On Tuesday, some of Rāroa’s finest athletes went out to Hutt Intermediate to take them on in our annual sports exchange. It was awesome to see our students give 100% regardless of the outcome and to see some excellent sportsmanship happening in all games.

Congratulations to Hutt Intermediate for taking out the shield. Thank you to all the staff and coaches that made the day awesome for our tamariki. Game wraps below:

Chess 

At the chess competition for Hutt Exchange, there were eight people from each school and each person should have played four games, though sadly we didn’t have enough time to get through all four games and only had three. A chess clock was set up and every game had 15 mins plus an extra 5 seconds after every move. Both teams have some really strong players, but Rāroa did really well and won the competition in the end. The final score was 17:7 to Rāroa, and the most important thing is, we had a lot of fun ^_^ ! - Ivy Guo.

Minecraft 

The team sat down and immediately the temperature in the room increased. They were on. Set a task of building a treehouse for survival which needed to include moving parts, the Rāroa team went to work. From secret areas to high end design these tree houses were made for royalty. The team of Caleb, Guang, B, Benjamin, Jayden, Odin, Charlotte and Connor worked well to create this masterpiece. When judgement time came, only a narrow margin separated the two teams with Hutt coming out on top. POTD: Benjamin

Boys Basketball 

A tough day at the office for the boys basketball who fought hard against a physical and skilled Hutt side. Some good defence from Rāroa resulted in some fast break opportunities but unfortunately Hutt’s size meant they were able to recover quickly and we struggled to convert. The boys showed determination and resilience as the deficit in score grew. They can be proud of how they handled the defeat. POTD: Zach Graham

Girls Basketball

The Rāroa girls were keen to come out and beat Hutt again after doing so at the WRISSA tournament a month ago. Unfortunately regular turnovers meant Hutt got out to an early lead and they never looked back. Hutt converted their extra possessions at a high rate where Rāroa struggled to do the same. The girls played hard to the final whistle and despite a tough loss, gave it everything they had.

Boys Hockey

Rāroa came out strong from the first whistle and dominated possession. Expertly they weaved the ball from wing to wing and back to George and Logan who reset our attacks. Eventually, through continued pressure we were able to start scoring. Super sub Cole came on and finished off some quality chances created by our midfield. Rāroa finished with an impressive 8-0 win. POTD: Van Andersen.

Girls Hockey 

As soon as the game started, a tough fought battle ensued. Both Hutt and Rāroa created chances, with Hutt having a strong start. Hazel managed to block some powerful shots on our goal line to keep us in it. At the break, the girls went into the sheds down by 3. With great mental fortitude they all fired back, dominating possession and attacking opportunities. They weaved through the Hutt defence and managed to score 2 quality goals. Hutt managed to hold onto their victory 3-2 in a close and competitive game. POTD: Scarlett Inder.

Ki O Rahi

Rāroa assembled a very skillful side for this years Hutt Exchange. Rāroa played some exceptional Ki O Rahi, Hutt were unable to match the speed and skill with which our students played the game. As a result, Rāroa came away with a large win. More importantly, the game was played in an exceptionally positive manner by both sides and all involved made a new mate or two and really enjoyed the experience. Mauri Ora. POTD: Eddy Pope

Girls Football

After a bit of a break coming back from a successful campaign at AIMS Games 2022, the girls rallied together in their usual buoyant, cheerful way to go through their warm up. Always fun to watch.

The girls started really well, keeping to the game plan as always, laid out for them by coach Jimmy Kemp, (or “Jim Jam” as the girls affectionately know him) moving the ball and finding each other in space. In doing so they managed to score an early sensational goal. The girls kept tussling hard whilst Hutt managed to get a couple of goals themselves. Halftime came and went and Rāroa were on the hunt for the equaliser. The effort was never lacking from the girls and the belief was there. Unfortunately for the girls Hutt managed to sneak another goal from the next Olivia Ingham and the game wrapped up. POTD: Scarlett

Boys Football

Coming into the game we were quite nervous not knowing how good they would be, as we had never played against them and didn’t know how it was going to play out. We started off well with lots of quick passing, they pressured hard but we knew what to do. We settled into the game and earned a goal to give us a 1-0 lead, me (Jett) scoring the goal. From then on we dominated the first half scoring 6 more goals making it 7-0.

The second half was coming to a start and I was subbed off, Hutt had changed up their tactics and were playing more of an aggressive passing game. They almost scored some goals but Freddie, our GK with help from the defence held them off.

We were moving up the pitch at a rapid pace but one of their defenders chopped Eddys ankles for a freekick. It was about 5 metres out of the goal box, we thought there was no way he was going to score but knowing Eddy he could do anything. He gave the ball a smooch and got ready to take it, he took a deep breath and ran up to hit the ball. It was gliding through the air, it hit the back of the net and everyone went crazy.

I subbed back on and I was ready to score some more goals, we were heading up the pitch again. Tom was in the box and got shoved from behind, it was a pen. We knew who had to take it, our GK Freddie! He ran the whole field down to the penalty spot, everyone was cheering for him and he slotted home in the bottom corner. After a final flutter, and an attempted bicycle kick (off the post) the ref blew for full time.

All in all I think we had a great game and there were some standout goals, it finished as 13-0 (quite a one sided game) but we gave them a cheer and shook hands. POTD: Eddy

Jett Allen - Redhawks captain

Rugby

After dropping the final at the WRISSA tournament to Hutt the boys really wanted to get one back. The game started with a burst of energy as big tackle and good breaks were made. Hutt got over the line first but Rāroa then turned it on. Two awesome tries put the boys in front and they kept that lead into half time. A quick try after half time saw Rāroa up 21-12 and the game was in sight. After some more ferocious tackles and some superb turnovers Hutt managed to get one back. Rāroa then lifted again but Hutt just kept coming. It was a heartbreaking end to the game as Hutt scored to win the game. A huge effort from the Rugby boys should be hugely recommended. POTD: Emmet

Netball

We had 3 netball teams go from Rāroa; the Falcons, the Eagles and the Rubies.

The games kicked off at 12:45, holding place on Hutts turf.

We knew that all games were going to be tight and physical, so it was important that we had a good mindset going into the very first quarter and shutting down Hutts attacking players.

The rest of the Rāroa students who had already played in their sports were watching the games, and cheering our players on. 

Eagles

The Eagles unfortunately couldn’t pull through with the win, but it was a tough and physical game and we fought through to at least win the last quarter over Hutt. 

Falcons

The Falcons netball team were gunning for a good win and a great win was what they got! It was a tight start as the Falcons settled into the game with Ellie and Abby, defenders, running the show before the midcourt absolutely started dominating the game. It was a great showing from Charlotte, Kate, Sofia, Faith and Ruby, they showed endless energy intercepting passes and delivering some amazing balls into the shooters. The shooters Charlotte, Arriza and Jayani all had an excellent day showing that class is permanent as they slotted goal after goal to help the Falcons to a comfortable win. POTD: Arriza

Rubies

The Rubies were up against taking on a very tall Hutt team but the girls never shied away. Thea and Kate worked hard all day in the defensive circle and their endless efforts were certainly rewarded. The mid court was sensational as they continued to hunt down every loose ball. Katie, Ciara, Chloe and Sophie were outstanding. Down a few at halftime, the Rubies found another gear and chased down the Hutt team who were rattled. Zara and Iyla kept landing shots as the time ticked closer and closer to the end. Unfortunately, the Rubies came up short but another minute on the clock would have made the game very interesting. POTD: Kate