on the trees and moss and leaves, there were lots of birds and I could hear my friends talking. We had a treasure hunt and I saw a silver fern in some bushes. There was a path and a bridge and there was lots of mud and green ferns. 

I thought about lots of things as I was walking. Such as what was going to be in the forest, what we were going to do when we got there, what we might see out there in the wild that we have not seen before. 

We heard the birds and the leaves crunching. The loud wind and people and friends talking. My footsteps on wood and friends' footsteps on wood and lots of complaining about walking and stairs. The trees were moving in the wind and leaves were falling from the sky.

I felt leaves in the air and wind everywhere, also rain in my face. I could see weird clouds in the windy sky. I was happy that I finally finished climbing those stairs after puffing a lot. 

By Tyrone Kovac

Room 25