This year 100 Year 10 students participated in our Social Studies Onuku Marae overnight field trip. It was fantastic to have so many students attend even though the camp clashed with a Strike Day and a very abysmal weather forecast. However, the southerly blast didn’t eventuate and the misty rain didn’t dampen Year 10 spirits with many hardy souls swimming in the harbour and exploring the shoreline in chilly temperatures. The students thoroughly enjoyed connecting with their peers whilst engaging in Te Ao Māori (the Māori world). They enjoyed the walks to historical sites and participating in tikanga workshops. All enriching their understanding of the learning covered in Social Studies this term. This year we were successful at securing a very generous grant from the Rata Foundation which covered all the curriculum based activities and helped keep the camp costs down. I’d also like to thank the outside providers Adrian and Michelle Broadman and Maree Peate, Annette Le Lievre, Akaroa Museum and also the teachers who also gave up their time away from their own families to help run the camp. Mr Dickens, Mrs Rudman, Mr Smith, Mrs Bryson, Miss Dawson and Mrs Clark.

Also special thanks to Isaac Pokaihau-Roger for doing the whaikorero on behalf of the groups and Ariā Barnes for leading Waiata.
Anna Lee, LAL Social Studies

Onuku is by far one of my best school camps. I love being immersed in Maori culture. It was a great way to learn more about my culture while learning about the French and British as they play a very important role in New Zealand's history. I have to say my favourite part was sharing kai (food) and having conversations with people I would probably never talk to in school. I would definitely recommend this trip to anyone, it was an amazing experience.
Ariā Barnes

Onuku was one of the best camps I've ever been to. It was a really enjoyable experience and I would recommend it to any of the upcoming Year 10’s to take the opportunity and go. The food was great and the activities were fun. It was great to learn about the history of Akaroa in a fun way by going for walks around the town and historical sights. We also had heaps of down time to chill with our friends. Overall it was a really enjoyable experience.
Emily van Asch

We left school at nine and the drive there was long but worth it.
We were welcomed on the Marae and we went into the wharenui with all the carvings and pictures. We sang a waiata and then we got started. You were not allowed to wear shoes in the wharenui. We went into the dining hall and they told us what we are going to do. The first activity we did was a remembering game which I failed in. Then we played a game with a stick when he said left or right in Maori, we needed to move that way and try to catch the other stick. Then after that we did some weaving which was amazing we made some roses. After that we went and had some hot chocolate and played some jenga. Then we went and got our beds ready. After that we went and sat next to the fire and we played Uno. It was fun.
I got in my pyjamas and went to eat. The food was amazing. Then we got ready for bed and went to bed at 10 pm. We woke up at 7 am because of screeching people. We got dressed and ate breakfast and then we cleaned up our beds then we were off. Oh and we made our lunches before we went. We went on a historical walk which was beautiful, especially the view and the calming sound of the ocean.
Overall it was an amazing trip I would highly recommend.
Leournē Boshoff

I really enjoyed my time at Onuku. It was really fun learning how to make a flax flower and seeing the monument with the Bellbirds was a really special moment for me. Learning about the culture was really fun and doing the walk was interesting learning about how the French got into the bay and seeing all the whaling pots. The whole experience was really fun and something next year's yr 10s should be really excited for.
Brooke Butler